John 14 & Update

I am changing my personal journaling style for a time and I will be posting less frequently because the commenting takes a great deal of time and I am unable to do other reading.  In order to preserve my own intake I am decreasing my output.  I may post once a week or so based on what jumps out at me.

I will still post the Daily Catechism.

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 56: WHAT IS REQUIRED IN THE SECOND COMMANDMENT?
Answer: The second commandment requires the receiving, observ- ing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances, as God has appointed in his word.
Scripture: Deuteronomy 12:32; 32:46; Matthew 28:20.

John 14

The following verses jump out of this chapter...

“6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV)

“20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”” (John 14:20–21, ESV)


“23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23, ESV)

This chapter is powerful and heartwarming to hear him communicate with his disciples before his death.  Let us see Christ manifested in our lives!  Let us have and keep his Word.  Let us abide in Christ.  Let us chase after him like he is our greatest treasure.  May the God of heaven and earth reside in us!


Soli Deo Gloria! 

March 22

Exodus 33; John 12

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 55: WHICH IS THE SECOND COMMANDMENT?
Answer: The second commandment is, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thou- sands of them that love me and keep my commandments.”
Scripture: Exodus 20:4-6.

John 12

Ready:
In the previous chapter Jesus demonstrated the grace of God that allows or even orders tragedy and then sustains us.  Jesus weeps with those who hurt and yet has a purpose in their pain as he glorifies the Father by resurrecting Lazarus.  God works masterfully and sovereignly in our lives for the glory of his name.

Seeing what’s there:
Now in this chapter we see the final public teaching of Jesus and the final stage of his ministry being the arrival at Jerusalem for the week of his passion.  There is dinner with the family of Lazarus and many come to know of the miraculous resurrection and many believe.  This rush of belief is a serious threat to the Jewish Council and they have a renewed zeal to kill Jesus and now also want Lazarus dead (again) as well.  With all the commotion over this miracle there is a great crowd welcoming him at the entry to Jerusalem and the narrator tells us that the disciples did not recognize the significance of this entry until after his resurrection.  All thing are clearer when the story has unfolded completely and the Spirit brings remembrance and inspires the revelation!  Jesus speaks of his death being needed to bring fruit and to draw is church.  Jesus gives and unclear answer and then a clear answer later with an explanation that he speaks precisely what the Father tells him and that he serves the eternal command of God…eternal life by the obedience of faith.

Key Verses:
John 12:1-2, 9, 10-11, 12-13, 17, 24, 25-26, 27-28, 31-32, 34-35, 37-38, 39-40, 44-45, 49-50

Theme:
Jesus comes into the final stage of his ministry and life with a mission to deliver, and to accomplish the eternal command of God…everlasting life to those who take God at his Word by the surrendered obedience of faith.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-8.  Jesus is honored by the family of Lazarus as the invited guest to dinner at their home.  Jesus rebukes Judas for trying to take this occasion to throw up a smoke screen feigning obedience when really he is a scoundrel who has no concern for the poor.  I take Jesus’ teaching to say that the poor are with us always and we ought always to be in practice of being of help to them and this special occasion should be no concern when we have a lifestyle of meeting the needs of others.  If the occasion is a capstone of the whole lifestyle then that would be different.
    v9-11.  The omniscient narrator jumps in here and tells us that the resurrection of Lazarus has brought so many people and so many are believing in Jesus that it strikes urgency into the Jewish Council.  They perceive the need to kill Lazarus as well as Jesus.
    v12-19.  So many are coming to see Jesus as the Messiah due to the Lazarus miracle that they gather to welcome him at the gate of Jerusalem and he enters as a king coming to claim his kingdom.  In fulfillment of prophecy, we see the meek Jesus not as a King coming to judge but as one coming to die in order to conquer for his people.  Many in the crowd tell others about the raising of Lazarus and there is quite a buzz about Jesus in Jerusalem.
    v20-26.  Jesus seems here to deflect the request to see him because the time has now come for him to die.  He is now focused on completion of the mission.  He speaks of his death with the analogy of the grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying to sprout into a field of wheat.  Indeed, the death of Jesus and his subsequent resurrection as the first born among many brothers (Rom 8:29; 1 Cor 15:20) is the very purchase and accomplishment of our salvation and we are the fruit.  He says that those who serve him will follow him.  We are united with him in the baptism of death (Rom 6:3-5).  We consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God (Rom 6:10-11).  So ultimately Jesus’ answer to those Greeks asking to see Jesus is this “If you want to see me, then follow me where I go.  Follow me into surrender to the Father and into the obedience of faith.  Follow me unto death to this life and life unto God”.  Interesting that the glorification of the Son of God requires such suffering and mockery and scandalous treatment.  We have a king who accomplishes for us what we cannot accomplish for ourselves (Rom 8:3-4).  We have a king who teaches us that there is purpose and meaning in suffering (Rom 5:3-5) and that we are not to fear or run from hardship but we are to trust God (Phil 4:4; 1 Thess 5:16-18; Eph 5:20). 
    v27-28.  Jesus here reveals his agony and in similar fashion to the synoptics account of Gethsemane, Jesus prays to the Father and does not discount his initial troubling but rather he prays against it by laying if before the Father and as he reflects upon his purpose he knows that what he ultimately wants is for his Father to be glorified.  This brings him to the conclusion that despite the horror and the shame, there will be glory.  The flesh is weak but the spirit is willing.  Jesus overcomes the weakness of his humanity and obedience to the will of the Father prevails through prayer and reliance upon his heavenly Father, and ours.  Jesus chose the glory of the Father.
    v29-34.  The voice of God seems like it was possibly indiscernible to the crowd, or most of the crowd, but the narrator has here told us what the Lord said perhaps, as Jesus said, for our sake.  We are to know that what Jesus was to face was a glorification more so than a suffering (John 17:1, 5).  There was purpose and a goal and a joy ahead.  The judgement is Jesus’ obedience unto death.  He is the standard by which we are judged and his life condemns those who do not put faith in him.  Jesus here evidences that the law of God is not impossible for man to submit to (physically speaking), so that Adam and all after him are duly held accountable for their rebellion (Rom 2:16, 27, 3:19).  Yet, Jesus casts down the enemy who’s only power was the law and death by slaying sin in his flesh (Rom 8:3) and stripping its power over his children so that we might see and use the law properly as a guidepost to lead us to Jesus (Gal 3:17-24) and not a ladder to climb to heaven (Rom 3:20).  The crowd was separating the title “Son of Man” from “Christ” because they could not understand how the Son of Man could be the Christ if he was going to die.  Keep in mind that Jesus has been the Son of God from all eternity (John 1:1-3, 17:5) and that in the fullness of time (at the perfect time) he became the Son of Man by the incarnation (Gal 4:4; Phil 2:5-8).
    v35-40.  Two possible meanings I see in his words about believing in the light while you have it.  One is to understand him to mean that we are to believe before Jesus ascends into heaven, but the more likely is to believe while he is still a protection from wrath and not the source of wrath (Rom 5:9; Rev 19:11-16).  Jesus is God’s revelation to the world and our salvation hinges not upon our deeds of any kind but upon our trusting in Jesus, believing what he said and did here on earth during this time when the light walked among us.  Jesus deliberately spoke unclearly sometimes because he knew who was to receive the message and who was not to receive it.  Some were hardened and only the elect received it (Rom 11:7-8).
    v41-43.  Sad statement about how believing the truth does not equate to taking God at his Word.  There were leaders in the synagogues who believed Jesus but would not follow him or confess him because they were more concerned with their acceptance by men.  Faith believes and acts upon it.  These men had demon faith (James 2:19; Matt 10:32-33; Rom 2:28-29).
    v44-50.  Jesus is the light and our knowledge of God himself.  He came that we may know God (John 17:13) and be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:18-20).  Reference to the eternal command to bring about the obedience of faith (Rom 16:26) and his speaking only what the Father commands makes it clear that he speaks plainly or less clearly according to the will of the Father.  In this paragraph he speaks plainly with explanation to himself being the light.  His audience now is unspecified because the previous paragraph said that he departed from the group.  We shall be judged according to the Word of God.  The revelation of God.  Jesus himself came to save but the fact remains that his life and his words will judge us in the end.  We find salvation through judgement (there is a book out on this premise by James Hamilton Jr.).  Exodus through the judgement of Egypt…salvation through the judgement of Christ.  This is a repeating theme.

Soli Deo Gloria!

March 21

Exodus 32; John 11

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 54: WHAT ARE WE ESPECIALLY TAUGHT BY THESE WORDS, “BEFORE ME,” IN THE FIRST COMMANDMENT?
Answer: These words “before me,” in the first commandment teach us that God, who sees all things, takes notice of, and is much displeased with the sin of having any other God.
Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:17, 18; Psalm 44:20-21; 90:8.

John 11

Ready:
In the previous chapter Jesus declared that he alone has come to the flock of God through the gate as the rightful shepherd and that he himself now is the very gate by which the sheep safely come and go.  He was the prophesied one and now he himself is the very revelation of God to the people of God. 

Seeing what’s there:
In this chapter Jesus knowingly allows Lazarus to die in order to serve the glory of God and his redemptive purposes.  Jesus loved the family of Lazarus and remaining where he was so that Lazarus would be good and dead by his arrival WAS a demonstration of his love!  This is because the nature of the miracle would be more glorious and they would be the more impacted and joyful and God-exalting.  Jesus turns their sadness to joy because he reveals dramatically that he indeed is the resurrection and the life.  He demonstrates his authority and power and he shows that the dead indeed hear his voice and obey by living (John 5:25).

Key Verses:
John 11:3-4, 5-6, 14-15, 17, 21-23, 25-26, 27, 33, 35-36, 39-40, 43-44, 45, 48, 49-50, 51-52

Theme:
The Lord has purposes that go beyond our circumstances, yet he hurts with us even when he allows pain and suffering in our lives.  Jesus is the power of God unto resurrection for all who receive him in faith. 

Thinking about the message:
    v1-4.  Here Jesus announces that the illness does not lead to death, for physical death is not true death and Jesus was considering the larger realm of spiritual life and he had his eyes on a blessing to come that rehired this hardship.  He was looking to the glorification of God that would be to the joy of God’s people.  I hear in this that sometimes (I would argue always) my suffering is to the glory of God and has a purpose. 
    v5-16.  Strange way to show love.  He delayed in coming to their home, which was only two miles away.  He waited two days because he loved them.  Jesus uses discussion with the disciples about when to travel (by night or by day) to Bethany as a teaching opportunity and this is a good lesson for me as a father seeing that I should use all opportunities when my children have questions and when we can use our circumstances and experiences to teach our children about the Lord.  Jesus makes reference to sleep and ties into other scripture that treats the dead saints as sleeping as they await their bodily resurrection from the dead sometime in the future (Rom 8:23; 1 Cor 15:51-52; Dan 12:2-3).  Thomas (presumably doubting Thomas) shows great courage and zeal here as it seems he suggests that they travel during the day as Jesus suggests with full knowledge that they may be marching to their death along with Jesus due to the Jews who look to stone him.  Thomas may doubt the resurrection ahead but here he sure embraces death with boldness. 
    v17-27.  Four days Lazarus has been dead…Jesus tacked on the extra two for good measure and to ensure there would be no doubt as to the miracle that he would perform.  Perhaps this was also the high point in the collection of Jews coming to mourn with the family.  Martha has great faith and she expresses both a knowledge that he had the power to stop this tragedy and that he yet has the power to do something about it.  Jesus responds with a huge statement in answer to what amounts to her prayer asking for a work of God.  He tells her that her brother will rise again and she takes his reply to be a future hope of bodily redemption in heaven but Jesus was being more direct and speaking about his resurrection that was about to be accomplished in the the present.  Jesus makes an amazing claim that those who believe in him will live even when they die.  He also indicates that those who are alive at his coming will never see death.  God is indeed the God of the living and not the God of the dead (Luke 20:37-38)!  Jesus challenges her to trust in his statement of his identity and authority and power.  Believing God (taking him at his Word) is always the question, not believing in God (merely acknowledging his existence).
    v28-37.  Jesus chows compassion even though this whole occurrence was purposeful and to serve the glory of God and the faith of his sheep.  Yet Jesus weeps and is connecting at a personal level with the family.  The irony that the Jews note how they would have expected that the one who can give sight to the blind should also have had the ability to stop the man from dying is a truth…but there was purpose in allowing him to die.  Jesus can stop my car accident and the tsunami…but he has purpose in all that comes to pass. 
    v38-44.  The dead hear his voice and live (John 5:25; Rom 4:17)!  The dead man does nothing to help Jesus call him unto life.  The stink of his dead flesh cannot stop the creator of all the universe from calling into existence the things that do not exist or giving life to the dead.  This is how I was saved.  Life from death by the grace of God to the glory of God and to my great joy! 
    v45-57.  Many believed and this miracle of raising Lazarus was the last straw.  The Council knew that there was no stopping this Jesus and he would be the downfall of the nation because the Romans would crush the Jews before they were to rise up against them with this new leader who claims a kingdom to himself.  So they set out to kill him because “better that one man die than the whole nation”…amen!  Indeed, better that one man die!  Thank you Jesus! 

Soli Deo Gloria!

March 20

Exodus 31; John 10

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 53: WHAT IS FORBIDDEN IN THE FIRST COMMANDMENT?
Answer: The first commandment forbids us to deny or not to worship and glorify the true God as God and our God; and to give that worship and glory to any other, which is due unto him alone.
Scripture: Joshua 24:27; Romans 1:20-21, 25; Psalm 14:1.

John 10

Ready:
The previous chapter was about Jesus coming to judge between blindness that remains vs blindness that is removed by God unto belief.  Jesus brings sight to the blind who are enlightened to know their blindness and he brings blindness to the blind who think they see and resist therefore his message.  It can be said from verse 39 that the judgement Jesus brought was to give sight of the righteousness of God (Rom 9:30) to the ones who were blind to their own righteousness (did not consider it worthy of merit before God) but he brings blindness of the righteousness of God to the ones who are seeing of their own righteousness (who consider it worthy of merit before God).  Consider Romans 10:2-4 here.

Seeing what’s there:
In this chapter Jesus sets himself apart from all other religious leaders ever known as he is the good shepherd who lays his life down for his sheep and he is the actual message rather than a carrier of a message (John 10:35-36).  He declares that he was granted authority by God to willingly lay down his life for the sheep.  Jesus brings a huge statement that belief is a result of identity and not the opposite (John 10:26-28).  Jesus claims to be one with the Father and he instigates an attempted stoning by the Jews due to this supposed blasphemy that he argues against.  In the end they chase him off, trying to arrest him.  Next Jesus goes down to the Jordan and preaches there where many believe due to the road paved by John.

Key Verses:
John 10:4, 11, 14-15, 16, 17-18, 25-28, 30-31, 33, 35-36, 37-38, 41-42

Theme:
The true shepherd, the true gate, the one who lays down his life, the message in the flesh, the one who comes as fulfillment of all who came before is here, but he is received only by those who are his own sheep among the flocks of both Jews and Gentiles.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-6.  In this first parable of sorts Jesus explains himself to the the shepherd who enters through the true and right way with good purpose and whom the sheep follow because they recognize him.  I take that Jesus comes right through the front door.  His coming is from the ancient of days and he fulfills the prophecies and he is spoken of in the prophets and the law and the Psalms.  He does not come from anywhere but from the very revelation of God and he fits the bill perfectly.  There is a thievery that would occur if it were not for the good shepherd and the omnipotent hand of God that keeps those whom he gave to is Son (John 10:29; 17:2, 6).  At the close of the first run at the parable Jesus ironically notes that they do not understand (recognize his voice).
    v7-10.  Now there is a shift in the metaphor and Jesus becomes the gate (or door) itself rather than one coming through the gate.  I take this to be the transition to the NT as in the transfiguration where Jesus is now to be heard as the revelation of God rather than only the law and the prophets of old (Hebrews 1:1-2; Matt 17:2-8).  Jesus entered through the gate and now himself is the gate who lets in or out by his authority that was granted to him by the Father (John 10:18).  So he speaks of those who came before him who did not come through the front door are thieves who would take his sheep, but the true sheep did not listen (Rom 11:3-6).  Jesus comes not as a thief to steal sheep or to steal glory (John 5:43-44) but as the true revelation of God and now he is the door.  He is the judge as he had stated in the last chapter.  Truth is based upon him.  If our revelation of God comes by him and his testimony, then it is true and life giving.  If it does not, then it is a lie and thievery (John 10:10).  There is no other name and he is the only way, the only door (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
    v11-21.  Now he returns to the shepherd position in this explanation.  I take this whole discourse to be in support of the previous teaching that he judges blindness and he grants sight.  The point is clearly made that Jesus is not only himself the revelation but he is himself the entire content of the revelation and the keeper, sustainer, teacher of those who receive the revelation.  He is our all in all (1 Cor 15:28).  He is no hired hand but he is the Son.  He is the heir of these sheep.  The sheep are his and he cares for them to the point of sacrificial death for them (John 10:14-15).  Jesus prays especially for his sheep as contrasted to the remainder of the world (John 17:9).  His sheep know him and he knows them (Matt 7:23).  Jesus speaks of sheep as those who recognize his voice and they come from two flocks to become one (Eph 2:14-16; Rom 11:17-18).  The Father grants the Son full authority and loves him deeply knowing that the Son will obey the Father and though he has all authority given to him to willingly act or not act the Son in no way will do anything but the will of the Father due to his own love and obedience.  There is a love between the Father and Son that far precedes the creation of man and is a more base reason for the obedience of Christ.  Man puts himself on an altar if we think that the primary reason for Jesus to endure the cross was his love for man or the world or even his sheep.  Jesus does not idolize man, but he lives unto the glory of the Father and he loves his Father above all.  Authority is spoken os here and willingness.  Yet there is no other answer for the one who knows the Father.  This may be like the irresistible grace of God that we have authority to choose our devotion to God or self, but if we truly see the glory of God then we cannot do anything but choose him…because he is irresistible…and not because I am a robot, but precisely because I am no longer a blind robot acting by an enslaved and blinded will.
    v22-30.  Here the blind (seeing only of their own righteousness) ask Jesus to plainly disclose whether he indeed is the Christ, as if he has not already done this by his signs and claims (John 6:35, 40, 8:12).  Then Jesus drops the bomb on them that belief is not conjured up but it belongs only to those who belong to Christ.  Identity precedes faith (Rom 8:18-19).  He did not say you are not my sheep because you do not believe.  John teaches here a doctrine of election (Rom 1:5-7).  None can snatch the children of God from Jesus’ hand for his hand is the very hand of God (Rom 8:33ff) upon the children of God.  The sheep, those given to Jesus before time by the Father, receive eternal life in the Son (2 Tim 1:9-11; Titus 1:1).  The unity of the Father and Son determine that those who are in the Son are eternally secure and dine also with the Father (John 14:23).
    v31-42.  Jesus is almost stoned for supposed blasphemy and he makes and argument from a lesser to a greater case in his defense.  He demonstrates that even messengers are referred to as sons of God, yet they do not even recognize the message itself, the very incarnate Word (John 1:1-2, 14).  He argues that is they will not receive his statements as the gate, then receive his signs that indicate he is coming through the gate as the true shepherd.  They should acknowledge that he does the work of God and therefore comes with God’s message.  He ultimately returns the argument to his unity with the Father and they again want to capture him.  Jesus does not decline his deity in his argument, but he makes a case for them to come to realize it in steps.  First take the truth of the signs and the works and then you will understand the identity.  After he leaves to escape being stoned, Jesus goes to the Jordan and there many believe due to the preparation by John whereby the need is understood.  They are awakened by God to their blindness and utter need for a deliverer.  This is the sight that the unbelieving Jews lacked.  They saw that Jesus’ works evidenced truth according to the prior testimony…this is what he was urging the Jews in the previous paragraph to see.  But they couldn't get over his words as the gate itself. 

Soli Deo Gloria!

March 19

Exodus 30; John 9

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 52: WHAT IS REQUIRED IN THE FIRST COMMANDMENT?
Answer: The first commandment requires us to know and acknowl- edge God to be the only true God, and our God, and to worship and glorify him accordingly.
Scripture: Joshua 24:15; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Deuteronomy 26:17; Psalm 29:2; Matthew 4:10.

John 9

Ready:
The previous chapter was a big one.  This was where Jesus claimed to be the light of the world and without believing in him one would die in his sin.  He offered freedom from enslavement to sin and he claimed to be not only greater than Abraham but to have existed before Abraham.  No doubt that these were huge claims of deity by Jesus and the Jews tried to stone him for blasphemy in response.

Seeing what’s there:
Now in this chapter John picks up after Jesus slipped away from them and left the temple.  It is unclear if it happened in close proximity or in short order or if this was later, but either way it is a fresh unit of scripture, though by John’s placement should still be considered in context with the previous account.   

Key Verses:
John 9:2-3, 5-6, 16, 18, 24, 29-30, 31-33, 35-36, 37-38, 39, 41

Theme:
The light gives sight to those who become aware of their blindness and blindness to those who continue in the deception that they already have sight.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-7.  Here Jesus comes against an assumption that blindness or illness in general, perhaps, come from personal or family sin.  While other teaching (John 5:14) indeed acknowledges that this can be the case, this teaching warns that it is not always the case.  Here the man was born blind for the purposes of God (Exod 4:11) demonstrating his glory in the healing he would receive from Jesus.  Like Pharaoh who was raised up for the purposes of God, this man was born and lived a life of blindness for the very purpose of this revelation of God in Jesus (Rom 9:17).  This speaks volumes as to the sovereignty of God and the purposes of God being accomplished in sickness and tragedy and even sin (Acts 4:27-28).  Jesus also declares again to be the light of the world and I take it to be that this means he gives sight in the darkness (2 Cor 4:6; John 1:5) and he intends to demonstrate this in this man both physically (John 9:7) and also spiritually (John 9:38).
    v8-23.  In this extended passage the Jews are seeking to confirm the miracle and then to confirm who performed it.  They challenge the fact that he did this on the Sabbath and therefore is a law breaker, a sinner.  The man who was healed has the insight to ask how a sinner could offer up such powerful signs and they seem to have no answer, but a division arises between them.  The parents give account and all signs point to a righteous healing.
    v24-34.  They question the man further and want him to give a better answer for his healing because they do not want to ascribe it to Jesus but to give glory to God alone.  He gives a simple account of the facts and then draws an observation that infuriates the council because he notes that they claim to not know where Jesus comes from yet he performs signs that a sinner could not perform and he gives indication that he is from God since he has done something never before seen.  The previously blind man makes a very seeing statement that if Jesus were not from God he could do no such thing and the Jews, in their blind arrogance, kick him out for attempting to teach them. 
    v35-41.  Jesus finds the man after he is kicked out and brings the man the rest of the way home to a trust in Jesus.  Previously the man had a simple understanding that the man who healed him is from God and that he is true, but no understanding that the man was the Son of Man, the Messiah.  Now Jesus questions the man to see if he knows of the Son of Man (Dan 7:13-14) and believes in his coming.  The man acknowledges and inquires if Jesus knows and will tell him who is the Son of Man.  This question is like the one John creates in our own minds when he describes the Word becoming flesh and leaving the reader with the question something like “I get it.  The Word is God and the Word became flesh…but who is it?”  Jesus tells the man plainly that it is him and the man instantly accepts the truth and worshiped Jesus as God.  Jesus then announces that he came for judgement, which sounds contradictory to John 12:47 and John 3:17.  But he speaks of judging truth from lies and judgement in a sense of discernment and truth, not in a sense of condemnation and penalty declaring.  The Word is our measure of truth and judges our experiences and our understanding and we must submit to the judgement of the Word of God rather than to the opinions of man or our own experiences.  Here the Pharisees heard him and take offense.  They figure he is calling them blind, but it is the opposite.  Jesus was speaking of the assumed state of the individual, not the actual.  I agree with Calvin and Henry in this assumption that Jesus speaks mainly toward the fact that those who know their blindness have hope for salvation and justification by grace (1 John 1:9) but those who think they see just fine are yet under guilt because they do not recognize their true blindness and they remain under the wrath of God (2 Cor 4:4). 

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    In the previous chapter Jesus claimed to be God and now he claims to give sight to the blind and blindness to the seeing.  Isaiah 66:1-2 explains where the Spirit of God will dwell and it is within the humble and contrite who tremble at his Word.  This sight to the blind and blindness to the seeing accords with his coming to save sinners and not the righteous (Luke 5:32)…his coming to heal the sick and not the well (Mark 2:17).  Jesus comes not for those who are proud before God (James 4:6) and claim to know a righteousness of their own (Rom 10:3-4; Phil 3:9), but those who are broken and contrite (Psalm 51:17) and who recognize their need for the promised offspring…the promise to Abraham was not a promise that a law would come to give them merit (Rom 4:13-16)!  I take that the Spirit of God must give illumination to the eyes of our heart (Eph 1:17-18) in order for us to truly hear the message of Jesus (Deut 29:4; Rom 10:17) and then respond with a cry for mercy and sight.  This meaning is timeless and the significance to me is that a right attitude is one of humility and contrition and trembling at his Word.  I can only do this by the grace of God granting me sight and so I need to fight the fight for joy in the Lord and I need to feast on Jesus in the Word and I need to cry out for understanding (Psalm 2:1-5).

Soli Deo Gloria!

March 17

Exodus 28; John 7

I will only be posting comments for one of the daily readings from now on in order to allow time for other priorities...

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 51: WHICH IS THE FIRST COMMANDMENT?
Answer: The first commandment is, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
Scripture: Exodus 20:3.

John 7

Ready:
The previous chapter included an escalating discourse by Jesus where he argued that true believer that are called by the Father will receive Jesus as their sustenance and satisfaction and they will rely on him not merely to feed their physical needs but to be the only thing they need.

Seeing what’s there:
In this chapter Jesus refuses to go up to Jerusalem publicly and perform signs during the festival of booths as his then unbelieving brothers urge him to do.  Yet Jesus follows the Father’s lead and goes up in private and does not perform signs but he begins to teach at the midpoint of the festival.  The Jews are amazed at his authoritative teaching and mastery of the scriptures.  There was great division among the crowd and some came to believe while others contested.  The Pharisees sent officers to arrest Jesus but they were so astonished at his teaching that they couldn't do it.  The Council  itself ends up divided because Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea trust Jesus, though not publicly before the rest of the council.

Key Verses:
John 7:1, 3, 5-6, 10, 14-15, 16-17, 18, 28, 31, 37-39, 44, 45-46, 50-51

Theme:
Pride, falsehood, confusion, half-truths, and ultimately spiritual blindness (Rom 11:7-10) keeps the Jews from recognizing the authority and identity if Jesus.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-9.  I take this passage to teach that Jesus did not operate on man’s timeline or even his own, but he was serving the will of the Father and following his lead at all times.  Just as the Spirit led him into the desert, so he serves the will of the Father in all he does.  He will not perform signs or cause a scene when and where he is not so directed by the Father. 
    v10-13.  I take this to not be falsehood by Jesus, but to be timing and purpose that differed from what his brothers were asking of him.  Jesus came up later and in a different mode. 
    v14-24.  Jesus astounds the Jerusalemites with his teaching and they wonder how he has such a mastery of the scriptures.  Jesus explains that his teaching, like the rabbis, is not his own.  The difference is that the rabbis refer to their teachers while Jesus refers only to his Father as the source.  They quote the scriptures with “Thus says the Lord”, while Jesus speaks directly with “Truly I say to you”.  Jesus does not merely quote scripture…he speaks it into being.  He makes it known that if a man speaks on his own authority or the authority of another man then he is seeking the glory of man.  The one who seeks the glory of God will speak truth and this is the authority of God himself.  This speaks to the high role and function of the preacher and how expository preaching from the scripture instead of talking from culture and news and human wisdom is the only way to speak with authority from God.  Then Jesus plays on some words and pits them against their sin and deception by suggesting that they wrongly plan to kill a man, which breaks the law of God, because they perceive that this man is himself a law-breaker, which is untrue.   Jesus shows them their folly by exposing that they too understand the hierarchy of law and the fact that circumcision is ok to do on the Sabbath because the covenant is supreme.  Similarly Jesus heals on the Sabbath because mercy is supreme.  There is no law breaking when you circumcise on the Sabbath just as their is no law breaking when Jesus heals on the Sabbath. 
    v25-31.  There is confusion among the Jews as to the prophecies about the Messiah but it is understood that they are considering whether he could be him.  They are supposing that because they know him and where he comes from (except that they are ignorant about his birth in Bethlehem) that he cannot be the Christ.  Jesus corrects them and explains that their supposed knowledge of him in no way excludes his identity because he is not here (on earth) merely by his own will.  He speaks of being sent into the world by the Father on a mission (John 17:18).  Jesus accuses them here of not knowing the Father and this would have been a huge offense that accords to their afford to arrest him here.  It appear that the Father did not allow any to be successful in laying a hand on him and some even came to believe his message. 
    v32-36.  Jesus speaks of going away in return to the Father who had sent him but they do not understand or refuse to ascend to his meaning. 
    v37-39.  Here Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit will be poured into the heart of the believer (Rom 5:5), who was newly born in a circumcision of the heart by the power of the Spirit (Col 2:12-13; Ezek 36:26-27; Deut 30:6; Rom 2:28-29), and then the Spirit of God will send forth fruit (Is 32:15).  The Holy Spirit was at work in the world and was granting new life to the elect of the OT (Rom 11:5-7; Rom 2:28-29) but was not indwelling believers until after Jesus returned to the Father (John 16:7). 
    v40-52.  This passage basically establishes that the Jews were divided on what they thought of Jesus and how to deal with him.  There were even people on the Council that believed Jesus, like Nicodemus and Joseph (John 19:38; Mark 15:43), but others were convinced that he was a fraud.  Some even spoke of the prophecy about the offspring of David coming from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) but they seemed not to realize that Jesus was born there. 


Soli Deo Gloria!

March 16

Exodus 27; John 6

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 50: WHAT DOES THE PREFACE TO THE TEN COMMANDMENTS TEACH US?
Answer: The preface to the Ten Commandments teaches us that because God is the Lord, and our gracious Redeemer, his commandments are for our good and he does not will for us to depend on ourselves in keeping them, but to trust his grace and power.
Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:13, 16; 30:6.

Exodus 27

Ready:
The previous chapter was about the design of the tabernacle and it seemed to express the holiness of God and the fact that he intends to dwell in the midst of his people in this place, despite their sin and brokenness. 

Seeing what’s there:
This chapter is about the design of the bronze altar and the court of the tabernacle.  The court is the area surrounding the actual tabernacle where the bronze altar and bronze basin were placed.  Like the tabernacle itself, which is referred to here as a tent of meeting, the courtyard has a blue, purple, and scarlet colored screen or drape at the entry.  The entire setup is made for potability and yet maximizes the majesty and holiness of the space by things like regulations against touching most of the objects with hands and using poles slipped through the rings to move the items. 

Key Verses:
Exodus 27:6-7, 9-10, 16, 19, 20, 21

Theme:
God reveals the specificity of his requirements for the place of meeting in order that we can commune with him, and live. 

Thinking about the message:
    v1-8.  This is the altar where burnt offering will be made.  Like the other “furniture” pieces it is to be made ready to carry by poles. 
    v9-19.  This section describes the court of the Tabernacle and determines it’s size.  This courtyard would still be a place of restricted access where sacrifices will be made on the altar.

Bronze Altar

Court of the Tabernacle

     v20-21.  Here the Lord determines that it will be Aaron and his family after him who will serve as priests in the tent of meeting, which is within the Holy Place of the tabernacle but outside of the Most Holy place.  In this area is the table for the bread of the Presence, the golden lampstand, and the altar of incense.  The Lord stipulates that Aaron’s family will serve here in the tabernacle and maintain a burning lamp all night long, every night, forever.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    The Lord is here explaining the manner in which we will be able to commune with him and he holds all the authority in this.  We are completely helpless and reliant upon his mercy to provide us with some means of knowing him and meeting with him.  There will be a great deal of ritual and ceremony involved as the location of meeting is elaborate and specific and contains multiple layers of separation for the protection of the priests and the public.  The implication is that we cannot approach God in any manner we may choose but we must approach him as he stipulates and according to his holiness.  The significance to me is that I must approach the Lord in prayer in a certain way and my attitude toward him ought to reflect his holiness.  As the tabernacle of God, I am to show awe and reverence and have a fear of the Lord.  I do not have one iota of control over my God and he is a consuming fire.

Valuing the message:
I value this message because I think I too easily fall into habits or ways of speaking to him that do not adequately recognize his holiness and my dependence upon his mercy. 

Reflecting on the message:
I need to reflect upon my patterns of prayer and the ways in which I meet with God. 

Questions to ask:

1. Do I honor God with my undivided attention in prayer?
2. Do I recognize the sheer holiness of God and the fact that he is a consuming fire when I come before him?
3. Do I try to mold him into my pattern and plan or do I search his Word and place myself in subjection to his plan and his direction for me?
4. Do I see the tabernacle like a vending machine at the convenience store or like the throne of The Lord God Omnipotent?

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

John 6

Ready:
In the previous chapter I saw Jesus choose a man to heal and I heard him describe his absolute divine authority in context of his complete submission to and reliance upon the Father.  Jesus made it clear that he is not bringing a new message but he is fulfilling what Moses received at Sinai.

Seeing what’s there:
This chapter begins with a transition to a new unit by John as indicated in the wording of the first verse.  It contains one public sign, one sign to the disciples, and a hard teaching to the crowds that follow primarily to be fed.  By the end of this teaching Jesus’ following may be down from greater than 5,000 to only the 12 disciples, among whom one is a trader.  This chapter is pretty hard because I think the Lord speaks against the way that many follow Jesus merely to improve their life and meet their temporal needs.  He also calls attention to the fact that salvation is again a work of God and depends not upon us to bring it about by our seeking or willing or choosing.  He teaches about life being only in him and unless we find our sustenance in him and not in what the world offers, then we do not have life.  Most of the crowd, including many disciples split at this teaching, partially because he uses language that may have been taken too literally and would therefore be quite offensive. 

Key Verses:
John 6:9, 11, 14-15, 19-21, 26, 28-29, 35, 37-38, 39-40, 44-45, 47, 53-54, 57, 63, 65, 66-67, 68-69

Theme:
The Son of God did not come to earth and die in order to feed our idolatry or to merely meet our temporal needs but to feed our souls and to give himself to us as our treasure and our only true sustenance.  He does the Father’s will by giving this gift to those whom the Father draws unto himself.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-15.  Jesus feeds the 5,000  in this passage.  Here I take it that Jesus is demonstrating that he has come to divinely meet the needs of his people and that he has unlimited resources and that he bears the authority of God himself.  Before he feeds them the narrator fills us in on the fact that Jesus knows that the crowds are following him because of the sings he has performed in healing the sick.  Recognition that he can bring wholeness and can take away illness and can restore fullness of life is good and so this comment is probably not indicating anything nefarious about the crowd… yet.  This changes after the miracle is performed and the reaction of the crowd is one of aggression and a desire to claim Jesus as their King in order to get what they really want…something other than him.  It would appear that they see Jesus as the solution to their troubles…not their sin troubles between them and God but their earthly troubles between Israel and Caesar.
    v16-21.  Here he adds to the public revelation by privately evidencing his deity to the disciples.  Using the same word translated “trampled” in the Greek Septuagint of their time, John says that Jesus “trampled” the sea here (Job 9:8) and so makes a likely reference to the deity of Jesus.  This also illustrates his sovereign control over all things.  Jesus makes the water hold his weight because he made the water and he keeps its molecules together moment to moment even now (Heb 1:3, 10; Col 1:16-17; Psalm  89:9).  Clearly Jesus was not merely entertaining the disciples but he was educating them and revealing his identity to them.  This would be important because he was about to give a hard teaching that will send many away.
    v22-59.  This is a long discourse and Jesus gives four escalating cycles of teaching on the same point.  It seems that he does this to weed out those who are not believing and who are therefore evidenced as not being drawn by the Father.  Most were not “following” him for the right reasons.
    v22-34. “The bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”  This is his message (John 6:33), but Jesus knows that they are not coming for the true bread but merely for the bread that fills their gut.  They somehow determined that there was some mystery in how Jesus came to the other side of the sea (John 6:25) and they saw him feed the 5,000 but these signs are not seen as divine revelation by the people.  They are blinded by his ability to meet their physical needs.  They are interested not in who he is but in what he can do for them according to their own perceptions.  Jesus knew this and he called them out on it in John 6:26-27.  
    v35-40.  “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me…”.  The message escalates to identifying Jesus himself as this bread because they do not get it yet and they think the bread is something Jesus can hand them.  He explains that life means not hungering and not thirsting but being satisfied in him.  This comes by believing in Jesus.  Jesus does not cast out any who will come but the only ones who will come, due to the total depravity of man, are those that the Father specifically calls out by new birth.  All of these receive Jesus precisely because the Father calls them out (John 6:37).  Jesus also makes it clear that he is not operating independently but he is specifically carrying out the very will of God.  He has been charged to hold on to those whom the Father gives him, those whom the Father calls.  These who will look to Jesus and believe are kept by Jesus to be raised up in resurrection life (John 6:39-40).    
    v41-51.  “I am the bread of life; whoever eats of it…”.  Now Jesus escalates again to speaking of actually eating the bread of life and the metaphor of eating Jesus himself starts to emerge more clearly.  He does this because they grumble and they do not believe and they contest his authority.  Jesus makes it known that they do not believe because it is only those whom the Father draws to him that believe.  Those who have heard and learned the true lesson of the law will know their spiritual need (not just physical) and recognize Jesus as the answer.  Jesus points out that their ancestors who ate the manna from heaven still died and yet the bread of life give unending life.  Then Jesus reminds them that he himself if this bread that must be eaten if one is to have eternal life.  The teaching becomes harder because it is very spiritual and even if they ascend to try to imagine the metaphor and its meaning there is a block and a hindrance in that he tramples upon their heritage (so it seems to them).  
    v52-59.  “I am the bread of life; whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood…”.  Now Jesus goes to the extreme of describing very graphically what must take place for anyone to have eternal life.  He speaks plainly of eating his flesh and drinking his blood and this pushes most of the crowd out the door (figuratively speaking).  He does this because they insist on looking merely to the physical and do not recognize the spiritual level on which he is speaking.  Not recognizing his identity, they assume he only has human means and therefore cannot understand how he would offer up his flesh for the feasting.  Jesus simultaneously drives away the hard hearted unbeliever and wavering seeker while giving gold to the children of God.  He gives the wonderful revelation that we abide in him and he in us when we feast upon him and make him the source of our sustenance.  God call me to feast upon the Son and I do so by intake of the Word of God and by confessing my sin and relying upon his cleansing blood.
    v60-71.  This teaching was quite difficult for the crowd to receive probably for a couple reasons as I have mentioned, but perhaps the one today that is difficult for many is the monergistic regeneration whereby God decides to give me new birth prior to me ever having faith in Jesus and unless he does this for me I am left to my own devices and therefore choose sin until the day I die.  Verse 63 tells me that my flesh is no help and that it is the Spirit who gives life.  Jesus explains here that he knew who it is that were true believers and that this was the reason he said that no one can come to him unless the Father draws them.  The only way I see to bring together the various claims in this chapter is to say that God only draws some.  It would not make sense to say he draws all and then some resist because of John 6:37, 39.  My faith truly is a work of God that I do not help him with, but it is a gift by his sovereign grace and is created from nothing (John 6:29; Eph 2:8-9; Rom 4:16-17).  The Lord also keeps me through the faith that he has given me (1 Pet 1:4-5).  Jesus asks the 12 if they too are going to leave as the whole crowd vanishes, but Peter speaks for the group and confesses that Jesus has the very words of life and that they trust him to be the Holy One of God and that there is nowhere else that they can imagine going.  The unit closes with Jesus reminding Peter that it was Jesus who chose them and that he even chose one who will serve the purpose of God by betraying him…a unique purpose for the son of destruction.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    Following Jesus to get something other than Jesus is not true faith and is not a renouncing of all and being a disciple (Luke 14:26-27, 33).  Jesus teaches here that we are to live on him and not simply use him.  Our satisfaction and life is to be found in him (Psalm 73:25-26).  This kind of faith and reliance on Jesus only comes to those whom the Father calls and this is the new birth that opens our eyes to what was foolishness (1 Cor 1:23, 2:14; Eph 1:17-18).

Soli Deo Gloria!

March 15

Exodus 26; John 5

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 49: WHAT IS THE PREFACE TO THE TEN COMMANDMENTS?
Answer: The preface to the Ten Commandments is, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”
Scripture: Exodus 20:2.

Exodus 26

Ready:
In the previous chapter God introduced the concept of the tabernacle to Moses and he described that this would be the place where he will dwell in their midst.  Instructions for the Ark of the covenant and the mercy seat were given as the core element to the temple.  The Ark would represent the presence of God and it would contain the law beneath what is called the mercy seat.

Seeing what’s there:
In this chapter Moses records the instructions he received from God regarding the construction of the main structure of the tabernacle (tent like).  The details are fine and there is a curtain that is a focal point as it will separate the holy place from the most holy place where the Ark will reside with the testimony of the Lord beneath the mercy seat.   

Key Verses:
Exodus 26:1, 31, 33-34

Theme:
Multiple degrees of separation in the design of the tabernacle expresses the holiness of God and his devotion to make a way for us to know him despite our uncleanness. 

Thinking about the message:
    v1-14.  The sides and top of the tent are described in detail here.  This will make the exterior limits of the tabernacle and define its size.  The word translated here tabernacle from the Hebrew is transliterated as Mishkan and comes from a root that means to settle down, abide, or dwell.  Clearly Exodus 25:8 establishes that this what God is describing to Moses is the very place where he will be in their midst and make himself known there in a special way.  This tabernacle is now a physical location where God and man dwell together as was the Garden of Eden before the fall (Gen 3:8-9).  The theme of a dwelling place on earth for God to be in the midst of his people strings throughout the Bible and it goes roughly like this…garden- tabernacle- temple- Jesus- church of Jesus (indwells believers)- The New Jerusalem (heaven).  These instructions represent God breaking into humanity not unlike what he did at the incarnation of Jesus but this is the delivery of the law (knowledge and truth) rather than Jesus’ arrival delivering the gospel (grace and truth).  Within the limits of this tent is an area that is to only be occupied by persons designated to work as priests and it signifies a separation from the world.  This is a special place where God communes with his people and gives direction and where he gives a means for atonement of their sin by exercising the obedience of faith through their observation of the rites that will take place here. 
    v15-30.  The frames and structural support for the tent is described in detail here.  There is a quite practical element here where the place simply must be held up using the provisions of God in acacia trees and so the creation itself it displayed in many forms within the tabernacle.  It will come to be seen in the NT times that this tabernacle represents, or foreshadows, the body of Christ who was wholly man (structure and elements of the tabernacle) and wholly God (presence of God in the most holy place).  Jesus dwelled (Mishkan), or tabernacled, among us and in him the fullness of God dwelled (Col 1:19).  The tabernacle is a holy and mysterious place of communion with God but it is also built by mens hands (Heb 9:11) and is quite practical or even ordinary (though majestic). 
    v31-37.  The main separations at the entrance and at the most holy place are described here as curtains made of blue and purple and scarlet yarns with fine twined linens.  The same design and appearance of the main veil separating the holy from the Most Holy place is copied at the entrance to the tent itself indicating these two primary separations where God is stipulating his holiness there will be requirements for coming closer into his presence at these places.  This same style curtain will also be at the gate of the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle in the next chapter.  The first is called a curtain and the second two are called screens. 

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    In general I take this whole chapter to be an establishing of how God will dwell with his people during this age before Christ comes to serve as Emmanuel (God with us).  The Lord lays out specific instructions and there will be much yet to come with regard to the rites and practices in this tabernacle that will become an important feature of the Israelite history and tradition as they walk according to the statutes of God.  Great care and detail goes into this place where God dwells and there is a sense of holiness and separation from the world that hates God and does not acknowledge or honor God (Rom 1:21, 8:7).  So the implication for today is that since each individual member of the church is part of the body of Christ and bears the indwelling Spirit of God, there is to be a holiness about us as his tabernacle on earth (1 Pet 2:5, 1:16; Eph 1:4, 5:27).  The significance for my life is that I ought to be a visible place where people can meet God.  I ought to be like this tabernacle to the people around me who are outside of the family of God.  I ought to open the curtain and give a view of God to those around me who do not know him.  My life should be about this mission.  The tabernacle is built for only one purpose…that God may dwell in the midst of his people and reveal himself to them. 

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable to me because I can easily see my body and my life as just my own.  I can see here that I am more than that and I am a representation of God among his people.  I , as a member of the body of Christ, am the only message that the people around me are going to know.  How I live and what people know of me will be what they know of God and his people.

Reflecting on the message:
I need to consider the message that my life is to those around me and whether I am using the tabernacle for ill purposes or for God’s mission on earth.

Questions to ask:

1. Do I have a curtain at the gate or do I let anything and everything into the courtyard of the tabernacle?
2. Is God honored in my body?
3. Is there a place deep within me that holds onto the statutes and revelation of God and seeks to hallow his name?
4. At my core do I rely on the mercy of God (mercy seat) as my only hope and merit before a holy and righteous God (testimony within the ark)?

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

John 5

Ready:
The previous chapter Jesus spoke of true worship and he spoke of giving living water and he told us that salvation is from the Jews.  He declared himself to be the Messiah and he began to heal.

Seeing what’s there:
In this chapter Jesus picks an invalid out of a crowd of them and chooses to heal him on the sabbath.  There is a dispute over the man’s actions and then Jesus’ actions in regard to the Sabbath and Jesus chooses to tackle the objection not by correcting an interpretation of the law but by placing himself over the law and establishing that he, just like the Father, do not stop working on the Sabbath.  Jesus simultaneously equates himself with the Father and then explains his subjection to the Father in subordinate reliance.  Jesus sets himself up as the very revelation of God and indicates that to reject him is to indeed reject the Father and leads into a devastating condemnation of the Jews in that they have ignored the truth of the scriptures and they do not believe Moses and they reject God the Father…all by rejecting Jesus.  Jesus further establishes that he himself bears the role of judge and of life giver and that he grants life to whom he will and his life comes to dead men by the power of his word.

Key Verses:
John 5:3, 6, 8-9, 10-11, 16-18, 19, 21-22, 24, 25, 28-29, 30, 39-40, 44-45, 45

Theme:
Jesus has all the authority of God to heal and grant life to whom he will in perfect harmony with the will of the Father and he does so to the glory of God.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-18.  A few things happen in this passage that are important.  First Jesus chooses from among the invalids whom he will heal and this correlates to the later verse John 5:21.  Jesus establishes with the man that he perceives his need for healing.  This correlates to John 5:39-40 in that it must be understood that the law teaches our need for a savior and that failure to recognize this need for healing is a denial of life.  Next Jesus makes it clear that there can be a tie between specific sin and illness or suffering in life.  Though Jesus elsewhere makes clear argument that this is not always the case (John 9:2-3), here he assumes that it is in the case of this man by his direct admonishment to quit sinning so that nothing worse will happen to him (possibly referring to judgement in eternity).  Next Jesus answers the objection of the Jews in the temple who accused him of “doing these things on the Sabbath”.  There may be more than just this healing in mind here but Jesus does not choose to correct their perception of the law here.  Rather, he declares the that he works at all times for the same reason that God the Father never ceases to work.  This was understood in the Jewish tradition that God sustains the universe and works hi mighty will on Sabbath days like any other days or else we were doomed.  Thus Jesus is contesting that he too works always.  This statement clearly put himself on par with God and was an outrage to the Jews, as made clear by the narrator.  There response was to desire to kill him.
    v19-29.  Jesus makes a few points in this passage about himself and his relationship to the Father.  What he establishes is an equality and union with the Father within which he has all authority but he also willingly subjects himself to the Father in a subordinate role or function in order to serve the glory and pleasure of his Father, whom he dearly loves.  Jesus declares that all that he says and does is in perfect harmony with the Father and that they never function in counter purposes or intentions.  This unity of purpose and action speaks volumes to the doctrine of definite atonement, which states that Jesus came to die for the church (believers) and not for those who ultimately remain under the wrath of God.  For Jesus to pay penalty for those whom the Father does not intend to save (the elect who are predestined according to Rom 8:29-30, 8:33, 9:11, 23-24, 11:17; Mark 13:27) would violate what Jesus describes here in this passage.  Presuming that the sins of those condemned to hell were paid for on the cross is to say that there is some opposing purposes or confused fulfillment within the trinity.  Jesus died for his bride only (who is among all the peoples of the world- Rev 7:9).  Those who do not receive new birth and faith in the Son remain under the wrath of God because it was indeed not absorbed by Jesus on the cross (John 3:36).  Specific wrath absorbed by the Son in someone’s place could surely not remain to be poured upon that person for all eternity.  Jesus declares that he gives life to the dead, whom he chooses, and they hear his voice and they live (Rom 4:17; John 10:3-4, 3:7-8; Rom 8:11; Col 2:13-14; Eph 2:4-5).  Jesus makes clear that those who have done good are resurrected unto life and evil are resurrected unto judgement (Rom 2:6-10)
    v30-47.  This section repeats some of the theme of unity with a focus on the testimony of Jesus not being in discord with the OT testimony through Moses but actually in fulfillment of it.  Jesus did not come to rebel against the Father and present a new message but he came to die for his bride just as they should have been expecting.  Jesus makes it plain that he is not arriving and testifying for himself anew but the whole of the OT has been testifying to him, concluding with John the Baptist.  Jesus is here to accomplish what was prophesied of the Messiah.  In verse 39 he gives a prelude to his sermon on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:27).  The Pharisees seek recognition and glory from one another while the Lord expects us to seek his glory alone (Psalm 105:3; 1 Thess 2:6; Rom 2:7-8).  Christianity is not new and not a replacement of Judaism, but the fulfillment of it (Matt 5:17).  Jesus indicts the Jews with the clear statement that if they believed Moses, then they would receive Jesus.  Certainly there are some elect Jews who did receive Jesus…like the one who authored this gospel we are reading.

Soli Deo Gloria!

March 13

Exodus 24; John 3

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 48: WHAT IS THE SUM OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS?
Answer: The sum of the Ten Commandments is to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Scripture: Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:28-33.

John 3

Ready:
The previous chapter included the wedding at Cana where Jesus performed his first sign in causing the water to become wine.  It also included the early account of the cleansing of the temple (there is debate over whether this was the first of two instances in Jesus’ ministry or if this is simply way out of place chronologically).

Seeing what’s there:
This chapter contains the only record of the giant conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus regarding the new birth.  He first presents the unqualified need for new birth.  He then expounds on the reason this should be plainly understood as a necessary thing and he explains some things about this new birth and it’s qualities and it’s result.  John the baptist speaks of Jesus’ ministry eclipsing his own rightly and necessarily.    

Key Verses:
John 3:3, 5, 14-15, 16, 17, 30, 33, 35-36

Theme:
The Spirit of God who blows where he chooses must grant a new birth, a spiritual birth by the will of God, so that we will be enlightened and believe and call on the name of Jesus unto salvation.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-15.  Jesus hits this pharisee with a shocker by indicating that there can be no entering into the kingdom of God without regeneration (another birth or spiritual birth).  Jesus makes it clear that this should not be news to him and that the scriptures speak plainly of the Spirit of God granting this new birth and that it alone is the cause of true obedience (Eph 1:17-18; 2:5; Ezek 36:26-27; Rom 2:29).  It becomes plain that Nicodemus had not understood the scriptures in this manner.  He had not understood the degree of change that must happen within the human heart.  Jesus clarifies that one their own, without this new birth, nobody can hope to ascend to God (by their efforts at obedience to the law) but only Jesus is able to ascend to God on his own merit.  Therefore, it is required (if we are to be saved) that Jesus be lifted up as a sacrifice so we may look upon his work and trust that what he has accomplished has secured our right standing with God apart from anything in ourselves.  Jesus compares the type of simple trust to the account of the Jews looking to the bronze serpent in the wilderness to survive the poisonous snakes (Num 21:8-9).
    v16-21.  Here it seems that the narrator (but maybe Jesus) give further account as to the reason that the Son of Man would perform this saving work.  He does not come and die to condemn that world.  Not believing in Jesus and his work is not the condemnation that brings the wrath of God, but it is the thing that must remove it (John 3:36).  So without Jesus we stand condemned already.  We do not merely become condemned when or if we do not believe in Jesus…the condemnation is what we were born with.  We are born wicked and hating the light as enemies of God (Rom 5:10; Eph 2:1-4) and it is by new birth that we come to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus (2 Cor 4:6) such that our coming to the light is the work of God (John 3:21).  So there is a need for a complete rebirth that is foreign at this time to Nicodemus.
    v22-36.  So there are two groups baptizing before the time John was arrested.  This detail helps us know that this whole description of the ministry of Jesus and the calling of Andrew and Peter and Nathaniel and Philip predates any of what it documented in the synoptic gospels, which all talk of the ministry of Jesus after the arrest of John the Baptist (Mark 1:14; Matt 4:12-13).  This means there was some period of time between the very first calling of the disciples and the arrest of John and the apparent falling away of Peter and Andrew back into their profession such that Jesus came to them and called them out again as I noted in earlier comments another day.  This text makes it sound like Jesus might be baptizing with water, but John 4:2 clarifies that it was only his disciples baptizing.  Remember that Jesus will baptize with the Spirit as the real deal and not a sign or a symbol, like water baptism is (John 1:33).  There is a beautiful transition here from the Baptist to the Baptism.  From John to Jesus.  From the voice in the wilderness to the bronze serpent in the wilderness.  From the preparation to the consummation.  From the warning of danger to the deliverance from it.  From the sign to the substance.  The Baptist declares that Jesus must increase and he must decrease!  Then the narrator seems to take over at verse 31 and speaks of receiving the testimony of Jesus and that without this there is no eternal life.  So receiving his testimony and new birth are both required and we have discussed the new birth being required in order to come into belief.  Verse 36 shows a link between faith and action.  The one who believes obeys and the one who obeys is the one who believes.  We cannot see the believing but we can see some of the obeying.  Obedience does not save but it does show up if indeed we are saved (1 John 2:4). 

Soli Deo Gloria!

March 12

Exodus 23; John 2

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 47: WHERE IS THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH GIVEN IN
SUMMARY FORM?
Answer: A summary form of the obedience of faith is given in the Ten Commandments.
Scripture: Hebrews 3:18-19; 4:2; Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 10:4; Romans 9:32.

Exodus 23
Later maybe...focused on catching up with John 1...by the way, I am adding many of the passages that I skipped a day or two later after the fact so not all of what I skipped along the way is still missing.

John 2
Later hopefully...

Soli Deo Gloria!

March 11

Exodus 22; John 1

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 46: WHAT DID GOD AT FIRST REVEAL TO MAN FOR THE RULE
OF HIS OBEDIENCE?
Answer: The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedi- ence was the moral law.
Scripture: Rom. 2:14; 15; 5:13, 14.

Exodus 22

Ready:
In the previous chapter Moses received statutes regarding social issues of respecting slaves and not harming one another and not stealing from one another and other social regulations including restitution for injuries caused by animals.  The repeating pattern of the chapter was “when a man…” or “Whoever…”.

Seeing what’s there:
This entire chapter is a listing of regulations about restitution and social justice.  The repeating pattern of this chapter is “If a man…” that changes to “you shall…” about midway through.

Key Verses:
Exodus 22:20, 21-22, 25

Theme:
The main idea seems to be that one person shall not cause harm to another without making restitution and none are to be abused or mistreated and some crimes are punishable by death.

Thinking about the message:
There is a protection for all but especially for the helpless as seen in the regulations about widows and orphans and the poor.  In the middle of the chapter the series of laws seems to change a bit when it switches to the “you shall…” format.  It immediately goes into four capital crimes (punishable by death).  Sorcery, beastiality, sacrifice to another god, and mistreating of widows or the fatherless.  The chapter ends with a regulation about maintaining cleanness as a people set apart for the Lord.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
Though we know that we are sojourners here in the world and our home is in the New Jerusalem, it seems clear that God is concerned with how we relate to one another.  There is a strong message of caring for others and for not abusing anyone or taking advantage of them.  There is  a sense of justice to be observed and this teaches us about the character of God.  The Lord expects the strong to not harm the weak, but to care for them.

Valuing the message:
I value this message because it is a revelation about God and about his view of human relationships and justice.  The Lord God omnipotent is the holy standard of the universe and he is here revealing his expectations of mankind. 

Reflecting on the message:
I need to consider how I deal with others and with their property and how I respect authority.

Questions to ask:

1. Do I ever take advantage of anyone that I have some sort of power over?
2. Do I take care to treat everyone with dignity and respect and do I look out for the belongings of others?
3. Do I respect the authorities over me and so honor God?

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

John 1

Ready:
Introduction to John

This, the fourth gospel, was written after the others and possibly in view of the others (the synoptics) by John, the son of Zebedee, an Apostle.  Most likely written in Ephasus around AD 75-80.  John was a Jewish “convert” to Christianity (phrase is difficult because Christianity is not separate from but is the fulfillment of Judaism) and he wrote evangelistically to convince Jews and Gentiles alike that the Christ, the Messiah, the redeemer of Israel, the incarnate Son of God was Jesus of Nazareth (John 20:30-31).  He refers to himself usually as the disciple whom Jesus loved.  His purpose was to get people saved by compelling them to believe in the identity and trust in the words and the work of Jesus.  John also wrote three epistles (1, 2, and 3 John) and the Revelation.  Worth noting is the fact that John had access to most of the NT epistles when he wrote his gospel and this can lend to his more plainly interpretive writing than we see in the synoptics.

What I observe to be quite different about John’s gospel account is that John does far more than give an account of the life of Jesus.  John sets out to teach his reader theology.  Specifically he sets out with discourse and narration far in excess of the other writers that evidences the idea of an omniscient narrator.  John also jumps straight into revelation of the true identity of Jesus rather than following the actual rabbit trail of increasing understanding among the disciples that the synoptics present and he therefore offers the most criticism of the disciples misunderstandings.  His perspective is more heavenly and looks to clearly portray the deity of Jesus from the outset.  John leaves out much of what the synoptics include, like the narrative parables of Jesus, the transfiguration and the ascension, but he includes others, like the resurrection of Lazarus and the Nicodemus dialogue.  John uses techniques like contrasts, corrections of statements for spiritual application, and presentation of triple statements that are distinctive to his writing.  In the first part of his book he focuses on seven signs that Jesus performs as evidence of his deity and the second part is focused on the passion or glory of Jesus in his suffering, death, and resurrection.  

The following themes are suggested in the ESVSB:

1.    Jesus is God.

2.    Jesus existed before the creation of the world.

3.    Jesus has supernatural knowledge.

4.    Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God.

5.    Jesus is the “I am.”

6.    Jesus, the sent Son, reflects the sender.

7.    Jesus is the fulfillment of Jewish festivals and institutions (including the temple).

8.    Jesus is the giver of eternal life.

9.    The signs of Jesus show that he is the Messiah (cf. also Jesus as the Messiah and Son of         God, above).

10.    The witnesses to Jesus testify that he is the Messiah.

11.    Father, Son, and Spirit are united in their work of revelation and redemption.

12.    Jesus’ death is the basis of salvation.

13.    God is sovereign in salvation.

14.    Salvation is obtained through believing in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God.

15.    Believers can experience the benefits of salvation already in the here and now, during         this present evil age.

16.    Believers are called to continue Jesus’ mission (cf. also Jesus as the sent Son, above).


Sources include the ESVSB and An Introduction to the New Testament by D.A. Carson and Douglas Moo.

Seeing what’s there:
John opens his gospel with a prologue that lays out his message as a revelation from God that he has sent his only Son to enlighten the world and to save those who receive him.  He announces a deception in the world that Jesus conquers by grace and he comes contrasted to the law as one full of grace and truth.  Jesus is presented as the one who made all things that exist and who existed from all eternity.  He describes the spiritual family of God (by spiritual birth) as those with faith in Jesus.  This family is contrasted to the chosen people of God (by natural birth) who reject him.  Moving past the prologue, he gives testimony from John the Baptist and refers to the baptism of Jesus.  He documents the earliest call of the disciples that seems to pre-date the earliest mentioned in Matthew.  Confessions of the identity of Jesus seem misplaced and early by comparison with the other gospels but John’s perspective seems to be to point out the truth in the words used despite the misunderstanding of the meaning by the speaker.  So I mean that they used words like Messiah but since they did not understand it the way the term should have been used then the other writers did not include such confessions that were not actually saying what we might think.  It was not until Caesarea Philippi where Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God where there seems a significant shift in their understanding (Matt 16:15-17).  So John likes to use the actual words in a manner of showing that they said the truth without knowing the truth in the same way as say, Caiaphas did (John 11:49-51).  So another way of saying it is that the other gospel authors left out these early confessions because they knew that they were not true confessions of his actual identity…yet, but more of a parroting of what John the Baptist was announcing.

Key Verses:
John 1:1-3, 4-5, 12-13, 14, 16-17, 23, 33-34, 36-37, 41-42, 50

Theme:
He who made the world has come into it in order to make those who were not his children by nature to be his children by faith.  The final prophet to announce his coming will fade and the magnitude of the God-man being in the world will now begin to be seen.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-2.  Here John makes clear that God is one, but that there is a critical relational aspect to him that offers a sense of community within the one God.  The Word is simultaneously God and yet, is “with” God.  And this was the case from the beginning, which there wasn’t a beginning and so this is for our understanding and not for a statement to indicate that there was a time when God was not, nor when the Word was not.  Also here is the introduction of the purpose of his gospel, which I agree with D.A. Carson is more to define who the Son of God is than to simply announce that Jesus is the Son of God.  So here we meet the Word, but the burning question will become, “who is the Word?”, which is precisely the distinction I just outlined above.  John does not use the greek word for “word” here but the greek word is logos and this means essentially revelation or message.  Some argue that the Son is the manifestation of God’s view of himself and the message of himself that he enjoys in actual form of a distinct person.  God’s revelation of himself was with him from the beginning.  The Word is the expression of God’s identity (Col 1:15-16).
    v3.  The “him” here is the Word and John is ascribing to the Word, the act of creation of all things, though we understand that Jesus obeys the will of the Father and therefore serves this will in the creation of all things.  Now the term “Word” is made out to be a person and not merely the expression of God’s identity in an abstract sense.  Here in this text you can imagine the conversation referred to in Gen 1:26 where the Father and the Word determine between them that they will take up the creation of man.  We read about God speaking things into being and yet here the Word made all things and so there is a connection between the Father speaking and the Word accomplishing.  This is a wonderful picture of scripture and of Jesus (Is 55:11) who both go forth and fulfill (or perform) the will of the Father.  Jesus does this in person (as the Word) and the Holy Spirit does this in us and through us.
    v4-5.  All life came from the Word (the expression of God’s identity) but more than that the life of Jesus is the very light of enlightenment for mankind.  Looking at the ESV cross-references (John 8:12, 9:5, 12:46) reveal what is meant here by light.  This light of enlightenment overcomes the darkness, such as the darkness in my heart and my understanding (Eph 1:17-18; 2 Cor 4:6).  So there is a contrast John presents here that I take as setting the Word against falsehood.  The lies of the enemy and the plans of the enemy cannot and do not and will not overcome the Word (Col 2:13-15).
    v6-8.  John the Baptist came that people might believe in the identity and work of Jesus through John (John 1:36-37; Luke 2:76-79).  That is to say through the testimony and witness John gave and the preparation in their hearts accomplished through John’s motivating them to examine themselves and their need for such a savior (Matthew 3:2, 11).  John pointed out sin and the need for a redeemer to save them from these sins.
    v9-13.  The way the the true light gives light is not in a universal manner because we see that the world not only did not know him but his own people yet did not receive him, who is the giver of enlightenment.  So there is something that hinders the enlightenment alluded to here, but at the same time the darkness does not overcome it.  There is a tension here that needs to be resolved.  Verses 12-13 introduce something that corrects the darkness that held the world to be without knowledge of the light.  There is something there that makes it so that some do receive him.  Here is the structure I see:  Some receive him and this is special.  Receiving him is clarified to mean to believe in his name (his identity etc.).  These people (the ones who receive him or believe him) are given the right (like a birth right) to become children of God.  But so far there is no answer as to what makes these people different.  Why do they believe and others do not?  Verse 13 presents the answer.  The ones who are born not of the blood or of the will of the flesh (sin nature that we are all born with naturally) nor of the will of man (perhaps a more simple reference to the will to engage in intercourse that results in birth of life), but of God.  So the one who is born or God, surely tied to John 3:5 where the new birth is by water and Spirit (of God), is the one who comes to believe.  This action of God explains how some persons would see and receive the light while others do not…because it is not about their will, since all have an enslaved will that prefers sins and self over God (Rom 6:6), but it is about the will of God (Rom 9:15-16, 18).  This also relates to Phil 2:12-13 and So the unstoppable light that the darkness cannot overcome is naturally resisted by all mankind and it is those whom God grants new birth that come to believe and this is the victory of the light over darkness.  I take this to be a statement that new birth precedes faith, although others may disagree that this text necessarily supports that.  Certainly the next question is “who is it that God determines to give this new life that they would believe?”…
    v14-18.  This is the full revelation that the Word, the life, the light the Son of God, is Jesus.  John ties the revelation of the Word becoming flesh to John the Baptist’s reference to the person of Jesus and then he himself makes the same tie as he compares the revelation of the law with the revelation of grace and truth in Jesus.  So there is no doubt that John espouses Jesus to be the Son of God that is in this prologue referred to as the Word.  John tells us the the glory of Jesus is an expression of the glory of the Father and it is full of grace and truth.  I take the most glorious aspect of our great God to be his grace (Eph 1:6-10).  Grace of course taken here as the favor of God placed upon individuals with zero reference to any merit or demerit in them, which is consistent with the birth not being man’s will, but God’s.  In verse 16 John says that we receive grace upon grace from the fullness that is in Christ.  I take this to be receiving the grace of God the Father by the grace of Jesus (Rom 5:15), who is the fullness of God in human flesh (Col 1:19).  All humans receive the grace of God in measure (Psalm 145:9; Matt 5:45) but the abundance (fullness of grace) is reserved for those who believe upon Jesus (Rom 5:17; 1 Tim 4:10).  Verse 17 contrasts Jesus with the law.  The law was given with an understanding that he who obeys it will live (Deut 30:16; Rom 10:5) and this sets up an understanding that there is a righteousness that can merit God’s approval.  The problem is that we failed at this before the law was ever given and the purpose of the law then was only to point this out and not to make us chase the meriting of God’s favor (Rom 9:31-32).  Jesus came to fulfill the law and to bring the grace of God that is his unmerited favor…the very thing the law was to help us know that we needed!  The law gave knowledge and truth (Rom 2:20- the awareness of our sin) but Jesus brings grace and truth (the power to be made right with God) add the fulfillment of the law (Rom 10:4).
    v19-34.  This summary of the ministry and testimony of John the Baptist interestingly leaves out his message “repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand”.  The focus is on his opinion of Jesus here and the hand-off of the ministry from the one who baptizes with water as a representation of reality to the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit as the substance of reality.  John the Baptist here denies that he is Elijah and so the words Jesus uses in Matt 11:14 are important.  Jesus does not say that John is Elijah, but he says “if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah…”.  This introduces the interpretation that the Baptist fulfilled some prophecy about Elijah returning by way of doing the ministry of Elijah (Luke 1:17; Matt 17:10-12), but not by being Elijah reincarnate.
    v35-42.  John skips any mention of Jesus going into the desert and being tempted at the beginning of his ministry perhaps because John is light on the human presentation of Jesus as he is making effort to point out his deity rather than focus on his human nature.  Here, where Andrew and another leave the Baptist, is the purpose and culmination of the ministry of John the Baptist…that they would recognize and follow Jesus.  John was transitional and he knew it.  His message was not about him (John 3:30), unlike Jesus’ message (John 6:35, 7:38, 11:25, 12:46, 14:6).  Interestingly here Andrew and Peter become disciples of Jesus very early and yet seem to return to their previous professions later and need to be pulled back in by Jesus as prodigals (Luke 5:1-11).  This parallels my life in how I was stuck on career just as these two left Jesus to go back to their "other life".  Do we try to follow Jesus while hanging onto our goals and ambitions or are we fully surrendered to whatever purpose he has for us?
    v43-51.  Here Jesus calls two more disciples and he seems to have a bit of fun with Nathaniel and he is amused by Nathaniel’s amazement over something as trivial as knowing where he was.  Jesus is about to blow the lid off of the world and Nathaniel is enamored by a little omniscience.  Jesus will reveal much and they are seeing only the beginning.  Jesus concludes this dialogue with a reference that sounds like Jacob’s ladder in Genesis 28:12-15.  In the Genesis passage the voice of God shows him the revelation of the angels ascending and descending the ladder with the statement “…I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” and I take this reference Jesus makes to be related.  The Son of Man is the one whom will fulfill the promises of God! There is much to be seen…forget about the fig tree already :)

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
     I take John’s theologically packed prologue in this chapter to be an announcement to the reader that he intends to demonstrate what the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ teaches us about God and salvation.  It seems that God has determined to send his Son in order to enlighten men and turn the world upside down by exposing the lies and deceptions that we are living with so that we can have the knowledge of God and receive the fullness of grace in Christ.  John will be more than a historian or a narrator but he will be our divinely inspired teacher.

Valuing the message:
I value this general message because there is great joy to be had in theological understanding.  The better I understand God the more excited I am about him and his work and his identity.  The more I understand about God the more I am able to think less of me and more of him.  I value the idea that my understanding must be in accord with the truth if it will be effective at moving me properly to saving faith (Rom 10:1-2).

Reflecting on the message:
I need to take account of my thoughts and reactions to the big ideas presented in John’s first chapter and determine if I will be open to looking hard at the theology that John presents.  I need to wrestle with God over my emotional reaction to theological truth and pray that he would open my eyes and grant me zeal and passion according to truth and that I might have greater affections for Jesus as I better understand what he came to accomplish and how.

Questions to ask:

1. Do I read the gospels looking for theological understanding or just for practical life application?
2. Do I think on what is written in a manner that I try to feel the impact or do I just look for a takeaway?   

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions.  Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

Soli Deo Gloria!