Scripture reading:
19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, 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. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21For 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. 22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
Observations:
What we can see here are three key points about: (a) the relationship between Jesus and God; and (b) two practical implications of this relationship for us in terms of our desire for a right relationship with god the father.
The observations which we can make in this regard boil down to three key points:
· Jesus’ authority comes solely from god.
In our world today, many of us are heavily influenced by our parents, especially when we are young.
But whilst we learn from them, we are not limited to or bound by the extent of their knowledge, achievements and experiences. Indeed, it is hoped that each generation will go further than those before them, that they will go above and beyond and discover new horizons. This is a natural process – one which we cannot stop, nor should we want to.
But with Jesus, things are different. Unlike our parents, who are human and therefore fallible, the father of Jesus (God) is literally the creator and author of life itself. You can’t go one better than god. His power and authority are infinite, and it is not possible to go higher than infinity.
Because of this, Jesus cannot exceed God the father. More to the point, Jesus depends on the father. Jesus is not a self-made man in this sense. By himself, he would have absolutely no power or authority at all. None whatsoever. By himself, he could have healed the blind man in the pool (see John 5:1-6), nor could he have turned water into wine, healed the official’s son or raised Lazarus from the dead.
Jesus could do these things solely and only because of God the father, on whom he is completely dependent and by whom the power and authority to accomplish these things is vested upon his shoulders.
· God has entrusted all judgment to Jesus.
One flow on consequence of this relationship is shown through versus 22&23, which show clearly show who our judge will be when the time comes for each of us to account for our time on this earth.
The thought of going before a ruler or judge to provide is not always an overly pleasant one, particularly when we ourselves are the ones who are being held to account with regard to whatever matters the confrontation in question relates.
But even where we face judgment, it is quite possible that this may not involve confrontation with the great big ruler in question. Rulers can delegate, and when this happens, the individual to whom we have to answer is not indeed the ruler himself, but rather his delegate, who is entrusted to make a decision on the big boss’s behalf. When this happens, the thought of the confrontation with the delegate himself can be a little unnerving. But this is not because of the individual delegate. Rather, it’s because of who the delegate in question works for and has been entrusted by – the great big boss.
It is the same with Jesus. Each and every one of us is accountable to the father when we die. But god the father has entrusted his son, Jesus Christ, in this regard, and for this reason, our destinies after death are in the hands of Christ Jesus.
· There is one way to god – Jesus.
Appealing though ideas about there being ‘many ways to god’ may be, they are not supported in the bible. The bible makes it clear that there is one way and one way only to god – through faith in Jesus Christ.
Personally, I am not a parent, but I could certainly imagine that almost all parents feel fairly strongly about the type of treatment which their children receive from others. Treatment given to children shows a great deal about how the individual in question feels about his or her parents. Why – because children are part of their parents. Children are part of their flesh and blood of their parents, and parents by nature have a very significant part of themselves invested in their children.
Likewise, how we respond to Jesus says a great deal about how we really feel about God. Jesus is his son, and we cannot claim to be in full relationship with god the father unless we have accepted his sacrifice on the cross as payment for our sins.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Thank you so much that you sent your son Jesus Christ into the world.
Through him, we saw your glory on full display. Through him, we saw all your power, might and wisdom, and a perfect demonstration of your unfailing love.
Lord, when we think about Jesus, let us never forget just who he is. Let us not forget for one second that you have not only made him our savior, but also entrusted him with our judgment, whether that be at the time of his return or at the time of our death.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Scripture Reading
16So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. 17Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." 18For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
Observations:
(1) God is always at work.
Given the apparent contradiction with Genesis (where the scripture indicates that God ‘rested’ on the seventh day), I have to admit that I find the statement of Jesus in verse 17 about god always being at work a little difficult to understand.
Nevertheless, what we can see from this passage is that god never stops. He is always active, every second of every hour, of every day of every year. He is always watching over his creation. He doesn’t stop.
Although this passage is primarily about demonstrating god’s character, it also has some practical implications for us – especially for those of us who observe the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is intended for rest and worship. In general, those who observe it should abstain from traditional forms of work in the worldly sense. But there are limits to this, and the requirements should be observed with common sense. If your neighbour is sick, you do whatever you need to in order to look after them. Or if someone you know needs help, you do whatever it takes to provide the help that he or she needs. The Sabbath law does not prohibit kindness and love, nor should any follower of the lord lay aside these virtues simply because it happens to be a certain day of the week.
(2) Jesus refers to god as his father.
Although this was not actually the first time that Jesus had referred to god as being his father (that first happened in John Chapter 2, when Jesus referred to the temple (the house of god) as ‘my father’s house’ when driving out money-changers) the significance of these claims cannot be understated.
Up until now, many who have come across Jesus may have thought of him as a good and wise man – perhaps even a magician or a prophet. Even those who wouldn’t have considered him to be divine might have thought that he was pretty damn impressive.
But thoughts along those lines just don’t cut it now. By declaring himself to be equal with god, Jesus has raised the stakes no end. Now, we are only left with three possible conclusions:
a) He was not the son of god, and never believed he was.
In such a case, he was nothing but a rotten liar;
b) He was not the son of god, but honestly believed he was.
If this is the case, then he is a complete lunatic (fancy believing you were the son of god unless you really were), albeit an honest one; or
c) His claims were completely true and he is indeed the son of god.
There is no middle ground. Claims about being the son of god eliminate the safe, comfortable option. Anyone making claims like this are either liars or lunatics, or they are the son of god (as I believe) as per their claim.
(3) The Jews persecute Jesus.
Before we go being too hard on the Jews, it is important to remember one important fact - they may simply have been doing what they thought was right.
Had he not have been speaking the truth, Jesus would have been blaspheming against god – a sin punishable by death under Old Testament law, and the Jews (who genuinely believed this to be the case), would have been doing right by god in trying to kill him.
But this does not excuse them, nor are their actions forgivable. Jesus was telling the truth and the man which the Jews were trying to kill was none less than god’s only son. Sure, they most likely blind (figuratively speaking) rather than ill-intentioned, but this does not change the fact that they persecuted the son of god.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Thank you lord, that we are able to know that you never sit down and forget about the world. Nowhere do you stop and say “I’ll just sit down and rest for awhile – who cares if things go wrong in their world.” No. You watch over us all the time. Day and Night. Twenty-four seven.
Lord, forgive us whenever we fail to appreciate who you are. When we fail to appreciate just what you accomplished whilst here on this earth. You – the trinity, father, son and Holy Spirit, are nothing short of being our perfect creator. Let us not get conceited and offended when you show or talk about your greatness. Rather, let us bow down to you in submission and awe.
Father, whilst we should not judge anyone too harshly (we ourselves are sinners and not in any position to go passing out judgment), let us remember that those who were supposedly from your family did try to kill you (and, in a worldly sense, succeeded in doing so).
But let us also remember, lord, that this was done according to your design to demonstrate your greatness, which can be so clearly and explicitly seen through your unbelievable triumph over our sin on the cross.
In these things I pray.
In the name of Jesus Christ our lord,
Amen.
16So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. 17Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." 18For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
Observations:
(1) God is always at work.
Given the apparent contradiction with Genesis (where the scripture indicates that God ‘rested’ on the seventh day), I have to admit that I find the statement of Jesus in verse 17 about god always being at work a little difficult to understand.
Nevertheless, what we can see from this passage is that god never stops. He is always active, every second of every hour, of every day of every year. He is always watching over his creation. He doesn’t stop.
Although this passage is primarily about demonstrating god’s character, it also has some practical implications for us – especially for those of us who observe the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is intended for rest and worship. In general, those who observe it should abstain from traditional forms of work in the worldly sense. But there are limits to this, and the requirements should be observed with common sense. If your neighbour is sick, you do whatever you need to in order to look after them. Or if someone you know needs help, you do whatever it takes to provide the help that he or she needs. The Sabbath law does not prohibit kindness and love, nor should any follower of the lord lay aside these virtues simply because it happens to be a certain day of the week.
(2) Jesus refers to god as his father.
Although this was not actually the first time that Jesus had referred to god as being his father (that first happened in John Chapter 2, when Jesus referred to the temple (the house of god) as ‘my father’s house’ when driving out money-changers) the significance of these claims cannot be understated.
Up until now, many who have come across Jesus may have thought of him as a good and wise man – perhaps even a magician or a prophet. Even those who wouldn’t have considered him to be divine might have thought that he was pretty damn impressive.
But thoughts along those lines just don’t cut it now. By declaring himself to be equal with god, Jesus has raised the stakes no end. Now, we are only left with three possible conclusions:
a) He was not the son of god, and never believed he was.
In such a case, he was nothing but a rotten liar;
b) He was not the son of god, but honestly believed he was.
If this is the case, then he is a complete lunatic (fancy believing you were the son of god unless you really were), albeit an honest one; or
c) His claims were completely true and he is indeed the son of god.
There is no middle ground. Claims about being the son of god eliminate the safe, comfortable option. Anyone making claims like this are either liars or lunatics, or they are the son of god (as I believe) as per their claim.
(3) The Jews persecute Jesus.
Before we go being too hard on the Jews, it is important to remember one important fact - they may simply have been doing what they thought was right.
Had he not have been speaking the truth, Jesus would have been blaspheming against god – a sin punishable by death under Old Testament law, and the Jews (who genuinely believed this to be the case), would have been doing right by god in trying to kill him.
But this does not excuse them, nor are their actions forgivable. Jesus was telling the truth and the man which the Jews were trying to kill was none less than god’s only son. Sure, they most likely blind (figuratively speaking) rather than ill-intentioned, but this does not change the fact that they persecuted the son of god.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Thank you lord, that we are able to know that you never sit down and forget about the world. Nowhere do you stop and say “I’ll just sit down and rest for awhile – who cares if things go wrong in their world.” No. You watch over us all the time. Day and Night. Twenty-four seven.
Lord, forgive us whenever we fail to appreciate who you are. When we fail to appreciate just what you accomplished whilst here on this earth. You – the trinity, father, son and Holy Spirit, are nothing short of being our perfect creator. Let us not get conceited and offended when you show or talk about your greatness. Rather, let us bow down to you in submission and awe.
Father, whilst we should not judge anyone too harshly (we ourselves are sinners and not in any position to go passing out judgment), let us remember that those who were supposedly from your family did try to kill you (and, in a worldly sense, succeeded in doing so).
But let us also remember, lord, that this was done according to your design to demonstrate your greatness, which can be so clearly and explicitly seen through your unbelievable triumph over our sin on the cross.
In these things I pray.
In the name of Jesus Christ our lord,
Amen.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Who is this fellow? The son of God - that's who
Scripture reading:
8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."
11But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' "
12So they asked him, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?"
13The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." 15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Observations:
(1) Who does Jesus think he is? (Only the son of god).
One of the things which we can see clearly in this passage is that the Jews did not like anyone who gave an instruction which contradicted their man-made law, with anyone who did so being seen as rocking the boat.
How dare anyone challenge their religious and moral authority! How dare any man give an instruction which contradicts Jewish law. Who is this man? And what is his place to contradict Jewish tradition? He or she must think they are pretty damn special!
These are some interesting questions, and the answer brings out an important point.
So who is he – he is Jesus, that’s who. Son of god. Our messiah, our savior and our judge. The one who through his death on the cross took away the sin of those who believe. That’s who he is.
Nothing more, nothing less.
And what’s his place to contradict Jewish law? Again plenty.
As son of god, and one part of the holy trinity, Jesus is above laws made by man – way, way above. Neither is he in any way constrained by or bound to follow any form of Jewish tradition.
Don’t get me wrong, at no stage did Jesus contradict the laws as set down in the Old Testament in any way. Jesus was, is and will always be the only man to fully and perfectly obey and fulfill the entire old testament law.
But he was not subject any law or tradition laid down by man. And in no way at all was he shy of rocking man-made tradition in order to demonstrate the full extent of god, as he did not only on this particular occasion but many other occasions as detailed throughout the gospels.
[It is worth noting here that we are referring to law as made by the Jews themselves. We are not referring here to law made by god as given in the old testament (refer observation 1 in the previous discussion)]
(2) Give the credit to Jesus – and call him by name.
At first, the former invalid in this passage was not particularly certain about the exact identity of who it was that had healed him - obviously a deliberate choice on the part of Jesus, for whatever reason, not to reveal his identity on this particular occasion at the particular time.
But he did ascribe credit for his healing as best he could. By his reference to ‘the man who made me well,’ he sought to full recognition with regard to what had been done and who had done it in spite of his inability to name the man responsible.
(I am not particularly certain why Jesus, at first, choose not to reveal his identity to this man)
But after Jesus revealed his identity, the former invalid went back straight away and ascribed him full credit by name.
This is an important point. From time to time, our lord will do something special in our lives – be it a physical healing, new job or whatever. Whenever these things happen, we must not be hesitant in any way to ascribe full credit to our lord – both in the public domain as well as in our own private lives.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, let us never forget who you really are. When you were here in physical flesh, many, such as the Jews in the passage described above, failed to appreciate who you really were. And let us, when talking to you in our prayer, never forget who you really are.
You are our maker and our judge. Nothing more, nothing less. You are all powerful and above all. And you will not be constrained be constrained in any way, shape or form by who we in our feeble minds think that you should be.
Lord, sometimes you choose to bless us with positive and exciting things in our lives, be they new jobs, babies, the overcoming of sickness, or whatever. Whenever these things, by your deliberate and purposeful design, befall on us, let us never forget just who is responsible. Let us respond to good fortune the only that is acceptable - by growing in thankfulness to you for your graciousness and mercy which you have shown to us.
In the name of Christ Jesus I pray,
Amen.
8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."
11But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' "
12So they asked him, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?"
13The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." 15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Observations:
(1) Who does Jesus think he is? (Only the son of god).
One of the things which we can see clearly in this passage is that the Jews did not like anyone who gave an instruction which contradicted their man-made law, with anyone who did so being seen as rocking the boat.
How dare anyone challenge their religious and moral authority! How dare any man give an instruction which contradicts Jewish law. Who is this man? And what is his place to contradict Jewish tradition? He or she must think they are pretty damn special!
These are some interesting questions, and the answer brings out an important point.
So who is he – he is Jesus, that’s who. Son of god. Our messiah, our savior and our judge. The one who through his death on the cross took away the sin of those who believe. That’s who he is.
Nothing more, nothing less.
And what’s his place to contradict Jewish law? Again plenty.
As son of god, and one part of the holy trinity, Jesus is above laws made by man – way, way above. Neither is he in any way constrained by or bound to follow any form of Jewish tradition.
Don’t get me wrong, at no stage did Jesus contradict the laws as set down in the Old Testament in any way. Jesus was, is and will always be the only man to fully and perfectly obey and fulfill the entire old testament law.
But he was not subject any law or tradition laid down by man. And in no way at all was he shy of rocking man-made tradition in order to demonstrate the full extent of god, as he did not only on this particular occasion but many other occasions as detailed throughout the gospels.
[It is worth noting here that we are referring to law as made by the Jews themselves. We are not referring here to law made by god as given in the old testament (refer observation 1 in the previous discussion)]
(2) Give the credit to Jesus – and call him by name.
At first, the former invalid in this passage was not particularly certain about the exact identity of who it was that had healed him - obviously a deliberate choice on the part of Jesus, for whatever reason, not to reveal his identity on this particular occasion at the particular time.
But he did ascribe credit for his healing as best he could. By his reference to ‘the man who made me well,’ he sought to full recognition with regard to what had been done and who had done it in spite of his inability to name the man responsible.
(I am not particularly certain why Jesus, at first, choose not to reveal his identity to this man)
But after Jesus revealed his identity, the former invalid went back straight away and ascribed him full credit by name.
This is an important point. From time to time, our lord will do something special in our lives – be it a physical healing, new job or whatever. Whenever these things happen, we must not be hesitant in any way to ascribe full credit to our lord – both in the public domain as well as in our own private lives.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly father,
Lord, let us never forget who you really are. When you were here in physical flesh, many, such as the Jews in the passage described above, failed to appreciate who you really were. And let us, when talking to you in our prayer, never forget who you really are.
You are our maker and our judge. Nothing more, nothing less. You are all powerful and above all. And you will not be constrained be constrained in any way, shape or form by who we in our feeble minds think that you should be.
Lord, sometimes you choose to bless us with positive and exciting things in our lives, be they new jobs, babies, the overcoming of sickness, or whatever. Whenever these things, by your deliberate and purposeful design, befall on us, let us never forget just who is responsible. Let us respond to good fortune the only that is acceptable - by growing in thankfulness to you for your graciousness and mercy which you have shown to us.
In the name of Christ Jesus I pray,
Amen.
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