Archive for the ‘Religion’ Category
The Good Shepherd
Posted on March, 10 at 2:00 pm | Filed Under Religion
John chapter 10 continues in the same theme that was started in chapter nine. What is the theme? Without Jesus we are blind to God’s ways and we’ve perverted what he’s given us.
Chapter nine ends with the shepherds of Israel being exposed as blind, and Jesus tells us in chapter ten how dangerous these false [...]
Silly Question
Posted on March, 4 at 12:42 pm | Filed Under Religion
Chapter 9 of the Gospel of John starts with the silliest question ever asked in the Bible. I wrote a post about the story last August. Here’s a link to it:
http://kentonsblog.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/blindness/
“I Am!”
Posted on March, 2 at 12:24 pm | Filed Under Religion
Jesus is still at the Feast of Tabernacles (John 8), and his discussion with the people at the temple is reaching its climax. Some were actually believing him, kind of. They were holding on to their right to pick and choose what they liked from what he said, and these half-believers are the ones whom [...]
“Who Are You?”
Posted on February, 25 at 11:30 am | Filed Under Religion
Every night during the annual Feast of Tabernacles large lamps were lit in the Court of Women at the Temple to celebrate the pillar of fire that illuminated the way for Israel in their journey out of Egypt to the Promised Land. (Ex.13:21)
It was probably during one of those evenings that Jesus stood up and [...]
Adultery
Posted on February, 18 at 10:12 am | Filed Under Religion
John chapter 8 begins with the familiar story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. But we can’t leave out some key players in the story, namely the teachers of the law and the Pharisees who brought the woman to Jesus.
Their goal was to finally expose Jesus as the lawbreaker that public perception held [...]
Thirsty Hearts
Posted on February, 13 at 9:23 am | Filed Under Religion
Concluding our study of John chapter 7, we find Jesus again calling people to make a decision concerning what they believed about him. He was bringing everyone to a fork in the road, not leaving any middle ground. He still does that today.
He had caused quite a stir for just showing up at the Feast [...]
Nothing False
Posted on February, 6 at 8:00 am | Filed Under Religion
Continuing our study of John 7, we find Jesus secretly going to Jerusalem.
Halfway into Jesus’ clandestine attendance at the Feast of Tabernacles, he goes to the temple and begins to teach those around him, and runs into the usual opposition.
They gave him the unending flak for his reputation of being a lawbreaker for healing people on [...]
Successful Ministry
Posted on February, 1 at 7:00 am | Filed Under Religion
At the end of the previous chapter, John 6, Jesus had offended all of his followers, and all had left him, except for the twelve. Now he’s staying up in his home area, because he’s a wanted man (in the Old West sense) in Judea. Today we would call that “washed up”.
So his brothers offered [...]
Food that Endures
Posted on January, 26 at 5:54 am | Filed Under Religion
John chapter 6 is one of those chapters that’s better studied as a whole rather than verse by verse. There’s an overlying theme that we’ll miss if we look at it too closely.
The story starts with Jesus feeding five thousand households with just a couple of sardines and five dinner rolls. Why had Jesus done [...]
Praise from Men
Posted on January, 21 at 4:54 am | Filed Under Religion
In the last section of John 5, we see Jesus continuing his defense of his claims about himself. Not that he needed to defend himself, but “that you may be saved” (v. 34).
We forget that first century Israel didn’t have the 1st Amendment, guaranteeing freedom of speech, and that Jesus was continually on the brink [...]
Blasphemy
Posted on January, 16 at 3:54 am | Filed Under Religion
Continuing in John 5, a crippled man has just been healed, and instead of giving Jesus a ticker tape parade they give him a hard time for healing the man on the Sabbath. And Jesus refuses to buckle under the system and lets it all fly concerning who he is.
Jesus says, “My Father is always [...]
Fallen Through the Cracks
Posted on January, 11 at 2:54 am | Filed Under Religion
Have you ever been in such a predicament that only a miracle could get you out? Here in John chapter five we see a man in such a state. He had been an invalid for thirty-eight long years. By the sound of things most of his friends and family had abandoned him, and FDR hadn’t [...]
Rightful Honor
Posted on January, 8 at 2:24 am | Filed Under Religion
We’re at the final segment of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John where we read a story that sounds contradictory. Jesus goes up to Galilee, his home territory, where he said that a “prophet has no honor in his own country”. But now they welcomed him, because they had seen the miracles he [...]
Harvest Time
Posted on January, 3 at 1:24 am | Filed Under Religion
We’re in John chapter four where Jesus has just had his conversation with a Samaritan woman at the village well, and now she’s in the village spreading the news of this Jewish rabbi who claims to be the Messiah.
Jesus’ disciples are returning with lunch, but Jesus is in no mood to eat. They urged him, [...]
Living Water
Posted on December, 28 at 12:12 am | Filed Under Religion
In chapter 4 of the Gospel of John, we read about Jesus’ conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well. The story is rich with spiritual lessons, but I will stick with what I’m getting from it today.
The obvious example of Jesus’ acceptance and love for a semi-pagan, adulterous woman here is amazing. His drinking [...]