Blog

Jesus Tells the Truth

Posted on by korgrocker

“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.”
John 5:24 NLT

This must have been an astonishing statement in the religious context of those days. Standing in the Jewish leaders’ shoes, we would have heard this ordinary looking man making the assertion that He had been sent by God and claimed that all who believe in Him “will never be condemned for their sins”. We know there was nothing special about Jesus’ appearance from Isaiah’s prophecy, “My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him” (Isaiah 53:2). However, Jesus was a divisive figure. He challenged the status quo and left the people of His day with a choice to make. They either had to believe that he was who He said He was, the Son of God, or they had to reject Him as yet another person to be pitied, a person deluded and mentally deranged. But what about the miracles? Could a person making these false claims have healed a man who had been paralysed for thirty eight years? A dilemma both for the Jewish leaders and the ordinary people.

We often think that God is omnipotent, i.e. that He can do anything. But there are in fact some things that He cannot do. One of them is to tell a lie. Everything God says and does is truthful and righteous. And the same applies to Jesus because He was, and is, the Son of God. So when Jesus said that what He was about to say was truthful we who believe in Him need to sit up and take notice. Jesus said that we must listen to His message, and believe in God, who sent Jesus to this world. And if we do, then the result is that we will pass from death to life. Eternal life. 

We pilgrims have an opportunity to echo what Jesus said to those around us. Witnessing about Jesus and all He has done for mankind is something that I am passionate about, and do at every opportunity. The message is simple but takes a lifetime of application as we start to live out the reality of moving from a kingdom of death to God’s Kingdom of life. But Jesus was focused on why He came, as we read in John 10:10, “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”. More truths from Jesus’ lips. 

One difficulty Christians can experience is what to do about people who make certain claims about their mission in life. Jesus Himself warned about such people in Matthew 24:24, “For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones“. Earlier in Matthew, Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act ….” (Matthew 7:15-16a). And yet, if we reject someone, there is the possibility that we have rejected a messenger sent by God. Thankfully the Holy Spirit will help us discern who is right, and who is to be avoided. One question I ask is about who the person in question is accountable to. A man or woman only accountable to themselves are in danger of being in error, no matter how sincere they are.

Jesus backed up what He said by constantly asserting that He was accountable to His Father in Heaven. And the words He said, His teachings and parables, were supported by miraculous signs and wonders. His selfless and sinless life spoke for itself. No appeals for money. No lavish lifestyle. No mansions and private jets. Jesus came from Heaven and returned there after His death and resurrection. There is only one Messiah and He is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear Father God. Thank You for sending Jesus to this world, to fulfil Your plan for the salvation of mankind. We praise You today. Amen.

Honour

Posted on by korgrocker

“In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honour the Son, just as they honour the Father. Anyone who does not honour the Son is certainly not honouring the Father who sent him.”
John 5:22-23 NLT

Do we honour God? Not just our Heavenly Father, but His Son Jesus as well? These are relevant questions in today’s cynical and sceptical societies. For most people, God and Jesus are considered irrelevant and just a part of history. In our “enlightened” days they consider themselves too sophisticated to believe in anything, that they classify as supernatural or superstitious. But Jesus was clear in His discourse with the Jewish leaders following the episode with the man healed at the Pool. He was saying that one day everyone will honour Him, the Son of God, just as they honour His Father, God Himself. And Jesus spelt it out for the Jewish leaders. He told them that as the Son of God, with the absolute authority to judge, he should be honoured. But if He wasn’t then they were guilty of not honouring the Father also. Isaiah prophesied about those who declared their honour of God but failed to believe it in their hearts. “And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote”” (Isaiah 29:13).

The UK publishes occasional Lists of Honours, for people who have done something outstanding for the people in their communities. So to the list might be added a surgeon, who has dedicated his life to fixing people in a third world country. Or a politician who has selflessly served his constituents. We might find a charity fund raiser or actress who is a patron of a mental health charity, a policeman or a foster parent. People are honoured because we value the contribution they have made to society. So how much more should we honour God because of all that He has done for mankind? There really is no comparison with the UK Honours List.

Sadly, many people in our societies fail to honour God. One phrase that falls far short of honouring God is referring to Him as “the old man upstairs”. Even we Christians fall down on this one, becoming so familiar with God that He becomes to us God All-matey, rather than God Almighty. We fail to treat Him with the honour, awe and respect that he deserves. Forgive us, God, for the way we treat You, we pray.

The Bible tells us who we should honour apart from God. Of great significance is our parents. Deuteronomy 5:16, “Honour your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.“ Sadly, we see many occasions when this commandment is abused or forgotten. We should also honour those who lead our churches and fellowships. 1 Timothy 5:17, “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in the word and doctrine“.

We pilgrims need to be very clear about honouring God. Jesus considered it important enough to include the words “hallowed be thy name” in the prayer He taught His disciples. We honour God by keeping our lives pure. By treating others with respect. When the world around us tells us to “get your own back”, we turn the other cheek, in honour of the person who has wronged us, and Jesus who taught us what we should do. As Christians we are salt and light in our communities, beacons of hope, and showing those around us examples of the way we should treat God and others.

Dear Father God. Please forgive us for the way we fail to bow our knees in reverent worship to You the awesome and holy God whom we serve. And we pray too for those around us, that they too will come to worship You, giving You Your rightful place in our societies, in our churches and in our families. In Jesus’ name. Amen.


Judgement

Posted on by korgrocker

“In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honour the Son, just as they honour the Father. Anyone who does not honour the Son is certainly not honouring the Father who sent him.”
John 5:22-23 NLT

God’s judgement isn’t a popular subject, particularly amongst people who don’t believe in Him. After all, they say, isn’t this God all about His love for people, and surely such a God of love would never judge and punish anyone. Even Christians, sitting in our pews, won’t hear many sermons preached about God’s judgement. But Jesus spoke often about God’s judgement and the verses before us today are such an example. Jesus said that He had been given “absolute authority to judge” so we seriously need to take note of this. It is very true that God is a God of love. But He is also a God of righteousness and justice, as we read in Deuteronomy 32:4, “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He”. Psalm 9:8, “He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness”. So we mustn’t be surprised that Jesus warned the Jewish leaders that He had the authority to judge.

We see the evil and sinful ways of the people in the societies in which we live, and can mourn the fact that there are many people who, at first sight, would seem to be evading the consequences of their sins. People who commit crimes but are never caught. People who lie and cheat their way through life. People who treat their spouses and families in violent and despicable ways. But God knows what is going on, and we should not be surprised that one day there will be a time of reckoning. It may not happen in our lifetimes but happen it will.

According to the Bible, there are two judgement occasions – one for believers and the other for unbelievers. For believers, we read in Romans 14:10b,12, “ … For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. … So then each of us shall give account of himself to God”. This will not affect our salvation – this is assured by faith alone – but it is to bring out into the open an account of all the things we have done, or haven’t done, for God. So, our lives will come under the spotlight of Jesus’ gaze, and we will be rewarded for the good things we have done. Everything else will be burned up, as of no consequence.

For unbelievers, however, there is a terrible time coming, as we read in Revelation 20:11-12, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books”. 

God is a God of love but we have to overlay that truth on the fact that He is also a God of righteousness and justice. Everyone has an opportunity to turn to God and respond to His love but there are consequences for those who don’t. We are perfectly free to make choices, but we need to be aware that by doing so, we also choose the consequences for the choices we make. If we choose to follow Jesus, then we are assured that we will spend eternity with Him. If we turn our backs on God, and don’t believe in Him, then we will find ourselves facing the consequences in front of a Great White Throne.

Jesus exposed some hard truths before those Jewish leaders who dared to harass Him for telling a healed man to carry his sleeping mat home on the Sabbath. We don’t know how they responded in the end, but if they continued to reject Jesus and His message then there was a time coming when they would have to stand before Him to account for their choice.

We pilgrims must take every opportunity to remind our listeners that God loves them. But if our Good News is rejected and we are harassed and ridiculed for sharing it, then we can remind them of the Great White Throne. Perhaps our gracious words will lodge in their hearts and one day will bear fruit as another soul born into God’s family.

Dear Father God. We thank You for Your grace and mercy – where would anyone be without it? We continue to pray for our friends and families, that none will have to experience Your throne in person. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God, the Life Giver

Posted on by korgrocker

“For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants.”
John 5:21 NLT

Jesus was confronted by the Jewish leaders for telling a man healed by the Pool of Bethesda, and on the Sabbath, to ” … Pick up [his] mat and walk” (John 5:11b). Such an instruction was, to the Jews, a violation of the Law of Moses, which forbids working on the Sabbath. A petty, nit-picking, interpretation that overlooked, or ignored, the wonderful and life-changing healing of a man, paralysed for thirty eight years. But as we see at the start of John 5:19, “So Jesus explained…”. Jesus’ explanation was lengthy and detailed, and we don’t know how, in the end, it was received by the Jews. I suspect that they failed to understand, in line with the prophecy in Isaiah 6:9, “And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.’“”

Jesus said to the Jews that His father “gives life to those he raises from the dead”. Did He mean physical or spiritual life? I believe that Jesus was explaining spiritual life because Jesus’ primary mission to Planet Earth was to bring abundant life. John 10:10b, ” … I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly“. In this context, we read what He said to Nicodemus in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life“. And to anyone who believes in Jesus, comes the God-given promise that they will never die. In effect, Jesus said that His Father, through His grace and love, brings about a miracle in the lives of spiritually dead people, who, when they believe in Him, can experience eternal life. 

We pilgrims are people who will never die. Yes, one day our mortal bodies, will die, but through God’s promise of eternal life, our spirits will live on. And then one day after that we will receive our new bodies, as promised and as we read in Philippians 3:21, “He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control”. We can read more about our new bodies in I Thessalonians 4. But the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:1-3, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies”. Jesus told the Jewish leaders that His Father raises the spiritually dead people to eternal life with Him, and that He too gave the same life to anyone He wanted. Oh, and for good measure, He can raise physically dead people as well.

Jesus said, and as recorded in John 14:6, ” … I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me“. The only way in which human beings can experience being raised from the dead is through Jesus. It takes faith, that God will do what He has promised. But the alternative is a life snuffed out when we die, with our spirits heading for eternal life in a place where we don’t want to be. We can experience this new life now while we are still alive, through our growing relationship with God. We find that he is a real Person, who loves and cares for us. He helps us in times of difficulties. He leads and guides us in our journey through life. And we can share this hope we possess with those around us.

Dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for the life that You have given us. We look forward to the time when we will join You in Paradise. Thank You. Amen.

Be Astonished

Posted on by korgrocker

“So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished.”
John 5:19-20 NLT

What can be more astonishing than to see a man, who had been paralysed for thirty eight years, healed of his affliction? But Jesus attributed the miracle to His Father, who, He said, showed Him what to do. And Jesus then said to the Jewish leaders, “you ain’t seen nothing yet!”, or words to that effect. Sadly, we know that the astonishment soon to be present in the minds of the religious folks of His day didn’t translate into their acceptance of their Messiah, but, rather, it led them down a path that resulted in His crucifixion.

How was it that Jesus could say that He only did what His Father showed Him? In our natural states, we have the opportunity at times to work with someone who is skilled at what he does. Apprenticeships are a good example of such a relationship. So, we have a bricklayer who shows an apprentice the way to lay bricks in straight lines, or a plumber who communicates all the tricks and good practices of his craft backed up by vocational training at a school or college. In our schools, teachers show pupils practical and theoretical methodologies in the subjects being studied. And through it all the person being trained develops the skills for themselves by practicing at every opportunity. In my primary years, I was taught how to play a piano. My small fingers developed the required dexterity as I practised the scales and arpeggios, and by learning to play musical pieces, translating squiggles and blobs written on a piece of paper into sounds corresponding as the piano keys were pressed. I did what my teacher showed me.

But when Jesus said “For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man” He wasn’t referring to His vocational training. This wasn’t like the carpenter’s shop, where Jesus took on and developed the skills of His natural father, Joseph. Jesus was referring to His Heavenly Father, who, He said, showed Him the works that He was to do. How was Jesus taught how to heal the paralysed Pool man? The answer lies in the relationship Jesus had with His Father. And, of course, Jesus was God as well as human, so He could do the things that God does. The Father/Son relationship was maintained through prayer and presence. Occasionally, the Scriptures recorded the audio of Father speaking to His Son. Mark 1:11, “And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.“” On another occasion, recorded in John 12:28, Jesus said, “Father, bring glory to your name.” Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.“” Jesus was constantly in touch with His Father. 

We pilgrims have the benefit of the presence of the Holy Spirit, and through Him we too can do astonishing acts. John 14:12-14, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” And there have been many occasions when God has done astonishing things through pilgrims like us. We look up the biographies of men and women like Kathryn Kuhlman or Smith Wigglesworth and are astonished. But none of the great miracle workers woke up one morning and started to do mighty works like Jesus. First came the relationship with our Heavenly Father. And because of our humanity we have to develop the faith to do the things God has in mind for us. Small steps of faith at first lead to greater things later. But we pilgrims humbly acknowledge that it is all about God and His glory, and not about us at all. We too only do what God has asked us to do, something that requires a trained listening ear to hear Him. And people will be astonished.

Dear Father God. It is so humbling to find that You have entrusted Your great works to human beings such as ourselves. Please help us as we take faltering steps into the land of astonishments. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Father and Son

Posted on by korgrocker

“So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”
John 5:19 NLT

Jesus and His Heavenly Father had a very close relationship, perhaps only limited by Jesus’ humanity. But spiritually they were so close that Jesus could truthfully say His ministry and presence on earth was totally aligned to the will of Father God. Jesus in fact said that without that relationship, He could do nothing. To the Jewish leaders Jesus was a severe threat. On the one hand they could see the miracles that He did, indisputable acts of healing and mercy, but on the other they had the problem that Jesus claimed that these miracles were directly due to His relationship with His Father showing Him what to do. The Jewish religious leaders had never encountered anything like this before and didn’t know how to handle Jesus. Throughout His ministry, Jesus was shadowed and harassed by the Jews, who were trying to build a dossier of “crimes” that could result in Him being prosecuted and silenced for good. But in His trial before Pilate, no crime was found, and particularly one that deserved the death sentence. We read in John 18:38b, ” … Then [Pilate] went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime”“.

Jesus only spoke truths when He was here on earth. John 14:6, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me“”. Not even a hint of a lie ever passed Jesus’ lips. He made no attempt to ingratiate Himself with the Jewish leaders. He just spoke out, and performed miracles, all perfectly in line with what was happening through His Father in Heaven. But the Incarnation was all about Jesus taking on human flesh. He was for a time willing to leave behind Him His Godly life, and become a human being. Of course, He was still God, but human limitations were very much present in His life on earth. But the reason for His coming is explained in Hebrews 2:14, “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death“.

But all who have put their trust and faith in God are God’s offspring. John 1:12, “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God“. We pilgrims are brothers and sisters, children of a Father who lives in Heaven, and we have an elder brother called Jesus. Hebrews 2:11, “So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters“. So, we read today’s verse, John 5:19, in a different light. Just as Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, so must we pilgrims. It probably won’t place us in the upper echelons of the popularity charts, but we too must live our lives in accordance with His will, not ours. 

Dear God. Thank You for Jesus, our dear elder brother. Through His love He was prepared to die for us, taking on our sins so that we could be part of Your family. We are so grateful. Amen.

Equal With God

Posted on by korgrocker

“But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.”
John 5:17-18 NLT

Jesus posed a threat to the Jewish leaders because He challenged their position as religious authorities. But Jesus Himself acknowledged the role of the Jewish leaders, as we read in Matthew 23:1-3, “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach””. There was a sting in the tail of Jesus’ acknowledgement, because He once again exposed the hypocrisy of the Jewish religious authorities. But it is so sad to read that their reaction was not to embrace their Messiah, but to plot to kill Him. What Jesus said was factually correct. As God Himself, of course He was an equal of His Father in Heaven. John made that clear when he wrote the opening verses of his Gospel. We read, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:1-5). 

It is a feature of humanity, that we have a tendency to reject anyone who doesn’t agree with our beliefs or world view. Because of their strict interpretation of the Law of Moses, the religious leaders would not accept anything that was at variance with their understanding of the Law. To them there was no wriggle room. When it came to carrying a sleeping mat on the Sabbath, to them it was a black and white, open and shut case, violating the Law. Tin their eyes, they were right and Jesus was wrong. And in those days, anyone who dared to break the Law was in danger of being stoned. We remember the account of the woman caught in adultery – John 8:4-5, ““Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”” So, Jesus had committed two “crimes” in their eyes – instructing someone to work on the Sabbath, and declaring that He was an equal with God.

But of course we pilgrims would never follow in the religious footsteps of the Jewish leaders. After all, when we meet someone we extend to them the grace and love of God, not a religious interpretation of what we find in the Bible. But I have met some Christians who are so dogmatic about the Scriptures they read, that they come across as being harsh and unforgiving, rejecting anyone who dares to contradict them. For example, they point out their black and white interpretation of what is to happen at the last judgement, and dangle their listeners over the fires of hell to try to frighten them into the Kingdom. They may not be plotting to kill their listeners, but their attitude is no different to the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. Legalism takes precedence over the love of God.

God loves all sinners. He does not love the sin, but He has a remedy for that. Jesus came two thousand years ago to save mankind from the consequences of their sin. And we pilgrims extend that love of God to others as He leads us. The message we deliver may be black and white – there is no grey area where the Gospel is concerned –  but the love of God overrules any hint of harshness or judgemental attitudes. We deliver the message. The Holy Spirit is then able to gently and lovingly lead that person to the Throne of Grace.

Dear Father God. Please forgive us when we fail to extend Your love to those around us. We pray for our families, our friends and neighbours, and everyone we meet. After all they are all Your children and You love them dearly. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Hearing His Voice

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him. So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.””
John 5:15-17 NLT

The sins of the Jewish leaders were starting to mount up. Not satisfied with telling the Pool man off for carrying his sleeping mat, they continue to interrogate him to find out who had dared to tell him to pick up his sleeping mat, violating their interpretation of the Sabbath day rules. When they found out it was Jesus, they sought Him out and John records that they started to “harass” Him. John’s account doesn’t say what form the harassment took, but I expect it was low level and something Jesus just shrugged off, for the time being. There was coming a time when He would confront their hypocrisy, and He would choose this moment carefully. But Jesus told the Jewish leaders that “My Father is always working, and so am I”. A factually correct statement of course, but one not appreciated by the Jews. Who is this person, they thought, who elevates Himself to the same level as God?

Jesus was a counter-cultural figure in the strict religious times of two thousand years ago. In His society, when it came to things about God, the Jewish faith called upon thousands of years worth of rabbinical teaching, interpretation of the Law and prophetic messages, and ended up with a rigid liturgical and belief system that would not tolerate anything that contradicted it. In that society, a religious elite emerged who did very well by leveraging the religious system for their own benefits, and by so doing kept the population in check. So, anyone who challenged their system was inevitably going to end up harassed, and Jesus was the arch-challenger. Everywhere Jesus went during His public ministry had a pharisaical following waiting to pick up on anything they disagreed with, and there was a within the Jewish leadership a faction who were plotting to kill Him. 

The Old Testament prophets were mostly resented by those around them in their times because their God-given messages were designed to challenge the sinful state that God’s chosen people had achieved. Some of those prophets suffered terribly for delivering their God-given messages. For example, Jeremiah ended up beaten and placed in the stocks on one occasion. On another he was threatened with death. Hebrews 11 gives us a good idea of the treatment of prophets. Even today, anyone who stands up and proclaims God’s message to a wayward church is deeply resented. So, a message about the sanctity of marriage and the Biblical basis of it being between a man and a woman is unwelcome in some denominations. Such prophets are accused of not moving with the times. Hmmm…

We pilgrims know God is always working, just as Jesus said. From Psalm 121, we read the encouragement that God watches over us – “He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps” (Psalm 121:3-4). Why do we fret over things that might happen, when our Heavenly Father is constantly watching over us? We wallow in a mess of “what-if’s” forgetting that God is on our side and looking out for us. And Jesus Himself declared that He was always working, like His father. In His public ministry, Jesus never seemed to have a moment’s rest. He travelled much around Galilee and Judea – someone estimated He could have walked more than three thousand miles in the three years between the carpenter’s shop and the cross. His hours of work seemed to consume all of His waking hours. But Jesus never seemed to be stressed out by the demands made of Him. He just did what His Father told Him to do. John 14:31, “but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going“.

There is always God’s work to be done by us pilgrims as well. But we need to do only what God requires of us. And no more. So finding a Christian stressed out by his church duties begs the question if there is someone here trying to exceed his mandate on this earth. But we pilgrims have a mission here on earth, to make disciples of the Master, Jesus Himself. The Great Commission, a high level strategic command, is followed by a tactical relationship between us and God, as the details are worked out in our lives. We listen for the Holy Spirit whispers in our souls, leading us to only “do what the Father requires”.

Dear Father God. We get so caught up in the busy-ness of our liturgies and denominations, that we often miss that still small voice of Your Spirit. Please forgive us, we pray, and lead and guide us where we should go. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Stop Sinning

Posted on by korgrocker

“But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.”
John 5:14-15 NLT

The man healed by Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda had been pulled up by the Jewish leaders for carrying his sleeping mat on the Sabbath. They accused the man for working on the Sabbath, exposing their nit-picking approach to religious life. But they sensed an opportunity to extend the focus of their policing, by asking for the name of the person who had told the man to carry his mat. Perhaps, they thought, there was an imposter interpreting the Jewish law incorrectly. But they were too late because Jesus had disappeared into the crowds.

But we read next in John’s account that Jesus found the man who had been healed in the Temple. Did he still have his sleeping mat with him? Was he there to praise and thank God for his healing? Or was he making his way home and found himself in the Temple because he had been caught up with the crowds? But whatever the reason for him being there, Jesus found him, “and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” An interesting statement, loaded with meaning, and one which was just as spiritually life changing as the physical healing had been. I suppose an obvious question we can ask is if the man’s thirty eight years of disability was due to some sort of sin in his life. The implication is there that it was. The psychiatrists and medics today have apparently made a connection between a mental state and a physical ailment. There are also some who may draw the conclusion that the man at the Pool had been punished by God for his sin. But Jesus wasn’t interested in the reason for the man’s paralysis – that was history. He was now concerned about the man’s future.

Regarding sin, we are all expected to follow repentance and forgiveness by a change in lifestyle or behaviour. So, for example, if a man repents of his addiction to pornography, he is subsequently expected to turn his back on the magazines and internet sources of the material. Repentance, God’s forgiveness, must be followed by a change in behaviour. Of course, we will stumble and fall again, but our heart-felt desire is to change and be set free from the sin that has entangled us in its web. Thankfully, God is gracious and merciful, and quick to forgive a repentant sinner.

We don’t hear any more about the man at the Pool. But I’m sure that after his healing encounter with Jesus he would have turned his life around. What else could he do? And for us pilgrims, we too have had an encounter with Jesus. We have turned our backs on sin and sinful lives, choosing instead to follow the Master for the rest of our lives.

Dear Lord Jesus. As the old hymn says, “I have decided to follow Jesus, … no turning back, no turning back”. We sing that song again and again, Lord, each and every day. Amen.

Pick Up Your Mat

Posted on by korgrocker

“so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!” But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd.”
John 5:10-13 NLT

The Jewish leaders were not happy at all when they found someone carrying a sleeping mat through the crowds around the Pool of Bethesda. They probably had a point if the man was moving house or was doing some other manual task, but after an amazing miracle the man was probably just heading home, musing in the process about what he was about to tell his family when he got there. He had a lot to think about. It wasn’t just his life that was changed. He would also find that the family dynamic was suddenly altered. The one cared for was no longer needing care. And what about a job – could he now find some way of repaying all the kindness shown to him over the thirty eight years of infirmity? Regarding his sleeping mat, he probably didn’t think about leaving it behind, after all, these things cost money, he thought. And anyway the Man who had healed him told him to take it with him.

But all of a sudden, he was jolted out of his thoughts by the religious police, the Jewish leaders, pulling him up over a simple thing like carrying a mat. The man explained how he had been healed, and how he had been told to pick up his mat by his Healer and walk. But that didn’t make any difference to the Jews. They asked the man, “Who said such a thing as that?”. But the man didn’t know because Jesus wasn’t with him any more. Rather than rejoice with the healed man about the marvellous miracle performed by Jesus, the Jews just wanted to stop a violation of their laws.

That was a sad day, because priorities and common sense were qualities conspicuous by their absence. The Jewish leaders missed a life changing encounter with God through the man who was healed. They were so focused on the mundane that they missed a supernatural event. But isn’t that something that we can all be guilty of? Even we pilgrims? How many times has God said something through a brother or sister, or through the preaching of the Word, or through circumstances, and we have ignored it, missing a God-moment? Do we sometimes get anxious over something that we fear might happen, only to find that God has gone before us and removed the problem? “What if’s” disappear before our loving Heavenly Father’s caring gaze. There is a short verse embedded in Peter’s first letter, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7). That isn’t there by accident – it is a reminder to all us worriers! 

But back to our man carrying his mat on the Sabbath. If something happening before us doesn’t fit into our world view, let us pause and seek God in case He is doing something supernatural. We can’t put God in a box of our own making, restricting Him to a certain way of doing things. He is God after all!

Father God. Please forgive us when we fail to recognise Your hand at work in our lives and the lives of our friends and families. We know that You care for us, Your children, every day, bringing life and hope in our times of need. We are so grateful. Amen.