John 5:24
“It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living.”
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”
The tyranny of the urgent is rampant in our fast-paced society. Christ calls us to make him the urgent focus of our lives. The world’s urgency will not bring us in from the cold. Christ does.
Thank you for the warmth of your arms. Keep me focused on you so I can stay there!
John 5:20-23
“But you haven’t seen the half of it yet, for in the same way that the Father raises the dead and creates life, so does the Son. The Son gives life to anyone he chooses. Neither he nor the Father shuts anyone out. The Father handed all authority to judge over to the Son so that the Son will be honored equally with the Father. Anyone who dishonors the Son, dishonors the Father, for it was the Father’s decision to put the Son in the place of honor.”
“For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants. In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.”
Neither the Son nor the Father shut people out, but their terms apply. Many want God on their own terms. How then could he be God? Any human relationship demands accountability to social rules. Why should our connection to God be any different?
God has put Jesus front and center in the place of honor. We cannot sneak by him nor lump him in with other deities. All of us must respond to his calling, one way or the other.
Lord, my Self likes to settle on your throne too easily. Forgive me. Convict me when I am besotted with my own importance. Grace me to change.
John 5:19-20
“So Jesus explained himself at length. ‘I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing.’”
“So Jesus explained, ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing.’”
In the previous passage Jesus meets the crippled man personally. Our relationship with him is personal too. Here we see the close working relationship between Father and Son. They rely on each other, share all with each other. In the same way we are meant to share our lives with other believers. Individualism is tossed out the window. We Americans, have a hard time being open and vulnerable. Yet we are called to give and take in daily life with our brethren. Ironically, our personhood becomes more clearly defined as we sharpen our selves with one another. What we give, we get back, multiplied.
Lord, Search my heart for the pride of individualism and root it out. Give me wisdom and grace in healthy relationships with your people. Show me how to give into others that I may be more fully me, for your glory.
John 5:14-17
“A little later Jesus found him in the Temple and said, “You look wonderful! You’re well! Don’t return to a sinning life or something worse might happen.” The man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. That is why the Jews were out to get Jesus—because he did this kind of thing on the Sabbath. But Jesus defended himself. “My Father is working straight through, even on the Sabbath. So am I.””
“But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, ‘Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.’ Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him. So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, ‘My Father is always working, and so am I.’”
Jesus returns to this man to give him the opportunity to really see. It is opportunity to step beyond the experience of healing into the walk of faith. Jesus’ comment about sinning is hard to understand. I don’t have time to study this now. Lord give me opportunity to return to it when the time is right.
Here Jesus says both he and the Father work straight through the sabbath. God rested on Creation’s sabbath. The Law called Israel to honor that by resting also. With Christ’s coming the meaning and definition of sabbath work changes. In the New Testament we learn about the Holy Spirit’s work and it is this work that is ongoing. This is good news! We can make do with restrictions on physical activity. We cannot do without the Spirit’s enabling in the walk of faith, 24 hours of each and every day.
Lord, give me wisdom in learning how to rest, and when. Grace me with the refreshing wind of your Spirit and may I follow it always.
John 5:7-13
“The sick man said, ‘Sir, when the water is stirred, I don’t have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in.’ - Jesus said, ‘Get up, take your bedroll, start walking.’ The man was healed on the spot. He picked up his bedroll and walked off. - That day happened to be the Sabbath. The Jews stopped the healed man and said, ‘It’s the Sabbath. You can’t carry your bedroll around. It’s against the rules.’ But he told them, ‘The man who made me well told me to. He said, ‘Take your bedroll and start walking.’’ - They asked, ‘Who gave you the order to take it up and start walking?’ But the healed man didn’t know, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd.”
“‘I can’t, sir,’ the sick man said, ‘for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.’ Jesus told him, ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!’ Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, ‘You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!’ But he replied, ‘The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’‘ ‘Who said such a thing as that?’ they demanded. The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd.”
Tradition said the first one to enter the pool when a current stirred the waters would be healed. In the proceeding verses Jesus, who knew this man had lain near the pool among many others for 37 years, asks, “Do you want to be healed?” Of course he does, but he was in a hopeless situation. Hopelessness is never permanent when Jesus comes calling. Jesus told the man to walk, carrying his sleeping bag and the morality police pulled him over for a citation. Jesus calls us to testify of our changed lives and always, someone will be offended. The police were after the king pin, but Jesus had slipped away. He was not abandoning this man but allowing him to discover his faith would enable him to stand the inquisition. When Jesus does real work in us, there is no arguing about it. We know that we know.
Lord, thank you for the work you have done in my heart and the confidence it gives me. It feels good to feel solid. It is amazing that you, so big, care for me, so small. I overflow with thanksgiving. You are so good.
John 4:46-50
“Now he was back in Cana of Galilee, the place where he made the water into wine. Meanwhile in Capernaum, there was a certain official from the king’s court whose son was sick. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and asked that he come down and heal his son, who was on the brink of death. Jesus put him off: ‘Unless you people are dazzled by a miracle, you refuse to believe.’ But the court official wouldn’t be put off. ‘Come down! It’s life or death for my son.’ Jesus simply replied, ‘Go home. Your son lives.’”
“As he traveled through Galilee, he came to Cana, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a government official in nearby Capernaum whose son was very sick. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son, who was about to die. Jesus asked, Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?’ The official pleaded, ‘Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.’ Then Jesus told him, ‘Go back home. Your son will live!’ And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.”
Jesus often tests supplicants in the Gospels with this accusation. It’s as if he was asking, “If your focus on me, or a miracle?” I imagine most have no idea themselves, but Jesus knows. In asking this question he forces us to look inward and consider, allowing the Spirit to search and illuminate our hearts.
This official loves his son. When he came to the end of his own efforts, he humbled himself, seeking the healing touch of an itinerant teacher. His son’s life was dearer to him than his pride. Something in the manner of Jesus’ words of healing honored the man’s love and gave him the faith to leave and return home. God knows all about a father’s love for his son.
Lord you provide so much sustenance for me. Let my need continue driving me to you. Never let my need become primary and eclipse your glory. Thank you for using this official’s example to teach me about faith and love. They drive each other in a circle, and I love being caught up in it!
John 4:39-45
“ Many of the Samaritans from that village committed themselves to him because of the woman’s witness: ‘He knew all about the things I did. He knows me inside and out!’ They asked him to stay on, so Jesus stayed two days. A lot more people entrusted their lives to him when they heard what he had to say. They said to the woman, ‘We’re no longer taking this on your say-so. We’ve heard it for ourselves and know it for sure. He’s the Savior of the world!’ After the two days he left for Galilee. Now, Jesus knew well from experience that a prophet is not respected in the place where he grew up. So when he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, but only because they were impressed with what he had done in Jerusalem during the Passover Feast, not that they really had a clue about who he was or what he was up to.”
“ Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, ‘He told me everything I ever did!’ When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.’ At the end of the two days, Jesus went on to Galilee. He himself had said that a prophet is not honored in his own hometown.”
I am struck by the bookending in these verses. Samaritans responded to Jesus with immediate commitment. Those from his own town did not honor him with the same enthusiasm. Where do I fit in between them?
The Samaritans were ripe for harvest. What of my own heart? Am I ripe for God’s word, every day?
The Galileans had no clue. Their hearts were not hungry for truth, meaning and purpose. May my heart always long for more of him.
Lord, I fear my weakness, that I might fall off your way and lose my yearning for you. Please keep me tuned to you, ripe for harvest, and hungry for all you bring into my life.
John 4:31-38
“In the meantime, the disciples pressed him, ‘Rabbi, eat. Aren’t you going to eat?’ He told them, ‘I have food to eat you know nothing about.’ The disciples were puzzled. ‘Who could have brought him food?’ … ‘Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time! … I sent you to harvest a field you never worked. Without lifting a finger, you have walked in on a field worked long and hard by others.’”
“Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But Jesus replied, ‘I have a kind of food you know nothing about.’ ‘Did someone bring him food while we were gone?’ the disciples asked each other. … But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. … I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.’”
The disciples had learned Jesus tended to forget his own needs in serving others. Their care for him is commendable. But their comment, “Who could have brought him food?” is comedic!
They were just learning to see past the temporal, into the world of the Spirit. No easy task for humans. Christ ever calls us to, “take a good look at what’s right in front of you.” Thankfully, the wind of the Spirit comes to our rescue.
Most of us are not evangelists. Instead, we labor; sow, fertilize, water and keep the weeds away. The work is repetitive, boring, and exhausting. It requires self-discipline and becomes our way of living. It is lovely to hear Christ honor it here.
Lord, I must bring smiles to your face too. I like the idea I can give you joy. May I see my world through your eyes, ever ready to follow your Spirit in your work. Thank you for validating my farming effort and affirming the hard work it requires.
John 4:28-30
“ The woman took the hint and left. In her confusion she left her water pot. Back in the village she told the people, “Come see a man who knew all about the things I did, who knows me inside and out. Do you think this could be the Messiah?” And they went out to see for themselves.”
“ The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I every did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him.”
The relief in this woman’s voice is almost tangible. Someone intimately knows her, understands her. Someone can resolve her inner conflicts, put her thoughts in order. Someone can help her see how she, ‘got to now.’ Her life will never be the same. (I wonder whether she was one of the women who followed Christ and the disciples, helping to meet their domestic needs?) All of us need knowing. There is only one who does it truly and with compassion. It begins to dawn on her she met him at the well.
Lord, thank you for the perspective of age. It recounts your faithfulness in my life. You know my innermost being and love me still. May my life never be the same each and every day I walk with you.
John 4:25-26
“The woman said, ‘I don’t know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we’ll get the whole story.’ ‘I am he,’ said Jesus. ‘You don’t have to wait any longer or look any further.’”
“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!’”
This woman had spent her life making poor decisions. Perhaps she wondered why and figured it would take the Messiah to straighten everything out. She thought about it enough it popped out of her mouth at this moment. I’ve always thought this comment was only casual conversation for her. Now I see Jesus knew her ponderings and hunger and arranged this meeting with her specifically. This changes the encounter from another opportunity for Christ to declare himself to one of his great love for this particular struggling, searching woman.
I love The Message’s translation of the last sentence, “You don’t have to wait any longer or look any further.” This woman has arrived at her ultimate destination, Jesus. Now there is rest. This is just one and the most important aspect of the rest he promises us. Once we meet him, learning the rest of the rest is yet to come.
Lord, thank you for the rest I have in you. Keep me anchored to it. Teach me more of it. May it radiate through me to the world. Make me your faithful ambassador.
John 4:23-24
“‘It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.’”
“‘But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.’”
The Father wants only us. We grow up adding one layer of insulation after another, all to prevent hurt and assure success. What took us years to accumulate takes years to shed too. The Spirit gently debrides our soul of dead pieces of ‘flesh’. He doesn’t push us beyond what he knows we can stand. But it still hurts. In the shedding, our spirits emerge more truly ourselves, capable of healthy relationship with God and others. Those willing to honestly worship God in spirit are surprised by joy.
Lord, thank you a thousand times for debriding my life. I feel light, like I could fly. And the trauma of healing is fading just like the pain of childbirth. I am left with joy and gratitude, learning in my spirit to ‘enjoy you forever,’ as the Westminster Confession avers. Please faithfully hover over my dear ones as you have over me. May all of us, in our spirits, be wrapped up with you into a blessed eternity.
John 4:15-20
“The woman said, ‘Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!’ He said, ‘Go call your husband and then come back.’ - ’I have no husband,’ she said. ‘That’s nicely put: ‘I have no husband.’ You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re living with now isn’t even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough.’ - ’Oh, so you’re a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?’”
“ ‘Please, sir,’ the woman said, ‘give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.’ ‘Go and get your husband,’ Jesus told her. ‘I don’t have a husband,’ the woman replied. Jesus said, ‘You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!’ ‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?’”
Here we see how much this woman is one of us. Ask God for help. Ignore his convicting finger on our problem/disobedience. Mis-direct the conversation to irrelevancy. Her words are so very human. God wants to be personal. We prefer distance, especially when the problem is our own, and we look for another to blame. For a time, he patiently brings us around to truth. If we continually reject his efforts, he turns silent, and we are adrift.
Lord, I’ve done this with you. Forgive me. Change my stubborn heart. Make me honest and malleable. Keep me safe in your embrace.