You Must Testify

Posted on by korgrocker

“But I will send you the Advocate —the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.”
John 15:26-27 NLT

The word “testify” appears twice in these verses, once associated with the Holy Spirit and the other time with Jesus and His disciples. Everything they needed to know about Jesus after He had gone would be revealed to them by the Holy Spirit, who would “come” to them “from the Father”. But just a few short years before, something happened on the shores of the Galilean Sea that would have far reaching consequences, not just for those concerned, but for the world ever since. Those early disciples are long dead but their legacy lives on in successive generations of believers. Mark 1:16-17, “One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!””. Just a little further along the shore Jesus found James and John and we read, “He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men” (Mark 1:20). Did those four men have any clue about would happen over the next three years or so‭‭? Their world was turned upside down but they never turned away from Jesus. But here was their Master saying to them and the others, “you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.” 

And testify about Jesus they did. On the same day that the Spirit fell on those gathered in that Upper Room, on the first Day of Pentecost, Peter testified about Jesus, “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know” (Acts 2:22). And Peter’s last recorded words were, “Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen” (2 Peter 3:18). The last verse in the Bible was spoken by the Apostle John, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people” (Revelation 22:21). Those early disciples, who had “been with [Jesus] from the beginning of [His] ministry” never stopped testifying about Jesus, fulfilling Jesus’ wishes in these last hours of His life.

We pilgrims, by extension, must also testify about Jesus. The Holy Spirit dwells within all truly born again believers and they too benefit from His testimony about Jesus. At every opportunity we must share how Jesus gave His life to save everyone, and in the process we testify how that made a difference to us. In John 1:4-7, we read, “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. God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony”. John the Baptist was the first testifier about Jesus. He realised who the Light was and he testified about Jesus “so that everyone might believe”. 

Paul wrote, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. … But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke”” (2 Corinthians 4:7, 13). We faith-filled pilgrims may feel totally inadequate for the task of testifying but regardless we must speak the words of Jesus at every opportunity. Why? Because Jesus asked us to.

Lord Jesus. Because of Your grace and love what else can we do other than speak out our testimony of faith. Please lead us to the people You want to hear it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Rise Again

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?””
John 11:23-26 NLT

Another “I AM” statement from Jesus. This time it was “I am the resurrection and the life”. To rewind a little, though, Jesus said this in response to Martha’s faith-filled assumption that her brother was going to be resurrected “at the last day” or at the end of time. She obviously felt that it was now too late for Lazarus to rise there and then because he was dead and buried, and had been in the grave for four days. But she had faith that there would be a day sometime in the future when he would rise again. 

Jesus followed His statement about being the resurrection and the life by assuring Martha that anyone who believes in Him will live even after death, and in fact they will never die in the first place. And there was then His poignant question of Martha, “Do you believe this ..? It is a question that is universal and timeless in its reach. God sent His Son to redeem wayward humanity once and for all, and all they have to do is answer a truthful and enduring “YES” to His question.

How could Jesus make such a statement about being the resurrection and the life? Jesus, being the Son of God, spoke out the reality and truth that He was and is the resurrection and life. Death has no power over Jesus, and neither does it have any power over anyone who believes in Him. In Jesus there is life, and life eternal. 

Jesus told Martha “Your brother will rise again”. Jesus had previously told the crowd in the Temple, “For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:40). It was taken as read that there would be a day when the dead were resurrected, though there was a group of Jewish leaders, the Sadducees, who thought otherwise. But with the benefit of the Holy Spirit’s revelation to the early church and the Apostles, we know a bit more. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:23, “But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.” We believers know that one day Jesus will return, and we will “rise again” to join Him. There are several interpretations of Scripture about the order of events, but through Jesus all believers in Him will be resurrected and then live forever. There is no other way, except through Jesus because he is the Resurrection and He is the Life. 

Dear Father God. Once again we pray for all those around us who have been deluded into thinking that they will meet up with their loved ones in Heaven after they die. Please help us communicate to those around us that it is only through faith and belief in Your Son Jesus that Heaven will become a reality. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Extraordinary Faith

Posted on by korgrocker

“Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.””
John 11:18-22 NLT

The scene couldn’t have been clearer. Lazarus had died and was in his grave. In those days a doctor wasn’t needed to certify his death because the people in Bethany just knew that he was dead. They had dealt with the rituals necessary before interment. The body had been washed and wrapped in scented cloths. There was no doubt and it was so real and certain that we read in John’s account that many people from Jerusalem, just a few miles up the road, had come to Bethany to offer their condolences to Lazarus’ two surviving sisters. Not even the Pharisees could have had any doubts about Lazarus’ demise. Lazarus and his two sisters must have been well known in the area and had many friends.

While Jesus was still on the road approaching Bethany, “Martha got word that Jesus was coming”. So she went out to meet Him, and gently rebuked Him for not coming earlier, when He could have perhaps saved Lazarus from death. But then Martha made an extraordinary statement – “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask”. That is faith. Martha had no doubts about Jesus and His identity and powers.

Do we pilgrims have faith like Martha’s? Faith that expects miracles to happen when God shows up in our human situations? Of course, we mustn’t expect to see dead people rise up out of their graves just for the sake of it. Jesus had the power to raise Lazarus and return him to life, but He wouldn’t have done that without a reason, and that was because He wanted to bring glory to God and prove to the Pharisees once and for all that he was who He said He was. John 11:4, “But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.”” 

Reading on in John’s Gospel, we find that Jesus said, “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!” (John 14:12-14). We pilgrims apparently have tremendous power at our fingertips, but Jesus introduced a caveat by saying such miracles performed in His name will bring glory through Him to the Father. That certainly happened in the case of Lazarus. 

God is loving, merciful and compassionate, and He will often bring about miraculous events in answer to prayers. I can personally testify to His healing power, and I give God all the glory for what he has done for me, and on more than one occasion. And what was about to happen in response to Martha’s faith and Jesus’s desire to bring glory to His father, turned Judea upside down.

Dear God. We pray for more faith like Martha’s, faith that will see amazing works and will give You all the glory. Amen.

Plain Talking

Posted on by korgrocker

“The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:24-27 NLT

Jesus interacted with the crowds around Him in those days in Jerusalem and He made a significant claim about Himself, that he was the promised Messiah. But is spite of all he had said, the people were unconvinced. They had heard Him say, “ … If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me” (John 8:42). And then there was the time when He said, “ … I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” (John 8:58). On His journey to Jerusalem from Galilee, Jesus spoke with a woman at Jacob’s well in Samaria, and Jesus’ statement about Himself couldn’t have been clearer. We read in John 4:25-26, “The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!”” Jesus never wavered in telling people about His Person, His pedigree and His message. The problem for the people of His day was not that He wasn’t speaking plainly, it was because their expectations of who the Messiah would be didn’t fit in with His narrative. Also, most of the Jews of Jesus’ time were looking for a political and cultural saviour, not a Saviour from sin. They wanted Jesus to throw off the yoke of Rome and establish Zion as the capital of the world. They could not see how the meek and lowly Jesus could possibly do that. Even after His resurrection, the disciples were still expecting Jesus to bring about a political solution to Israel’s occupation and free it from a foreign power – Acts 1:6, “So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”” Jesus’ reply was recorded by Luke just before he was taken up into the clouds, never again to walk this planet until he returned as the conquering King. Acts 1:7-8, “He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”” 

Jesus could never be accused of not speaking plainly about Himself. The problem was that the people weren’t listening. At the present time the UK’s political leaders and prospective election candidates are saying much about themselves and their policies. The speaking appears to be plain but in reality much will never be repeated or will be shrugged off as election rhetoric. Very few people actually believe that what is said will actually happen. Empty promises would sum up most of the election talk. Jesus was never like that. His manifesto was clear – believe in Me and You will inherit eternal life. John 3:16 again, “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”. We pilgrims also have a plain message. To those around us we repeat what Jesus said about Himself and in everything we say we point to Him as our Saviour, the One who took on the punishment we deserved for our sins so that we could inherit eternal life. Who is there in our circle of friends and family who we know needs to hear some plain talking about Jesus? They may protest about the message, but we see beyond the immediate claims that we don’t know what we are talking about, to the time when they too accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Jesus persevered with His claims about Himself and about His message to His needy people, and even in His last day he still maintained that he was the Messiah, the Jewish King long awaited. In Mark 15:2 we read, “Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “You have said it””. Pilate believed Him and added a name plate to the cross of Jesus’ crucifixion “And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”” (John 19:19). Right to the end, Jesus was the Messiah. And the people of His day missed the coming of their Messiah and instead crucified Him. A tragedy for them, but an event that brought salvation for mankind, past, present and future. Jesus said, “ … I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”” We have the light, folks; let’s turn up the wick and brighten our world.

Dear Lord Jesus. We echo the words of the Bethel song, Gratitude – “All my words fall short, I got nothing new, How could I express, All my gratitude?” But at Your feet we can worship the King of all kings. Amen.

Eye Contact

Posted on by korgrocker

“He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing! His neighbours and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!” But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!” They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?””
John 9:7-10 NLT

A blind person has many disadvantages and amongst them is the lack of ability in making eye contact with someone they are conversing with. For those of us with normal sight, eye contact is something we take for granted, not always appreciating how important it is when we interact with someone. We receive non-verbal feedback, helping us to understand what is being said. Maintaining eye contact demonstrates confidence, giving weight to what we are saying. So often we look into another person’s eyes and it is as though we are looking into their very souls. But a blind person cannot achieve the same results in a conversation unless they learn to compensate in some other way.

Our eyes are a primary source of information, feeding our minds with all that we see. Jesus said, “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is” (Matthew 6:22-23). We need to process all that comes in through our eyes in a healthy way, discerning what is bad for us so that we can filter it out and leave the good. Eyes that focus on sinful images will end up darkening our souls and shutting out the good things we need to focus on.

A blind person in many ways is unable to allow bad things to enter their eye gate. They can’t watch pornography, or movies that are unwholesome. But their lives are the poorer for being unable to see the good things in life. A sunrise or sunset. The wonderful beauty of flowers in Spring. God created us to have eyes that see all that He has made. 

In the account of the blind man, the man’s neighbours were finding it hard to recognise him, because he was now engaging them with his eyes. Whereas before he looked anywhere except at them, he was now focusing on their faces and this new ability transformed him so much that his neighbours were having difficulty recognising him.

God sees all and we cannot escape his gaze. He sees right into our souls, knowing every detail of our lives. And we can look into His face, in faith that the contact through our eyes is a part of our communication with Him. John’s spiritual eyes saw amazing scenes in Heaven, as we read in Revelation. And we too can enjoy a glimpse of Heavenly realms, through the reading of Scripture. Unless our eyes read the Bible we will learn nothing about God and His ways. And in faith we pray, “seeing” with our eyes the positive outcome of our prayers. But in our spirits what are we seeing today? If very little we lift up our eyes and make eye contact with our Heavenly Father. There we will find all we need to see.

Dear Father God. Thank You for all Your good gifts, all Your answers to our prayers, and for Jesus, our wonderful and gracious Saviour. Amen.

Faith in Action

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!”
John 9:6-7 NLT

Imagine myself in the position of the blind man. I could hear a man having a conversation with some other men about the cause of my blindness. Then one of the men, who seemed to be the leader, came over to me and I heard Him spit on the ground. A few moments later He smeared something gritty and unpleasant on my eyes. But there was something about this Man. He told me to go and wash off whatever was on my eyes in the Pool of Siloam. I knew where it was of course, so slowly and carefully, I made my way there, occasionally assisted by people on the way. People were asking me why I had mud on my face, but I carried on regardless. I finally got to the Pool and made my way into the water, finding a way although there were others there too. I started to wash the mud off my eyes and a strange thing started to happen. For the first time I was conscious of light appearing before me and as I washed it got stronger and stronger until I was aware of my surroundings. I could see! As it that wasn’t amazing enough, I knew what things were even though I had never seen them before. I had been aware of people but I could now see them. And the colours! Words could not express how I felt. I just had to get back and find out more about the Man who had smeared that mud on my eyes. 

But words cannot adequately describe the experience of the blind-no-more man. It wasn’t like a sore finger that healed. This was a miraculous event that transformed the lives of the man, his family, and all those who knew him. No more having to beg. No more having to depend on his parents and well-meaning friends and family for the basics of life. No more times of self-pity and even anger, as others seemed so much more blessed than he did. But what if he had refused to go and wash his face in that particular pool, instead heading for the nearest source of water, using that instead? What if he had reacted angrily to the indignity of someone smearing mud on his face? But there were no shortcuts. The man dutifully did as the Man had told him – go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. That took faith.

In 2 Kings 5 there is the story of Naaman, an important man in charge of the king of Aram’s army. He had leprosy, and ended up at Elishah’s door, expecting to be healed of his affliction. Elisha told him to go and wash 7 times in the River Jordan. Though initially reluctant to follow Elishah’s instructions, he was persuaded by his army officers to do what he was told to do, and through the grace of God, Elisha’s faith, and his obedience, he was healed.

Sometimes God will ask us to do something, and in the process, He will strengthen our faith. All through the Gospels we can see how Jesus tested a person’s, or a people’s, obedience leading to a miraculous sign. There was no way a pot of water could become a very good wine, but the servants obediently dipped in a ladle and in front of their eyes it became wine. They could have refused, considering it an insult to their intelligence. The blind man could have refused to walk through a Jerusalem crowded with people because he had mud on his face and probably looked a bit weird. The man lying on his mat at the Pool of Bethesda, could have ignored Jesus’ instruction to get up and pick up his mat and walk away. Perhaps God has asked us to do something to unlock a healing or some other requirement that we have been praying about. But in the process of being obedient to God’s command we might have to cast aside our pride. Naaman, an important man at the head of an army, is told to go and wash in a muddy river not once but seven times. And in front of all his subordinates. That took courage. So, what is God asking us to do today? Sorry, did I hear You right, God? You really want me to …?

Dear Father God. Please increase our faith to equip us to be totally obedient to You and be You want us to be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Father Abraham

Posted on by korgrocker

“Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.” The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple.”
John 8:56-59 NLT

The people with Jesus in the Temple failed to realise that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, partially divine and partially human. It was just too much for them to get their minds around. In the past, visitations to the Jews from Heavenly realms had taken place through obviously supernatural figures like angels. Such occasions were either on a personal, one to one basis, such as to Zechariah by the angel Gabriel – “While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. … Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!” (Luke 1:11,19). Sometimes a Heavenly visitation was to a group of people – consider the shepherds in Luke 2:9, “Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,”. In the Old Testament, we read the passage about how the Lord Himself appeared to Abraham – “The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day” (Genesis 18:1). Isaiah received a vision of the Lord in the Temple, as we read in Isaiah 6:1, “It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.” But in these and other occasions, it was clear to the person or people there at the time that they were receiving an indisputably Heavenly visitation, if not from God Himself then one of His angelic messengers.

But here we have an ordinary looking Man teaching in the Temple and engaged in a dispute with a group of religious leaders about His pedigree and His message. Jesus was not wearing a luminous glowing robe. His presence was not that of an angel. He was as Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 53:2b, “ … There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.” But unlike Abraham, the people failed to discern that the Person before them was from God. Jesus was a divisive Person; people either believed in Him and followed Him as His disciples, or they rejected Him, rationalising that He was an imposter or worse. There was of course the sitting-on-the-fence position where the people were unsure about Jesus, but were almost convinced – “they said, “would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?”” (John 7:37b). 

According to the Apostle Paul, Abraham was the father of the Jews. Romans 4:1, “Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God?” Paul went on to write that Abraham didn’t rely on his good deeds for his salvation. Romans 4:3 “For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”” There was much in the Genesis account of Abraham and his faith that pointed forward to a Descendant who would fulfil God’s promise to mankind. In Genesis 18:1 we read that the Lord appeared to Abraham, and some theologians believe that this was a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Himself.

We pilgrims have a spiritual example through Abraham. Paul wrote in Romans 4 that the custom of circumcision, so significant to the Jews, makes no difference when it comes to the importance of faith in God. And we read in Romans 4:13, “Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.” In the end it’s all about God and His grace and love for mankind. We are all accountable to God for the light that we have received. Man made customs and liturgies are meaningless without faith in God.

Dear God. Thank You for the man Abraham, who lived so long ago. His faith in You has encouraged all of Your children through the ages, and I pray that such faith continues to bless us as we continue out journey to our own promised land. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus Walking on Water

Posted on by korgrocker

“But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, but he called out to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am here!” Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!”
John 6:17-21 NLT

The scene opens with darkness falling, and a small boat with several men in it in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, struggling against the wind and waves. Having been in a small boat in very rough seas, I know that this can be terrifying, but these were mostly seasoned fishermen, so being in a Galilean storm would not have been an unknown experience to them. Matthew records what happened next, “About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water” (Matthew 14:25). I personally don’t doubt for a minute that Jesus did walk on the water, but sometimes I wonder about the physics of this. Were His feet in contact with the water, or was He floating slightly above? Was He bobbing up and down with the waves? Did He get His feet wet? But when the disciples saw Him, the account in Matthew grips our imaginations – “When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”” (Matthew 14:26). Well, we would be terrified as well wouldn’t we? It is not a common occurrence after all, and our minds would naturally flip into fear mode when something inexplicable in these circumstances happens. But the disciples were stuck in the boat, so flight, running away, was not an option. By the way, I think Jesus would have been walking in His own space on the water, with stormy mayhem around Him, but peace under His feet. 

What happened next was another example of the “fear nots” in the Bible. Jesus often had to calm the fears of His disciples, and this was one such occasion. Being around Jesus must have been an unpredictable and often unnerving experience, prompting His occasional loving responses – “Do not be afraid”.

The account of Jesus walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee is something that often catches people’s imaginations. It is a well known story, taught often in Sunday Schools, but it bears further scrutiny as to why Jesus chose to reach Capernaum that way. It was of course the most direct route, as the land-based route around the North side of the Sea was quite long.  He could have course asked another boat owner to ferry Him across the next day. But Jesus chose to do this for several reasons, one of them being that it was an important learning experience about faith for His disciples, and, consequently, for disciples ever since. 

What happened next wasn’t recorded by John, but Matthew wrote it up. “Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus” (Matthew 14:28-29). How remarkable is that? Impetuous Peter with the courage (foolhardiness?) to step out of the boat onto the rough water. With his eyes firmly fixed on Jesus he managed a few steps, but then his natural mind took over and he started to sink into the water. Jesus’ response is well know – “Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” (Matthew 14:31). John never mentioned this episode, perhaps because he was ashamed that he didn’t have the courage to follow in Peter’s steps.

I suppose we pilgrims perhaps look at this episode in a detached way, acknowledging the miracle but accepting that we don’t have the faith to follow suit with something similar. But it graphically illustrates what is possible if we have faith. We know, of course that, ” … it is impossible to please God without faith” (Hebrews 11:6a). But faith to walk on water …? Jesus taught about taking small steps of faith, as we read in 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!“” Faith starts as small as a mustard seed, but as we exercise that faith in doing God’s work, it will lead to bigger things.

Father God. We confess before You our poverty in faith. Please forgive us, we pray, and help us to grow more and more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Be Filled

Posted on by korgrocker

“But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.”
John 2:5-8 NLT

This was no small ask. Fill up all these stone jars with water? We should remember that there was no running water supply piped into every home in Cana. There would have been a well close by but to fill those jars would have required some effort, to-ing and fro-ing with water carrying utensils. We’re not told how long it took, but it took a significant act of obedience. In the Amplified version of this passage of Scripture, we read, “Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim” (John 2:7). Perhaps there is guidance here about how we should be obedient to God’s instructions. Nothing half-hearted. The servants didn’t stop filling short of the top – it was to the brim, with probably excess water running down the sides. But we read next that Jesus told the servants to take some of the “water” to the person in charge of the celebrations. And again the servants were obedient.

The key for me in these verses is the act of obedience. Not just by one person, but by a group of servants, acting together to complete the Master’s instructions. We just get the bare minimum of detail in John’s account of this miracle, but we can let our minds flip to being a fly on the wall, watching what was happening. The news perhaps beginning to spread, that there was no more wine. Caterers with long faces whispering to each other. The servants rushing backwards and forwards carrying water – did the guests think that their wine glasses would be filled with that rather stale water from those water pots? Did the servants grumble a bit? I wonder what the disciples were making of all this, perhaps looking into the dregs in their wine goblets and wondering where the waiter had got to? Was Jesus there smiling to Himself?

We pilgrims probably know from experience that natural solutions to a problem are never as good as God’s remedies. Even if we have a fix, it will only be second best. But it is only God’s way that will bring about the real answer. We may be tempted to rush around and try and sort the problem, but sometimes there is a delay before the solution emerges. Jesus could have miraculously filled the water pots with water but instead He involved servants who were obedient to His instructions. God can miraculously fix our problem, but sometimes there is a delay, allowing our faith in Him to develop and flourish. Part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit is patience. ”But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!“ (Galatians 5:22-23). Of course God can solve our problem instantly. Jesus did all the time, when we read how sick people were cured the moment He laid hands on them. But as we pray, we can be assured that God cares for us. Because He loves us. And we trust Him day by day with every facet of our lives.

Dear Father God. We thank You for hearing our prayers. Please help our faith to develop and doubts to disappear. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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.