Seeking the Light

John 9: 1 – 41 Jesus heals a man born blind

John 9: 1 – 41 Jesus heals a man born blind

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’

‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’

After saying this, he spat on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

His neighbours and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, ‘Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?’ Some claimed that he was.

Others said, ‘No, he only looks like him.’

But he himself insisted, ‘I am the man.’

‘How then were your eyes opened?’ they asked.

He replied, ‘The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.’

‘Where is this man?’ they asked him.

‘I don’t know,’ he said.

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He put mud on my eyes,’ the man replied ‘and I washed, and now I see.’

Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.’

But others asked, ‘How can a sinner perform such signs?’ So they were divided.

Then they turned again to the blind man, ‘What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.’

The man replied, ‘He is a prophet.’

They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. ‘Is this your son?’ they asked. ‘Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?’

‘We know he is our son,’ the parents answered, ‘and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.’

His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’

A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. ‘Give glory to God by telling the truth,’ they said. ‘We know this man is a sinner.’

He replied, ‘Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!’

Then they asked him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’

He answered, ‘I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?’

Then they hurled insults at him and said, ‘You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.’

The man answered, ‘Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’

To this they replied, ‘You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!’ And they threw him out.

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’

‘Who is he, sir?’ the man asked. ‘Tell me so that I may believe in him.’

Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.’

Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshipped him.

Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into the world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’

Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, ‘What? Are we blind too?’

Jesus said, ‘If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.’

* * *

This passage really challenges me.

‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so the works of God might be displayed in him.’

The man was born blind specifically so the works of God might be displayed in him. Being blind from birth must have been tough. It’s tough today, and it must have been much worse in the 1^st Century AD. The only way he could obtain the money he needed to live was by begging. We can tell it was a hard fate, because the disciples ask whether the man or his parents sinned; they viewed his blindness as a punishment.

And yet Jesus says ‘…this happened so the works of God might be displayed in him.’

This reads as though God willed the man’s suffering and did so without his consent.

That does not sound like a compassionate God. It is hard enough to accept a God who has created a world in which there is terrible suffering, never mind one where he imposes suffering purely so he can relieve it as a sign.

I don’t understand this, Jesus. What’s going on?

Is the answer the same as that given in Job? That my finite imagination and knowledge is inadequate to understand the mind and heart of God? Certainly, this chapter reminds me forcefully that human wisdom, like the wisdom of the Pharisees, is totally inadequate as a means of understanding God.

Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into the world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’

Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, ‘What? Are we blind too?’

Jesus said, ‘If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.’

When I read this, I know that my human wisdom is no better than blindness, and that all I can do is say, “I don’t understand, but I trust you, Lord Jesus”.

And I shall take comfort from the fact that the man whose blindness Jesus healed responded with worship – ‘Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshipped him.

Prayer

Heavenly Father

Thank you for letting me follow Jesus. Thank you for forgiving my doubts and being ready to teach me.

In Jesus name, Amen

Post Script

Unprompted, a friend has just forwarded a video to me, a video of a single mother in a South African township. She has little in material things, but she is full of joy in the Lord, and trusts him completely. He provides for her needs, but even when he doesn’t, he is God. He’s got what is best in his heart for us.

Thank you, Lord, for that encouragement!

John 8: 48 – 59 Jesus’ claims about himself

John 8: 48 – 59 Jesus claims about himself

The Jews answered him, ‘Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?’

‘I am not possessed by a demon,’ said Jesus, ‘but I honour my Father and you dishonour me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.’

At this they exclaimed, ‘Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?’

Jesus replied, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.

‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ they said to him, ‘and you have seen Abraham!’

‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

This passage is the climax of the teaching that St John presents to us in chapters 7 and 8. It shows the clash between Jesus and the chief priests and Pharisees becoming more intense until, in verse 58, Jesus makes a claim that outrages his listeners. He says ‘Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am!’

Why does this rouse such passion in Jesus’ listeners? In Exodus 3: 14 we read, God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent me to you.”’ From time immemorial the Jews had known God simply as “I AM”. In saying what he said, Jesus made a direct claim to be God. Such a claim was unthinkable blasphemy to the Jews. They tried to stone Jesus, who slipped away and left the temple.

Let’s look back at what led up to this claim:

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ (John 7: 37 – 38)
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ (John 8: 12)
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ (John 8: 31 – 32)
‘Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.’ (John 8: 51)

Water. Light. Truth. Freedom. Eternal life. Jesus gives all of these to people who follow him. But over and over, he points back to the source of them all; God the Father.

Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.’ (John 7: 16 – 17)
Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, ‘Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.’ (John 7: 28 – 29)
But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father who sent me… I am one who testifies for myself; my oher witness is the Father, who sent me.’ (John 8: 16, 18)
‘Who are you?’ they asked. ‘Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,’ Jesus replied. ‘I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.’ (John 8: 25 – 26)
Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. (John 8: 42)

Water. Light. Truth. Freedom. Eternal life. We can expect to experience these in our daily spiritual lives. They are part of who Jesus is.

And all we need to do is follow him obediently.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for Jesus, and for the wonderful gifts that he brings. Please help us to follow him with purity of heart.

In Jesus name, Amen

John 8: 31 – 47 Dispute over whose children Jesus’ opponents are

John 8: 31 – 47 Dispute over whose children Jesus’ opponents are

Personal reflection

During my study period yesterday, I found myself looking rather wistfully at the other gospels, where we see so much of Jesus active in the world. I felt I wanted to be studying one of them instead; St John’s gospel seems to be full of debate and theology, with the same points made repeatedly in different ways.

Then it occurred to me that at this point in my walk in faith that may be exactly what I need. Maybe before I try to learn lessons about the nature of Jesus and his teaching, I need to be very certain that Jesus is the Son of God and that the only thing that truly matters is to follow him. Otherwise, I risk being in the position of the Pharisees – judging Jesus and his message through the lens of human wisdom.

Thank you, Father. Your way is always best!

* * *

Anyway – to the study!

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’

At first sight this seems comfortable. It’s good to know the truth, and freedom is something we all crave. However, the Jews with whom Jesus was debating, the chief priests and Pharisees, take exception to it.

They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’

Perhaps one reason why they are more sensitive than we are to the idea that they are not free is because, unlike today, slavery was legal and ubiquitous. As a slave you were scarcely human. Most slaves had very low social status (not all; there were some slaves whose knowledge and ability brought them esteem). You had to be available 24/7 to do your owner’s bidding – you had no choice in the matter.

[A small deviation from the study. Although nowadays slavery is illegal, it still happens in every country in the world. Today’s slaves are no better off than those in the ancient world and we should all work to eliminate slavery altogether.]

Those whom Jesus was addressing had status; they were leaders in Israel. Slaves? Them? No way!

Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

That is to say, you’ll always sin, 24/7 – you won’t be able to stop. Sin will own you.

Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it for ever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

This reminds me of the parable of the prodigal son. The prodigal son was not a slave – he was family. He sinned, yes, but as soon as he returned home in repentance, he was forgiven and restored to his former place in the household. When Jesus sets us free, our status is that we are family, and we will always be sure of a welcome.

I know you are Abraham’s descendants.

In human terms, yes, the Jews are descendants of Abraham. Jesus is saying, ‘I know this. I’m not contradicting it.’

Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.’

Once again Jesus is speaking spiritually. He is very clear that he is an eye-witness of what he has seen in the Father’s presence.

‘Abraham is our father,’ they answered.

I find it interesting, and possibly suggestive, that the chief priests and Pharisees no longer deny that they are looking for a way to kill Jesus. Instead, they are trying to justify their position by claiming the inheritance of Abraham

‘If you were Abraham’s children,’ said Jesus, ‘then you would do what Abraham did.

What did Abraham do? He placed all his trust in God. At God’s commend, he left his homeland and became a nomad. He trusted God to give him a son, even though his wife was past child-bearing age and barren. He was a man of faith. If Jesus’ opponents were Abraham’s spiritual children, they would put their faith in Jesus.

As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.’

‘We are not illegitimate children,’ they protested. ‘The only Father we have is God himself.’

Once again Jesus charges them with planning to kill him. Once again, they don’t deny it. This time, they claim that God himself is their Father.

Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.

If God were their Father, they would want to do his will. They would listen to Jesus and measure his claims against what they knew of God’s love and holiness. But they are unable to hear what Jesus says because they are too busy listening to the voice of self-interest, of worldly wisdom, of the prescriptive statutes of the law.

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me!

Jesus is saying that what his opponents are doing gives the lie to what they say.

Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?

No, they can’t and they know it. They’ve been trying to put together a charge against Jesus for months, and they haven’t succeeded

If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.’

There is a sense in which his listeners are almost incapable of accepting the truth about Jesus, and yet he persists. He challenges them at the very core of their self-image, saying, “You do not belong to God.”

This really brings home to me the fact that I must follow God with all my heart. I long for his plan for creation to be fulfilled but unless I am actively following him, the chances are I will go wrong. My human wisdom will kick in; self-interest will dull my hearing to the cries of the needy.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Thank you for this period of studying your word. Thank you for calling me to follow Jesus. Please help me to follow him in full obedience. I pray this in his name. Amen

John 8: 21 – 30 Dispute over who Jesus is

John 8: 21 – 30 Dispute over who Jesus is

Once more Jesus said to them, ‘I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.’

Jesus speaks prophetically. He is talking about heavenly things. After the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus will return to the Father in heaven. Unless we accept him as the Son of God we will not be able to go with him to heaven.

This made the Jews ask, ‘Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, “Where I go you cannot come”?’

The Jews, though, are thinking in purely earthly terms. Jews lived all over the Roman empire in the diaspora. The Roman empire had excellent communication links. From Britain to Sudan, Spain to the Middle East, there were good roads and established shipping routes. On this earth, there was nowhere for Jesus to go where others couldn’t follow him.

St John writes that some of the Jews speculated that Jesus would take his own life. This was a very serious sin in Jewish eyes. Their question is tantamount to saying that Jesus is a very evil man. It is about as big a rejection of Jesus as it is possible to make.

And yet Jesus continues to talk to them, to try to explain to them who he is. He constantly reaches out with mercy; he never stops trying to save people, all people, even those who oppose him most bitterly.

But he continued, ‘You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.’

Jesus points once again at his heavenly origin, and the need for people to follow him if they are to do the will of his Father.

‘Who are you?’ they asked.

I wonder what prompted this question? Did one of them have a sudden perception that perhaps Jesus was telling the truth and that it was important?

‘Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,’ Jesus replied. ‘I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.’

Jesus points out that his message has been consistent ever since he started his ministry, “Follow me. I am God’s son, the Son of Man, the Messiah. All that the Father requires of you is that you follow me. God the Father is trustworthy.”

They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.’

And now Jesus speaks prophetically again. When his opponents have contrived to have the Romans crucify him, when they have ‘lifted up the Son of Man’, then the world will see his perfect obedience to the will of the Father.

Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

The persistence of Jesus’ mercy brings many to believe in him. Like Jesus, we should never tire of reaching out to those who need him!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Thank you for Jesus’ perfect obedience to your will. Please help me to follow him obediently, trusting in your love for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen

* * *

Personal update

About three months ago the sixty-year-old cousin of a friend had a serious accident. It left her quadriplegic, without sensation below the neck. Not surprisingly she has felt despairing about her situation. The House Group to which I belong has been praying for her healing.

Over this Easter weekend I have been sent news that she has regained some feeling in her fingers! She’s also feeling more positive about her life. Praise God!

John 8: 12 – 20 Dispute over Jesus’ testimony

John 8: 12 – 20 Dispute over Jesus’ testimony

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’

The Pharisees challenged him, ‘Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.’

Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.’

Once again St John shows us the difference between Jesus and the religious authorities of his day. They want to measure all teaching and action against the law. They’re professionals, it’s what they do, they’re highly trained, and they cannot imagine a different yardstick. But Jesus speaks from experience. He knows where he came from and where he’s going. And for those who aren’t convinced by his words he has done many healings, which are signs that he is acting in the power of the Father.

Then they asked him, ‘Where is your father?’

‘You do not know me or my Father,’ Jesus replied. ‘If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’ He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

Jesus was preaching in the women’s courtyard, where the containers for offerings were located. It was a busy area. Jesus was not trying to conceal his activities from the authorities; he was being completely open. His message was as much for them as for the crowd.

St John has told us that the chief priests and Pharisees were looking for a reason to kill him. Despite this, no one seized Jesus or harmed him because ‘His hour had not yet come’. God has a plan!

* * *

Before I read this passage today, I had rather glossed over it. I had a nice warm image of light, perhaps sunshine, perhaps the brave glow of a candle holding back the darkness in a large room. I hadn’t really thought about it. So, what does it mean?

If we follow Jesus we will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

Now I would say that I have believed in Jesus for many years, but there are many times that I have felt baffled; in the dark.

There have been a few times when I have felt certain of Jesus prompting me – and subsequent events have confirmed to me that these were true.

But, I’m afraid that most of the time I haven’t spared any thought for the spiritual context of what I am doing.

Perhaps feeling ‘in the dark’ tells me I have not been following Jesus? Jesus’ words must be true: ‘Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.’ Does this really mean that if I find myself in darkness, it’s because I’m not following Jesus?’ It’s beginning to feel a little like that.

If I am not actively aligning myself with God’s will by following Jesus, am I likely to find myself opposing his plan?

I’m not going to reach a conclusion on that today. All I need to do today is to commit myself to following Jesus. I need to be alert to Jesus’ teaching and leading in everything I do.

Meanwhile, here’s some comforting verses about light:

The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? (Psalm 27: 1)

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9: 2)

And some teaching from St Paul about how to follow Jesus more closely:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. (Philippians 4: 8)

Prayer

Heavenly Father. Thank you for calling me to follow Jesus. Please help me to do so without reservation and without holding back. In Jesus name, Amen

John 7:45 – 53 and 8:1 – 11 Unbelief of the Jewish leaders

John 7: 45 – 53, and 8: 1 – 11 Unbelief of the Jewish leaders

To ensure that I read today’s passage in context, I have started with John 7: 31 – 32

Also, the NIV, from which I am working, says this about John 8: 1 – 11: “The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7: 53 – 8: 11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7: 36, John 21: 25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24: 53. Nevertheless, I’ve included it because it feels to me as though it expresses some of the truth about Jesus.

[Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, ‘When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?’

The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him]…

…Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, ‘Why didn’t you bring him in?’

‘No one ever spoke the way this man does,’ the guards replied.

The temple contained many treasures. At festivals, there were large crowds of visitors, many from foreign lands. There were strict rules about who could visit which parts of the temple, what ritual washing they should carry out, and how they should be dressed. The temple guards were there to ensure that this all happened smoothly. They would have been steeped in knowledge about worship in the temple.

Something about what Jesus said and how he said it spoke so strongly to these guardians of tradition that they couldn’t bring themselves to arrest Jesus. They went back to their leaders – their employers – and admitted failure.

‘You mean he has deceived you also?’ the Pharisees retorted. ‘Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law – there is a curse on them.’

The chief priests and the Pharisees reject the testimony of the temple guards. They have seen that Jesus is a threat to their power and influence and are determined to find evidence against him. Look at how they refer to the crowds Jesus has been addressing: “This mob that knows nothing of the law – there is a curse on them.” What a thing to say about the people you are supposed to teach and lead! There is a curse on them! And it’s also a threat to the temple guards who failed to make the arrest. “Believe this man,” they are saying, “and you are cursed.”

Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ‘Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?’

Nicodemus tries to defend Jesus. He picks an argument that should carry weight with the legalistic Pharisees. Surely they will accept an appeal to use due process when considering whether Jesus is a law breaker? It’s a timid intervention but at least he’s speaking out in support of Jesus. I think it was very important for Nicodemus that he did this. Had he ‘chickened out’ at this point, would he have later been at the foot of the cross? (John 19: 38 – 42) It’s so important that we’re ready to testify to our faith in Jesus, even in a hostile setting. Who knows what hangs on our testimony?

They replied, ‘Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.’

The chief priests and Pharisees sneer at Nicodemus. Their ‘evidence’ of Jesus’ origin is fatally flawed, as we saw yesterday. I don’t think they would have cared if they’d known. The charges were purely designed to silence this troublesome rabbi who threatened their interests.

Then they all went home, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

At dawn, he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered round him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away, one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’

‘No one, sir,’ she said.

‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees said that the woman was caught in the act of adultery. For a capital charge like adultery, Jewish law required two witnesses who had been physically present at the crime, and had shouted a warning that the criminal was committing a capital crime. That’s why the account makes the point that the woman was ‘caught in the act’. Had the case gone to trial, the woman would have been found guilty.

It seems likely that Jews were not allowed to administer the death penalty during that period of Roman rule.

It must have looked to the Pharisees that they had Jesus cornered. If he said that they shouldn’t punish the woman, he would offend his Jewish followers. If he said that they should stone the woman, they would denounce him to the Romans.

But Jesus finds a response; he writes on the ground with his finger, and when pressed, challenges the woman’s accusers, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

And when they have all left, Jesus tells the woman that he doesn’t condemn her either.

“Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Jesus wants his followers to have life in all its abundance. Sin – not doing God’s will – impedes that, both for the sinner, and for those affected by the sin. But Jesus came to save those who sin, not condemn them, and here we see that in action. Praise the Lord!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Thank you for your mercy. Thank you that your will is that we should be whole and have life in abundance. Please help me to follow Jesus better. In Jesus’ name, Amen

John 7: 25 – 44 Division over who Jesus is

John 7: 25 – 44 Division over who Jesus is

Two things struck me as I read this passage. The first was that, once again, Jesus makes a very clear distinction between himself and God the Father. The other was that when Jesus spoke publicly, people responded in one of two ways: those who were open to the Spirit accepted that he was someone special sent from God; and those who were not open to the Spirit found excuses or worldly explanations to dismiss his message.

At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, ‘Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? But we know where this man is from: when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.’

This is a typical legalistic argument. According to prophecy, they say, no one will know where the Messiah comes from; since they know where Jesus comes from, he can’t be the Messiah. In fact, of course, they don’t know where Jesus comes from, neither spiritually nor even his place of origin, for he was not born in Galilee. We always have to beware when applying worldly tests to spiritual matters.

Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, ‘Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.’

The crowd had been speaking in worldly terms, but Jesus seizes their statement and turns it to spiritual matters. He affirms that he has been sent by God the Father. He also makes it clear that, deep down, the whole crowd knows that this is true.

This verse is another of those which makes the distinction between Jesus and God the Father. I’m going to have to park that knowledge for a while longer yet, as I don’t know how to handle it.

At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, ‘When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?’

This is a remarkable little passage. ‘No one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.’ In human terms I can imagine Jesus’ supporters in the crowd being sufficiently obstructive to make it hard for anyone to get close enough to seize him. But St John clearly thinks that it is part of a plan by God, a plan whose timing is critical. Does God have a plan for my life? Yes, I think he must have. I’d better listen a bit more carefully…

In the second part of the passage St John tells us that many people believed in Jesus because of the signs he performed. These were not people who benefited from the signs; they were those who saw that the signs pointed to a deeper spiritual truth to which they could respond with faith.

The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

St John raises the tempo. The temple guards have been sent to arrest Jesus. Arrest would be the start of a judicial process that could lead to Jesus’ death.

Jesus said, ‘I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.’

Jesus is aware that he is a marked man, and God gives him this prophesy to proclaim. From our position, with hindsight, we understand that it refers to Jesus’ crucifixion.

The Jews said to one another, ‘Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What did he mean when he said, “You will look for me, but you will not find me,” and “Where I am you cannot come”?’

The Jews try to understand this in human terms. They fail. God’s plan for Jesus is beyond human comprehension.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

This again is prophecy. St John explains it to us. Jesus is prophesying about the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

On hearing his words, some of the people said, ‘Surely this man is the Prophet.’

Others said, ‘He is the Messiah.’

Now, here is an interesting light on how God’s plan for individuals can work. As a result of hearing prophecy, people came to believe in Jesus. They didn’t need to see the fulfilment of the prophecy, merely hearing it was enough to bring them to faith.

Still others asked, ‘How can the Messiah come from Galilee? Does not scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?’ Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

This time, St John makes clear the flawed argument of those seeking excuses not to believe in Jesus. Those arguing against him assume that he comes from Galilee. He doesn’t. Luke 2: 4 – 7 tells us that he was born in Bethlehem because Joseph was of the house and line of David. What a parable that makes! As finite human beings we simply don’t have all the facts to judge God’s plans.

Don’t get me wrong, I certainly believe that we are called to use our intellect to understand the natural world and our place in it. But we have to be as open as possible to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. We have to be ready to admit it when we’ve misunderstood. We have to remember that, first and foremost, it’s God’s world.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you that you care how I spend my life. Thank you that you have a plan for me. Help me to understand better what you want me to do, and be obedient to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

John 7: 14 – 24 Jesus teaches at the Festival of Tabernacles

John 7: 14 – 24 Jesus teaches at the Festival of Tabernacles

Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. The Jews there were amazed and asked, ‘How did this man get such learning without being taught?’

In first century Judah, literacy was low. Probably fewer than 3% of men (and very few women indeed) could read and write. If a boy wanted formal schooling, he would become a disciple of a rabbi. This paragraph implies that Jesus’ listeners did not know which rabbi had taught Jesus. Their question was essentially, “From which rabbi does this teaching come?” with its implication, “What is your authority for teaching this?”

Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.

This is one way we can judge the truth of Jesus’ teaching; we are to choose to do the will of God – and the will of God is to believe in Jesus with all that entails. When we choose to do the will of God, we find that Jesus’ teaching is true.

Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

Jesus makes the further point that he is not seeking personal glory, but the glory of the one who sent him. This, too, testifies to his truthfulness.

Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?’

Sensing the hostility of some of the crowd, Jesus accuses them of being law-breakers, and of wanting to kill him. St John wants us to understand that Jesus was in real danger whenever he preached in Judea. We are being told that Jesus’ life and ministry was threatened throughout by those who opposed his message. The crucifixion wasn’t an isolated instance of hatred by the authorities; it was the culmination of a campaign of persecution over years.

‘You are demon-possessed,’ the crowd answered. ‘Who is trying to kill you?’

I’m sure that not everyone in the crowd wanted to see Jesus dead. And I’m equally sure that those who wanted him dead would have concealed that from all except people who felt the same way. So they pour scorn on Jesus claim, even as hatred gnaws at their hearts.

Jesus said to them, ‘I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the Patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.’

Now Jesus turns their own failure to observe the Law against them. He points out that the covenant made between God and Abraham required them to circumcise a male child on the eighth day after birth (Genesis 17: 1 – 14, especially verse 12). Of course, this meant that a boy born on the day before a Sabbath would be circumcised the following Sabbath, on the eighth day after his birth. The Jews did this, and broke the Sabbath. If that is permissible, Jesus asks, then why are they angry with him for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath?

Something that struck me as I read this passage was the way that Jesus describes himself as separate and distinct from the Father.

Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. (Verse 16)

He who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth (Verse 18)

In the following passages Jesus make the same distinction.

John 5: 17 – 23

In his defence Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.’

For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Jesus gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.

Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him.

John 5: 36 – 37

‘I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish – the very works that I am doing – testify that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has testified concerning me.

John 5: 43

I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me

John 3: 31 – 36

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no-one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

I know in my mind there is confusion over the doctrine of the Trinity. Today’s passage has opened my eyes to these statements made by Jesus about who he is. They make me realise that I want to know more about who he is so that I can grow closer to him.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know very little about Jesus, and I would like to know more. Please open my eyes and my heart so that I may know him better. In Jesus name, Amen.

John 7: 1 – 13 Jesus goes to the Festival of Tabernacles

John 7: 1 – 13 Jesus goes to the Festival of Tabernacles

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him.

Jesus’ actions and words in Judea had stirred up a hornet’s nest. In particular, St John has told us (John 5: 1 – 36) that Jesus healed a disabled man on the Sabbath, encouraged the healed man to break the Sabbath by telling him to pick up his bed and walk, and when defending himself against the Jewish leaders, had claimed God as his Father. All of these actions carried the death penalty. In practice, the Romans had removed the right of Jewish courts to inflict the death penalty, but the threat alone was potent.

But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.’ For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

The brothers show worldly wisdom. Nowadays they would probably suggest that Jesus hired a good publicist.

Therefore Jesus told them, ‘My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.’ After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

‘However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret.

I find this troubling. It looks very much as though Jesus tells a deliberate falsehood to deceive his brothers. William Barclay points out that in this passage the word used by Jesus for his time is “kairos”; on every other occasion, the word used is “hora”. “Hora” means a set hour, the hour required by God’s plan. “Kairos”, by contrast, means an opportunity. So Jesus isn’t saying “I’m not going to the festival”, but “I’m not going to the festival yet.”

But maybe I’m missing the point. Maybe Jesus is really saying he isn’t going to the festival with his brothers. St John is telling us of the visit as a means of differentiating between Jesus and his brothers. The brothers in the story represent the world, or humanity. They will participate in the festival in exactly the same way, and with the same motivation, as all the others going to Jerusalem. Jesus will not. His very presence will be a challenge to the authorities and to the conventional understanding of the festival.

And look at what Jesus says. “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.”

Evil?

Really?

Well, actually, yes.

War. Arms dealing. Drug dealing. Terrorist atrocities. Regimes who disregard human rights. You might argue that you do none of these – but perhaps they’re closer than you think.

Globally, there are hundreds of millions of people who live in abject poverty and squalor. This arises directly from the policies of global trade, which are skewed in favour of wealthy nations. Also, wealthy nations are supplying arms that enable the wars in Syria and Yemen to be fought, and our democratically elected governments are approving this trade.

In fact, injustice, and human inflicted misery are unavoidable features of life; they are systemic. You could describe them as the modern working out of original sin, because they arise directly from the way we organise our society, and they’re inescapable no matter how well-intentioned we are.

So, yes, the world’s works are evil.

Now I’m not saying there aren’t many good things done in the world, because of course there are and we should celebrate them. Aid workers, frontline medical staff in the coronavirus crisis, foodbank volunteers, those who befriend the lonely are all doing good, and are usually not appreciated.

The thing is, that to deal with the evil in the world we need Jesus.

Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, ‘Where is he?’

Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, ‘He is a good man.’

Others replied, ‘No, he deceives the people.’

This passage shows us how Jesus polarises opinion. Those who are perhaps more open to the Spirit look at Jesus’ ministry and say “He is a good man”. Others take a more worldly approach. They look at the political situation, perhaps. Israel is under Roman rule; it is an occupied nation. The Romans suppressed any form of dissent and unrest with violence. Jesus has aroused talk of a Messiah among the crowds – very dangerous talk in the eyes of the worldly-wise. “No, he deceives the people,” was a rational and sensible response. Unfortunately, it was wrong. God’s plan is not always comprehensible by humanity.

But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.

St John returns to the subject of the opening of this chapter. It’s not merely Jesus who is concerned about violence from the Jewish leaders. Everybody recognised that Jesus was causing controversy and that they might pay a heavy price if they spoke out.

In the west, we don’t really risk anything if we speak out for Jesus. What excuse do we have for not proclaiming him?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for this chance to come closer to Jesus. Please help me to proclaim him whenever I have the opportunity. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

John 6: 60 – 71 Many disciples desert Jesus

John 6: 60 – 71 Many disciples desert Jesus

Almost the whole of Chapter 6 has been about bread. We read about the feeding of the five thousand, then about the crowds following Jesus because he had fed them, and yesterday’s passage reached a climax with Jesus’ statement that those who eat his flesh and drink his blood have eternal life. Not surprisingly, many of his listeners were disturbed.

On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’

Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!

My first thought was that surely a miraculous ascent into heaven would be convincing rather than otherwise. But I had misread the words Jesus had spoken. He had asked, “Does this offend you?” Perhaps St John is referring back once more to Jesus being a prophet ‘like Moses’. Let’s remind ourselves of what Deuteronomy 18: 15 – 19 has to say:

‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see his great fire any more, or we will die.’

The Lord said to me: ‘What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.’

The people Moses was leading had been terrified of what they saw of God at Horeb, so much so that they didn’t want to be anywhere near. They sent Moses as a go-between. If Jesus’ listeners were like those of Moses, the sight of Jesus ascending to heaven would have been equally frightening.

‘The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.

I need to wrestle with the meaning of this sentence for several reasons:

If the flesh counts for nothing, why do we exist at all as material creatures?
Science suggests that our conscious personalities are very substantially formed by our physical experiences.
My personal experience encourages me to believe that physical form has a great effect on personality.
Our human experiences of love are almost all mediated primarily through touch, from our mother’s touch at birth, through the intimacy of marriage, through nurturing our children with cuddles. This is how we learn to love, and to understand the nature of love. Our knowledge of love is something we learn in our flesh.

For the moment I am going to suggest that the sentence is a typical Hebraism where you exaggerate contrasts to their limit. I think that part of how we should understand this teaching is not that the flesh counts for nothing, but that it is subordinate to the Spirit. In any conflict between the life of the Spirit and the life of the flesh, the Spirit must come first.

I confess that it is all too easy to give priority to the flesh – by which I mean everything that makes up normal daily physical life. It is very important that we put the Spirit first, and that we are diligent in looking out for when the life of the flesh might obstruct our spiritual life.

‘The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.’

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

It is through the words Jesus has spoken that we are fed, because they are full of the Spirit and life. But not everyone can receive them. “No one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

I find this teaching very hard. I know many people who are more loving and more generous than I, who are not followers of Jesus. Some, indeed, are strongly anti-religious. I find it hard to imagine that a loving God wants any of his creation to be lost. I have to accept that this is one of the (many) places where I have to say, “I’m sorry, Lord, I don’t understand. I know you will make it clear to me in your time, and I believe that it will be for the best of all.”

‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve.

Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’

I find this one of the most comforting and inspiring verses of the bible. Peter’s affirmation absolutely sums up how I feel as a believer.

Who is there apart from Jesus?
Jesus has the words of eternal life.
I believe and know him as the Holy One of God

Then Jesus replied, ‘Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!’ (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

From a theological standpoint, this is prophecy. From a writer’s point of view, it’s foreshadowing. It prepares the reader to accept what is coming later in the narrative, and makes it more believable.

What is it here to teach us, though?

Jesus chose the Twelve, including Judas. All Jesus’ actions are prompted by the Father, so God meant him to choose Judas as one of his inner circle of disciples. The betrayal was God’s plan, and Jesus knew it.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Thank you for calling me to follow Jesus. Please help me to walk more closely with him every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.