Category Archives: Devotional

Reflecting Jesus – John 9:4-5

Posted on by
Reply

While in the act of healing a man blind from birth, Jesus makes the following declaration,

“4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

The first word that stands out is the first word, “We.” Jesus does not intend to act alone. Here I do not think he is referring to his Father, but to the disciples, who are to work alongside of him.

The next thing that stands out to me is the phrase, “night is coming, when no one can work.” At this moment there is no need to speculate as to when this is or will actually be. It is enough to know there is such a time coming, to motivate us. We will not be able to work whenever or for as long as we want. Procrastination may be a fatal error in this case.

Finally, I see the phrase, “As long as I am in the world,” which somewhat limits the statement, “I am the light of the world.” Jesus is not, or does not intend to be the light of the world in the same way forever. From this statement it seems he no longer fills that role at the present time, since he has left the world physically to be with his Father.

Are these then the days of darkness? Is there no light to be seen or by which to see? Well, not exactly. Jesus has left some light behind if we are prepared to accept the mission.

Remember that first word “We”? There is still work to be done and we are the ones to do it. If we need any further confirmation of this, we find it in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:14-16.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

In John 8 Jesus first announced that he was the light of the world. In John 9, he added the stipulation that he was the light of the world as long as he was in the world. In Matthew 5, he tell his disciples that they are the light of the world and explains how they are to fulfill that function: Through their good works.

There are numerous reasons to serve Jesus in this world. One of them is this. He expects his light to shine through us, to be reflected off of us, to give the world some way of seeing him. The moon has no light of its own, but can only reflect the light of the sun. Nonetheless on a clear night, a full moon appears to be very bright. Let’s become experts in reflecting Jesus.

“Your father the devil” – John 8:42-45

Posted on by
Reply

42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.

Wouldn’t it be nice to skim right past this section as if it weren’t there? Wouldn’t it be nicer still if it if fact really weren’t there at all to skim over?

Alas, it is there, confronting us in the Gospel of John like a neighbor we would like to ignore and who refuses to go back inside his house. The implications of this passage are profound. It is so filled with content, all of it coming from the mouth of Jesus, that it practically bursts out of the page. Let’s list just a few things.

  1. There is a real personal devil.as well as a real personal God.
  2. The devil is a murderer.
  3. He pretty much always lies, because his character is such that lying comes naturally to him.
  4. Jesus, on the other hand is truthful.
  5. Jesus was sent by God in accordance with God the Father’s perfect will.
  6. If we love Jesus, then that reveals that God is our Father.
  7. There are people who do not love Jesus.
  8. They cannot seem to tolerate what he actually has to say.
  9. These people are children of the devil,
  10. They desire to do their father’s, that is, the devil’s will.

That is a lot of information to take in, all pouring forth from a few short verses, and it is all life-changing if we truly let it sink in.

Dear God, help us to clearly see the difference between the truth that we receive from Jesus and the devil’s lies. Help us not to distort your word, as the devil has from the beginning, only using it in such a way as to serve his deceptive purposes. Make us genuine lovers of God, lovers of our Lord Jesus and lovers of the truth. In this way let us reveal that we are your children. And help us to do all that we can to call the devil’s children out of the realm of his deception and into the truth of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Who would be able to teach him? – John 7:14-17

Posted on by
Reply

14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.

The religious leaders marveled at the teaching of Jesus. He never went to an elite Yeshivah. Nonetheless, his learning was evident. How did he get it? Jesus lets them know.

“My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.” In other words, he got it straight from his Father.

For the average pastor or Bible teacher, studying under others is a good thing. There are insights we are probably not going to gain by a little extra prayer or reading of the text. In a best-case scenario, that which we learn and learn well will still take longer.

In the case of Christ, who would be able to teach him? The rabbis were not always right, as their frequent arguments with Jesus indicate. They were not always wrong either, but what good would that have done Jesus in the end?

When God the Son came to earth, one of the biggest, silliest things that kept happening is that people repeatedly wanted to argue with him on topics of religion. They got angry when he didn’t see things their way. What they should have done is listened.

Let’s not imagine that we know more than Jesus. We are never going to teach him. When he disagrees with us, we can count on the fact that we ought to change our perspective. He knows best. We don’t. We will always do well to come to him with a receptive frame of mind, ears open and a heart ready to learn.

Lord, to whom shall we go? – John 6:66-69

Posted on by
Reply

66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

If you have walked with Jesus long enough, you are familiar with this problem.  People hear things, experience things, do things, or maybe someone does something to them.  The end result is just as in John 6:66.  

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 

Whatever the reason, this is a sad outcome.  At its root it is an expression of unbelief, of a lack of trust.  There is a way in which it belittles Jesus, his identity as God and his work on the cross for us.  It is saying that you, Jesus, are not big enough, nor is your cross effective enough to resolve this issue.  It is saying that my inability to understand why you work the way you do gets the final say.  There is nothing you, Jesus, can say or do to persuade me otherwise.

If we could see the big, eternal picture, we would know that this response would border on insanity.  However big our problem is, however difficult to understand, however wicked the forces that have raged against us, however cruel the attack, Jesus is bigger still and his cross provides the ultimate victory. 

Through faith in him we will eventually rise above the battle just as he rose from the grave and conquered death.  In eternity we will hear remarkable stories of incredible evil experienced by weak but trusting saints.  And the end of each and every one of them will be along the lines of, “But that is over now, and we have found everlasting joy in the presence of our Savior.  The cruelty of the battle that almost ended in utter defeat only makes the victory sweeter.  He rose, and he reigns forever and I am one of his.”

May our response to Christ when we don’t understand what he is saying or doing ever be,

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”