trying to find His way
“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”…
“Whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:36) Jesus embodies the perfect life of love “from above”, the life we were made for.He is compassionate, patient, gracious, loving, faithful and forgiving.But what happens to those who reject this nature, who refuse this love?Not just those who don’t believe…
“The one who comes from above is above all.” (John 3:31) John describes Jesus as ‘from above’, not ‘from the earth’ like him, and all of us.John does not yet understand HOW Jesus is from God, but he is sure that Jesus is.Jesus is not only above John, He is above everyone and everything.Yet this greatness…
“He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30) When someone does better than us, it can make us critical or argumentative.When someone leaves our church for another church, we are critical or argumentative.For John, it doesn’t matter that Jesus is doing better, or people are going to Him.For John, all that matter is that…
“Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” (John 3:21) Not all people loved the darkness; many also came into the light (John 3:21).There is a link between the light of Jesus and the life of…
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17) These words remind me of God’s stance towards the world.God hates the evil that ruins the world, but God does not hate the world.The warnings about the world in the Bible are about…
“How then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? (John 3:12) It is the signs (miracles) that convinces Nicodemus that Jesus is from God.This is how God’s Spirit draws and helps people to see God’s heavenly goodness.Without this divine assistance, how else could people believe Jesus?In Numbers 21:4-9 something similar happens: God uses a sign…
“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3) The literal wording here is ‘born from above’.We need divine help to see and experience the kingdom of God.Nicodemus has just expressed confidence in Jesus, as sent from God.He seems to be sensing or seeing ‘the…