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Another “But”

Posted on by korgrocker

“The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.” “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.””
John 2:3-5 NLT

When God is around there is always a “but”. We may be in a hopeless situation, “but” …We look around us at our natural circumstances and see apparently insoluble problems. There is no food in the cupboard, or money in the bank account. There is an urgent need for medical supplies – the list is seemingly endless. But God …. In this case, it was Jesus’ mother who had the faith to see beyond the natural circumstances and pave the way for a remarkable miracle. “But … Do whatever He tells you”. In this situation, what would our expectations be? There is a problem – the wine supply has run out. No more of a basic commodity considered essential at a Jewish wedding celebration. There is a solution – Jesus is there. All that is missing is the faith to connect the two. That is, until Jesus’ mother Mary comes along. And of course, the obedience present to turn faith into a solution.

Perhaps with our natural point of view, we would start to imagine how a solution would emerge. For example, we might think we know someone who has a supply of wine stashed away, and wonder if we could persuade him, perhaps with Jesus’ help, to sell us some of it. Or could we persuade that shopkeeper to open up just for us. But we know what happened next, and who could ever have thought up a more unlikely outcome.

So when we face into a knotty problem, seemingly insurmountable, we have a pathway to a solution. As we outline the situation before us, the first step is to involve Jesus. He cares for us – 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you“. The second step is to believe, through faith, that Jesus has a solution. Luke 17:6, “The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!” The third step is then to be obedient to whatever Jesus says. It may not be the outcome that we have in our minds. There may not be a cheque in the post, or a new car in the garage, but through faith we know He has the answer. In fact, Jesus is the answer. There is no-one else. 

Dear Lord Jesus. Only You are the Answer. There is none other. We worship You today. Amen.

No More Wine

Posted on by korgrocker

“The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.” “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.””
John 2:3-4 NLT

There are many Christians who have a problem with Jesus turning water into wine. Mankind’s association with fermented beverages has had good and bad outcomes over the years and to think that the Messiah Himself was at a party where wine was being drunk doesn’t sit easily with them. There is an attempt by some to associate the wine with the Holy Spirit and spiritualise the occasion but this was just a simple celebration at the wedding of a Jewish couple and one of the commodities had run out. A disaster for the host, having the potential to bring down the curtain on an otherwise happy event and leaving his standing in the community trashed.

Mary, Jesus’ mother, came to Him with the news that the wine had run out. Was that with the knowledge that she thought Jesus could fix the problem? Or was it just a comment in a conversation? It wasn’t as though there was a shop somewhere that sold the quantities of wine that would be needed. But Jesus knew what Mary was hinting at. He saw straight through her to discern that she expected Him to perform a miracle. Jesus responded, “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” and, “My time has not yet come.” Right from that day when the angel Gabriel visited Mary, then a young teenager, with the news that she would bear a child, the Son of God, she knew that Jesus was destined for great things. She watched Him grow up. She, better than most, knew who He was. And perhaps she saw the beginnings of His ministry following His baptism and time in the desert being tempted. She heard about the words John the Baptist had declared about Him, the Lamb of God, and some men were starting to follow Him. All signs that Mary probably associated with the emergence of the Messiah into Jewish society. So Mary was there right at the beginning of Jesus’ life-changing mission, with the faith to see a miracle.

The message for us pilgrims is that God cares for us right where we are. He is not just going to bless us in a church pew or at an altar rail. There is that passage about how God cares in Matthew 10:29-31, “What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows”. We are all valuable to God and He cared for those people at the wedding. So whatever we are going through today, we can be confident that our Heavenly Father is right in the middle of it. He will stand with us and support us when needed – we just have to reach out to Him and feel His loving kindness flood over us. It doesn’t matter where it is. It could be a palace or a prison cell. An office desk or a supermarket. Wherever we are God is with us.

Dear Father God. We are so grateful that You will never leave us and that You care for us for always. Amen.

A Wedding Celebration

Posted on by korgrocker

“The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration.”
John 2:1-2 NLT

John starts chapter 2 of his Gospel with “the next day”, an event right after Jesus’ conversation with Nathanael. A Jewish wedding was a great celebration, and some of them went on for days, with feasting and drinking. Dancing and merriment. But Jesus was there with His disciples, who we know from the previous chapter were Andrew, Simon, Philip and Nathanael. This event is a problem to some Christians, who disapprove of such occasions, and particularly that Jesus would have been there. Would Jesus have been joining in with all that was going on? No doubt in my mind at all.

How do we pilgrims feel about such events in our culture? Some weddings and their receptions can be bizarre, to say the least. Others are more traditional, with a church service and simple meal afterwards. But such events bring together families and sometimes expose fault lines that would rather have been forgotten. Family relationships that perhaps fractured over something quite trivial and were never resolved. But the whole point of a wedding is to dedicate a young couple to God with lifetime vows “’til death us do part”. And families and friends are invited to witness the occasion and share in the couple’s joy.

We pilgrims have another wedding to look forward to, as we read in Revelation 19:7b-9, ” …  For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God””. These verses describe the celebration, that followed the commitment made by believers to their Lord and Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. A wonderful picture of the time one day when we will all be united with Christ forever.

So the next time we receive a wedding invitation we remember the one still to come. It will surpass anything we have ever experienced before. It will be out of this world.

Dear Lord Jesus. Again we worship You, the wonderful bridegroom and husband to be. We look forward to receiving that invitation, to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. Amen.

The Fig Tree

Posted on by korgrocker

““How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.” Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!” Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.”“
John 1:48-51 NLT

In the Bible there are many occasions when fig trees are mentioned. We read in Genesis 3:7, ”At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves”. The only tree mentioned in the Garden was of the fig variety. The Promised Land contained riches including fig trees. Deuteronomy 8:8, “It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey”. So, the fig tree came to be associated with God’s blessing and security for the Jewish people. But the fig tree also became associated with it being a symbol of Israel itself and its peace and prosperity. 1 Kings 4:25, “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon”. 

Perhaps there was something symbolic in the association of Nathanael and the fig tree under which he was taking cover from the heat of the sun. Jesus used it as a reference point in a subsequent conversation, and from that Nathanael drew the conclusion that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting for. 

So we pilgrims can draw several conclusions from this. Firstly, Jesus sees us wherever we are. It may be in a mundane place like standing under a tree, or at an office desk, or in a church pew. Jesus will see what is within us, as he saw the character of Nathanael. But we have to ask ourselves the question – does Jesus see someone who is a person of integrity, of potential, who will be of use to His Kingdom mission? Secondly, Nathanael was taking cover under a fig tree, a symbol of national identity. But here in the UK at least, the national identity is a secular mish-mash of chaotic confusion, where even morality and our Christian roots are being challenged and disregarded. So another question – what identity are we displaying to those around us? Too many church denominations are adopting the secular ways, committing themselves to even more uncertainty and turmoil when they should be Kingdom fig trees in their witness. Thirdly, Nathanael’s response to Jesus was one of recognition about who He was. Our response to Jesus’ call is crucial to our future with Him. Have we heard that call, and responded in praise and worship with a “Yes Lord”?

Dear Lord Jesus. We worship You today, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. Amen.

Stairway to Heaven

Posted on by korgrocker

“As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.” “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.” Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!” Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.””
John 1:47-51 NLT

In this, the last verse of John 1, Jesus told His disciples that they would see “the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man”. And He referred to Himself as “the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth”. Superficially, this claim by Jesus might seem wondrous, but with little practical application in today’s world. That is, until we see this for what it is – a doorway, a connection, an opportunity, a picture, of the link between the spirit world of Heaven, and the human world of Planet Earth. We remember the Sunday School story of Jacob’s Ladder, the account of which we can read in Genesis 28:12, “As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway“. Jacob only saw a vision of what was to come, a vision fulfilled by Jesus.

Jesus, in His statement about the stairway, released a profound truth that reverberates across this world and all generations who have ever lived within it, and who are yet to be born. There is no other link between the Kingdom of God, and the kingdom of this world. Jesus said in John 14:6, “ … I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me“. There is no other way into God’s presence. Many other religions claim otherwise, but their adherents will be disappointed. 

But we read that angels are using this staircase and provide a link between Jesus and His Heavenly home. The angels are servants of God and through Jesus they are able carry out God’s plans in this world. They come and go as God requires. So we mustn’t be surprised if one day we meet an angel. He might not be immediately recognisable as such but perhaps we will look back at this particular point in our lives and wonder.

This picture of the busy staircase between Jesus and Heaven provides us with a faith-link right into God’s presence. We pilgrims know Jesus and we have access right to the throne of God, in faith that, through Jesus, the staircase is still alive and well and doing what God designed it to do. The disciples found it, saw it, and one day made use of it themselves. We modern day disciples will one day discover its marvels at first hand, as we pass into God’s presence. So it goes without saying that we must introduce others, who don’t know Jesus, to this gateway into God’s Kingdom, the gateway who is Jesus Himself. Many want to get into Heaven, but they will never find out how without our introduction to the Saviour.

Dear Father God. Please lead us to those who need to find You and Your stairway to Heaven. Amen.

Integrity

Posted on by korgrocker

“As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.” “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.” Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!” Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.””
John 1:47-51 NLT

Jesus said about Nathanael, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.” Quite an accolade! How many people can warrant such an honour? But Nathanael was intrigued and asked Jesus how He knew anything about him, not having met him before. But there was something intensely spiritual in that encounter because in a few moments, Nathanael knew enough about Jesus to make the incredible claim that He was the Son of God. 

The character trait, “integrity”, features in several places in the Bible. We think of Job, “Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause “” (Job 2:3).‭‭ We also read about David in Psalm 25:21, “May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you“. Integrity is connected to how God sees someone, but in a world full of sinful people, it is difficult to find anyone worthy of the label, “complete integrity”. 

We pilgrims are people of integrity, because we can be nothing else. In an age where integrity is a forgotten word, we stand firm as witnesses of a holy and blameless God. As the Proverb says, we are guided by our integrity. “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity” (Proverbs 11:3). The path of integrity may be difficult at times, with many temptations to take a short cut, or resort to a lie. But we know that through God and His strength, our integrity will survive when the fruit of dishonesty emerges into the light of day. Good advice from the Apostle Peter, ” … Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ” (1 Peter 3:16).

Dear Father God. Please help us to stand firm, our integrity undisputed and our characters unblemished, when those around us behave otherwise. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Very Person

Posted on by korgrocker

“Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.”
John 1:45-46 NLT

Apparently in Galilean circles, Nazareth wasn’t the best place to live. It obviously had a dubious reputation, according to Nathanael’s reaction. I suppose we can all look around our localities and think of places where a few people had in the past tarnished their reputations. And in some places local authorities engage in practices where they house problem tenants all together in a particular area, generating unfortunate outcomes. But perhaps Nazareth was just a poor village or town lacking the benefits of living in more affluent areas in Israel. We read in Luke 4 the account of where Jesus  ” … went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures” (Luke 4:16b). Initially his fellow villagers were impressed by what He said. “Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”” (Luke 4:22). But in Jesus’ subsequent words He obviously struck an area of sensitivity, from their reaction to His challenge. And those in the synagogue were intent on doing Him harm as we read in Luke 4:28-30, “When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way”. So perhaps Nathanael’s words, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” had some validity. 

Nathanael was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, and he had another name, Bartholomew. But apart from this introduction and one or two other verses we know very little about Nathanael. He seemed to have a friendship with Philip, or perhaps the two of them were related, but tradition has it that Nathanael preached the Gospel in Persia and India and died a martyr’s death. But in this early account in John, we know that Philip introduced Nathanael to Jesus as the “very person Moses and the prophets wrote about” or, in other words, the Messiah. 

Again, we pilgrims have the privilege of being able to introduce others to this “very Person”. It was Saint Francis of Assisi who was credited with the saying, “Preach the Gospel and if necessary use words”. We reach others by the way we live as well as by the words we say. Any disconnect between the two will put people off from meeting the “very Person”, Jesus Himself. 

Father God. Our life reflects our relationship with You. We pray for the resources we need to be Your messengers in our communities. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Invitation

Posted on by korgrocker

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown.”
John 1:43-44 NLT

Not everyone responded positively to Jesus’ invitation “Come, follow Me”. There was a time when he received excuses as to why He couldn’t be followed, as we read in Matthew 8:19-22, “Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.”“ Reading between the lines we can see that there was a reluctance to follow Jesus, because the cost of doing so was beyond what the people concerned were prepared to pay. 

But in our verses today, we see that Jesus found Philip, not the other way round. People in religious circles often refer to a “calling” and often one of the caring professions is indeed called that. And a minister or pastor also refer to their role as a response to Jesus’ call. In Jesus’ day, the call “Come, follow Me” resulted in a life of potential hardship and we only have to look through the Book of Acts to see what happened to those early disciples. Today, many people who follow Jesus end up in situations that require 100% dedication. People like Jackie Pullinger for example. But for everyday pilgrims such as ourselves, we mostly have just to be available to Jesus with our resources, our time and money. And we follow Him at every opportunity, supporting His mission to grow His church. 

So the invitation from Jesus constantly hangs in the air. It doesn’t go away. Everyone living in the world can respond at any time. And we pilgrims do our best to ensure that the invitation is never hidden or suppressed. 

Dear Lord Jesus. We have responded to Your call “Come, follow Me”, and echo the words at the end of Revelation, “Come Lord Jesus”. Amen.

A New Name

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).”
John 1:42 NLT

Jesus gave Simon a new name. It was to be Cephas, translated as Peter, which is the name we are more familiar with. But in the Bible, the changing of someone’s name had a significance which we don’t always relate to today. Imagine the chaos that would happen if many people regularly, almost at a whim, or even at God’s command, formally changed their names! The benefits and taxation system would probably collapse. The NHS would become hopelessly confused with challenging outcomes. And so on. But in these gender-confused days, names are being changed to reflect the preferred gender of an individual, but without any consideration of the biological and God-created facts. Our enemy the devil has taken something God considers sacred and has peddled a lie, deceiving those who lack any form of moral or spiritual compass. 

God changed people’s names for a reason – to reflect a change in their identity. As an example, God changed “Abram” (meaning “high father”) to “Abraham” (meaning “father of a multitude”). The reasons for his new identity can be found in Genesis 17. Today, a person’s name is chosen by their parents because it is nice sounding or fashionable. It may be inspired by a celebrity or religion. By an ancestor or relative. But in Biblical times, a name assigned to a new baby sometimes captured a national or local event, or was God-inspired to record a prophetic message. 

Simon, now called Peter, had a new identity in his standing before God. The “Simon”, with all his faults and foibles, was to become the rock, “Peter”, on which the Church was established. A new identity, a new assignment, a new man. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!“‭‭. Today, even though we retain our birth name, we have a new identity. The old person, with all its sins, has been replaced, as we read in Ephesians 4:24, “Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy”.

There will be a time when Jesus will give us a new name. Revelation 2:17b,” … And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it”. I’m intrigued! I wonder what my new name will be. Hmmm… 

Dear Father God. We worship Your holy Name today and pray together, ‘Hallowed be Your Name’. Amen.

Finding the Messiah

Posted on by korgrocker

“Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”).”
John 1:40-41 NLT

Andrew was one of the two disciples who spent time with Jesus the day when John the Baptist pointed Him out to them. “There is the Lamb of God“, John said, and that was enough to introduce Jesus’ first disciples. The second disciple who responded to Jesus’ invitation, “Come and see”, that day is uncertain – some say John, the beloved disciple and the author of John’s Gospel, others say the second man was Philip. But come what may, those two men were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. And Andrew couldn’t wait to look for his brother Simon (later Peter), to tell him the good news of their discovery. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall that evening when Jesus had a conversation with Andrew and the other disciple. It must have been powerful enough to confirm His identity in the minds of the two men.

But here we are, two thousand years later, considering the events of long ago. The words of John, the Gospel writer, literally stand out fresh and relevant to us 21st Century pilgrims, because the Messiah is still to be found. Notice the sequence of events. Someone pointed Jesus out to two men, who then followed Him to confirm what they had been told. They then went and told someone else. That process is called sharing the Gospel, and is something we pilgrims do whenever we get the opportunity. 

After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, another two disciples were making their way home, downcast and despondent about all the events that had taken place. But a conversation with Jesus was just what was needed for them to realise that they had found the risen Messiah! “They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”(Luke 24:32). Right at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, two disciples spent time with Jesus. Did their hearts burn within them in the same way as they did for the two disciples after Jesus’ mission to Planet Earth had been completed? 

We modern day pilgrims may be, as the two Emmaus disciples were, nearing the ends of our journeys, but there is still time for the risen Messiah to impact our hearts with His words of eternal life. Are we listening? Are our hearts burning within us as well?

Dear Lord Jesus, our wonderful Messiah. You, the risen Christ, are the same today as You were yesterday. We worship You today. Amen.