Reading for Nov 3: John 17:25-26

25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Reading for Nov 2: John 17:20-24

20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will[e] believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Reading for Nov 1: John 17:6-19

6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. 7 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. 8 For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. 9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. 10 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me,[b] that they may be one as We are. 12 While I was with them in the world,[c] I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept;[d] and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Reading for Oct 31: John 17:1-5

1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

Reading for Oct 30: John 16:25-33

25 “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. 28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.” 29 His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! 30 Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 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.”

Reading for Oct 29: John 16:16-24

16 “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.” 17 Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” 18 They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.” 19 Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? 20 Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. 21 A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. 23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Reading for Oct 23: John 15:12-17

12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

Reading for Oct 22: John 15:1-11

1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

My Comments:

This is on e of my favorite passages in the Bible; I think because it is so dense with spiritual knowledge and insight. The passage speaks of two different groups of "branches". These branches represent people, all peoples in fact. And all people can be separated into two groups: Christians and non-Christians. Using a metaphor of a vine Jesus describes these two groups.

Before talking about the branches He defines the vine and also He who is in charge of the vine, the vinedresser. Jesus describes Himself as the vine and the Father as the vinedresser. The vinedresser is the caretaker for the vine. He is the one that makes sure the branches of the vine are doing what they are suppose to do, make fruit. A fruitful branch brings joy to the vinedresser, and the same way, a fruitless branch displeases the vinedresser. Also, a fruitful branch brings glory to the vinedresser and fruitless branches suggest that the vinedresser is incompetent at his job. To prevent displeasure and disgrace the fruitless branches have to be dealt with and discarded. The vine's job is to produce the branches, to provide what is needed to produce fruit. Without the vine there are no branches.

As I mentioned the branches are divided into two groups. There are two characteristics that is used to separate the groups into two distinct groups: their ability to produce fruit and their location in relation to the vine. One group produces fruit. This group also is attached to the vine ("abides in the vine"). The other group, of course, does not produce fruit and is apart from the vine. So obviously the fruit producing branches refer to true Christians and the fruitless branches are non-Christians.

One of the great things about this passage is that it provides for a true Christian versus false Christian test. The test: fruit or no fruit. If there is fruit, then the branch must be abiding in the vine; so therefore, a true Christian (v4). If there is no fruit, then the branch is not abiding in the vine; therefore, not a Christian. The question then is what is this fruit. The fruits of the Spirit are listed in Galatians 5:22-23. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

So look at this list. If someone was describing you, would they use these words? This passage also describes the future for the two different branches. The fruitless will be cast into the fire, but the branches that abide in the vine will have joy. And not just any kind of joy, but a joy that is from God and is made full by God.

That brings me to my question for you: which of the two branches are you? How do you know?

Reading for Oct 12: John 13:31-35

31 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 32 If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. 33 Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you. 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Reading for Oct 10: John 13:18-20

 18 "I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.' 19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. 20 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me."

Reading for Oct 9: John 13: 12-17

 12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

John 12:37-43

37 But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:

      " Lord, who has believed our report?
      And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"

39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:
       40 " He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
       Lest they should see with their eyes,
      Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
      So that I should heal them."

 41 These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.

   
42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

My Comments:

In today's passage, John answers the question: If Jesus was so amazing why didn't everyone who seen Him believe? I'm going to leave it open for you to investigate yourself. The answer is in today's passage, at least part of the answer. I think that looking at the scripture as a whole demonstrates that there is more to it than what is reveled in these verses. Not that anything in these verses is untrue, I just think that there is more to the story. Take a look back at chapter 6, particuarlly verses 37, 44, and 65; also look at 3:18 and 6:47 and 8:24. Put them all together for the whole picture then post us a comment.

Reading for Oct 4: John 12: 27-36

27 "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name."
Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."
29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."
30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
34 The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"
35 Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

Reading for Oct 3: John 12:20-26

20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
23 But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

Reading for Oct 2: John 12:12-19

12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:
      " Hosanna!
      ' Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
      The King of Israel!"
14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:
       15 " Fear not, daughter of Zion;
      Behold, your King is coming,
      Sitting on a donkey's colt."
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.
17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!"

Reading for Oct 1: John 12:1-11

 1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, 5 "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
7 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."
9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

My Comments:

Today we start Chapter 12, which is a transition chapter in John. Up to this point Jesus' teachings have been in public; now all of His teaching will be done in private with His followers. In these remaining chapters we are going to get instruction on what it means to be a true disciple of Christ.

In today's passage we see a contrast between a true follow of Christ, someone who has turned over everything she has to Him versus a "follower" of Jesus who was with Him only for personal gain. Mary had been through quit an ordeal with her brother's sickness then death, a period of confusion over why Jesus had let her brother die, and then she witnessed Lazarus being raised from the dead to sit and eat with them. The test of her faith and the display of God's power had given her devotion to Jesus that was unmatched by anyone else in that room at that time.

On the other end of the spectrum was Judas, who was indeed a follower of Jesus, but his following was only a physical following. Judas was always with Jesus but he had never really given himself sacrificially in his entirety to Jesus a true follower. Instead, Judas was with Jesus only for selfish reasons. He was only with Jesus because of what he thought he could get from Him. He was not a man of God, he was a man of the world. To prove it, look at how he responded to Mary's act of devotion. Mary seen the perfume as a way to please Christ, Judas seen the perfume as way to please himself.

Reading for Sept 28: John 11:37-44

37 And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"
38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone."
Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."
40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and

My Comments:

Verse 37 ask a question that I bet that you all have asked at some point, I know I have: If God is so great why does He allow bad things to happen? "God can create the universe by speaking a word but yet He can't prevent children from disease and suffering." That question can be answered in lots of different ways but Jesus chooses here one specific way. In verse 40 Jesus is answering Martha's concern; He tells her that the entire episode that they had just gone through was all done to glorify God.

Reading for Sept 27

28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."
32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."
33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, "Where have you laid him?"
They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."
35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"

Reading for Sept 26: John 11:17-27

17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles^[a] away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
20 Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."
23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
27 She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

Reading for Sept 25: John 11:7-16

7 Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."
8 The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"
9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." 11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."
12 Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.
14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him."
16 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

Reading for Sept 24: John 11:1-6

1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."
4 When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

My Comments:

I'll comment on this great passage tomorrow. Until then, fill free to do your own commenting.

Reading for Sept 19: John 10:11-21

11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
17 "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."
19 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. 20 And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to Him?"
21 Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

Comments:

Jesus, continuing with the Shepherd/sheep analogy, is now in this passage identifying himself as the "Good Shepherd". He then explains why He is good. First He is good because He is willing to die for His sheep. This is different than the hired hands (hirelings) or false shepherds; they are only involved with the sheep for selfish reasons and "does not care about the sheep." The hirelings represent the Jewish leaders then and false teachers today.

Next, He is good because He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him (v14). This is more than just an intellectual knowledge. Most commentators describe this term know as describing the intimate love relationship, as between husband and wife. This loving relationship between shepherd and sheep is a reflection of the loving relationship between the Father and Jesus.

Another reason He is good is because He unites all of His chosen sheep into one flock. In verse 16 He refers to "other sheep"; these are the gentiles. So He is taking these other sheep and joining them with the sheep He has called out of the fold previously mentioned to make one flock, that The Church. Notice, just like when He was calling out the chosen from the fold, He is doing the action. He says "He must bring them", they cannot come on their own.

Lastly, He implies that He is good because He is obedient to His Father. Verses 17 and 18 say that the Father commanded Jesus lay down His life and so He did on His own initiated. He voluntarily laid down His life to be obedient; His life was not taken by someone else's power. The phrase, "take it again" does not mean He will die again; it is referring to His resurrection. As when He lays down His life He is giving His life, when He is resurrected He takes it again.

The passage ends describing a division among the Jews, with some saying Jesus must be demon possessed or insane and others were disagreeing. They were starting to realize that there was something special about this man. It seems that the chosen among the fold were starting to hear their shepherd's voice, as promised. The others did not recognize His voice because they were not His sheep.

Reading for Sept 18: John 10:7-10

7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

My comments:

In this passage Jesus changes the metaphor somewhat, now He is saying that not only is He the shepherd that is calling out the sheep that belongs to Him, but He is also the door. A door is the thing that allows you to go from one place to another. In this passage Jesus is saying that He is the way to get from one place, the fold (representing Israel as a whole) to another place, the pasture (representing the presence of God). Verse 9 in a very important verse and deserves more than just a glance. I recommend that you spend some extra time today meditating and praying over this verse. Here are some things that jump out at me:

• "the door" – the fact that there is a door suggest that there is something separating, or keeping apart the inner part where the larger group resides from the pasture, that is the presence of God. What is it that separates the world form God? Our sin is the only answer. This fact must be realized by the lost before they can become saved. One must understand that there is a separation before a passage through that separation is ever sought. If you do not know that there is a separation then you do not know about, or need, a door.
  
• "If anyone enters" – the invitation through the door is made to everyone, but the invitation isn't enough, the action of going through the door must take place before "he will be saved".
  
• "by Me" – the way that a sinner who is completely spiritually dead can even think about entering the door is "by Me". The "Me", of course (since this is Jesus talking), is Jesus. Man cannot under their own initiative search out God, for that to happen a Divine act must take place. It takes supernatural power to raise someone from the dead, that includes spiritual death. Take a look at the well known Psalm 23, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters…" and you can continue in that Psalm looking at who is doing the action. Salvation is not a human act but a Divine accomplishment.
  
• "he will be saved" – not he might be, or could be, will be if he does "XYZ"; he will be. God's sovereign will is accomplished no matter what. To say any other thing is to say that God is unable to bring His desires to completion and we all know that that is not true.
  
• "will go in and out" – the phrase "go in and out" suggest freedom. A freedom to "access God's blessings and protection, and never fearing harm or danger" (MacArthur). See Psalm 23 again!
  

So these past two days have shown Jesus as the one who calls out His sheep from the group and as the way those called out access the Father. This is good stuff, isn't it?!?!?

Reading for Sept 17: John 10:1-6

1 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

My comments:

To completely understand this passage, we need to know a little bit about sheep herding in the near East during that time period. Particularly what is meant by a "fold". The "fold" was a common place for the different shepherds in a village to keep their flocks overnight. In the fold the sheep were protected by a doorkeeper who was hired by the shepherds. This doorkeeper would only allow the shepherds to enter into the protected fold; therefore anyone who could not enter by the door, but climbed up some other way, was a thief and a robber. The shepherds, on the other hand, could enter by the door and call out their particular sheep out of the whole bunch. Apparently, the sheep knew the shepherds voice and would follow him without provoking. The sheep that did not belong to that shepherd would stay behind. Jesus uses these common things (common for the Jews during that time) as an illustration. In the metaphor the sheepfold has been said to represent a few different things: the church, heaven, or Israel (Jews in general). However, I think most agree that it likely represents Israel because it is unlikely that thieves could climb into heaven or the church to steal anything, nor would there be anyone but Christ's "sheep" in heaven and the true church. The fold being Israel makes much more sense. Within Israel there is a group of God's chosen that will be called out, and using Israel allows for a nice contrast between the true and the false shepherds being Jesus and the Pharisees. (Remember at the end of chapter 9 Jesus was talking with the Pharisees about the right path to salvation.)

So, what we have here is Jesus saying that He is the true shepherd and He will call out His sheep from the whole group, which is all of Israel (we will see later the inclusion of the Gentiles). This group of His sheep, after He calls them out, will follow Him. Get that, they will follow Him, not that they can follow Him if they want to, they will follow Him. They will not follow strangers, that is they, the chosen, called out group, would not follow false teachers such as the Pharisees, in fact they will "flee from [them]". So what does that mean for us? It gives us a test for our own salvation. If we are true Christians, if we have been called out of the group, then we will follow Him and we will flee false teachers. We will be attracted to the light and repulsed by the darkness. If this does not describe you then begin tonight working it out with God.

Reading for Sept 8: John 8:28-30

28 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." 30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.

Reading for September 7: John 8:22-27

22 So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"
23 And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
25 Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"
And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."
27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.

Readings for September 4-6

Tuesday - John 8:7-11

7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"
11 She said, "No one, Lord."
And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

Wednesday – John 8:12-16

12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."
14 Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.

Thursday – John 8:17-21

17 It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18 I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."
19 Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"
Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."
20 These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.
21 Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come."

Reading for Sept 3: John 8:1-6

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

My Comments:

If you have a study bible or some other commentary that you use when you study, you might notice that part of this week's chapter is separated out with notations stating that this story was not in the earliest copies of the scriptures that we have. I'm not going to comment on this unless the question is asked directly; otherwise, I'll let you research that issue yourself. However, if you have specific questions go to the comment section and ask; I'll do my best to answer you.

That's that, let's move on to today's reading. For the next couple of days we are going to be looking at a very familiar story, the description of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. Today in the first half of the story, Jesus is brought an adulterous woman by the scribes and Pharisees. Just that should make us stop and ponder. (You know me I like to ask "why") So, why do you think they took the women to Jesus? In their minds they had it all figured out, they were the so called experts of the Law. Why would they need Jesus' input? To me this shows a premeditated attempt to set Jesus up, to trap Him in His word. This brings another question to mind, a question that John (the Hess, not the apostle or the Baptist) brought up in class yesterday: what were the Jewish leaders worried about? Why were they so concerned with Jesus? He (Jesus) must have been a real threat to them. If He would have been simply a nuisances they would have simply blown Him off as some crazy man and maybe just quietly put Him away; instead they were afraid of Him. They had to use deceit and trickery to try and make Him look bad in the people's eyes. I think this provides even more evidence that Jesus was who He said He was and He did all the things we read about. The miracles must have been real and He must be more than just a good story teller. The Jewish leaders would not have been so afraid of just "a good man," but they had every reason to be afraid of the Son of God.

OK, sorry for the digression, let's get back to the story, So Jesus is confronted with this woman who is caught in adultery and asked what should be done with her. They didn't ask because they were interested in Jesus' opinion they asked because, as it says in verse 6, they were testing Him. If He said not to stone her then He would be breaking the Law of Moses (Lev 20:10, Deut 22:22); if He said go ahead and stone her then His teachings on compassion and forgiveness would seem hypocritical. They thought they had Him.

This situation does bring up a very good question. If God is holy and God's law is holy, righteous, and good and if the Law knows nothing of forgiveness (Rom 3:20) then how does God forgive sinners (breakers of the Law) without violating His holy law? How do we put together justice and mercy? So that is the question for today, somebody answer it. Hint: if you was at church last night, you've got the verses to back up your answer and there was even a song sang about it.

Reading for Sept 1: John 7:50-53

50 Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night,^[a] being one of them) said to them, 51 "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"
52 They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen^[b] out of Galilee."

 
53 And everyone went to his own house.

Reading for Aug 31: John 7:45-49

45 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"
46 The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"
47 Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."

Reading for Aug 30

40 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet." 41 Others said, "This is the Christ."
But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?" 43 So there was a division among the people because of Him. 44 Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

My Comments:

Just one brief comment today. Isn't it just shocking at how hard some people will work to try and prove that Jesus is not who He says He is. What's so bad is that they work so hard and are still completely wrong. In today's reading we see an example of this; one group tried to say that Jesus could not be the messiah because they thought that He was not born in the scripturally designated, prophesized place of the messiah's birth. When in fact Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not Galilee as proposed by the crowds.

Reading for Aug 29: John 7:37-39

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

My Comments:

"Thirsts…come…drink", three words that summarize the gospel invitation. First, one must thirst; there must be recognition that something else is needed. A spiritual thirst if you will. Then one must search out that something that they need; they must "come". Finally, they must drink. It's not enough to see the water, or gather around the water and believe that it is there. It's not even enough to sing about the water and praise the water for being good water. One must drink the water for one's thirst to be satisfied.

For salvation to be complete, not only must you recognize that you need salvation, not only must you go to Jesus and recognize that He is the way that salvation can be obtained; you must drink. You must, by faith, take Jesus in with the knowledge that you know, without a doubt, that that action is going to save you. The same way that when you turn up a bottle of water, you have no doubt that that water is going to quench your thirst.

You don't take a drink, hold it in your mouth until Sunday is over, then spit it out, return to your usual activities, then expect to be without thirst. The same is true with Jesus and salvation. You can't just take a taste of Jesus and expect to be saved; He must be taken in completely.

Reading for Aug 28: John 7:33-36

33 Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. 34 You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."
35 Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

My Comments:

For my comments today I'm going to ask a question or actually two questions. Jesus told the Jewish leaders that they could not go where He was going, even though they would "seek" Him. First question is why could they not go? Second question is how do you know that you can go where He is?

Reading for Aug 27: John 7:25-32

25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill? 26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? 27 However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."
28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. 29 But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."
30 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31 And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"

My Comments:

This is an interesting passage. In it we see the response of the "common" people to Jesus. As a whole they seem somewhat conflicted about Jesus actually being the messiah. Some were saying that maybe He was indeed the messiah because the leaders were letting Him teach in public despite their previous desires to kill Him. Others were doubtful because they believed that when the messiah came they would not know Him or where He was from and they knew Jesus and where He was from, so He couldn't be the messiah.

Jesus responds by telling them that, yes they do know where He is from but what they don't know is Him (The Father) who sent Him (Jesus). However, Jesus does know Him (The Father) who sent Him so He must be the messiah as He has claimed. (Clear as mud, huh)

When the Jewish leader heard of the discussions from the people they again set out to kill Jesus, but they were unable to catch Him.

Reading for Aug 24: John 7:19-20

19 Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?"
20 The people answered and said, "You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?"

Reading for Aug 23: John 7:17-18

17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.
18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.

Reading for Aug 22: John 7:14-16

14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. 15 And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"
16 Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.

Reading for Aug 21: John 7:10-13

10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?" 12 And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people." 13 However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

Comment:

I only have one brief comment today. Jesus was not being inconsistent or untruthful or dishonest by going to the feast when He had previously said that it was not yet time because what He was referring to was a public entrance. It was not time for His triumphant procession as it would be in about 6 months from then on the first Palm Sunday.

Reading for Aug 20: John 7:1-9

1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. 4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." 5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
6 Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come." 9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

Comments:

"After these things" meaning after the events in chapter 6, which based on the two "Feast" mentioned (Chapter 6's Passover in Apr. and Chapter 7's Booths in Oct.) puts about 6 months between the chapters. During these 6 months Jesus spent walking with, and I'm sure teaching, those following Him. If you remember at the end of Ch. 6 some of His "disciples" left and walked with Him no more, missing out on the opportunity to meet with Jesus face to face. This left a smaller group, but as we will see, still within this group were those who did not fully comprehend who Jesus was and what He was there to do.

Verse 3 says that Jesus' brothers wanted Him to go show Himself in Judea. They wanted everyone to see all that Jesus could do. Their motivation for this is not explicitly stated but it is likely that they wanted one or each of these two things: that Jesus would show Himself publicly as the Messiah and become the political king they expected and/or that Jesus would show Himself authentic to them because of their own lack of belief. Whatever their motivation, Jesus responds by telling them that He is not going because it is not yet His time.

In the verses following, Jesus reveals the true nature of His brothers. He tells them that even though His time has not yet come because He is in the will of His Father; their time is always ready because they are not in the will of the Father. In fact they are of the world, that's why He says the world cannot hate them. The brothers did not believe in Him (verse 5) so they were still trying to put things on their timetable instead of God's.

Reading for Aug 18: John 6:66-71

66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" 71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

Reading for Aug 17: John 6:59-65

59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.    
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"
61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."

 

Comments:

Jesus had just taught some profound things in the synagogue at Capernaum, one of the most important was that He was God and that through Him came salvation. Some of the "disciples" who heard this thought that the teaching was too hard. Jesus rebukes them immediately, saying that they haven't seen anything yet.

He goes on to say that the reason that they can't understand is because they only have their fleshy natural minds to evaluate the situation with. He points out that "It is the Spirit who gives life and the flesh profits nothing" and there were some there who did not believe so they lacked the Spirit. So that brings us back to the question, why did they not believe? They had Jesus right there with them, they had witnessed great miracles; how could they not believe? Well Jesus says it plainly; they were not drawn by the Father and given to Jesus as He has planned.

Reading for Aug 16: John 6:47-58

47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."
52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"
53 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."

 

Comments

This is a long passage today; I'll leave the commenting to you guys.

Reading for Aug 15: John 6:41-46

41 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." 42 And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God. Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.

Comments:

Yesterday, Jesus emphatically told the Jews that He was the "bread of life" and that this "bread" is the source of eternal life. In verse 41 we see that this angered the Jews. Why? Because, they knew that He was equating Himself with God so, as it has been said, Jesus was either a liar or a lunatic (and therefore a blasphemer as they charged) or He was indeed Lord (as He claimed). There is no ambiguity about it, Jesus said He was God; either you believe Him or you don't.

The Jews didn't believe, and that begs the question: why didn't they believe? Jesus answers that for us in verse 44, "no one can come to Me (i.e. believe in Jesus) unless the Father who sent Me draws him." So in the context of the passage we see that Jesus is telling them that the reason they are murmuring and do not believe is because the Father has not drawn them. That leads us to a bigger question, why didn't the Father draw them? Why does He call some but not others? That is a much harder question to answer so I'll leave it open for discussion. I'll lead off the discussion by saying this: man by nature loves sin; in fact he/she is dead in sin (Eph. 2:1, Col. 2:13). Unless their desires are changed by an external force then they will remain unchanged because man is powerless to change their sinful natures (Jeremiah 13:23, Rom 5:6). That "force" that changes the lost's desires for sin is God working in many different ways, including using us Christians, His church, to tell those lost who Jesus is and what He has done.

There is one more thing I should say, the reason I want to leave this open for discussion is because this is an actively debated topic amongst Christians with very Godly mature Christians on both sides; so let the discussion begin.

Reading for Aug 14: John 635-40

35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

Comments:

Here Jesus comes right out and tells the crowd what He meant about receiving the bread of life. They thought Jesus was referring to an actual piece of physical bread that would give them food for an eternity. So, Jesus unambiguously tells them, "I am the bread of life" and whoever comes to Him will never again hunger or thirst. He is not talking about a desire for food and drink, but about the need to know God; a "hunger and thirst" for knowledge.

What follows in Jesus' discussion is some great and deep theology, let's go through it piece by piece.

1. Comes and believes (v35) - to "come" to one place you must leave another. To come to Jesus one must first leave sin, that is repent; and then one can summit fully to God. The other side of the coin is belief. To believe in Christ is to completely trust Him as the one and only Savior and the Son of God. Both coming and believing, repentance and faith describes man's part in the process of salvation; they must both be together. One without the other is useless.
   
2. "All that the Father gives Me…" (v37) – this teaches that those of us who have come Jesus have been chosen and given to Him as a gift from His Father. Every soul saved is an expression of love to the Son from the Father.
   
3. "…will come to Me" – the gift (us, the Church) will be delivered to the Son. The Father cannot make a mistake with His gift, it will come. If that is the case then man cannot have anything to do with it, it has to be all God. If it was left up to man no one would come to Christ , as it says in Romans 3:11, "there is none who seeks for God."
   

   Well you might be asking, what about the coming and believing? Isn't that the job of the person, so therefore he/she is doing something to receive salvation? Actually, scripture teaches that both repentance (Acts 11:18, 2 Tim. 2:25) and faith (Eph. 2:8-9, Phil. 1:29) are granted by God. Therefore, God is completely sovereign is the act of salvation. But isn't there some sort of human responsibility? Yes, absolutely; scripture repeatedly calls on people to repent and to "call on the name of the Lord" (Acts 17:30, Matt. 4:17, Mark 6:12, Rom. 10:13). So how do we rectify this seemingly impossible paradox?
   

4. "…I will by no means cast out" – The Son will not refuse or get rid of the gift; He will accept it lovingly. He will not refuse anyone who sincerely "comes and believes" but remember the gift is from the Father, the gift cannot give itself.
   
5. "all that He has given Me I lose nothing" – Jesus is incapable of losing anything. To say that He can is to say that He is a failure at doing what He says He will do. Jesus says, "I lose nothing"; it doesn't get much plainer than that.
   
6. "not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" – Jesus came to earth to do the will of the Father and nothing else.
   
7. "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing"- again Jesus emphatically stating that He will not lose what the Father has given him.
   
8. "everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life" – again belief is essential to obtaining the "bread of Life."
   

In conclusion, we (the Church) have been chosen to be God's gift to Jesus and He has made it possible for us to present ourselves to Jesus by giving us the ability to repent and believe. Then once the gift is given, Jesus holds on to that gift never letting go.

Reading for Aug 13: John 6:28-34

28 Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"
29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."
30 Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
32 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34 Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."

Comments:

At the end of last week we read how Jesus admonished the crowd that came looking for Him, telling them that they were looking for Him for the wrong reason. They were in pursuit of the satisfaction of physical needs but Jesus tells them that what they should be working for is a food that endures to eternal life.

In today's reading we see the people respond by asking what they could do to work (i.e. earn) that eternal food that Jesus had told them about. Jesus responds by basically telling them that there is nothing that they can "do", in fact He tells them that they are dependent on God. In verse 29 Jesus says first off that it is "the work of God", meaning that God is responsible for it, it is His job. Then He goes on to tell what this work of God is: belief. "This is the work of God, that you believe…" In other words it is God that gives us the ability to believe; even our own belief is from God. Without His intervention we would remain faithless. Therefore there is absolutely nothing that we can do to gain the eternal food Jesus speaks about. Only by God working in us, giving us our faith can we be saved.

The people still didn't get it. They ask Jesus what He was going to do to get them to believe. They said Moses provided manna so the Israelites would have faith, what was He going to do for them. First of all Jesus reminds them that it was not Moses who brought down the manna, it was God who sent it down. Then He tells them that He Himself is the bread of life. We will see this week what He means by this.

Reading for Aug 11: John 6: 26-27

26 Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

Comments:

The last couple days have shown us a crowd of people searching for Jesus after He left the gathering where He miraculously fed them. Today, Jesus tells us why they were searching for Him. Before we get to that let's reflect back on what we have seen in chapter 6.

First we saw Jesus take the seemingly impossible situation of providing food for 5000 men plus their families and use that situation as an object lesson on His sovereignty over all things. He was able to feed those people with food left over. He had shown Himself to not only be God, but a God that is able and is willing to provide.

Then we read about Jesus testing the disciples with a storm. He put them out into the Sea of Galilee alone (without Jesus), without detailed information about His plans, and then on top of that sent a storm. During all that the disciple briefly tried to handle things with their own power but quickly realized that they could not. Then, once they had failed on their own, Jesus walks on water to the boat, they enthusiastically invite Him in, and then the water calmed, and instantly they were back to the shore where they needed to be to continue with His ministry.

Finally, we seen that once Jesus left, those that He fed began looking for Him, they noticed that He did not leave with the disciples and He did not take His own boat. When they finally found Him they ask how he had gotten there but Jesus doesn't answer that question. He instead reveals their heart to them. He tells them they are searching for Him because of what Jesus was able to give them not who He is. Leon Morris said it like this: "They were moved not by full hearts, but by full bellies".

Jesus goes on to make His point; we should not be working for the physical things of this life, because they will all pass away. Instead, we should strive to obtain, and then glorify, "the food which endures to everlasting Life." He says plainly that the way to receive this food is through Him because that is the will of the Father.

It is still a common misconception that one should become a follow of Christ so they will get all of their physical needs taken care. It is true that God will provide what we need if we are in His will, but that is not why we become follows. We should be servants of Christ simply because of who He is, Holy God, Creator of all things, King of the universe.

Reading for Aug 9 and 10: John 6:22-25

22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone— 23 however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks— 24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"

Reading for Aug 8: John 6:20-21

20 But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

 

Comments:

In the midst of a storm the disciples became afraid, they thought that they saw a ghost (Matt. 14:26) when in fact it was who they had been longing for the entire time, Jesus. They were resistant to leave when Jesus compelled them to go and as they sailed I'm sure they wondered what Jesus had in store for them, why had He sent them to Capernaum. So finally when they saw Jesus, after all of their failed attempts at saving themselves and even thought He came in a way that they never expected, once they recognized who He was they became overjoyed and eagerly received Jesus into the boat. In fact, Peter was so eager he got out of the boat to meet Jesus there in the water (Matt. 14:28-31).

Their faith had progressed from trusting in themselves mostly with faith in God only when it looked easy to now knowing that the only way to survive is to have God Himself in the boat with you. The storm had provided the catalyst to get the growth going, the previous miracle of feeding the thousands had provided the fertilizer, but ultimately it came down to Jesus making Himself known to them.

Then once Jesus was in the boat the boat immediately returned to shore, the storm and confusion was over, for now.

Reading for Aug. 7: John 6:18-19

18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.

 

Comments:

On the way to Capernaum a storm arose. So here the disciple were, sent out into the sea by Jesus just when things were getting good (they had crowds in the thousands), 3 or 4 miles in the middle of nowhere with no Jesus with them, and now a storm. Just what they needed, right? Well it must have been just what they needed, because Jesus was behind the whole thing and surely He didn't make a mistake. But why did they need a storm, they were doing exactly what Jesus had told them to do? We are going to see that the purpose of the storm is to take them from the condition that they were before the boat trip to the condition that they were after the boat trip.

We saw last week an example of their condition before the trip; their faith was weak. When presented with the seemingly imposable task of feeding the multitude, they turned to the physical; they turned to their own skill and wisdom.

As they rowed across the sea they were still in this weakened condition when the storm hit. Mark's account tells us that the disciples actually, initially tried to fight against the storm with their own power, "straining at the oars". So, even seeing Christ's miracle did not cause them to grow spiritually, what it did was give them a baseline to refer to. Their actual growth will come tomorrow……stay tuned.

Reading for Aug 6: John 6:16-17

16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.

 

Comments:

This week will are going to read about Jesus walking on water, and just like last week, look at not just at the miracle of Him walking on water but instead also notice the response of the disciples. Also spend time reading the corresponding verses in the other Gospels: Matt. 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52. The three books together fit to make a nice complete story with many great learning points.

Today's verses are just the set up verses. These verse are actually two nights away from the feeding of the 5000+; in Matthew and Mark we are told the disciples were forced to go by Jesus to Bethsaida (Mark 6:45) where they thought they were going to meet back up with Jesus. However, He does not come; and this is where John picks up saying evening came. When evening came they got back into the boats and headed for Capernaum.

So here's the one line summery so far: The disciples were forced by Jesus to leave by boat to first go to Bethsaida and then they sailed in the dark to Capernaum when Jesus did not turn up.

Reading for Aug 4: John 6:11-15

11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples^[a] to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."

   
15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Comments:

Now that Jesus had allowed the disciples to demonstrate their lack of faith, He was now ready to show them that when He is in control anything is possible and there is never any need to doubt. He even continues to use them in His plan; having them pass out the bread and fish. He could have easily distributed the food without them but instead He allowed them to participate in the miracle, which in turn allowed them to grow spiritually.

There is so much that could be said about this miracle, about this wonderful display of Christ's grace and provision that I could never touch them all. The things that I take away from it the most is: one even though the people had His purpose all wrong He still cared about them; two, God's grace is never used up, in fact when He works you end up with more than what you started with; and three, God is faithful to accomplish His will even when our faith falters.

Reading for Aug 3: John 6:8-10

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, 9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"
10 Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

Comments:

In verses 8 and 9, we see another futile attempt by a disciple to fix the problem that had been presented to them. Andrew did at least put forth an effort, unlike Phillip who just dismissed the whole idea all together. Andrew had followed Jesus' command to go and look to see how much food was available [see Mark 6:38], but when he (Andrew) determined that only five barley loaves and two small fish were available to feed the huge crowd, he became discouraged and pessimistic. He thought that the problem was too big; even too big for Jesus. So, Andrew complained: "what are they (the five loaves and two fish) among so many?"

It is at that point that Jesus took over. He had seen both Phillip and Andrew and very likely the rest of the disciples lose faith when presented with a task by Jesus. Jesus gave the disciples a job to do and they put their trust in the physical instead of in Him. Therefore, Jesus takes charge of the situation by putting the disciples to work. He gives them a specific job sitting the people, that by itself may have seemed unrelated to the ultimate goal of feeding the crowd. I can hear them now: "how is having these people sit in the grass, in these groups [see Mark 6:40] going to get them fed." Sometimes I fall into the same trap, wondering what the jobs that God has lead me into has to do with His ultimate plan of building up His Kingdom. Just like the disciples I have trouble seeing the big picture.

Reading for Aug 2: John 6:5-7

5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7 Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."

Comments:

While Jesus was on the mountain teaching the disciples the multitude came crowding around Him. He knew what they wanted (see yesterday's reading) but despite their selfish motives He still had compassion for them and still ministered to them (see Mark 6:34, Matt. 14:14, and Luke 9:11). He also knew their needs, so He recognized that they were going to need food. He used this opportunity to teach His disciples a lesson. He knew what kind of response Philip would have but wanted to use this situation as an object lesson.

He asked Philip where they could get the food to feed so many people. This was a test to see where Philip's trust was. As you know, Philip failed; his focus was still on the worldly things. His first instinct was to turn to the fallible physical things (money) instead of the infallible God, who was standing right there with Him.

Reading for Aug. 1: John 6:1-4

1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.
4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.

Comments:

Today we start chapter 6 of John, in this chapter we see the miraculous feeding of the 5000. This is one of Jesus' most important and well known miracles. This miracle not only shows us the power of God but also shows us the depravity of man. Notice as you read this week not only the awesomeness of God but also take note of how often man fails and falls short of what God requires or desires of them.

The passage begins with a brief description of the crowd that was out to hear Him. The passage states that the multitude followed Him because of what they saw Jesus do. Those who were there were there for the most part to see or receive a miracle not necessarily to worship or learn from His teachings. They were searching for the temporary, physical benefits of knowing Jesus but had no interest in the eternal, spiritual benefits.

Notice in verse 3 how Jesus, despite the gathering crowds and the surrounding commotion took the disciples aside and talk with them. I imagine it would have been very easy for the disciples to mingle with the crowd and join in on the commotion. It's important for us today also to take time away from the commotion and spend time alone with Christ.

Reading for July 31: John 5:41-47

41 "I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

Comments:

The Jews in Jesus' day (and today for that matter) were looking for a Messiah, but they were looking for one that fit their concept of what a Messiah should be. They were looking for someone to be a political King, someone to put the Jews back in a place of prominence among the world's kingdoms. What they wanted was someone like them, that believed like them, and practiced "religion" like them. When Jesus appeared and claimed to be the Messiah, they rejected Him because He was the exact opposite of what they expected. In verse 41-43 He reacts to this thinking saying that He is not after their approval. He was sent by the Father for a specific purpose and if that purpose did not fit their beliefs then they needed to change their beliefs.

Verse 44 ask a very good question, a question that anyone who claims to be a believer should ask themselves if they are finding it hard to follow the commands of God. I really like the way the NIV paraphrases the verse: "How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?" The Jews were attempting to be "Godly" by working to fulfill the "laws" as described by the Jewish leaders. These laws were based on scripture but had been perverted into a legalistic mumbo-jumbo. So the focus of the Jews then was to satisfy these laws not satisfy God's commands as dictated in the scriptures. Jesus tells them, then, how can you believe when you put all of your energy into pleasing man by following these manmade traditions and not seeking to honor God. The same is true today, how can people expect to be follows of Christ when they spend all of their energy trying to please man.

Jesus goes on to tell the Jews that He is not there to accuse them because their own trusted "father" Moses will accuse them. The Jews were mistakenly believing that they were doing exactly what Moses had written for them to do and was therefore guiltless before God, but Jesus said that in fact Moses will accuses them of their wrong doing to God the Father. Again Jesus tells them that they are not reading the scriptures with the right intent and because of that they are missing an opportunity to see Jesus for who He is.

Reading for July 30: John 5:37-40

37 And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

Comments:

At the end of last week, in verses 31 – 36, Jesus tells the Jews that they don't have to just take His word for it that He is who He says He is, there are witnesses to back up His claim. First, He mentions John the Baptist and his teachings. Then He points out that the works that He has done proves He is sent by the Father. In today's verses, Jesus tells the Jews that there is another witness for His case – the Scriptures.

The Jews had a proud heritage of being God's chosen and because of this they thought that any time God spoke to man He spoke to them only. Jesus here in verses 37 and 38 is saying that in fact they have not heard from God and even with Jesus, God Himself, standing right before them, they could not take in God's message because they would not believe.

Instead, in their ignorance they studied the scripture with a blind eye denying the truth that was looking right at them. They were looking at the scriptures as a step by step instruction manual on how to earn a ticket in heaven, instead of seeing the scriptures as they are: a revelation of God. If they would have read the scriptures with an intent of seeing God instead of seeing themselves, they would have recognized Jesus for who He was without question.

Just like today, the Jews had it all wrong, they thought they could do enough good to work their way in God's Kingdom, but they could never do enough good. What Jesus was trying to tell them, as we should be trying to tell the lost today, the focus has to be on God and God's perfect plan for salvation. The Jews knew the scriptures but on an intellectual level only, they spent a great deal of time in the Temple but for selfish reasons only and because of this they missed the way, the only way, to salvation, Jesus.

Reading for July 21, 2007 Jon 5:16-18

.
And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay Him, because He had done these things on the sabbath day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

Reading for July 20: John 11-15

11 He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"
12 Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?" 13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."
15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Reading for July 19: John 5:5-6

6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"
7 The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."
8 Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.
And that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."

Reading for July 18: John 5:1-5

1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years

Reading for July 17: John 4:48-54

48 Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."
49 The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"
50 Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"
52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household.
54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

Comments:

Here we see the Grace of Jesus. Despite the nobleman's faithlessness, Jesus heals the boy as requested by the father. Initially the father thought that Jesus was limited somehow by physical separation. Then something happened, Jesus told him to "Go your way; your son lives" and the man believed Him. There was a miraculous change in the man, a change that produced faith. Through this new faith the man was able to believe that Jesus was who He said He was and would do what He said He would do without prior physical evidence.

In the end, the man's faith was rewarded (not that the faith was from him but a gift to him). Not only was his son saved, but then his whole family came to know Jesus to.

Reading for July 16: John 4:43-47

43 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

   
46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.

 

Comments:

Two days after Jesus had revealed Himself to the Samaritan woman, He left to go back to Galilee. While in Samaria something amazing happened, many believed and were saved based on the testimony of a rejected woman. Jesus only had to show the woman her need for a savior (by pointing out her sin) and then telling her who He was and what He can do for her. There were no miraculous signs or any wondrous healings, only the gospel in its purest form. However, the Jews in Galilee were much more stubborn. Jesus says in verse 44, "a prophet has no honor in his own country." Meaning that in Galilee, where He grew up, He would never be accepted based on His testimony alone This show us a sharp contrast between the Samaritans and the Jews. One group, the Samaritans, was willing to have faith that Jesus was who He said He was; the other group, the Jews, will need to see the miracles of Jesus before they will believe. It says that the Galileans received Him, but they received Him only because they had seen what He had done at the feast. Their relationship with Jesus was purely selfish; they only wanted Jesus for what He could give them. The Samaritans wanted Jesus for who He was: the Messiah, the Son of God. And it was through that type of relationship that the Samaritans were saved.

Verses 46 and 47 set up an example of how the Jews initially approached Jesus, as a miracle worker instead of the Messiah. We will see how Jesus uses these signs to show the world, then and now, that He is the Lord Jesus Christ.