John 8:3-6 • Handwriting Analysis

The precious scene described in the first two verses of John 8 turned just about as dark and ugly as can be imagined when the scribes and Pharisees showed up in the next verse. They shoved a woman to the center of the crowd who’d been caught in the act of adultery and demanded to know whether Jesus would support enforcing the death penalty in her case.

But the passage makes clear that they really weren’t concerned about the law they were citing. Otherwise, the man involved would have been dragged out of bed and paraded through town to be judged as well. Adultery does require two sinners.

No, their misogynistic, crude, and cruel behavior was focused on one thing only. They were trying to set a trap for Jesus. They were certain that if he agreed with their brutal enforcement of the law, the crowd would turn against him, and if he responded with mercy, they could accuse him of violating Scripture. Either way they were sure they had him cornered.

But as usual, our Lord did the unexpected. He submitted his response in writing.

Verse 6 tells us that Jesus stooped down – refusing to join the crowd in gawking at the woman – and wrote something in the dust on the floor of the Temple. We’re not told, so we can’t know the content of his inscription. But the fact that this is the only description of a handwritten communication from Jesus is worth contemplating.

He wasn’t just doodling. The original language used here is clear about that. He was saying something. The hand of God had engraved on a tablet of stone (Exodus 20:14), “You shall not commit adultery.” And now, the hand of the Son of God was writing a response to the merciless enforcement of that command.

Was Jesus undermining the seventh commandment? Clearly not. Through this entire episode he never once exonerated the woman or rejected the validity of the proposed punishment. But he did refuse to condemn her. And that’s exactly what he’d said was part of his divine commission. He told Nicodemus in John 3:17 that, “…God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.”

We are all guilty of sin. Romans 6:23 says every one of us is under the death penalty for our rebellion against God. But I’m glad that’s not the end of the story. That same verse also describes the gift of eternal life available to us in Christ.

What was Jesus writing in the dirt on the floor? I don’t know, but I’ll bet handwriting analysis would reveal it to have been the work of the same person who stooped under the weight of a cruel cross refusing to gawk at or condemn us in our sin and instead penned our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 21:27). Let’s live today with grateful hearts for the overwhelming grace and mercy of the one who loves us that much.

John 8:1-2 • Missed Opportunities

As we open the eighth chapter of John together, let me acknowledge that the first 11 verses along with the last one of the previous chapter is among the passages most argued about by New Testament textual scholars. Very simply, their contention has to do with whether this section is inspired, and if so, where it belongs in the Gospels.

Now, I don’t consider myself qualified to comment on this debate. So, I rely on the hard work of others with far better credentials to explore the issue. And I find Jameison, Fausset, and Brown to be very thorough, balanced, cogent, and scholarly. I agree with their assessment that although the arguments to the contrary are worth exploring, the evidence for considering these verses as Scripture and rightly located is conclusive.

So, with that said, let’s dive in. And I’d like to start by considering verses 1 and 2. Here we’re told that after spending the night under the stars on the Mount of Olives, Jesus entered the Temple early the next morning, sat down, and taught a crowd of people who had gathered.

Oh, I wish I could have been there. Don’t you? I can’t imagine anything better than to have had the opportunity to start the day in the presence of Jesus, who was seated among them – not postured for just putting in an appearance before rushing off to more important things – and with loving patience, pouring out his heart into theirs. Oh my gosh! It moves me now to think of it.

But wait a minute. Hasn’t the Lord invited each of us to enter this scene every day of our lives? Doesn’t Revelation 3:20 articulate this standing offer? And what about Matthew 6:6 where we’re welcomed to regularly encounter him not just in a crowd but in the privacy of the secret place?

Perhaps the heart-yearning these verses stir in me isn’t really about the possibility of being with Jesus in this way but about the missed opportunities. Sadly, I often make the choice to begin my day without him. How about you?

It may not be morning where you are as you hear this, but it’s not too late to start the rest of the day with him. Let’s do what we can to make that happen. Mute the phone, step away from the desk, grab a Bible, find a crevasse of solitude, and sit with him while he infuses our lives with his.

John 7:47-53 • Pretzel Logic

Sometimes people are so desperate to be right about something that even in the face of undeniable data they will distort the facts in order to create an alternate reality that supports their viewpoint and then adopt that distortion as truth.

One extreme example of this is the hundreds and perhaps thousands of people who persist in claiming the earth is a flat disk not a sphere despite the overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary. The pretzel logic required to support this is just absurd.

And this is the kind of thing the closing section of John 7 describes. In verses 47-53, having just been confronted by members of their own police force with the power of Jesus’ words, the religious leaders doubled down on their position that he was a fraud, a threat, and worthy of death. They ridiculed the police officers. Then, they expressed their contempt for the faith of the common people. And next, they belittled one of their own members for suggesting they should follow legal procedures before condemning a man to death without a trial.

Then, they just went off the rails. Determined to hold their position at all costs, they made a statement that was both false and illogical. They said that no prophet had ever come from Galilee.

Of course, they were ignoring the fact that the prophets Jonah and Nahum were both from Galilee. And according to many scholars, Malachi was as well. But even if all this had somehow just slipped their minds, their implication that no prophet could come from Galilee because none had, was just preposterous.

This kind of delusional thinking is symptomatic of people who have become thoroughly invested in maintaining a false claim.

What does this have to do with you and me? It’s easy to point fingers at Pharisees and flat-earthers, but I think we need to confront our own tendency to dig our heels in to protect a position or belief we want to be true.

There’s always a temptation to put words in God’s mouth to authorize our desires and then barricade ourselves behind phrases like, “God told me” or “God said” so we can ignore the conviction of the Holy Spirit or the loving correction of friends. And this was true of a dark period in my own life.

I read 2 Corinthians 5:7 which says, “...We walk by faith, not by sight,” and decided this verse gave me the permission to ignore the negative balance I saw in my checkbook register. I also misappropriated Philippians 4:19 which says, “...God shall supply all your need,” and used it to justify continuing to write bad checks all over town.

I bet you can imagine how that turned out. Sadly, it wasn’t until I experienced much unnecessary hardship and heartache that I finally stopped attempting to defend the indefensible and admitted to myself and before God my sinful presumption. I so desperately wanted to believe God would support my lazy and irresponsible behavior that I twisted his words to suit my desire.

Oh man! I wish I had that part of my life to relive. But my point is we all need to be careful of the spiritual blindness that can overtake us when we choose to fight for what we want instead of stand on what’s true. And if that last statement illuminates something going on in your own life, bring it to Jesus in repentance and let him straighten out the pretzel…right now!

John 7:45-46 • The Power of the Red Ink

John 7:45 returns to the unfinished thread dangling from verse 32 when the Jewish religious leaders sent their police force to apprehend Jesus for the purpose of executing him. Those officers had returned to the chief priests and Pharisees empty-handed, and a reason for their dereliction of duty was demanded of them.

Their one-sentence reply in verse 46 is so profound it stops me in my tracks every time I read it. I simply find it impossible to move on from this verse without spending time enjoying, reflecting on, and personally responding to these moving words. Referring to Jesus they said, “No man ever spoke like this man!”

During the years of my pastoral ministry, I had the privilege of serving many men and women employed in law enforcement. And one of the things I learned about these brave and dedicated public servants is that they’re not easily impressed. They develop a healthy dose of skepticism in order to be effective at what they do. And this is especially true when it comes to what people say. Words are cheap and can be easily thrown around carelessly. These guys are daily subjected to streams of false and deceptive claims in their line of work. So, they usually don’t pay much attention to your talk until they see your walk. Deeds are the language that matters most to them.

Another thing I’ve noted about these folks is their loyalty and commitment to their superiors. So, the fact that the words of Jesus impacted these religious police so deeply that they were willing to disobey orders and defy the Jewish leaders is stunning.

In the time between when they had set out with the arrest warrant and returned to give their report, they encountered someone whose words penetrated their well-developed defenses and captured them so completely they were willing to face insubordination rather than betray their hearts.

They discovered – as countless others have since – that among many other things, the words of Jesus can empower us to stand up to false authorities. Sometimes – as in this case – these impostors are other people. But most of the time they’re those faceless entities we allow to dictate our thoughts, feelings, responses, and behaviors. But no matter what commands we’ve received from pride, shame, self-pity, fear, depression, anger, lust or any of the rest of their unholy crew, choosing to listen to and act on what Jesus says instead enables us to hold our ground against their threats.

If you find yourself struggling under orders from one of these illegitimate voices today, here’s what I suggest. Get hold of an edition of the Bible with the words of Jesus printed in red, open it to one of the four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John – find some red ink, and allow those words to empower your resistance. In fact, John 16:33 might be a good place to start. Jesus said:

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

John 7:40-44 • We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

In John 7:40-44, after Jesus had concluded his breathtaking invitation and teaching regarding the ministry of the Holy Spirit, many of those who heard him were moved to belief. But a segment of the crowd was still unconvinced. And the reason they gave for their unbelief was that Jesus had come from Galilee and Scripture had prophesied that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem.

But they were completely wrong about that.

Oh, they were right about the prophesy, but they falsely assumed that because Jesus was from Galilee that he had been born there. The truth was that although Jesus grew up in the Galilean city of Nazareth, he had been born in the Judean town of Bethlehem exactly as had been foretold.

And they could have easily found out where Jesus was born if they had asked any of the members of his family who were there in Jerusalem that week for the Feast of Tabernacles. But they didn’t. Why? Because they were certain they knew all there was to know about the matter and had reached their conclusion based on what they assumed to be a settled fact.

But it turns out, they didn’t know what they didn’t know. And there are still people who disregard or outright reject Jesus because of what they believe to be indisputable information while remaining completely oblivious to all they don’t comprehend.

And a fuller discussion of this issue and its impact would be completely appropriate at this point in John 7, but I want to talk about something else. Actually, I want to ask a question. Why didn’t Jesus set the record straight?

He was there, and he certainly knew what was being said about him. And if faith in his messiahship was literally an eternal life or death issue for those people, why on earth did he remain silent? It seems almost cruel not to have settled their objection to his lordship by simply eliminating the confusion around his birthplace so they could join the ranks of believers.

But even though the solution to their unbelief seems pretty straightforward, I have a hunch this may be one of those things we don’t know we don’t know. I think Jesus understands something about human nature we don’t. I think the reality is this group of people was simply not willing to place their trust in him and no amount of information was going to change that.

People never exercise faith in Jesus because all their questions have been answered. If so, it wouldn’t be faith. We place our trust in Christ because we reach the point where we’ve seen and heard enough to make the choice to step across the belief threshold. On one side of this tipping point we doubt more than we believe, but on the other, we believe more than we doubt. And the decision to take that leap is what launches us on the journey that leads to the answers for the questions we know we have, but more importantly to the discovery of what we don’t know we don’t know.

So, as you consider these verses with me today, if you’re resisting a step of faith because all your questions haven’t yet been answered, may I encourage you to stop hesitating at the belief threshold. It’s only on the other side that you’ll find what you’re looking for.

John 7:37-39 • There’s More

On the eighth and final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, at the apex of the celebration, Jesus spoke some of the most beautiful and moving words of his ministry. They’re found in John 7:37 and 38.

He captured the attention of the crowd and then issued a thrilling invitation. He offered to quench the heart-thirst of anyone who would place their faith in him. Then he went on to say that after relieving their spiritual longing, he would release a torrent of what he called living water from their once-parched souls.

Verse 39 clarifies that Jesus was describing the ministry of the Holy Spirit through whom he would both satisfy our deepest yearning and overflow us with rivers of his life-giving power.

Although we can’t know for certain, it seems most likely that this happened at the point in the day’s ceremonies when a priest brought water from Jerusalem’s Pool of Siloam and poured it out on the altar. Siloam is the endpoint of an aqueduct that carries water into the city from beneath the temple mount, and as such, symbolizes the spiritual refreshing that flows from God.

So, the Lord’s choice of this occasion and location were not accidental, and neither was the time of day. This would’ve happened during the morning sacrifice – the third hour or nine o’clock in the morning. And this is exactly the same time the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon the first church on the Day of Pentecost following his resurrection (Acts 2:1-4, 15).

As usual, Jesus was speaking volumes here in these few and magnificent words. But at the heart of it, he was describing the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers as being two-fold. There’s a pouring in and a pouring out. Belief in Jesus initiates an inflow of the living water of the Spirit that regenerates us and an outflow of that same stream that – according to Jesus in Acts 1:8 – enables us to live out his plans for us in this world.

The Lord clearly meant for us to experience both. And yet it often seems that presentations of the gospel focus on the inflow that causes rebirth but neglect the outflow that unleashes Christ’s power in and through us. As certainly as we need to be born again by the Spirit, we need to be baptized in or empowered by him as well.

Thank God! Jesus has invited us to have it all. So, if you have expressed your faith in him and taken a deep drink from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3) but sense there’s more, you’re right, there is. But the more you’re waiting for is already yours. Just pause right now and welcome the Holy Spirit to unleash the living water you’ve already received as a river he wants to pour through your life to a thirsty world.

John 7:32-36 • Now is the Time

In John 7:32-36 we’re told that having heard the expressions of faith in Jesus that were beginning to bubble up from among many who were in the crowd hearing him speak, the religious leaders decided it was time to act on their determination to kill him. So, they sent subordinates to make the arrest. And we’ll find out how this turned out when we get to the final section of the chapter.

But meanwhile, Jesus continued speaking and said he would soon be returning to the one who sent him – God the Father – and that when he did, no one would be able to find or follow him.

He wasn’t saying that he’d decided to give up on humanity and was just going to cash in his chips and go home. He simply meant that he wouldn’t be with them in person much longer. There was a time limit on his physical presence. He would be fulfilling his redemption assignment and returning to the heavenly realm. And even then, it wouldn’t be to abandon us but to make way for the ministry of the Holy Spirit he will begin to introduce in the subsequent passage.

But this completely confused the Jewish elite. And even though Jesus had been perfectly clear, they began debating among themselves concerning what he meant about where he’d be going.

As usual, their spiritual pride rendered them completely blind to his point. He was issuing a call to action. It’s as though he were saying, “The time to believe is now while we’re literally in the same room together – where you can hear my teachings with your own ears and see my miracles with your own eyes. Don’t put it off. It won’t be easier after I’m gone.”

That doesn’t mean exercising faith requires the physical presence of Jesus. Billions of us have become Christ-followers in the two millennia since his ascension. But the time to believe him and to act on that faith is always now not later.

And here is where this get personal for me. Whenever circumstances challenge me to trust Jesus, I want to be immediate in my response. I don’t want to hesitate while I consider alternatives. But the reality is sometimes the little Pharisee that hides out in my soul resists belief. I give place to confusion or fear, drag my spiritual feet, and miss the opportunity to see God do something wonderful in response to my faith. But I am determined to make sure that happens less often.

Perhaps you feel the same. If so, I encourage you to scroll through the list of your life’s challenges today and sincerely decide that now is the time to trust Jesus with them. What are you waiting for?

John 7:25-31 • Who We're From

Have you ever raised your voice during a conversation in order to make a point? Jesus did. Not often. But when we encounter one of those occasions in the Gospels, I think it’s wise to pay close attention to what he said. Don’t you? And one of those times is found in the two verses at the heart of John 7:25-31.

This section of the chapter captures the response of three different groups of people to Jesus’ ministry. We see the hostility of the religious leaders who felt threatened by his authority, we encounter the humble belief of those who were convinced of His messiahship by the displays of his power, and we also meet a group who rejected his message because of what they thought they knew about his identity based on where he was from.

And it was this assumption that prompted his powerful reply. He lifted his voice in dramatic fashion and told them his identity was not based on where he was from but on who he was from. He said he was sent by the one who is true, or more literally, real. In other words, he was from the only one whose sending matters. It was that sending that defined him.

And that’s true for us too. I think one of the reasons Jesus was so emphatic about this is that you and I need to know our true identity. Our sense of self is so often distorted by the false belief that we’re defined by where we’re from – our past wounds and failures – instead of who we’re from – the one who has sent us.

Revelation 12:10 describes the devil as our accuser. He is relentless in his efforts to remind us of where we’re from and label us by those accusations. And he also works hard to arrange for his allegations to be supported and amplified by nearly everyone we meet. We are almost always judged by others based on our history.

But John 17:18 and 20:21 record Jesus’ own words as he declared that he has personally sent us in the same way the Father sent him. And we’re defined by our sender – who we’re from – just as he was.

Don’t forget that. When you’re tempted today to believe otherwise, remember the time Jesus cried out in the temple to make the point that our identity rests securely on who we’re from.

John 7:19-24 • A Pathway to Rightness

In John 7:19-24, Jesus continued teaching in the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles. He purposefully picked at an old scab when he asked the crowd why they wanted to kill him. And although they responded by expressing confusion, the question was really addressed to the religious leaders in their midst who knew exactly what he meant.

It had been a year and a half since the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda on a Sabbath day. That had stirred up a hornets’ nest of hatred among the Jewish elite and resulted in their determining to find a way to execute Jesus (John 5:9-16). And now, eighteen months later, the Lord’s inquiry pulled the curtain back on their secret plan and revealed the intense animosity that still festered in their hearts.

It’s clear Jesus wanted to get this out in the open and address it publicly. But not just to settle a score. He wanted to teach them the right way to relate to biblical commands so they can become gifts to welcome not regulations to come under.

He pointed out that the Jewish leaders themselves routinely violated their rigid application of Sabbath restrictions. The Mosaic law required them to circumcise Jewish boys on their eighth day of life. But if that fell on a Sabbath, they didn’t hesitate to perform the circumcision. They prioritized its importance over a strict interpretation of rest. So, Jesus asked them to explain why healing a man would not be at least an equal priority.

And at first, it almost sounds like he’s asking to be excused for what he’d done because it wasn’t any worse than what they do. But he hadn’t done anything wrong. He’d done something very right, and he wanted them to do the same by exercising righteous judgment not based on appearance. In other words, he was inviting them to look beneath the surface of the law for its roots of righteousness before making judgments based on it.

What did he mean by that?

Well, he wasn’t suggesting that scriptural commands are merely suggestions that can be overridden or adjusted based on whim or changing circumstances. But he was clarifying that they aren’t oppressive, unyielding shackles either. They’re ultimately about the orientations and intentions of the heart not mere compliance.

It’s entirely possible to go through the motions of obedience without the soul being aligned with the actions. In fact, that’s exactly how the scribes and Pharisees could harbor their deep hatred of Jesus behind a façade of strict legalism.

2 Corinthians 3:6 tells us, “…the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” When we look beyond the surface – or letter – of the commandments and embrace the Holy Spirit’s purposes behind them, something life-giving starts to emerge. We begin to see them as expressions of God’s compassion.

And this can radically change the way we read, understand, and apply Scripture. As the Holy Spirit enables us to see it through the lens of God’s commitment to help us experience his righteousness – or rightness – we begin to discover his gifts of grace behind every command. We then find ourselves longing for those blessings, and it motivates our obedience.

Is there a specific scriptural directive, restriction, or regulation that you struggle with today, finding it difficult to understand or obey? If so, I invite you to take another look. Welcome the Spirit to help you see beyond the surface into the loving heart of God who offers it to you as a pathway to rightness.

John 7:15-18 • Who are you listening to?

John chapter 7 verse 15 records a question the Jewish religious leaders were posing in response to a teaching Jesus had given in the Temple. It wasn’t about what he’d said – the content of his message – it was about the source of his theological training. Since he hadn’t studied under the scholars in their system, they questioned the validity of his doctrine.

So, in verse 16, Jesus responded by saying he wasn’t reliant on any human source for his teaching. He said it came directly from his Father.

Then, he gave them two essential metrics for judging authenticity when a person claims to have a message from God. And we definitely need to consider these when it comes to who we’re listening to.

There are a lot of people in the spiritual communication business – pastors, authors, bloggers, talk show hosts, musicians. How should we determine which of them to pay attention to? Is it about the educational degrees they hold, their popularity, the effectiveness of their style?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a proponent of theological scholarship, and I definitely take it into consideration when I evaluate whose words I’ll expose my soul to. I also think it’s wise to consider popularity at least in terms of questioning who else is listening to this person and why. And I think communication skill is a worthy marker too.

But ultimately, the Lord said it’s about heart motivation – both ours and theirs.

In verse 17, he said we need to honestly check our own desires. Are we ready to actually do whatever’s necessary to align our lives with what the Lord may be saying through the messenger or are we content to simply be intellectually and emotionally stimulated by the words we hear? Jesus said the answer to this question is what shapes our ability to discern the spiritual authority of what we’re exposed to.

Then, in verse 18, he said we need to also evaluate the motive of the speaker. Is it to glorify themselves – to gain a following, impress others, enrich their bank account – or is it to glorify God regardless of what it may cost them personally? Admittedly, this isn’t always easy to tell at first. But according to Jesus, it’s important. So, we need to give attention to it if we’re going to carefully steward our souls.

When it comes to determining who we’ll listen to, let’s not make the mistake of the Jewish leaders by focusing on externals. Let’s pay attention to the internals.

John 7:10-14 • The Fear of Man

John chapter 7 verse 10 informs us Jesus made a low-profile journey to Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. And the preceding verses clarify his strategy. He didn’t want to prematurely attract the attention of the religious leaders who wanted to kill him. But then, verse 14 states that at a time near the midpoint of the eight-day celebration, he went to the Temple – the epicenter of the week’s activities – and began to teach. He went to the most visible venue and publicly proclaimed his message.

He clearly was unafraid. On the other hand, verses 11-13 tell us he had supporters among the gathered crowds who wouldn’t speak openly about him specifically because of their fear. So, we see Jesus managing his public testimony strategically while those in the crowd restrained theirs in order to protect themselves.

And that reminds me of something that happened yesterday.

My wife and I went out to breakfast with another couple who are lifelong friends and partners in ministry. So, our table conversation was filled with Jesus-talk as we caught up on all the wonderful things God has done and is doing in and through our lives.

But at one point, I caught myself thinking about the single woman seated very close by at the table next to us. I began to wonder how our conversation – which was clearly spilling over into her space – was being received. I instinctively lowered my volume and became more deliberate with my choice of words. And I’m not sure that I was managing my testimony strategically. I suspect it was out of fear – not of physical harm but diminished reputation.

Don’t get me wrong. I totally understand the appropriateness of exercising consideration regarding when, where, and how to vocalize my love for Christ. I’m an advocate for believers being mindful and measured – strategic – about our faith-sharing. But honestly, I don’t think that was what was going on in my soul.

Although I thankfully live in a country that enjoys freedom of religion, the tide of opinion has definitely turned in recent years against the acceptability of public confessions of Christian faith. Expressions of nearly any other viewpoint are celebrated, but open declarations of belief in Jesus are increasingly frowned upon. And Jesus-followers who go public are generally considered fools and usually worse.

I think my thoughts and actions yesterday were more reflective of a concern for my reputation than kingdom purpose. And that’s something I just cannot allow to take root in my heart. I choose today to live out my faith strategically under the direction of the Holy Spirit without surrendering to the fear of man.

John 7:2-9 • The Arrogance of Insistence

Have you ever found yourself telling God what he should do and when he should do it? I certainly have. And it nearly always leads to frustration on my part because although my plans seem to be perfectly logical, he rarely seems to agree. But John 7 verses 2-9 explain why.

This passage tells us that Jesus’ relatives demanded – not suggested – that he go to Jerusalem so that the crowds gathered there for the Feast of Tabernacles could witness his miracles and help spread his message. Seems like a no-brainer, right. Take advantage of the big stage and make a big splash. But Jesus declined because of two things, his timing and his purpose. They misunderstood both.

He told them his clock and theirs were set differently. Their time was always now, but his may be not yet. He was trying to help them see that there’s a bigger picture.

He also explained that there was a disconnect when it came to their understanding of his purpose. He wasn’t interested in impressing people with his power to gain their favor. His mission was to expose their sin and provide the means for them to be forgiven.

And all of this is so very familiar to me.

When I bring a request to God – and I can be pretty demanding too – I can’t even imagine that there could be a better time for him to answer my prayer than right now. I mean, I’ve presented an airtight case for why he should meet my need. So, how could a delay be a good thing? And when it comes to the matter of his purpose being fulfilled, how could he possibly have other plans than mine?

It sounds terrible when I say all this, but confession is good for the soul, right?

But get this. Verse 5 says that the real motive behind his relatives’ insistence was their unbelief. And truth be told when I approach God to insist on what should be done and when, it really just reveals my lack of faith. I tell him what to do because I don’t trust that his timing or his purpose will be best for me.

And the reason that realization stings so bad is that my experience with his timing and purpose have NEVER been anything but perfect. He has ALWAYS proven himself to have my best interest in mind.

Lord, forgive me. I choose today to place the full weight of my trust on your goodness. May I bring my requests to you without the arrogance of insistence. May I dwell within the confidence that your timing and purpose are always right.

John 7:1 • The Christian Walk

The seventh chapter of John opens approximately six months after the events recorded in the previous chapter. And verse one tells us that Jesus spent those months ministering in Galilee, the northern region of Israel. Although this was about to change, it says He had stayed away from the southern region of Judea – where the capital city of Jerusalem was located – because the Jewish religious leaders there wanted to kill Him.

But I’m intrigued by the Greek word translated with its literal meaning here as walked and walk in the New King James Version which reads:

After these things Jesus WALKED in Galilee; for He did not want to WALK in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.

Several other English Bible versions have chosen to use the figurative meaning of this word which is perfectly appropriate, perhaps even more so. But I’m drawn to this literal rendering.

Why? Because it illustrates how purposeful and strategic Jesus was about how he managed His life including His very steps. He made careful choices about where he WALKED. And most of the time I don’t.

The context clarifies that He wasn’t avoiding Judea out of fear. He was being a good steward of His time. He knew He was destined for the cross in Jerusalem. But He also knew it wasn’t time yet. He plotted the course of His life on the basis of His divine purpose.

I, on the other hand, regularly find myself choosing to walk the road of least resistance or taking the scenic route just because it suits me without even considering the will or timing of God. I let my feet lead me – so to speak – instead of the other way around. And perhaps you’ve noticed that our feet really can’t be trusted to make the wisest choices.

My wife and I live within walking distance of this gorgeous beach. And we frequently stroll down here to see the surf and catch the sunset. But there are two paths we can take. One involves climbing a VERY steep hill and the other doesn’t. Which one do you think we usually choose? Bingo! We don’t even give it a second thought. Even though we’d definitely benefit from the exercise the other trail would provide we select the route that best serves our feet.

I don’t want my Christian WALK to be like that. I want to be more careful about what road I’m on and when making sure to pursue the will of God above my own preferences. How about you?

John 6:67-71 • Believe and Know

The sixth chapter of John’s Gospel concludes with a soaring declaration of faith along with a sobering reminder.

In verse 67, Jesus turned his attention from the many to the few. For most of this chapter, Jesus was focused on the multitude. He had compassionately and skillfully revealed Himself to them and led them to a decision point regarding His Messiahship. But when they reached that point, sadly, most of them chose to remain in their unbelief and walked way.

Then, as the crowd was deserting Him, He turned and confronted the Twelve – the capital “D” Disciples – and asked if they were going to abandon Him as well. Peter’s response was literally one for the ages. He said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” And then he said, “We have come to BELIEVE and KNOW that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

His statements are so powerful! And I’d like to draw your attention to his use of two specific words: believe and know. With them, he articulated the breadth of what it means to have faith in Christ. The word translated as believe is pisteuo, and it describes a belief that chooses to commit. The other word, know, is translated from the word, ginosko, and it refers to a knowledge that is more experiential than intellectual.

The faith Peter described is the result of both a choice and an experience, a decision and a relationship. We can’t have one without the other and we can’t reverse the order. Without choosing to commit, there can’t be an experience. And a decision to believe that doesn’t result in a relationship is incomplete.

Behind me is a wedding chapel. And it’s a good backdrop for this because true faith is like a marriage. It begins with a choice to commit, but unless that decision results in a relational experience, something’s seriously wrong.

And that’s why on the heels of Peter’s soaring statement that he assumed was true for all of them, Jesus’ next question is a sobering reminder. In a sense He used the question to say, “Peter, the faith you’ve so eloquently defined is not true for all of you.” And we’re told He was referring to Judas, who would eventually betray Him.

Now, it’s not possible to know exactly what was insufficient with Judas’ believing that allowed for his betrayal. But it’s clear that he’d made some kind of commitment to follow Jesus. That’s why he was there that day counted among the Disciples. But my hunch is that something was deficient in his pursuit of an experience with Jesus.

May that not be true of you and me, dear one. As we close this chapter, let’s invite the Holy Spirit to reveal anything about our faith that looks like a commitment without a relationship. Let’s daily choose to pursue the One who has invited us into a belief that results in an experience.

John 6:60-66 • The Ecstasy of Access

In John 6 verses 60-66, we encounter a sad fact and a breathtaking reality.

First, the sad fact is that some people will make the choice to turn away from following Jesus.

The passage opens by disclosing that many of those who’d been following Him since the loaves and fishes miracle and heard Him describe Himself as the Bread from Heaven that provides eternal life, complained that they just couldn’t understand His message. They said it was too hard to grasp.

He responded by saying that if they couldn’t comprehend this prerequisite truth, they would certainly not be able to move on to the rest of what could be revealed to them. He also clarified the problem as a paradigm issue not a communication failure. It was neither that they weren’t intelligent enough nor that He wasn’t clear. It was that they were refusing to let go of their faithless frame of reference.

A paradigm is a framework of understanding. It’s the lens through which we see things. And when He said, “The flesh profits nothing,” He meant that insisting their humanistic, natural-world, unbelieving framework could handle spiritual understanding was folly. He was introducing them to a whole new paradigm. He wasn’t just trying to get a point across, His words were literally spirit and life.

He went on to say their comprehension problem was not the difficulty of the concepts, it was their lack of faith. Belief is the fist step into the paradigm of the spirit, and it cannot be skipped. As long as a person resists believing in Christ, there’s only so much they can receive from Him. And sadly, many in this crowd had reached the end of the line. And so, they walked away.

But not all of them. And that’s where we discover the breathtaking reality described in the heart of verse 65.

Here we see a completely different outcome for those of us who DO choose to believe. Instead of turning away, we find ourselves coming TO Jesus. And we’re told the Heavenly Father is the One who grants this amazing access.

This is stunning on so many levels. It means that when we’re hurting, we can come to Jesus. When we’re weak, we can come to Jesus. And it also means when we’re confused, unclear, or uncertain about anything, we can come to Jesus.

So even though we might encounter spiritual truths that initially challenge our comprehension, our faith has ushered us into the paradigm of the Spirit and given us direct access to the One who can and will open those truths to us.

I challenge you, Dear One. Don’t be among those who turn away in unbelief. Daily choose to faithfully, fearlessly, and continuously follow Jesus by faith and experience the ecstasy of access.

John 6:52-59 • The Bridge Builder

In John 6:52-59, we have the conclusion of the conversation Jesus had with the Jews about Him being the true “Bread from Heaven” and the “Bread of Life.” This final section of the passage begins by describing the struggle they had comprehending the concept of eating His flesh, or in other words, spiritually feasting on Jesus in order to gain eternal life.

But, without even a hint of frustration, the Lord patiently explained it all again, providing them with yet another opportunity to grasp this truth. He was building a bridge of understanding from something they already knew – manna in the wilderness – to something they didn’t yet know – the cross. And even though we’ll discover that most of them chose not to cross the span, this demonstration of His patient willingness to escort them over is deeply moving to me.

Why? Because I’m often very slow to comprehend spiritual truth. And knowing that my Savior won’t give up on me and is willing to lovingly work with me until I get it, is profoundly soul-securing.

For example, after nearly forty-five years of my marriage, I finally feel like I’m starting to understand what Ephesians 5:25 means when it says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her.” And I can’t thank Jesus enough for hanging in there with me through that steep learning curve, because the impact on the sweetness of my relationship with Sue is simply indescribable.

We don’t know what we don’t know. So, in our human pride we assume we understand eternal things when we really don’t. The truth is that our earth-bound, sin-scarred, and materialistic frame of reference is so narrow and shallow that we are completely dependent on the Bridge Builder to lead us from ignorance to knowledge. So, thank God we have the promise of John 16:13 – “He will guide you into all truth.”

In light of the immeasurable kindness of our patient, loving teacher, let’s stay teachable today as He leads us from what we think we know to what we have yet to discover.

John 6:47-51 • You Are What You Eat

I’m a bottom-line kind of guy. As an internal processor, I respond best to conversations where I know what we’re talking about upfront rather than having to wade through a lengthy preamble or setup before arriving at the heart of the matter.

God bless my dear wife. She’s the exact opposite. She’s a verbal processor. Her most natural way to communicate is to begin with a detailed description of the process that produced what she wants to say before she actually says it.

Early in our marriage, this drove me crazy. But over the years, I’ve come to appreciate and even highly value this aspect of who she is. I’ve learned how to stay engaged with her through these verbal wanderings and to even encourage them because my life is vastly richer and my understanding much broader due to this gift of her communication style.

But on those rare occasions when she approaches me with the words, “Honey, here’s the bottom line,” I just go weak in the knees, and I’m putty in her hands.

So, John 6:47 is my kind of verse.

With absolute clarity and economy of words, Jesus emphatically stated the bottom line. He said, “He who believes in Me has everlasting life.” Then, after coming right to the point, He proceeded to explain what this kind of belief is like.

In verses 48-51, He described Himself as the Bread of Life and said that salvation is the result of eating this Bread. And He leaves no mystery about it. He plainly states that the Bread He’s talking about is His body and that He will be offering it up in order to provide life to the world.

In other words, saving faith requires more than just arriving at an intellectual or philosophical agreement with the truth of His Messiahship. It requires consuming, taking in, or internalizing this truth. It means welcoming Jesus INTO our lives.

There’s a saying, “You are what you eat.” And it means the food we consume exerts profound influence on our lives. Our health, energy, appearance, mood, intelligence, and so much more are shaped by it. We literally can’t live without it. But it has to be eaten in order to be of benefit. Being in the same room as a plate of food or just sitting there looking at it and considering its attributes will accomplish nothing.

In a similar way, exercising a faith that goes beyond mere contemplation and actually begins ingesting the Bread of Life is what brings our spirits to life and shapes every aspect of our eternal selves. So, you’ll understand what I mean when I say salvation requires feasting on Jesus.

And He clarified what He meant by this when in Matthew 4:4 he quoted Moses in Deuteronomy and said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” We internalize Jesus as we feed on God’s Word, the Bible.

So today, let’s sit down at the table He’s prepared for us and dive in. Open His Word, and enjoy the feast that produces life everlasting.

John 6:45-46 • Keys on the Ring

I love it when Jesus quotes Scripture! And that’s what happened in John 6:45. So, we have the Word of God quoting the word of God. It’s just so cool!

And He uses an interesting communication technique here – one He employs in other places in the Gospels as well. He quotes just the first part of Isaiah 54:13 confident that it’s so familiar His hearers will automatically recall the rest of the context.

It’s like what happened the other day when a friend commented on the tendency of people to associate with others who share similar interests. My friend said, “Birds of a feather…” And he didn’t have to finish the saying because he knew my mind would search my memory and fill in the rest, “flock together.” I knew the whole quote, “Birds of a feather flock together.”

This technique stimulates a person to think more deeply about what’s being said, and that’s what Jesus wanted.

As His audience continued wrestling with His claim to be the Bread of Life, He wanted to lead them beyond the shallow, literal thinking that was constraining their ability to hear what He was really saying. So, He injected into the conversation a small piece of a very familiar and much-loved passage of Scripture that at first glance seems completely unrelated. But as their minds reflexively became engaged in the process of completing the quote, He knew they would find themselves recalling the sweet promises of God’s grace contained in those verses.

He wanted them to see His role as Bread of Life in the context of that flow of God’s redeeming love to them.

It’s amazing how God’s word can do that, take us to a deeper and richer place when we get stuck on the surface. And that’s part of the reason why it’s so important to read the Bible and allow its treasures to become stored in our memories. It gives the Lord something to draw on when He needs to point our minds and hearts toward an unexpected discovery.

The direction of my entire adult life hinges on one of those times.

As a young man in my early twenties, I’d reached a point where my future was completely uncertain. It seemed that the trail I’d been following suddenly disappeared. My heart began to fill with anxiety and my mind became exhausted from running what-if scenarios.

Then, out of the blue, as I sat alone on a lunch break at my warehouse job, the first part of 2 Timothy 2:15 bubbled up unbidden into my thoughts from the place in my memory where I had stored that verse as a child. And as my mind filled in the balance of the quote, I knew God was speaking to me through it. He was restoring a calling to pastoral ministry I thought I’d disqualified myself from, and He was preparing me for the next steps along that journey.

The door to the rest of my life opened in that moment and having that little verse of Scripture committed to memory was the key.

Dear one, let’s make a fresh commitment to having more keys on the ring by soaking in God’s word today.

John 6:43-44 • It’s All Him

In John 6:43-44, Jesus responded to the faithless murmurings of the Jewish religious elite regarding His claim of divinity. He said that embracing this truth is a response to something God initiates. It starts with Him not us. The process that results in placing faith in Christ begins with God drawing us toward belief.

There’s something wonderful about that don’t you think? To realize that my faith in Jesus as Savior began with the Heavenly Father pursuing me – enticing me – takes my breath away. I am His child because He WANTED me. And if that weren’t amazing enough, Jesus went on to say that my relationship with Him will endure through the last day of my life in this world, and then, He will raise me up into His eternal presence.

And that reminds me of something.

Our youngest grandchildren are one-year-old twin girls. And the other day, I was watching one of them playing on the floor. I called out her name. And when she turned to look at me, I reached out to her, and she started crawling toward me. I gathered her up in my arms, snuggled her, kissed her cheek, told her I loved her, and would have held her like that all day if I could have.

Now, I know it’s an imperfect example, but a relationship with Jesus is like that. It’s all Him not us. It’s not about us finding Him or trying desperately to hold on to Him once we do. He reaches out to us. And then, when we respond to His great love, He wraps us in his embrace and holds on forever.

Dear One, rest in His love today. He desires you. He’s holding on to you. And no matter what, He won’t let go.

John 6:41-42 • The Issue of Familiarity

Earlier in John chapter 6, Jesus had announced to the crowd that He was the bread of life sent from God, His Father, to satisfy their spiritual hunger. But now, in verses 41-42, we’re told that they – especially the religious elite who are described as “the Jews” – we’re choking on this truth and unable to receive it because of what they thought they knew about Jesus. They thought they knew where He came from. They knew He was raised in Joseph and Mary’s household. So, they just could not accept it when He claimed God was His Father. Their familiarity with Jesus hindered them from hearing what He said about Himself – a truth they desperately needed to embrace.

We all face a withering assault from the Devil attempting to keep us from the spiritual fulfillment God has provided in His Son. And he does this by trying to convince us we are unloved, forsaken, and forgotten. If he can’t undo our salvation, he intends to at least diminish its impact on how we live by using those lies about God’s heart toward us to keep us bound in lives of frustration, discouragement, depression, dishonor, and destruction.

But the truth sets us free. When we believe what our Savior declares is true about Himself and His love for us, chains shatter, strongholds break. I’ve witnessed this miraculous transformation in people’s lives countless times over the years of my pastoral ministry. And I’ve experienced it myself.

But I’ve also noticed that one of the greatest challenges to being able to hear Jesus when He speaks truth over us is familiarity – that sense that we already know where He’s coming from so to speak. Our knowledge ABOUT Him can get in the way of our knowing who He really is.

This morning, I was trying to connect a credit card reader to my phone via Bluetooth. Now, I’m computer savvy and I know my way around digital gear. But I just couldn’t get it to work. So, after several failed attempts, I determined it must be broken. Have you ever been there? I was just about to go buy a new one when I decided to try one more time. But this time, I opened the device’s app on my phone first before doing the Bluetooth pairing. And for some reason, that did the trick. Everything worked perfectly. But I came very close to allowing my familiarity with technology to keep me from discovering something I needed know to be able to benefit from using that device.

I think you can tell where I’m going with this. Is there an area of your life that isn’t working and has left you feeling spiritually trapped? If so, there’s a lie from hell keeping that chain in place. Can you identify it? Jesus wants to shatter that with the truth. What falsehood has the enemy convinced you of regarding who the Lord is and wants to be for you? Don’t allow your familiarity with where you think the Lord is coming from regarding your bondage to keep you from hearing what He’s trying to say.

Lay that lie out before Him. Open His Word. Quiet your heart. Hear His voice. Live free.