The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” Even as he spoke, many believed in him.
So much of John's gospel emphasises the intimate relationship between the different persons of the Trinity. Even though the word "Trinity" is not mentioned in the Bible, you would have to be wilfully blind not to see it in John's Gospel.
No wonder many believed in him.
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label religion. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Bereavement
I have been watching the Danish thriller, The Killing, continuing my exploration of Continental dramas with subtitles. What has particularly impressed me has been the acting of Bjarne Henriksen, who plays the father of the murdered girl. Whether or not he turns out to be involved, I know not, but the way he has dealt with the emotion of grief has been impressive. On Sunday, I watched the latest episode of Garrow's Law on BBC1 where Garrow says that he understands what a woman feels who has just lost her father. She protests that no-one could. But Garrow has just been bereaved of his friend and fellow-lawyer, Southouse, and is able to eloquently describe the feelings of grief.
The words sounded familiar and, of course they are very reminiscent of Shadowlands, the story of the bereavement of CS Lewis, when his wife Joy died. I recommend both versions, either with Anthony Hopkins or Joss Ackland. Both are based on the little book "A Grief Observed" finally published posthumously under his own name. "A Grief Observed comprises the reflections of the great scholar and Christian apologist on the death of his wife after only a few short years of marriage. Painfully honest in its dissection of his thoughts and feelings, this is a book that details his paralysing grief, bewilderment and sense of loss in simple and moving prose." says the blurb and it is very accurate.
In The Killing, the Lutheran Pastor makes the crass statement to the mother of the murdered girl, "At least she is now with the Angels." To which the mother angrily replies, "She shouldn't be with the Angels; she should be with me!" It ill betides any doctor or Pastor to meddle with a person's grief.
Very few doctors or pastors have no trouble with their own mortality. I know the Scriptures on this, and I had my moment of reconciliation with God more than 35 years ago when my father died, but I felt the pastoral counselling that I received then pretty useless.
I know a few old ladies who grieve terribly for their lost husbands of more than 30 years ago. It would be easy to say that they should put it aside now. That if theirs was a true faith that they would lost that burden at the foot of the cross, but I would never make that judgment. People are always different. There were many who waited for that long and longer for Jesus to take away that burden.
Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, had lived with her husband for seven years and then was a widow until she was 84. She never left the Temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying, waiting for the Christ Child.
Grief is unpredictable and although wew can remember to give a sympathetic hug, very few of us can find the correct form of gentle words to assuage it.
The words sounded familiar and, of course they are very reminiscent of Shadowlands, the story of the bereavement of CS Lewis, when his wife Joy died. I recommend both versions, either with Anthony Hopkins or Joss Ackland. Both are based on the little book "A Grief Observed" finally published posthumously under his own name. "A Grief Observed comprises the reflections of the great scholar and Christian apologist on the death of his wife after only a few short years of marriage. Painfully honest in its dissection of his thoughts and feelings, this is a book that details his paralysing grief, bewilderment and sense of loss in simple and moving prose." says the blurb and it is very accurate.
In The Killing, the Lutheran Pastor makes the crass statement to the mother of the murdered girl, "At least she is now with the Angels." To which the mother angrily replies, "She shouldn't be with the Angels; she should be with me!" It ill betides any doctor or Pastor to meddle with a person's grief.
Very few doctors or pastors have no trouble with their own mortality. I know the Scriptures on this, and I had my moment of reconciliation with God more than 35 years ago when my father died, but I felt the pastoral counselling that I received then pretty useless.
I know a few old ladies who grieve terribly for their lost husbands of more than 30 years ago. It would be easy to say that they should put it aside now. That if theirs was a true faith that they would lost that burden at the foot of the cross, but I would never make that judgment. People are always different. There were many who waited for that long and longer for Jesus to take away that burden.
Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, had lived with her husband for seven years and then was a widow until she was 84. She never left the Temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying, waiting for the Christ Child.
Grief is unpredictable and although wew can remember to give a sympathetic hug, very few of us can find the correct form of gentle words to assuage it.
Sunday, December 04, 2011
John 8:28. Crucifixion is coming
So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.
Jesus knew how he was to die. Here he predicted it. The crucifixion is coming. They will know the answer then if they will only open their eyes.
Jesus knew how he was to die. Here he predicted it. The crucifixion is coming. They will know the answer then if they will only open their eyes.
Saturday, December 03, 2011
John 8:26-27: tell them about the father
“I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.” They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.
Isn't it dangerous to be guided by the blind? Much of the Christian church is guided by the blind or at very least the near-sighted. Visionaries like John Stott, Jim Packer, Alec Moyteer, Billy Graham, Michael Green and Dick Lucas are old men now, but read their writings. Look out for Michael Ots our own home-grown evangelist if we are hear the truth about God.
We are all to be witnesses but some are called to be evangelists.
Isn't it dangerous to be guided by the blind? Much of the Christian church is guided by the blind or at very least the near-sighted. Visionaries like John Stott, Jim Packer, Alec Moyteer, Billy Graham, Michael Green and Dick Lucas are old men now, but read their writings. Look out for Michael Ots our own home-grown evangelist if we are hear the truth about God.
We are all to be witnesses but some are called to be evangelists.
Friday, December 02, 2011
John 8:25-26. No excuses
“Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”
The sin is unbelief. If we refuse to believe God, what hope is there for us?
How do we know what God is saying? Paul tells us in Romans Ch 1 "What may be known about God is plain. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what he has made, so that men are without excuse.
We can look at nature. But since the 19th Century men have thought up theories about how these could be self-generating - not that these theories are convincing - the arguments were all demolished in the nineteenth century - but so that they might find an excuse for not believing in God.
Others will point to the tradition of the Church that there is a God, but I admit that this is hearsay evidence and often wild and poorly attested. But we have better evidence than that. God sent his son. And we have the evidence of those who met him and heard his testimony. That which was heard and seen has been written down by those witnesses within 20 years of the actual event and that actual event included the death and resurrection of Jesus.
I don't know about you, but I can recall actual conversations that I had 30 years ago which were much less stupendous than this: conversations with colleagues, administrators and patients. And we have the benefit of many witnesses and detailed researchers who went about asking questions: "How do you remember that?" asked Luke of Peter, John Mark, Mary and the other women and many others.
WE have Scripture, and according to Scripture we have the Holy Spirit.
So we really are without excuse when we do not believe.
The sin is unbelief. If we refuse to believe God, what hope is there for us?
How do we know what God is saying? Paul tells us in Romans Ch 1 "What may be known about God is plain. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what he has made, so that men are without excuse.
We can look at nature. But since the 19th Century men have thought up theories about how these could be self-generating - not that these theories are convincing - the arguments were all demolished in the nineteenth century - but so that they might find an excuse for not believing in God.
Others will point to the tradition of the Church that there is a God, but I admit that this is hearsay evidence and often wild and poorly attested. But we have better evidence than that. God sent his son. And we have the evidence of those who met him and heard his testimony. That which was heard and seen has been written down by those witnesses within 20 years of the actual event and that actual event included the death and resurrection of Jesus.
I don't know about you, but I can recall actual conversations that I had 30 years ago which were much less stupendous than this: conversations with colleagues, administrators and patients. And we have the benefit of many witnesses and detailed researchers who went about asking questions: "How do you remember that?" asked Luke of Peter, John Mark, Mary and the other women and many others.
WE have Scripture, and according to Scripture we have the Holy Spirit.
So we really are without excuse when we do not believe.
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Persecution in Kashmir
An Indian pastor who baptised converts from Islam was arrested and his church raided following a sharia court hearing.
Rev. Chander Mani Khanna was called by the Grand Mufti of Kashmir to a sharia court on 8 November to explain alleged forced conversions of young Muslims, after a video appeared on YouTube that shows the pastor baptising seven adult converts from Islam. He was accused of converting Muslims in exchange for money. Muslims responded angrily to the footage, threatening to burn Mr Khanna to death, kill all Christian missionaries and burn their buildings, schools and churches.
Amid concerns for the pastor’s safety following the sharia court hearing, the police initially asked him not to move from his home in Srinagar, saying that they were protecting him. But they then raided his church and arrested him on charges of fomenting communal strife. He was released on bail after spending ten days in police custody. The seven men and women who were baptised by Mr Khanna were also arrested and allegedly beaten by police in a bid to get them to testify against him.
Kashmir’s Grand Mufti, Mohammed Bashiruddin, warned that Mr Khanna’s activities “warrant action as per Islamic law” and will not be tolerated. He told the media. The seven men and women who were baptised by Mr Khanna were also arrested and allegedly beaten by police in a bid to get them to testify against him. Kashmir’s Grand Mufti, Mohammed Bashiruddin, warned that Mr Khanna’s activities “warrant action as per Islamic law” and will not be tolerated. He told the media: There will be serious consequences of this. We will implement our part and the government should implement its.
Following Mr Khanna’s arrest, Indian Christian leaders have questioned why the authorities are siding with the sharia court in a country with a secular constitution, which guarantees all citizens the “right freely to profess, practice and propagate [their] religion”. Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), said: Allowing a Sharia Court to enforce its laws on Christians represents an end to the rule of law and equality of Indian citizens.
While a number of Indian states have introduced “anti-conversion laws”, Jammu and Kashmir is not one of them. Mr Khanna was instead arrested under Articles 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code.
Rev. Chander Mani Khanna was called by the Grand Mufti of Kashmir to a sharia court on 8 November to explain alleged forced conversions of young Muslims, after a video appeared on YouTube that shows the pastor baptising seven adult converts from Islam. He was accused of converting Muslims in exchange for money. Muslims responded angrily to the footage, threatening to burn Mr Khanna to death, kill all Christian missionaries and burn their buildings, schools and churches.
Amid concerns for the pastor’s safety following the sharia court hearing, the police initially asked him not to move from his home in Srinagar, saying that they were protecting him. But they then raided his church and arrested him on charges of fomenting communal strife. He was released on bail after spending ten days in police custody. The seven men and women who were baptised by Mr Khanna were also arrested and allegedly beaten by police in a bid to get them to testify against him.
Kashmir’s Grand Mufti, Mohammed Bashiruddin, warned that Mr Khanna’s activities “warrant action as per Islamic law” and will not be tolerated. He told the media. The seven men and women who were baptised by Mr Khanna were also arrested and allegedly beaten by police in a bid to get them to testify against him. Kashmir’s Grand Mufti, Mohammed Bashiruddin, warned that Mr Khanna’s activities “warrant action as per Islamic law” and will not be tolerated. He told the media: There will be serious consequences of this. We will implement our part and the government should implement its.
Following Mr Khanna’s arrest, Indian Christian leaders have questioned why the authorities are siding with the sharia court in a country with a secular constitution, which guarantees all citizens the “right freely to profess, practice and propagate [their] religion”. Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), said: Allowing a Sharia Court to enforce its laws on Christians represents an end to the rule of law and equality of Indian citizens.
While a number of Indian states have introduced “anti-conversion laws”, Jammu and Kashmir is not one of them. Mr Khanna was instead arrested under Articles 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code.
Religious freedom in Kazakhstan
Religious freedom is not something that most countries in the world subscribe to. In the UK religious freedom is subsidiary to supporting gay rights.
But things are far worse in the former Russian Republics.
A teenager was knocked unconscious by a policeman in a raid on a church meeting in Kazakhstan as the authorities continue their crackdown on religious freedom under strict new laws.
The 17-year-old girl was hit by the officer in a raid on a worship service by an officially registered Protestant church in Atyrau. The congregation was targeted because it was meeting away from its legal address, which is not allowed under the new Religion Law. They had been forced to gather at a hotel because the authorities had blocked them from using their regular venue. Since the new legislation came into force on 11 October, Baptist churches, which refuse to register with the authorities on principle, have reported increased harassment and pressure from officials, who interrupt their services and issue threats. Children who attend Baptist churches are being taunted by their classmates, who say that their churches will be closed down and their parents sent to prison, having apparently heard this on television and from some teachers.
In other developments, churches and mosques in the Almaty’s Turksib District have been instructed to report “on a daily basis” what measures they are taking to counter extremism, while regulations are being drawn up regarding the state censorship of almost all imported religious literature and objects. Only registered religious organisations may import “informational materials of religious content”, apart from small quantities for personal use, with prior approval from the Agency of Religious Affairs (ARA), which will conduct an “expert analysis” of each title. It will be an offence to import, produce or distribute any literature rejected by the ARA, punishable by fines and, if done by a registered organisation, a suspension of the organisation’s activity for three months.
Observers have highlighted the fact that such censorship directly violates Kazakhstan’s international human rights commitments. The new Religion Law also requires compulsory state registration of both foreigners and Kazakh citizens engaged in “missionary activity” and “spreading a faith”. ARA chairman Kairat Lama Sharif said that this was to prevent and counter “the destructive influence of several non-traditional religious organisations on the process of the spiritual/moral development of Kazakh society”.
The new legislation favours the country’s “traditional religions”, notably the Hanafi school of Islam and Russian Orthodox Christianity, leaving smaller Christian denominations and other religious minority groups concerned that their activities will be targeted and curtailed. The New Life Protestant Church in Almaty has already fallen victim to this. Five foreign guest speakers could not attend a conference the church organised following a ruling from the ARA just four days before the event. Officials have insisted that they did not ban the speakers, but the ARA wrote to the church recommending “refraining from inviting” them, leaving the church with no real alternative in the current climate.
The Kazakh authorities are speedily implementing the new laws; regulations are now being prepared that will govern other elements including the re-registration process, how and where places of worship can be built, and where religious books and materials are allowed to be sold.
But things are far worse in the former Russian Republics.
A teenager was knocked unconscious by a policeman in a raid on a church meeting in Kazakhstan as the authorities continue their crackdown on religious freedom under strict new laws.
The 17-year-old girl was hit by the officer in a raid on a worship service by an officially registered Protestant church in Atyrau. The congregation was targeted because it was meeting away from its legal address, which is not allowed under the new Religion Law. They had been forced to gather at a hotel because the authorities had blocked them from using their regular venue. Since the new legislation came into force on 11 October, Baptist churches, which refuse to register with the authorities on principle, have reported increased harassment and pressure from officials, who interrupt their services and issue threats. Children who attend Baptist churches are being taunted by their classmates, who say that their churches will be closed down and their parents sent to prison, having apparently heard this on television and from some teachers.
In other developments, churches and mosques in the Almaty’s Turksib District have been instructed to report “on a daily basis” what measures they are taking to counter extremism, while regulations are being drawn up regarding the state censorship of almost all imported religious literature and objects. Only registered religious organisations may import “informational materials of religious content”, apart from small quantities for personal use, with prior approval from the Agency of Religious Affairs (ARA), which will conduct an “expert analysis” of each title. It will be an offence to import, produce or distribute any literature rejected by the ARA, punishable by fines and, if done by a registered organisation, a suspension of the organisation’s activity for three months.
Observers have highlighted the fact that such censorship directly violates Kazakhstan’s international human rights commitments. The new Religion Law also requires compulsory state registration of both foreigners and Kazakh citizens engaged in “missionary activity” and “spreading a faith”. ARA chairman Kairat Lama Sharif said that this was to prevent and counter “the destructive influence of several non-traditional religious organisations on the process of the spiritual/moral development of Kazakh society”.
The new legislation favours the country’s “traditional religions”, notably the Hanafi school of Islam and Russian Orthodox Christianity, leaving smaller Christian denominations and other religious minority groups concerned that their activities will be targeted and curtailed. The New Life Protestant Church in Almaty has already fallen victim to this. Five foreign guest speakers could not attend a conference the church organised following a ruling from the ARA just four days before the event. Officials have insisted that they did not ban the speakers, but the ARA wrote to the church recommending “refraining from inviting” them, leaving the church with no real alternative in the current climate.
The Kazakh authorities are speedily implementing the new laws; regulations are now being prepared that will govern other elements including the re-registration process, how and where places of worship can be built, and where religious books and materials are allowed to be sold.
John 8:23-24. Only believe
But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
Three more "I AMs" The demand that God makes on us is not a Herculean cleansing of the stables, but to believe. Unbelief is the unforgivable sin.
Three more "I AMs" The demand that God makes on us is not a Herculean cleansing of the stables, but to believe. Unbelief is the unforgivable sin.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
John 8:20-22. The sovereignty of God
He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come. Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.” This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”
The attitude of the Jews is what today's secular world would display. With no concept of the supernatural world, they would not detect the Sovereignty of God in these happenings. But we can, can't we?
The attitude of the Jews is what today's secular world would display. With no concept of the supernatural world, they would not detect the Sovereignty of God in these happenings. But we can, can't we?
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
John 8:19. Among atheists
Then they asked him, “Where is your father?” “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”
They are still unaware. They are a Godless lot!
How do you argue with those who do not believe in God? It is not our responsibility to convert people, merely to witness, and to witness means to tell our own story, not become a theologian
They are still unaware. They are a Godless lot!
How do you argue with those who do not believe in God? It is not our responsibility to convert people, merely to witness, and to witness means to tell our own story, not become a theologian
Monday, November 28, 2011
John 8:17-18. Is there a God?
"In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.”
Note: another "I AM". Jesus is playing with them. He cites their own law back at them. The irony is that the Saducees among them do not believe in the supernatural so "God" is just a cipher for them; they do not actually believe in God as we know him. That is why it is futile to argue with the Church hierarchy; they also do not believe in a personal God.
Note: another "I AM". Jesus is playing with them. He cites their own law back at them. The irony is that the Saducees among them do not believe in the supernatural so "God" is just a cipher for them; they do not actually believe in God as we know him. That is why it is futile to argue with the Church hierarchy; they also do not believe in a personal God.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
John 8:16. The judgment next time.
But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father who sent me.
Note the further "I AM". Jesus is not bereft of the ability to judge; he could have judged the world when he came first time, because he stood, co-equal, with the Father. But he was sent by the Father with a particular purpose: not to judge but to warn and to save. The judgment next time.
Note the further "I AM". Jesus is not bereft of the ability to judge; he could have judged the world when he came first time, because he stood, co-equal, with the Father. But he was sent by the Father with a particular purpose: not to judge but to warn and to save. The judgment next time.
treasure in pots of clay
One of the enduring questions that Christians must ask themselves is why such terrible things are happening to them. From time to time I have posted about suffering Christians garnered from Open Doors or Barnabas Trust. It is not just in Muslim lands, but in parts of India, in former Communists states, In China and North Korea, but also in South America and in so-called Christian lands like Greece that true Christians are suffering. We have also seen Christians persecuted in Britain, Germany and America by secular humanists.
On an individual basis Christians do not have an especial prosperity or freedom from sickness compared to other people. Some Christians have lost their assurance because other Christians have told them that their faith is deficient and they cannot withstand the devil. This is all nonsense of course. A weak faith in a strong God is superior to a strong faith in a weak God.
In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians chapter 4 v 7 Paul tells us that we have the treasure of the Gospel in jars of clay. We don't have the treasure in a fine setting like the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. It is not their setting that makes them beautiful; in fact the contrast of what we are like against the beauty of the truth is what enhances it.
It is all the more likely that when we are at our lowest will come the opportunity to share the Gospel.
There is no doubt that while the Arab Spring is a good time for freedom and democracy it is also a perilous time for Christians who are being persecuted in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and next in Syria. Yet in Mali, at the University of Timbuktu, where Christians are very few in number, a remarkable thing is happening. Muslims are seeing visions of a man in bright clothes carrying a book. There have been thousands of such visions and they want to know what it means.
There is a Muslim tradition that Jesus will return, but how to reconcile this vision of the Angel of the LORD with Jesus. They have sought out a solitary secret Christian and set him up in a stall in the Mosque where queues have gathered to quiz him about the story of Jesus. There have been many conversions. You see the vision has coincided with the translation by the Wycliffe Bible Translators of the New Testament into the local Malian language.
We should pray that as the church in North Africa is persecuted, that God would act supernaturally to overcome the Devil and work a great wonder of conversion in its wake. Perhaps our best approach for secular persecution in our own countries is prayer, not the law courts.
On an individual basis Christians do not have an especial prosperity or freedom from sickness compared to other people. Some Christians have lost their assurance because other Christians have told them that their faith is deficient and they cannot withstand the devil. This is all nonsense of course. A weak faith in a strong God is superior to a strong faith in a weak God.
In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians chapter 4 v 7 Paul tells us that we have the treasure of the Gospel in jars of clay. We don't have the treasure in a fine setting like the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. It is not their setting that makes them beautiful; in fact the contrast of what we are like against the beauty of the truth is what enhances it.
It is all the more likely that when we are at our lowest will come the opportunity to share the Gospel.
There is no doubt that while the Arab Spring is a good time for freedom and democracy it is also a perilous time for Christians who are being persecuted in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and next in Syria. Yet in Mali, at the University of Timbuktu, where Christians are very few in number, a remarkable thing is happening. Muslims are seeing visions of a man in bright clothes carrying a book. There have been thousands of such visions and they want to know what it means.
There is a Muslim tradition that Jesus will return, but how to reconcile this vision of the Angel of the LORD with Jesus. They have sought out a solitary secret Christian and set him up in a stall in the Mosque where queues have gathered to quiz him about the story of Jesus. There have been many conversions. You see the vision has coincided with the translation by the Wycliffe Bible Translators of the New Testament into the local Malian language.
We should pray that as the church in North Africa is persecuted, that God would act supernaturally to overcome the Devil and work a great wonder of conversion in its wake. Perhaps our best approach for secular persecution in our own countries is prayer, not the law courts.
Friday, November 25, 2011
John 8:15. Judgment next time, not this
You pass judgment by human standards; I pass judgment on no-one.
Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Abraham so challenged the Angel of the LORD above Sodom and after that in a roundabout way the LORD demonstrated that His judgment was certainly right.
Human judgment is fallible. How often do we see it in our courts! Just as the judgment of the Jews here was flawed, so it is always so. No wonder that Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Judge not that ye be not judged."
Even here while in person, Jesus refused to judge. He came to warn and to save. Judgment next time.
Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Abraham so challenged the Angel of the LORD above Sodom and after that in a roundabout way the LORD demonstrated that His judgment was certainly right.
Human judgment is fallible. How often do we see it in our courts! Just as the judgment of the Jews here was flawed, so it is always so. No wonder that Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Judge not that ye be not judged."
Even here while in person, Jesus refused to judge. He came to warn and to save. Judgment next time.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
John 8:14: The testimony of the Father.
Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going.
Count the I AMs. Jesus retained the knowledge of his life in heaven with the Father. The Jews did not even know of his birth in Bethlehem, let alone his pre-existence in heaven.
Some sects believe that Jesus was a created being, others that he was never divine, yet others that he 'became God', but the testimony of this Gospel is that he was 'with God in the beginning'. We have the wonderful testimony that he who has seen Jesus has seen the Father, for "I and the Father are one."
Count the I AMs. Jesus retained the knowledge of his life in heaven with the Father. The Jews did not even know of his birth in Bethlehem, let alone his pre-existence in heaven.
Some sects believe that Jesus was a created being, others that he was never divine, yet others that he 'became God', but the testimony of this Gospel is that he was 'with God in the beginning'. We have the wonderful testimony that he who has seen Jesus has seen the Father, for "I and the Father are one."
Monday, November 21, 2011
John 8:12: The Light of the World
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
This is another of the great 'I AM' statements where Jesus is declaring himself to be God. We go right back to the start of the Gospel, "That life was the light of men".
We now know that light is a form of energy. To the Jews, the main source of life was the sun, which gave light, heat and energy. It was the source of life. Not only that, it permits no dark corners, for men love darkness rather than light. With light there is nowhere to hide.
Jesus is claiming to be the source of all life and the dismisser of darkness.
This is another of the great 'I AM' statements where Jesus is declaring himself to be God. We go right back to the start of the Gospel, "That life was the light of men".
We now know that light is a form of energy. To the Jews, the main source of life was the sun, which gave light, heat and energy. It was the source of life. Not only that, it permits no dark corners, for men love darkness rather than light. With light there is nowhere to hide.
Jesus is claiming to be the source of all life and the dismisser of darkness.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
John 8: 9b-11. A temporary reprieve?
Only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
It should not be taken to believe that Jesus will never condemn us. On this visit to Planet Earth, Jesus' purpose was to provide the means by which we could we could go uncondemned (his death and resurrection) and to tell the world the good news. But when he comes again it will be for judgement. He told us that all fall short of the glory of God and that the wages of sin is death. No wonder he told the woman, “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
It should not be taken to believe that Jesus will never condemn us. On this visit to Planet Earth, Jesus' purpose was to provide the means by which we could we could go uncondemned (his death and resurrection) and to tell the world the good news. But when he comes again it will be for judgement. He told us that all fall short of the glory of God and that the wages of sin is death. No wonder he told the woman, “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
John 8:8-9. Keep on writing.
Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
What did Jesus write on the ground the second time? One suggestion is "have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent of honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty." (Ex 23:7) But perhaps in his omniscience he just kept writing down the sins and the sinful thoughts of the younger members of the mob. Perhaps he was reminding them of the Serman on the Mount where Jesus identifies lust with adultery?
What did Jesus write on the ground the second time? One suggestion is "have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent of honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty." (Ex 23:7) But perhaps in his omniscience he just kept writing down the sins and the sinful thoughts of the younger members of the mob. Perhaps he was reminding them of the Serman on the Mount where Jesus identifies lust with adultery?
Monday, November 14, 2011
John 8:6-7. Throwing the first stone.
They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
What was Jesus writing on the ground? My first suggestion was that this was a nervous tick. Jesus, as a celibate Jew was embarrassed by the situation. A long standing interpretation of the church is that he wrote a part of Jeremiah 17:13: Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, . Alternatively he may have written from Exodus 23: 1: Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.
I like the idea, though that he was writing down the names of the accusers and listing some specific sins that they were guilty of.
In any case the wonderful statement "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." is a tremendous example of Christian tolerance.
What was Jesus writing on the ground? My first suggestion was that this was a nervous tick. Jesus, as a celibate Jew was embarrassed by the situation. A long standing interpretation of the church is that he wrote a part of Jeremiah 17:13: Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the LORD, . Alternatively he may have written from Exodus 23: 1: Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.
I like the idea, though that he was writing down the names of the accusers and listing some specific sins that they were guilty of.
In any case the wonderful statement "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." is a tremendous example of Christian tolerance.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
John 8:3-5. Stoning
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
In fact Mosaic law does not instruct them to stone an adulteress. Stoning is the Biblical punishment for a betrothed virgin who is sexually unfaithful to her fiance and is to be meted out to both partners Det 22: 23-24 If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death and in fact although stoning is a current punishment in some Muslim countries it was not a punishment in Judaism in the first century AD.
Adultery is a capital Offence under Mosaic Law (Lev 20:10)If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. But this was not a punishment carried out under Roman occupation.
In fact Mosaic law does not instruct them to stone an adulteress. Stoning is the Biblical punishment for a betrothed virgin who is sexually unfaithful to her fiance and is to be meted out to both partners Det 22: 23-24 If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death and in fact although stoning is a current punishment in some Muslim countries it was not a punishment in Judaism in the first century AD.
Adultery is a capital Offence under Mosaic Law (Lev 20:10)If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. But this was not a punishment carried out under Roman occupation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)