John 7:20-24

John 7:20-24

The crowd answered, “You have a demon.  Who seeks to kill you?”  Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work and you all marvel.  Because of this Moses gave circumcision to you all – not that it is out of Moses but out of the fathers.  And in the Sabbath you all circumcise a man.  If a man receives circumcision in the Sabbath in order that the Law of Moses should not be broken, are you all angry with me since in the Sabbath I made a whole man healthy?  Do not judge according to outward appearances, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The Jews who were listening to Jesus make a bold accusation in return to Jesus’ bold accusation in the prior passage.  Here the people say that He has a demon!  In modern terminology, this is what they are saying: “You must be crazy to think anyone is trying to kill you!”  This tells us two really neat things.  First, people are easily duped by their leaders.  These people had no idea that the Jewish leaders were actually planning to kill Him.  Because He does die, we know that Jesus is right here and the people are duped.  The second thing that it tells us is that human beings are quick to make evaluations based on what they see, hear, and think to be true.  This is why Jesus chastises them and cautions them against judging by appearances.  He appears to be crazy and the Jewish leaders appear to be acting normal.  Neither of those appearances are a correct evaluation of what is happening in reality.

How are you misled by what appears to be true?  When are you likely to make a false evaluation based on appearances and not what is actually going on?

Second Thought:

Jesus is referring the Jews back to the healing of the paralytic man on the Sabbath (See John 5:1-17).  The Jewish leaders were upset that He had healed on the Sabbath and from that moment they were looking for ways to make Jesus go away.  But within these words Jesus makes a really neat claim.  The Jewish leaders are angry with Him because He made a whole man healthy again.  They couldn’t see past the Law and see into God’s glory.  Because they couldn’t get past the Law, they seek to kill the very one who was sent to reveal the glory of God to them!  When we put the Law – or any human traditions – ahead of God’s work we often miss out on what the Lord is doing.

What traditions are you easily hung up on?  When are you likely to miss out on God’s work because you think things should be done a particular way?

Third Thought:

Jesus specifically calls us to judge in this passage.  However, note what He is asking us to judge.  He is not telling us to judge salvation or condemnation.  That judgment is reserved for the Father.  Rather, here Jesus is teaching that we should make judgments about what is right and wrong and holy.  We should judge what is from God and what is from other human beings.  We should judge what to include in our life and what to exclude.  We should make those judgments.

How do you judge right from wrong?  How is this different than judging other people and their salvation?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 7:25-31

John 7:16-19

John 7:16-19

Therefore Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not mine but the one who sent me.  If anyone should desire to do His will, he will know regarding the teaching – whether this teaching is out of God or whether I speak from myself.  The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory.  But the one who seeks the glory of the one who sent him, this one is true and unrighteousness is not in Him.  Did not Moses give to you the Law?  And not one out of you does the Law.  Why do you all seek to kill me?”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus gives us a simple teaching in this passage.  All authority comes from the Father.  Jesus isn’t speaking because He has had great human teaching.  Neither is He teaching because He has studied long and hard out of His own effort.  Jesus teaches because God has given Him the authority to teach.

Is it easy to overlook God’s equipping when we think about our own gifts and skills?  Why do human beings tend to put more emphasis on their own effort than the ability of God to work through them?  What will truly have more success: living out of the authority that comes from God or living out of your own authority?

Second Thought:

Speaking of authority, Jesus then turns us to the fruit of our authority.  If we are truly living out of the authority that comes from God, then God will get all the credit.  We’ll want to give God all of the credit!  It is when we live out of our own authority that we seek credit for ourselves.  This is often a good test against false prophets.  If they speak in such a way as to take credit for themselves, they are usually speaking out of their own authority.  We are called to be humble before God and let Him build us up.

Do you crave credit and recognition?  When can it be tough to not desire credit and recognition?  How does God affirm us?  Why is God’s affirmation more meaningful than the credit that comes from the world anyway?  How can you seek to give more credit to God?

Third Thought:

Jesus lowers the boom in this passage.  Remember, he’s talking to a bunch of Jews who are in Jerusalem celebrating one of the most holy feasts of the Jewish year.  To this gathering He says that they received the Law but not one of them does the Law.  I imagine this to have gone over as well as lighting a stick of dynamite in a room with no exits.  Jesus’ point isn’t that they are all evil people and not worth His time.  Jesus’ point is that everyone has sin within them in spite of the fact that they were all given the Law and they should know how to live.  Truth is not in thinking oneself to be perfect as the Jewish leaders taught.  Truth is in understanding our actual state of existence, confessing it, and giving God the glory for being able to move us beyond it.

Which is easier: to listen to someone who affirms how incredibly great you are or listening to someone who can help you honestly see who you really are?  Which is the more useful teaching?  Which would you rather hear?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 7:20-24

John 7:10-15

John 7:10-15

But when His brothers went up into the feast, then He also went up – not publically but privately.  Therefore the Jews were seeking for Him in the feast and they were saying, “Where is that one?”  And there was a large amount of grumbling about Him in the crowd.  On one hand they said that He is good.  But on the other hand others were saying, “No, but He causes the crowd to wander off the path.”  However, nobody was speaking openly about Him for fear of the Jews.  And already in the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and was teaching.  Therefore the Jews were marveling while saying, “How has this one have learning having not been instructed?”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus did go up into the feast.  Yet, in yesterday’s reading we heard that Jesus told His brothers that He wasn’t going.  Is Jesus lying?  No.  What Jesus told His disciples is that if He went up into the feast publically that the opportunity for which He was seeking would not come.  However, He did not say that He wasn’t going.  He just wasn’t going to go publically.  He was obedient to God’s calling and God’s timing rather than the calling and timing of His brothers.

Why is it important to be obedient to God the Father?  How confident are you that you are obedient to the Father and not your own desires or the desires of the people around you?

Second Thought:

When the crowd didn’t see Jesus, they began to grumble.  Some thought Jesus was good.  Others saw Jesus as a danger because they accused Him of leading people astray.  It is good to realize that even Jesus was accused of leading people astray.  Even the Son of God wasn’t liked by all people.  If the world rejected Him, they will reject those who come in His name.  Yet, not all rejected Him.  Others embraced Him and His teaching and thought that He was good.  It was for these people especially that He lived, taught, and died.  That is the example we should all follow.

Who are the people in your life that reject you and believe you lead people astray?  Who are the people in your life who embrace your teaching and desire to be around you?  Is it ever hard to face rejection?  Why can it help to remember that Jesus Himself faced rejection?

Third Thought:

After some in the crowd attacked the character of Jesus, they also begin to attack his teaching and doctrine.  There could be no denying that Jesus was an incredible teacher with incredible ability to teach.  They marveled at Him!  However, they wrestled with His teaching because He wasn’t credentialed!  There were those in the crowd who refused to listen to Him because He didn’t have the right pedigree of human learning.  They couldn’t see the Son of God through their own human lens.

Do you ever miss out on what God is saying because you can’t accept the person from whom the message comes?  Why is it dangerous to evaluate the quality of the message based on the pedigree of the message-bearer?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 7:16-19

John 7:1-9

John 7:1-9

And after these things Jesus was walking into Galilee, for He did not desire to walk around in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him.  And now the Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles was near.  Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Depart from here and go along into Judea in order that your disciples will also observe the works that you are doing.  For nobody does anything in secret while he also seeks to be publically known.  If you do these things, reveal yourself to the world.”  For not even His brothers were believing in Him.  Therefore Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet come.  But your time is in a state of readiness at all times.  The world is not powerful enough to hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.  You go up into the feast.  I am not going up into this feast because my time has not yet been fulfilled.”  And after he said these things He remained in Galilee.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Take a bold look at the words in these verses while remembering the context.  Jesus just lost most of His following.  Most of His disciples have just abandoned Him.  Now the challenge comes from His biological family.  It is His family that comes to Him and tells Him to go into Judea in order to attend the Feast of the Tabernacles.  His family did not yet believe.  Even Jesus’ own biological family was an antagonistic presence in the very moment when Jesus could have used the support the most.

Are you ever hurt by the ones who should love you?  Why are we often hurt by the ones to whom we should be close?  What can this passage in conjunction with the last few days tell us about the difference between acquaintances, friends, family, and spiritual family?

Second Thought:

Furthermore, look at the verbs that Jesus’ family employ.  These are not invitations or suggestions.  These are commands.  These verbs are clearly in the imperative mood.  Jesus’ brothers haven’t come to Him to offer up a hand of support or to speak a word of encouragement.  They have come to command Him into action.  For the record, the action into which they desire to command Him is contrary to God’s will.  We cannot command the Son of God, but we often think that we can.

Why do we occasionally think we can command God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit?  When we take that tone, what are we really saying about our ability to be humble before God and listen to Him?

Third Thought:

Jesus’ brothers desire that He should be publically known.  In other words, they want Him to prove whether He really is or isn’t the Messiah.  They want the same thing that crowd wanted of Jesus after the feeding of the 5,000.  They want to make Jesus the conquering King in order to defeat the Romans (See John 6:15).  But Jesus tells them that the time is not right.  The opportunity is not right.  Jesus did not come to be the public king at this time.  The time will come when He will return and demonstrate His kingship.  But His first coming was about going to Jerusalem to die for the sin of humanity, not taking control of the world by force.

Why is it important that Jesus die for our sins before demonstrating that He is the ruling Messiah of this world?  Why do you think so many people in Jesus’ day missed that message entirely?  Why do so many people in our own modern world miss their own need for a dying Messiah?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 7:10-15

John 6:66-71

John 6:66-71

Out of this, many out of His disciples departed into what was behind them and they were no longer walking with Him.  Therefore Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you all not also desire to depart?”  Simon Peter answered to Him, “Lord, to whom will we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  And we have believed and we have known that you are the Holy One of God.”  Jesus answered to them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve?  Yet one out of you all is a devil.”  And He was speaking about Judas of Simon Iscariot, for this one was about to hand Him over – one out of the Twelve.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

John 6:66 is one of the saddest verses in the Bible – and I think that the people who enumerated the verses made the verse and chapter numbers work out intentionally.  John tells us that many of Jesus’ disciples no longer walked with Him.  They turned away from Him.  What’s worse is that they departed into what was behind them.  They didn’t just leave Jesus; they turned back into their old theology.  They went back to what they had once left behind.  Because they were not willing to embrace the scandal of Jesus they returned to their old ways and abandoned God’s work in their life.

Have you embraced the scandal of Jesus?  Do you ever feel the temptation to turn away from Jesus and return to the ways of the world?  What ways still tempt you?

Second Thought:

Jesus then focuses upon the Twelve and asks if they also desire to leave Him.  Simon Peter’s answer is incredible.  He tells Jesus that they cannot go anywhere else because Jesus has the words of eternal life.  Here is a true disciple of Jesus.  Peter is willing to risk the scandal.  Peter is willing to recognize that there is no life outside of Christ.  Nothing in this world can be better than being with Christ.

To whom do you turn when you need help?  Is there anything that would come between you and Christ?

Third Thought:

It is in this same passage that we are also reminded about Judas.  Not only do many of Jesus’ disciples abandon Him but one of His own hand-picked disciples was going to hand Him over to the Romans.  Jesus knew this as well.  Yet Jesus did not abandon Judas here, either.  Jesus knows what it is like to be stabbed in the back by a trusted ally.  Yet even knowing that much He did not abandon Judas.

How great is Jesus in that He doesn’t abandon even those who will hand Him over in the end?  Do you have that love of Christ within you?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 7:1-9

John 6:60-65

John 6:60-65

Therefore after many out of His disciples heard they said, “This is a demanding word.  Who is powerful enough to hear it?”  But Jesus, having known in Himself that His disciples grumble against this, said to them, “Does this scandalize you?  Therefore, what if you should see the Son of Man while ascending to where He was before?  The Spirit is the one who gives life.  The flesh is no help at all.  The words that I have spoken to you all are Spirit and life.  But some who do not believe are out of you all.”  For Jesus had known from the beginning who are the ones who do not believe and who was the one who will hand Him over.  And He said, “Because of this I have said to you all that no one is powerful enough to come to me unless it is having been given to Him out of the Father.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Scandal.  It’s such an awesome word to be found in this passage.  Jesus looks to His disciples, knowing that many of them were about to leave His side, and says, “Are you scandalized?”  Jesus is calling the people out.  Just how much are they willing to pursue the truth?  Are they really willing to question what they’ve been traditionally taught in order to discern a deep teaching?  At the very heart of these verses is a very serious question.  Which of His disciples are willing to deal with the scandal of Jesus and the coming death of God’s Messiah?

Are you willing to be scandalized for the sake of Christ?  In what way is believing in Christ a bit of a scandal?  Why might the world look at Christianity as a scandal?

Second Thought:

Jesus tells His disciples that the Spirit is the one who gives life.  The flesh is nothing.  When we go through life, if we are living out the calling of the Spirit, then we will have sustenance and feel fulfilled.  But if we go about our life living just for the sake of staying alive and having another day to ourselves, we are no longer really living at all.  Life is not about ourselves and our own agenda.  It is the Spirit who gives life.  Life is about getting our identity from God and living it out.

What is your identity?  From where does it come?  Does your life bear the truth that the Spirit gives life?

Third Thought:

I truly have to give Jesus credit here.  He knows that there are those who will reject Him and His message.  Knowing that, He still talks to them.  He still engages them.  He still does not chase them away.  Jesus keeps the door open; allowing people to leave Him if they so choose.  It would have been so easy for Jesus to push people away.  He does not do that.

What does it say to you that Jesus does not push people away?  Why is it easy to push people away when they do not desire to listen or even like you?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 6:66-71

John 6:52-59

John 6:52-59

Therefore the Jews quarreled with one another while saying, “How is this one powerful enough to give to us His flesh to eat?”  Therefore Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you.  Unless you all should eat the flesh of the Son of Man and you all should drink of His blood, you all do not have life in yourselves.  The one who consumes my flesh and the one who drinks my blood has life eternal and I will raise him up in the last day.  For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.  The one who consumes my flesh and the one who drinks my blood remains in me and I remain in him.  Just as the Father who lives sent me and I live for the sake of the Father, even that one who consumes me will live for the sake of me.  This is the bread that came down out of heaven – not just as the fathers ate and died.  The one who consumes this bread will live into the ages.  He said these things in the synagogue while teaching in Capernaum.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

When modern people read this passage, one of two reactions typically occur.  People usually either are grossed out by the literal image presented here or they are confused by what Jesus is saying.  In order to avoid either of these positions, let me attempt to frame this in the context of the ancient Jew.  Remember that the Jews were accustomed to sacrifice.  In most cases of sacrifice, a person would bring an animal and it would be killed.  But only a portion of the animal would be burned.  The rest of the animal belonged to the priest that performed the sacrifice and the priest’s family found sustenance through the sacrifice.  The person making the sacrifice found atonement; the priest and his family found sustenance.  Everyone involved found salvation through sacrifice.  Therefore, the Jewish people were accustomed to this idea that salvation and sustenance came through sacrifice.  The Jewish people were accustomed to the idea that a sacrifice is to be consumed.  They would not find this passage disturbing because they would understand the sacrificial context out of which Jesus was speaking.

How does understanding the Jewish sacrificial system help you overcome confusion with respect to this passage?  How does understanding the context of the sacrificial system help you overcome any shock or disgust at the thought of eating flesh and drinking blood?

Second Thought:

John uses a great word here in this passage: consume.  He doesn’t just say, “eat,” for that is a different word entirely.  Here the word is to consume something solid.  It is a word that is used in the New Testament only twice outside of these verses.  Jesus is making a very blunt point here.  Jesus must become internal.  Jesus must be taken inside of us.  We must not simply nibble at Christ and only sample Him.  We must consume Him, allowing us to become full of His presence.  He is our primary source of sustenance.  In Him we find who we are.  Being a disciple of Christ is not some simple choice of convenience.  It is a lifestyle.

What does it mean to you to consume Christ?  Why are we tempted to nibble on Christ rather than consume Him?  How have you become a different person by consuming Christ?

Third Thought:

We need to be careful here to not fall into an easy temptation.  It is easy to hear these words and immediately think of Communion (Eucharist).  While there are certainly some neat ties to Communion, we must be careful to not limit our thoughts in this manner.  Here are some very good reasons why.  You will note that nowhere in the Gospel of John does the Lord’s Supper ever appear.  Certainly John participated in the Lord’s Supper and knew of its importance.  But John is making a point here.  Consuming Christ is a lifestyle, not an event.  Consuming Christ is a daily practice, not something we do once or even as needed.  Certainly we meet Christ in communion!  But consuming Christ is about transformational whole life change, not just a simple event once a week or once a month.  Jesus is talking about an inner transformation when He speaks about eating and drinking His flesh and blood.

How do you meet Christ in communion?  Is communion the only place you meet Christ?  How and when do you meet Christ elsewhere in the world?  How is your whole life transforming as you meet Christ interacting with your whole life?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 6:60-65

John 6:48-51

John 6:48-51

I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and they died.  This is the bread that comes down out of heaven: in order that someone should eat out of it and he should not die.  I am the bread of life that came down out of heaven.  If someone should eat out of this bread he will live into the age.  And the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus is making an interesting point here when He claims that the ancestors of the Hebrew people ate manna in the wilderness and they died.  Here’s what Jesus is really saying.  Yes, the manna that they ate came out of heaven.  But it did not save them because it was not meant to save them.  In fact, the Hebrew people in the wilderness demonstrate that salvation is a matter of the heart, not a matter of the physical world.  The ancient Hebrew people ate manna from God, but the stubbornness of their hearts prevented them from passing into the Promised Land.  It is not the bread that is important; it is relationship with the bread-giver.

Why is it always so tempting to try and think of actions as having an effect upon salvation?  Why is it important for us to realize that we cannot save ourselves?

Second Thought:

Jesus then makes His point clear.  The natural conclusion of the true bread from heaven is eternal life.  When we put our faith in things, we cannot have eternal life.  But when we put our faith in God we can avoid death and instead enter into eternal life.

What does the promise of not dying mean to you?  What does Jesus mean when He says “eat of the bread that comes out of heaven?”

Third Thought:

Jesus now introduces God’s plan of salvation to the Jewish leaders.  Jesus tells them that the bread of life that He will give is His life.  He will give His life so that salvation can come to the world.  God takes care of salvation for us – for those who would receive it.  We truly cannot save ourselves.  God saves us by becoming man, taking sin upon Himself, and sacrificing His own flesh.  That is God.

Do you find this idea of sacrifice inspiring?  Why?  What does it inspire you to do?  How does it inspire you to live?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 6:52-59

John 6:41-47

John 6:41-47

Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him because He said, “I am the bread that has come down out of heaven.”  And they said, “This one is not Jesus the son of Joseph, of whom we know the father and mother?  How does He now say that He has come down out of heaven?”  And Jesus replied and answered to them, “Do not grumble with one another.  No one is powerful enough to come to me unless the Father who sent me should pull him, and I will raise him up in the last day.  It is having been written in the Prophets, ‘And all will be instructed of God.’  All the ones who heard and learned from the Father come to me.  It is not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God – this one has seen the Father.  Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes has life eternal.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The Jewish leaders doubt Jesus’ testimony.  They doubt because of the witness of their own eyes.  They know Jesus’ mother.  They know Joseph and they presume him to be Jesus’ father.  Because they think they know better, they are in conflict with Jesus.  Our eyes and our minds often put us in places that make it difficult to see what God is doing in our midst.

When do you have difficulty perceiving Jesus?  When do you struggle to grasp what God is doing in your midst?  What makes it difficult?

Second Thought:

In the middle of this passage we hear Jesus speaking about our human weakness.  We cannot come to God on our own.  We are powerless when it comes to coming to God on our own.  God must pull us to Him.  God must instruct us.  God shows us the way.  God gives us the path.  It is God that we hear and to whom we listen.  We cannot save ourselves.  Rather, we must listen to and hear God.

How is God pulling you closer to Him?  How are you receiving His action?

Third Thought:

Again we hear Jesus close a subsection of speech with a declaration of salvation.  The one who believes has life eternal.  That is it.  God has given the opportunity of salvation to all people.  Anyone can receive His free gift of life.  But we must embrace it.  We must believe.  Jesus does not say that all will be saved; He says that all the ones who believe will have eternal life.

Do you believe?  What do you believe?  How is your belief lived out?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 6:48-51

John 6:34-40

John 6:34-40

Therefore they said to Him, “Lord, give to us this bread at all times.”  Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.  The one who comes to me should never hunger, and the one who believes in me should never be thirsty at all times.  But I said to you all that you all have also seen and you all do not believe.  All that the Father gives to me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I should never cast out because I have come down from heaven not in order to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.  And this is the will of the one who sent me: in order that I should not lose all that He has given to me out of Him but I will raise it up in the last day.  For this is the will of my Father: in order that all who observe the Son and who believe in Him should have life eternal; and I will raise him up in the last day.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus calls Himself the bread of life.  Bread is sustenance.  Jesus is saying that He is the sustenance of life.  He is the meaning of life.  Without Him, life has no sustenance.  With Him, you never go hungry or thirsty again.

Where do you get your sustenance?  How does Christ sustain you?

Second Thought:

Jesus makes a promise that those who come to Him will never be cast out.  If we find our way into Him, we will never find our way away.  It is a promise that what He holds onto cannot be wrestled out of His hand.  But you notice the two-fold nature of this passage?  First: All that the Father gives to Jesus.  Jesus has opened the door of salvation to all people.  Second: we must come to Him.  Jesus died for all, but not all will come to Him.  Salvation can be for all, but not all will be saved.  God opens His arms to embrace us, but we embrace Him in return.

Have you embraced God’s love?  What does that feel like?  What does it mean to live a life that is fully in God’s hands?

Third Thought:

Notice that Jesus repeats Himself in this passage.  The last two verses are essentially the same concept.  The will of the Father is that through the Son those who believe will be raised on the last day.  Notice what Jesus says.  Not in the last days, on the last day.  In other words, He means at the end of this age.  God’s will is that when this age is over and people have been able to choose to either follow Him or follow the desires of their own heart then He will raise those who observe the Son and who believe in Him.  That is the will of the Father.  That is the ultimate point of Christ.  We are separated from God by our nature.  Christ came so that we might be restored in relationship with Him and be raised into that new life.

Have you seen the Christ?  Have you believed in Him?  Do you believe that the will of the Father is yours as well?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 6:41-47

John 6:28-33

John 6:28-33

Therefore they said to Him, “What should we do in order that we should engage in the work of God?”  Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, in order that you all should believe into that one whom He sent.”  Therefore they said to Him, “Then what sign do you do in order that we should see and believe you? What work do you engage in?  Our Fathers ate manna in the wilderness just as it is written, ‘He gave to them bread out of heaven to eat.’”  Therefore, Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen.  I say to you all that Moses had not given bread to you all out of heaven.  But my Father gives to you all true bread out of heaven.  For the bread of God is the one who comes out of heaven and who gives life to the world.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Notice that the Jews focus on the work portion of Jesus’ answer from yesterday rather than the promise of eternal life.  This demonstrates the focus of the Jews and their belief that following the Law and doing good things gets them into salvation.  They want to engage in the work of God, not live in His eternal life and work out of that grace.  Yet, we are not at all innocent of the same claim.  We come to God and often bargain with our effort.  We promise God obedience in exchange for supernatural results.  We think we can earn God’s favor.  The human tendency is to evaluate based upon our works rather than upon God’s grace.

When do you have an easier time looking to works instead of looking through the lens of grace?  When do you try to earn God’s love rather than receiving it as a free gift?

Second Thought:

When Jesus mentions that the Jews must believe, the Jews hear this as a comment directed to the Messiah.  They hear Jesus claiming Himself to be the Messiah.  Therefore, they ask for proof.  They remind Jesus about the manna in the wilderness under Moses.  This is no doubt this is in reference to the feeding that occurred the prior day.  The problem for them was that the manna in the desert with Moses was clearly divine in origin.  The bread that Jesus provided the prior day started with earthly loaves.  The Jewish leaders focused on the earthly elements of Jesus’ sign and because of that they missed the divine element of Jesus’ work completely.  Unfortunately for Jesus, they saw what they wanted to see rather than what God was actually doing.

When has God been at work in your life and you focused on the worldly things instead?  Why is it easy to miss God’s hand at work when we look for what we think it should look like?

Third Thought:

Jesus’ answer to the inquiry of the Jewish leaders is profound.  First, Jesus reminds them that it was not Moses who gave them bread but God.  It is God’s hand that is important in our life.  Second, Jesus reminds the Jewish leaders that true bread comes out of heaven and satisfies people.  He is speaking of Himself, of course.  The bread from the feeding of the five thousand won’t last the people.  But the salvation that comes from God – Jesus Christ – will satisfy people forever.  Jesus Christ is the answer for the rest of the world.  He does not grow weak and powerless and ineffective.  He is the true bread whose benefits last forever.

How does following Jesus Christ give lasting benefits forever?  Do you find yourself able to focus on the everlasting fruit that comes from the work of God’s Messiah?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 6:34-40

John 6:22-27

John 6:22-27

The next day the crowd that stayed on the other side of the sea saw that another boat was not there except the one and that Jesus did not enter into the boat with His disciples but His disciples went away alone.  But boats came out of Tiberias near the place where they ate bread after giving thanks to the Lord.  Therefore when the crowds saw that Jesus was not there and neither were His disciples, they got into boats and came to Capernaum while seeking Jesus.  And after finding Him on the other side of the sea they said to Him, “Rabbi when have you come here?”  Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I saw to you all, you all seek me not because you saw signs but because you all ate out of bread and you all were able to eat your fill.  Do not work for food that is destroyed but for food that remains into life eternal which the Son of Man will give to you all.  For God the Father sealed this one.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The people initially waited for Jesus to come back.  They knew there was only one boat there and the disciples had left Him and set out.  So the people assumed Jesus was still on their side of the sea.  However, when He didn’t come back, they set out to find Him.  Again we see that people are pursuing Jesus.  Jesus orbits into our life, but He asks that we follow Him and seek after Him.  Jesus does not asked these people to come, they go and find that for which they are looking.

Are you pursuing Jesus?  When is it easy to pursue Him?  When is it more difficult?

Second Thought:

When the people find Jesus, they ask Him when He came to this side.  Notice that Jesus does not answer the question.  Instead, Jesus turns on the people.  He begins to accuse them that they simply sought Him out because they ate their fill and were looking for another handout.  It is as if Jesus is telling them that rather than turning to the God who can do the impossible they remain concerned about their stomachs.  They had an incredible invitation into relationship with God the prior day, but they were glossing over the deep spiritual dynamic to life that Jesus was capable of bringing.

Why do you follow Jesus?  Is Jesus just a miracle worker to you or even just a ticket out of Hell?  Is Jesus just the one who fixes it when things go bad?  What should Jesus be in your life?

Third Thought:

In Jesus’ assertion that they should work for food that lasts into eternal life we can hear an echo of Isaiah 55:2.  We can either chase physical satisfaction or we chase spiritual satisfaction.  Physical satisfaction comes through the things in this world.  Spiritual satisfaction comes through the Son, whom the Father has sealed for that purpose.

What are you pursuing, physical satisfaction or spiritual satisfaction?  What does it mean to you to think that Jesus was sealed by the Father for the purpose of bringing spiritual food that lasts into eternal life?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 6:28-33

John 6:16-21

John 6:16-21

And when evening came His disciples descended upon the sea and after getting into a boat they were coming upon the other side of the sea into Capernaum.  And darkness had already become and Jesus had not yet come to them.  And the sea is getting rough while a great wind blows.  Therefore after having been driven along three or four miles they observe Jesus while walking around upon the sea and while coming near the boat.  And they were frightened.  And He said to them, “I am.  Do not be afraid.”  Therefore they were desiring to take Him into the boat and immediately the boat came upon the land into which they were going along.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Mark 6:45 tells us that Jesus told the disciples to get into the boat while He dismissed the crowds.  The disciples were not discourteous to Jesus in leaving Him behind; they were obeying orders!  However, here’s the thought that will make you pause to wonder a bit.  The disciples were ordered by Jesus to go into a boat when He knew – being God – that there was a storm coming!  Jesus orders them into the path of danger!  However, be reassured.  While Jesus may have been ordering them into a natural danger, He was ordering Him away from a human danger.  The crowd wanted to collect Jesus and turn Him into something He was not.  That was the greater danger to His disciples.  The storm could be handled by Jesus easily.  The crowd posed a threat to His discipleship.

How does it make you feel to realize Jesus orders His disciples into the midst of the storm?  How does this teach us that God is still protecting us even when things don’t seem to be going smoothly?

Second Thought:

On a much more hidden note, remember that this even happens at night.  Jesus has sent away the crowds.  Nobody is left to have this experience except Jesus and His disciples.  After a long day of teaching and the incredible sign of feeding the five thousand, Jesus saves a special moment for His disciples.  No matter how big the crowd gets, Jesus is there for them.  The disciples are close to Jesus and always will be.

Do you feel closeness with Jesus?  Do you believe that Jesus will always have something for you?

Third Thought:

When Jesus enters the picture of this story, the disciples are safe.  Immediately they reach the safety of the far shore.  Jesus is the safe haven in this world, even when life is difficult.  When Jesus walks along beside us, we know we can reach the next shore with safety and confidence.

When has Jesus brought you into safety?  When has Jesus entered your life and immediately changed your perspective around?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 6:22-27

John 6:8-15

John 6:8-15

One out of His disciples, Andrew – the brother of Simon Peter, says to Him, “A little child is here who has five loaves of bread of barley and two fish.  But what are these to so many?”  Jesus said, “Make the people recline to eat.”  And much grass was in the place.  Therefore the men reclined to eat, the number was as five thousand.  Therefore Jesus took the bread and after giving thanks He gave to the one who were reclining to eat and in the same manner He gave out of the fish as much as they were desiring.  And after they were being satisfied, He says to His disciples, “Gather up the pieces that are in abundance in order that nothing should be lost.”  Therefore they gathered and they filled twelve baskets of pieces out of the five loaves of barley bread which were in excess from the eating.  Therefore the men who saw that He did the sign they were saying that this one is truly the Prophet who comes into the world.  Therefore Jesus knew that they were about to come and to seize Him in order that they should make a king.  He again withdrew into the mountain alone.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Andrew came with a solution.  It didn’t seem like much of a solution, but it was a solution.  A little boy had brought a picnic lunch with him.  It was practically nothing.  Barley bread was the cheapest bread that you could find.  Barley was cheap to grow and plentiful.  But what is neat about this is that God willingly takes the meager offerings of the boy and works a sign of His power.  God doesn’t have to have only our best.  He doesn’t only work through the great things of the world.  God is open to using whatever we are willing to bring into His presence and genuinely offer into His service.

What can this passage say to you about your service with God?  Do you have to be the best or have the best in order to be useful in His hands?

Second Thought:

God does indeed work through the meager offerings of the boy.  He works so abundantly that there is twelve medium sized baskets left over!  Not only are all the people fed, but there is way more food than they started!  God’s abundance is beyond our ability to fathom and measure.

In what ways is God’s hand abundantly present in your life?  When are you surprised by how God’s hand works?

Third Thought:

Just because God’s hand is at work doesn’t mean that the people come to the correct conclusion.  The people see Jesus doing miraculous things and they immediately desire to take Him and make Him into the Messiah.  They want Him to be king of Israel and oust the Roman people.  They miss the boat completely.  Jesus is the Messiah but not the kind of Messiah that the people desire.  Jesus came to fight the battle against sin, not Rome.  Jesus came to fight for our souls, not our position in this world.  Jesus came to fight so that we can be in humble relationship with God, not some glorified relationship over the world.

Is Jesus the Messiah you want?  Has He given you all that you need for Him to give?  Has He given all that you desire Him to give?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 6:16-21

John 6:1-7

John 6:1-7

After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee of Tiberias.  And a great crowd was following Him since they were seeing the signs that He was doing upon the ones who are sick.  And Jesus went up into the mountain and there He was sitting down with His disciples.  And it was near Passover, the Feast of the Jews.  Therefore Jesus lifted up the eyes and saw that a great crowd comes to Him.  He says to Philip, “From where should we buy bread in order that these people should eat?”  And he was saying this while testing him, for He Himself had known what He was about to do.  Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii of bread is not sufficient enough for them in order that each should receive a little.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Mark 6:31-34 tells us that this story occurs after Jesus had spent some time around a crowd.  Jesus knows what is coming; therefore He looks to spend a little time alone with His disciples.  He is balancing abiding with bearing fruit.  He will be putting forth a great deal of spiritual effort in a few moments.  Now He is spending a little time recharging His spirit while being with His closest disciples.

Do you have people with whom you spend time while recharging your own spirit?  Who are these people?

Second Thought:

Notice the reason John gives us for the people following Him.  They saw the signs He was performing.  Jesus knows this.  He also knows how this event is going to end.  Yet, Jesus still has sympathy.  He sees the people wandering around in their own lives looking for a show to attend.  He has sympathy on them.

Do the people around you always deserve sympathy?  Does that mean we cannot look upon them with grace love and mercy anyway?

Third Thought:

Jesus turns to Philip and tests him.  This is a neat part of the passage.  Jesus already knows what he is going to do with feeding this multitude.  But he doesn’t want to just do the miracle.  Jesus wants His disciples to learn and see it for what it really is.  He wants them to see beyond the show and into the power of God.  Jesus wants Philip to understand that monetary resources are not the answer to everything.  Sometimes, money isn’t the answer to anything.  Trusting on God’s strength is the answer to everything.

Have you ever seen God’s hand at work?  How does God get your attention in those moments?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 6:8-15

John 5:39-47

John 5:39-47

You all search the scriptures because you all think to have eternal life in them.  And these are the ones that testify for me.  And you all do not desire to come to me in order that you all should have life.  I do not receive glory from man.  But I have known you all that you all do not have the love of God in yourself.  I have come in the name of my Father and you all did not receive me.  If another should come in his own name, that one you will receive.  How are you all powerful enough to believe while receiving glory from one another?  And you all do not seek the glory from the only God?  Do not think that I will bring serious charges against you to the Father.  The one who brings serious charges against you is Moses, into whom you all hope.  For if you all were believing by Moses, you all were believing by me.  For about me that one wrote.  And if you all do not believe by the writings of that one, how will you believe by my words?

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus has some very unpleasant accusations that He delivers against the Jewish leaders here.  His first accusation in this section is their use of scripture.  They look to their scripture because they think that they can find salvation in their understanding of it.  Notice the difference between what Jesus is saying and how the Hebrew people are in reality.  Jesus says the scripture should point them to Him; but they think that salvation is found in understanding the scripture itself.  In other words, they are not looking into scripture to find God.  They are looking into scripture to validate their own ideas about God.  This should be a warning to all of use – especially those who seek to have a deep understanding of scripture.  Scripture points us to a greater understanding of God, not a greater verification of our own ideas.

Do you search the scriptures to find God?  When do you ever search the scriptures to prove your own point?

Second Thought:

The second great accusation is that the Jewish leaders do not have the love of God within them.  That is an incredible accusation.  Imagine taking some of the most important people in the world and having the guts to tell them that they do not have the love of God within them.  Imagine the power those people could muster against you!  Yet Jesus says this because He knows they are more in love with themselves and their own ideas than they are in love with God.  Perhaps more importantly, they are in love with their own agenda than they are in love with being God’s mouthpiece into the world.

Do you have the love of God within you?  How do you know?

Third Thought:

The third accusation that Jesus brings against them is their own love for Moses.  Jesus tells them that their own self-assurance in Moses will be their undoing.  After all, Moses brought the Law.  The Law points us to Christ.  Therefore, since the Law points us to Christ yet the Jewish leaders do not recognize Him, then Moses will be their greatest accuser!  Therefore Jesus argues that if they love Moses’ writings yet cannot be led in them to Christ – how could Jesus have any reason to think that the Jewish leaders could believe anything that He would say?

Why is it important to be open to God when approaching His Word?  When we aren’t open and instead come to God’s Word for our own purposes, what is the result?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 6:1-7