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The Father’s Love

Posted on by korgrocker

“The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”
John 10:17-18 NLT

Jesus said that His father in Heaven loves Jesus, His Son, especially because He was willing to sacrifice His life. Jesus’ obedience in fulfilling His mission of saving the world was one that we see develop through the pages of the Gospels, starting from an animal’s feeding trough and ending on a Roman cross at a place called Calvary. Jesus never wavered from completing His mission. He remained steadfast right through to the end. Paul wrote to his protégé Timothy the following, “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all” (1 Timothy 1:15). Isaiah, the prophet, looked down through the tunnel of time and could see the Messiah coming. About Jesus’ mission he wrote, “For the Lord God will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed” (Isaiah 50:7). Jesus’ primary role was “ … to seek and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10), and His Father loved Him for His obedience for being willing to sacrifice His life to make it happen. 

It is interesting that Jesus also said that the sacrifice of His life was followed by His being able to “take it back again”. It was difficult enough for the people listening to Him to absorb and accept what Jesus was saying about laying down His life, but then to say that He would “take it back again” was beyond their understanding. But Jesus made the point that His death was His to control. Only He had the authority to lay down His life. No-one else could make that decision. The act of crucifixion normally left the poor unfortunate victim no choice in the way it was carried out and the consequence of a slow lingering and extremely painful death. But it was different with Jesus, because he had the power to avoid the cross altogether. He could even have removed Himself from the cross at any time. But He fulfilled His mission right to the end, even providing reassuring words to the adjacent criminal who, in His dying breaths, reached out to Jesus for forgiveness. Jesus was in total control of His life right to the end.

So to is no wonder that Father God loved His Son, because He did what He had been commanded to do. We will never fully understand that relationship between Jesus and his Father, but we see its consequence in our faith-filled, everyday lives. The same love that Father had for Jesus is also poured out on us, His children. 1 John 3:1, “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognise that we are God’s children because they don’t know him“. Ephesians 1:4-5, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure“. So we see God’s love and try and emulate it, in a humanly limited way, in our Christian lives. And in the process, perhaps those around us get a glimpse of the Father’s love.

Father God. We sing about Your amazing love, but it goes beyond a song. It started at Calvary and has poured out on all mankind ever since. We are so grateful. Amen.

Other Sheep

Posted on by korgrocker

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.”
John 10:14-16 NLT

The shepherd in those days was well acquainted with his sheep. He knew their names and little foibles. Their features, shapes of their ears and so on. And those sheep recognised his voice so that when he called them by name they came running. Jesus used what was common knowledge in those days to make the point that He was the Good Shepherd. Not only was He a good shepherd but He was the best. In fact Jesus was a Shepherd who went far beyond what even a good earthly shepherd could accomplish. He promised all those that believed in Him, who followed Him, that they would receive eternal life, as we will find out one day. We know as well that Jesus did sacrifice His life at Calvary. Although He could have called on the Heavenly army to protect Him, He chose not to, being willing to die so that He would take on the punishment for our sins, giving us life, just as the Palestinian shepherds sometimes did, to protect their sheep. His was a sacrifice that only the Good Shepherd could make. 

Jesus was speaking to a Jewish audience, probably in Jerusalem, a place that He likened to the sheepfold in His parable. Jesus was quite clear about who He had come to save and minister to. Matthew 15:24, “Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”” Jesus never wavered from His mission, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies about the Jewish Messiah. But it was also clear that He expected His people, the Jews, to continue His mission to the Gentiles. He said to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, “You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews” (John 4:22). But back in His Good Shepherd parable, Jesus said a strange thing that puzzled those listening – “I have other sheep too”. Who were they? Who else could they have been other than the Gentiles, those who were not Jews. And aren’t we non-Jewish believers glad about that! If Jesus had only come for the Jews, and only the Jews, we would still have been on the outside, excluded from the blessings of God’s grace. From what Jesus said, it was clear that He expected His mission to continue, reaching the whole earth through his Jewish disciples – Matthew 28:18-20, “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age””. The Great Commission indeed!

Jesus’ mission continues with His 21st century “sheep”, we pilgrims. We reach out to the “other sheep” around us with the Good News of a worthwhile future. I met someone the other day who was quite depressed because they confessed to having no hope. A fertile ground for sharing about Jesus and the hope that only he can supply. And as we share the amazing Jesus we know with others, the “sheepfold” fills up with people around us who are longing for the love and security that only God can provide.

Dear Heavenly Father. As Your children we pray for all those around us, that Your message of Good News will be planted deep within them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Hirelings

Posted on by korgrocker

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.”
John 10:11-13 NLT

The hired hands, or hirelings, were shepherds employed for their services as shepherds. They weren’t really interested in the wellbeing and protection of the sheep, rather being focused on the money they were earning. And in the event that a wolf appeared with desires of a lamb chop meal, the hirelings would head for a place of their own safety. As Jesus graphically portrayed, without a shepherd, the flock of sheep would be attacked and scattered or even killed. Jesus said about the hireling, “He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd”. 

Who was Jesus referring to when He spoke about hirelings? It seems rather obvious that He had the Pharisees in mind. They were notorious in their reputation for looking after their own interests and, as far as Jesus was concerned, that was why they wanted to close Him down and eliminate Him from their otherwise cosy world of being religious leaders. But as they proved repeatedly, the Pharisees weren’t interested in the wellbeing of the people. Jesus had harsh words to say about them, as we read in Matthew 23:3-4, “So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.” As we read on in Matthew 23, we see many more things Jesus said about the “hirelings”, the Pharisees, and none of them good.

Today, we too have good shepherds or hirelings. The good ones are men and women who are sincerely devoted to the spiritual care of the people God has given to them. But we also have hirelings who are just in the ministry for any financial or other benefits they can find. A good shepherd today is a Bible believing man or woman who genuinely cares for their congregation. Peter wrote about them in 1 Peter 5:2-4, “Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t Lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honour”. The role of a good shepherd, an elder or pastor for “the flock that God has entrusted to [him]” could not be more clearly put.

We pilgrims are most likely parts of a local congregation, but we have a shepherd leading us, pastoring us through life’s journeys, and who is keeping us safe through sound teaching. God has delegated our care to such a person, and the good shepherds take their responsibilities very seriously. But we also have the responsibility to care for ourselves, by following the Good Shepherd Himself, by reading God’s Word and through our prayers. Jesus didn’t come to ordain ministers. He came as the Good Shepherd to lead His followers in the ways of truth. We pilgrims know that we have a relationship directly with God Himself. He is our loving Heavenly Father and we are His children.

Dear Father God. We worship You today, our Creator God, our loving and gracious Heavenly Father. We thank You for Your promise of eternal life, a promise that will never be broken. Amen.

The Good Shepherd

Posted on by korgrocker

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.”
John 10:11-13 NLT

Just a few verses ago in John 10, Jesus declared “I am the gate for the sheep” (John 10:7b), and now He said “I am the good shepherd”. It is noteworthy that Jesus said the rather than a good shepherd. There was only One who was worthy enough to claim that unique position. But the picture is emerging of Jesus being the protector of His flock, first by protecting them in the sheepfold by preventing wolves, thieves and robbers from stealing them, and then by looking after them as they followed Him towards good pastures. Sheep are incredibly helpless animals and need a lot of looking after, but all they had to do, to ensure their health and safety, was to trust and follow the shepherd.

This parable however was mainly devoted to building a picture of human needs and God’s provision. Faced with the human equivalent of wolves, thieves and robbers, a person is relatively helpless, and this is even more true in the spiritual realm. Without God in their lives, a person’s spirit will wander aimlessly through a life that leads to a nasty end, but beforehand will experience attacks from all and any evil sources. But those who enter through the Gate, that is Jesus, will find a place of safety and comfort. God’s spiritual sheepfold is a place unreachable by the devil’s wolves, thieves and robbers. 

But we should also note that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, was prepared to sacrifice His life in the protection of His sheep. The death of a shepherd protecting his flock was not an unusual event in the days of sheep herding in Palestine two thousand years ago. But as we know, Jesus was prepared to give His life for the sake of His sheep., and he did so at Calvary just a year or two after He told this parable to the people round Him. Jesus could have run away from the sheep, as a hired hand would most likely have done when the flock was faced with a wolfish attack or some other danger. But instead, as the Good Shepherd promised, He sacrificed His life so that His flock at that time and down through the following generations, would be protected. The power of the enemy was defeated at Calvary and through Jesus we sheep have eternal protection for our souls.

Dear Father God. We praise and worship our Good Shepherd today and every day, with grateful hearts. Amen.

Abundant Life

Posted on by korgrocker

“All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
John 10:8-10 NLT
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].”
John 10:10 AMP

Before we start getting excited over the potential material benefits of a “rich and satisfying life” in the years we have left in this world, we should note that Jesus was referring to spiritual life. The parable of the Good Shepherd and His sheep created a wonderful picture of how God looks after us, and what He has to offer. The life that Jesus offered is eternal life, because He said in John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. Believing in Jesus will not mean we will live in our natural bodies forever, but He will provide a home for our souls eternally. Jesus told His disciples about eternal life in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent”. This is the abundant life that Jesus referred to in His Good Shepherd parable. We should also note that Jesus said, about our natural lives, in John 16:33, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world”. So, on the one hand we have our natural lives, and on the other our spiritual lives. How do we reconcile the two?

Our natural and spiritual lives are intertwined – one affects the other and vice versa. The conflict that can sometimes develop was summed up by Paul in Romans 7:21-24, “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” Thankfully, Paul left us a legacy that saw through the dilemma we all face and he wrote, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 7:25-8:2). 

In the UK, established denominations are on the decline but where have all the believers gone? Other churches don’t see to have benefited greatly by picking up those who have left declining congregations. Have all these church members decided that they don’t believe anymore and so stay at home on a Sunday? I’m sure there is an element in that, but perhaps many Christians are instead waiting for the day when they cross the Great Divide and move on to eternal life, or so they hope, disillusioned by a denominational Christianity that doesn’t contain the abundant life Jesus promised. Perhaps many churches have become religious social clubs failing in their mission to the world, and failing in their relevance to a needy generation.

Perhaps there are pilgrims out there today who can relate to this lack of abundance in their own lives, so how can they remedy the situation? We of course turn once again to Jesus. he will refresh our souls. He will provide the living water from a well that never runs dry. He will even feed us the very bread of life, sustaining our souls on the journey to our promised land. We have much to thank Jesus for. Abundant life is within our grasp, but we have to reach out and apply it to us every day and in every situation we are likely to meet.

Dear Father God. Thank You for all of Heaven’s resources that are available to us. Life so abundantly is the norm in Your Kingdom and we are so grateful. Amen.

An Explanation

Posted on by korgrocker

“Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.”
John 10:6-9 NLT

The people listening to Jesus as He talked about sheep, shepherds and sheepfolds, would have understood what He was saying. They were familiar with the whole necessities of animal husbandry, and a shepherd calling out his sheep and leading them through the countryside was a familiar sight. They also knew all about the danger of wild animals and had the example of the shepherd boy David from the Scriptures in how to deal with them. We read in 1 Kings 17:34-35, “But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death”. But the people failed to understand the bit about Jesus saying He was the door, or gate in some translations, so needed an explanation.

When Jesus said He was the door, it initially wasn’t clear to them how a person could be a door. They knew that occasionally the keeper of the sheep fold would sleep across the entrance, bringing security to the flock inside. But was he the door that Jesus was describing? So Jesus explained the spiritual meaning of the parable. There was only one way into the walled space, the sheepfold, and that was through the gate. In the same way there is only one way into the Kingdom of God and that is through Jesus. And Jesus described the spiritual benefits that mirror the natural world known by the people. The sheep’s natural lives were safe in the sheepfold. In the same way, and equating spiritual lives to sheep, souls are safe in God’s Kingdom from attack by wild animals, the aggression of the devil and his followers. Once in God’s presence, with the spiritual sheepfold, there was eternal safety to be found. And only one proviso applied – the person had to enter through Jesus. There is only one way to Heaven, in spite of what other religions may claim. 

Of course we pilgrims know all of that. But why is it that we so often try and find safety for our souls some other way? Through financial security in investing for savings and a pension perhaps. Or conning ourselves that we’re doing alright and that God would never leave us outside in a cold and dark world. In Revelation 3:20-21 John recorded Jesus’ words to the church in Laodicea, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne”. These verses are often used erroneously in an evangelistic context, but we should note that Jesus was speaking to the Christians in Laodicea, with the implication that they will apply to Christians everywhere. We pilgrims know Jesus is the Door to eternal life and our salvation, but do we have the Door firmly closed to Him? Jesus will never give up on us, but can we hear Him knocking because we have excluded Him and His input into something causing a spiritual blockage in our lives? We may read this parable of the Good Shepherd and gloss over it because we think it doesn’t apply to believers such as us. Perhaps we might want to read it again. Hmmm… 

Jesus, we pray that all the blockages that occasionally blight our lives will dissolve in the Light that shines from You. Amen.

Jesus the Door

Posted on by korgrocker

“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognise his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
John 10:1-5 NLT

Jesus continues to tell His listeners a bit more about who He was, why He had come and what His message to His immediate world was. To do this He used another illustration that would have been very familiar and relevant to the people of His day. As He described it, the life of sheep and shepherds was accurately portrayed, but in a later blog we will find out the spiritual meaning behind His story. The people of His society knew all about sheep and shepherds so we can almost see them nodding and hearing their words of approval at what Jesus described. 

If Jesus came in to 21st Century Western societies, what illustration would he have been able to use? Our society seems so much more complex and there are so many professions and lifestyles, and then some only apply to certain age groups. But throughout His ministry, Jesus related the everyday life of the Jewish people to spiritual equivalents. Sheep, fields, shepherds, farmers, family life, all relevant to the generation in that place at that time. God’s timing for when He sent His Son was perfect.

Today, we pilgrims have a challenge in finding something relevant to those around us. Urban city dwellers are unaware of the lives of sheep and shepherds, so how can we reach them with the Gospel message appropriate to them, and then present it in a way that connects them with the Master Himself? Perhaps we can use an analogy of Jesus being the door to God’s house. The people around us may not relate easily to the professions we find in our societies, but we can imagine and describe a house, and to most people it offers a degree of security, much like the sheepfold described in this parable.

We share the Gospel message across a relational bridge to those around us and God will help us as we allow His love and grace to flow into the lives of those we know and love. There are so many needy people in our societies and God’s message is just as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago. The sheep in Jesus’ day knew the voice of their shepherd, and that was the person they followed. Jesus is still calling out the ones He knows and who are yet to know Him today. People who would otherwise be lost in their sinful lives. As Jesus’ hands and feet today, we deliver that message, and the Holy Spirit will provide us with the keys, the illustrations, even intimate details, to unlock the door into their hearts. We pray too for God to provide us with the words we need to derive a spiritual meaning from everyday natural lives so that a connection can be made to God’s Kingdom. Jesus is the Door and we know where to bring people so that they can find it. And as we do so, we are reminded that the Door is there for us to walk through as well.

We pilgrims are not believers who fail to participate in the happenings behind the Door, where we find God Himself and His ways. We leave our dirty linen, our sins, at the foot of the cross and then walk through into God’s very presence, worshipping the One who made it all happen at Calvary. What a Saviour! Perhaps today we can find a quiet moment when we can imagine that door and pass through into God’s presence once again. And what we find there will overwhelm us as we fall at the feet of our Lord and God, with deeply grateful hearts full of worship.

Dear Lord God. Thank You for Your grace, love, and protection through Your Son Jesus. We worship You today. Amen.

Sight To The Blind

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.”
John 9:39-41 NLT

The account of the blind man being healed started with Jesus walking along and finding a man who was blind from birth. This became a learning experience for His disciples that was enhanced by a miraculous event that astounded and divided the people in Jerusalem. A baby who was born totally unsighted was miraculously transformed to become like most people around him with normal 20/20 vision. The account continued through various stages and finally ends with Jesus returning to teach about blindness, but this time spiritual. He used the example of physical healing to hammer home His message that spiritual blindness could be healed by God as well. 

Jesus said to Mr Blind-no-more that He “entered this world to render judgment”. But we read earlier in John’s Gospel that, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). An apparent contradiction? The reality for all humanity is that sin that isn’t dealt with will ultimately lead to a situation where judgement happens by default. Jesus we know came to this world to save it’s inhabitants from the consequences of their sins, but it appears that in His day there were many who refused to believe in Him, thinking instead that they were not sinners. These were the Pharisees and their followers who believed that their adherence to the smallest details of their law was sufficient to ensure their righteousness and freedom from judgement for sin. 

We read in Luke 4:18 about the time when Jesus attended the synagogue in the village where He was brought up. He read from the prophet Isaiah the verses that summarised His mission on earth – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favour has come”. The Good News, He said, will deliver sight to the blind, and Jesus repeated this in the closing verses of John 9. Jesus probably knew that there were some Pharisees within earshot, and He was referring to them with His statement that those who think they can see are really blind. A spiritual reference of course, but one that highlighted the dilemma for the Pharisees and all those who thought the same way. To be told that their adherence to a position of rejecting Jesus’ message was in fact spiritual blindness, rendering them in danger of judgement.

So what about us pilgrims? How is our (spiritual) vision? Are we open to all that Jesus has for us, or do we suffer from partial or selective blindness? If the preacher one Sunday makes a statement that we find difficult, do we reject it, or do we go away and ask God to open our eyes to what has been said? To shut our eyes tight when the Master speaks, when the Holy Spirit whispers something in our souls,  may bring our journey to the promised land to an end in a cul-de-sac of our own making. We may still experience salvation one day, but our spiritual growth will possibly be stunted and we will fail to realise our full potential in God. 

The spiritual journey through this sad and bad world is strewn with boulders and wrong turnings. If we are spiritually blind we will find the journey too difficult to complete. Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne”. It is only by following Jesus that we will finish the journey and we need to keep our eyes open. The spiritually blind won’t make it.

Dear Father God. We pray that Your upon our eyes so that we can see everything You have for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Do You Believe?

Posted on by korgrocker

““You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue. When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!” “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.
John 9:34-38 NLT

Jesus’ compassion was such that He wanted to make sure Mr Blind-no-more was alright. After his mauling in the Pharisees’ court, with its subsequent punishment of excommunication, the man found his euphoric, sight-restored, bubble pricked and deflated, leaving him devoid of the social contact and help he would now desperately need. But he had a future and a hope by believing in Jesus. And he was found by Jesus, his new Lord and Master, who lifted him up into a new bubble of belief in the Son of God. One day that man would find himself somewhere where the Pharisees couldn’t go. 

Jesus was consistent in His message that only those who believe in Him will enter a spiritual realm that includes God Himself. We have of course the much-quoted verse in John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. He said much the same in John 5:24, “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life”. In John 6:35, Jesus said, ” … I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty”. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus’ message of salvation through believing in Him expanded to include His teaching for the new believers. It was hard teaching at times, but the results came to fruition on that day when the rushing wind and tongues of fire empowered the early church founders to continue in obedience to what their Lord and Master said to them. The Holy Spirit brought to their remembrance the truths expounded during their years spent with Him. 

We don’t know what happened to Mr Blind-no-more after his encounter with Jesus. After such a miraculous healing, he probably became a disciple and follower of Jesus, and may have even been in the upper room when the Holy Spirit fell on those who were gathered there. He certainly never lacked the boldness necessary to stand up to the Pharisee. In his shoes I would certainly like to think that I would become a follower of the Man who healed me and restored my sight. We are told that after he met Jesus again, Mr Blind-no-more worshipped Jesus after confessing that he believed in Him. And we can almost hear the gates of hell clang shut behind another person who had escaped its clutches. We pilgrims too have been redeemed from the sins that otherwise would have entangled us, and we now enjoy our status as followers of Jesus in the Kingdom of God. Perhaps one day we will catch up with Mr Blind-no-more and will be able to ask him about his amazing experience.

Dear God. You are truly amazing and Your power has not only enabled countless miracles to take place, but it has also opened the door for sinners to enter Your kingdom. We are so thankful. Amen.

Excommunicated

Posted on by korgrocker

““Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.” “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.”
John 9:30-34 NLT

The man born blind was put under a lot of pressure by the Pharisees. They kept asking him about how he had been healed in the hope that they could trip him up and satisfy their antagonistic position against Jesus, perhaps by exposing some sort of trickery or even downright lies. But Mr Blind-no-more was having none of their nonsense and he sealed his doom, as far as the Pharisees were concerned, by saying, “If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.”  The Pharisees were probably not used to anyone pushing back against their judgements and after accusing him of being “a total sinner” they “threw him out of the synagogue”. 

A synagogue was, and still is in some respects, the Jewish centre of their cultural, communal and, spiritual identity, and they even had emotional attachments to it. So to be expelled from it was a big deal in Jesus’ day and it meant the individual concerned joined a group of dissenters, perhaps even with a criminal element, people who found themselves excluded from fellowship with most of their friends and neighbours. The people in Mr Blind-no-more’s community would have divided into two camps – those who perhaps sympathised with him and supported him but were afraid to say anything, and those who sided with the Pharisees and shunned the man, perhaps in the hope of receiving Pharisaical favours. But for Mr Blind-no-more, being excommunicated from the synagogue would have meant a painful social isolation just at the time when he needed support and inclusion.

The Pharisees had little in the way of sanctions that they could apply against anyone who disagreed with them, so to them the nuclear option of being thrown out of the synagogue was all they had to fall back on. In the history of the Christian church, excommunication was also practised against those who upset the church hierarchy. Jesus set the basis for church discipline in Matthew 18, with the conclusion spelled out in verse 17, “If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.” Today,  being excommunicated is not considered much of a sanction, and in my experience matters of church discipline are resolved between the person, or people, concerned and the elders, or they resign from membership. Sadly, in some denominations, some people who object to, or disagree with, certain matters of church doctrine, are more likely to be accommodated for their views, resulting in a dilution of the church’s integrity and purity. 

We pilgrims, however, have the benefit of having a personal relationship with God. We have no need to rely on a priest or synagogue leader for access to God’s throne. There is no excommunication possible for a child of God. Paul wrote in Romans 8:38-39, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We give God all the praise today.
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Dear Father God. We are Your children and we thank You that no-one can tear us away from You. Amen.