trying to find His way
“My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” (John 5:16) Does Jesus say this because He is fully divine, equal in substance to God?Or does He say this because He is fully human, claiming to be God’s Son?Adam and Eve before sin could call God their Father because…
“Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” (John 5:14) Jesus’s command to ‘stop sinning’ is not a general statement said to everyone.As a general statement, it is not really helpful.Jesus is speaking specifically to something He has discerned for this man.There was something unloving and cruel that needed to be rebuked.Sin is the opposite…
“Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6) When Jesus heals people, He deals with each one uniquely.He seems to discern the inner spirit or need of each person.For this man He asks about how much he WANTS to get well.For some people, this is a critical issue, a barrier to their getting well.Is there a…
“So (this royal official) and his whole household believed.” (John 4:53) This man works for King Herod Antipas (literally ‘belonging to the king’).He knew Herod’s authority, how his word made things happen.He also knew about Herod’s character, that he was not a great man.This Herod, who divorced his wife to marry his sister-in-law, who beheaded John.This…
“Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.” (John 4:44) While in Nazareth (in Galilee), Jesus says “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.” (Luke 4:24)John refers to these words when writing about Jesus going to Galilee.And yet John adds, “when he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him.” (John 4:45)There…
“We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know…”
“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34) There have been times I was so immersed in a task that I forgot to eat.I wasn’t hungry in the moment because the work itself was feeding me.Jesus finds deep satisfaction in representing the God of grace.He…
“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23) The Samaritans were half-breed Jews, a mixture of Canaanite and Jewish beliefs.This woman asks Jesus about a Samaritan vs Jewish worship question.Historically, the temple in Jerusalem is where God directed the Jews to worship.So technically, the Jews are right… and…
“The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.” (John 4:18). How did Jesus know the specifics of this woman’s marital journey?I don’t believe that Jesus knew things because He was divine.Jesus emptied Himself of divine ability and knowledge (Philippians 2:6-7).The miracles He performed were done with God’s…
“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10) Jesus suggests that this woman does not know the gift (grace) of God.He later says that the Samaritans “worship what you do not know”…