Hello everyone.
Today, I am sharing the story of Joseph of Arimathea. It is told a little bit in each of the Gospels. Matthew 27:57 tells us that Joseph was wealthy. Mark 15:43 tells us that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, was waiting for the kingdom of God and that he went boldly to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus. Luke 23:50-51 tells us that while he was a member of the Jewish ruling council, he had not consented to their actions. It is what John says, however, that gives us the full picture. John 19:38-42 also tells about the wealthy member of the Jewish ruling council who boldly approached Pilate in order to bury the body of Jesus. John adds that Joseph was "a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews." Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but to this point he had kept it a secret. His secret was motivated by fear. Today, Joseph would certainly be considered on the fringe of the fellowship at best, yet Joseph steps up big time in an hour of need and God uses him to accomplish his will. He, along with Nicodemus, buried Jesus in Joseph's own tomb.
It's funny to me, that at a time when Jesus' closest associates (the apostles) were in hiding, and it appears that Jesus had lost his battle with the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, that this is the moment when Joseph steps forward and makes his association with Jesus public. He had not had the faith to overcome his fear during Jesus' public ministry. He had summoned some courage during Jesus' trial and had not consented to what the Council was doing, but after Jesus was dead, when all seemed lost, he boldly goes to Pilate for the body of Jesus. His discipleship is no secret now. But now, with Jesus dead, it would seem that he had nothing to gain by stepping forward. It is difficult to say what motivated Joseph to come forward at this point. Perhaps seeing Jesus on trial had bolstered his faith or created such a deep love for Jesus that fear didn't matter anymore. Perhaps God had set Joseph aside for this special purpose, knowing that he had the financial means and the influence to get it done. The best I can do is speculate as to the turning point and the motivation for Joseph stepping out like he did at a time when all seemed lost.
OK, so what does this mean? To me, it means that we just never know who God has set aside for a specific purpose or plan, or who has the heart to step in at the right moment. Even those that are seemingly the weakest among us may be the one that God has chosen to do something amazing.
Tom
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Friday, August 8, 2014
When Jesus is Lifted Up
Hey everybody.
Today, I am looking at a story in John 12:20-33. Some Greeks have come to Philip because they want an audience with Jesus. Philip, along with Andrew, bring their request to Jesus. In response, Jesus says a number of things that likely went over the heads of his audience both Jew and Greek alike.
Jesus talked about how the time has come for Him to be glorified and how kernels of wheat must fall to ground and die in order to produce more wheat. He talks about how you must hate your life in this world in order to save it, and how God the Father will honor the one that serves Jesus. Then He talks about how His soul is troubled, but that he cannot ask God to save him from his upcoming trouble, because that was the very reason he came. He ends this short discourse by declaring to His Father, that God glorifies his own name. Then something incredibly cool happens.
A voice comes from heaven and says, " I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." The crowd seemed a little confused by what happened. Some said it was an angel, others said it was thunder, but no matter what they perceived it must have been something amazing to behold. Jesus tells his audience that the voice from heaven was for their benefit, not his, because judgment was coming upon the world, and the prince of the world would be driven out. I suspect that Jesus says that the voice they heard was for their benefit so that they might believe and therefore be saved. One would think that witnessing something as incredible as a voice thundering from heaven would convince a few people that Jesus was legit.
Any way, I want to focus on what Jesus says next. "He says, "And I, when I am lifted up from the Earth, will draw all people to myself." John writes that Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death he would die, meaning obviously the Cross. This is one of three places in John where Jesus talks about being lifted up. The others are, John 3:14 and John 8:28. In John 3, in a conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus says, "so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." In John 8, Jesus in a dispute with a group of Jews, when he says, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me." So from these three verses we can see what happens when Jesus is lifted up:
Let's lift Him up.
Tom
Today, I am looking at a story in John 12:20-33. Some Greeks have come to Philip because they want an audience with Jesus. Philip, along with Andrew, bring their request to Jesus. In response, Jesus says a number of things that likely went over the heads of his audience both Jew and Greek alike.
Jesus talked about how the time has come for Him to be glorified and how kernels of wheat must fall to ground and die in order to produce more wheat. He talks about how you must hate your life in this world in order to save it, and how God the Father will honor the one that serves Jesus. Then He talks about how His soul is troubled, but that he cannot ask God to save him from his upcoming trouble, because that was the very reason he came. He ends this short discourse by declaring to His Father, that God glorifies his own name. Then something incredibly cool happens.
A voice comes from heaven and says, " I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." The crowd seemed a little confused by what happened. Some said it was an angel, others said it was thunder, but no matter what they perceived it must have been something amazing to behold. Jesus tells his audience that the voice from heaven was for their benefit, not his, because judgment was coming upon the world, and the prince of the world would be driven out. I suspect that Jesus says that the voice they heard was for their benefit so that they might believe and therefore be saved. One would think that witnessing something as incredible as a voice thundering from heaven would convince a few people that Jesus was legit.
Any way, I want to focus on what Jesus says next. "He says, "And I, when I am lifted up from the Earth, will draw all people to myself." John writes that Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death he would die, meaning obviously the Cross. This is one of three places in John where Jesus talks about being lifted up. The others are, John 3:14 and John 8:28. In John 3, in a conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus says, "so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." In John 8, Jesus in a dispute with a group of Jews, when he says, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me." So from these three verses we can see what happens when Jesus is lifted up:
- Everyone who believes may have eternal life.
- We can know that Jesus is from God.
- We can know that Jesus speaks only God's words.
- People will be drawn to Jesus.
Let's lift Him up.
Tom
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Jesus: The Life
Hey everyone.
This is the last of my entries on Jesus' "I Am" statements. When Jesus says, in John 14, that He is "the way, the truth and the life," he is saying that he is three different things. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. I saved this last part "I am the life" for last because I see it as a constant theme throughout these statements. Here is my evidence:
Tom
This is the last of my entries on Jesus' "I Am" statements. When Jesus says, in John 14, that He is "the way, the truth and the life," he is saying that he is three different things. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. I saved this last part "I am the life" for last because I see it as a constant theme throughout these statements. Here is my evidence:
- John 6:35 - "I am the Bread of Life." Jesus compares himself to the the bread from heaven (manna) that the Israelites ate in the wilderness and then died. He, however, is a bread from heaven that upon eating, leads to eternal Life.
- John 8:12 - "I am the Light of the world." Jesus' light is connected to Life in John 1:4, where its says, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of all mankind." His life gives our lives light.
- John 10 - Jesus makes two of his "I Am" statements. "I am the gate." "I am the good shepherd." In the middle of this passage is John 10:10 where Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the the full." Jesus is The Life and seeks to make our own lives great. In fact, as Jesus discusses the Good Shepherd, he talks about how he will lay down his own life for the sheep. His life for ours. A very good deal for us.
- John 11:25 - "I am the resurrection." Actually, He says, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." This is Jesus talking to Martha about her brother Lazarus, whom Jesus is about to raise from the dead. The connection between resurrection and life is somewhat obvious, resurrection meaning "to live again."
- John 15:1 - "I am the vine." When we are connected to the Vine, we have life. Disconnected from the Vine, we die. Also, as we are connected to the Vine, we are connected to each other. It makes out lives better.
Tom
Monday, July 28, 2014
Jesus: The Vine
Hey everyone.
I think I am just about recovered from a week as a camp counselor at our Teen Camp. It was a great camp this year. One of our best ever.
Any way, I wanted to talk a little bit more about Jesus and his "I am" statements. Today I want look at John 15:1-8 where Jesus says, "I am the vine." (v. 5) In verse 1 He also says, "I am the true vine," setting Jesus apart from any false vine. He goes on to say that his Father is the gardener who prunes the various branches of the vine so that they will be more fruitful. We, his followers are the branches, who get pruned, or cut back, by God, so that we can be made more fruitful. Imagine yourself as a plant. God gets out his pruning shears and cuts part of you off. Seems painful, but we understand that God runes (disciplines) us in order to make better.
When Jesus talks about being the Vine, he is really talking about remaining connected to him. Jesus presents two kinds of branches here, those that are connected to him and those that are not. Let's look at these two types of branches and do a little compare/contrast. The disconnected vine: can't bear fruit (v. 4), can do nothing (v. 5), gets thrown away, withers, gets thrown into the fire and burned (v.6). In other words, not remaining connected to Jesus leads for fruitlessness and spiritual death.
On the other hand, what do we gain by remaining connected to the Vine. The connected branch: bears fruit (v. 4, 5), God answers our prayers (v. 7), bears much fruit (v. 8), we show ourselves to be his disciples (v. 8). In other words, remaining connected to the Vine leads to fruitfulness, answered prayer and life. Also, I see that remaining connected to the Vine, keeps me connected to all the other branches. The connection that we have to each other is through Jesus Christ.
So then, it would seem that maintaining that connection to the vine should be a great priority in our lives. We accept God's pruning. We study our Bibles and pray to maintain that connection. We enjoy the benefits of the fellowship. It would seem that these these would be very important to us for two reasons. The benefits of this connection are great, and the outcomes of disconnection from the Vine are rather grim. So let us stay connected to Jesus the True Vine.
Tom
I think I am just about recovered from a week as a camp counselor at our Teen Camp. It was a great camp this year. One of our best ever.
Any way, I wanted to talk a little bit more about Jesus and his "I am" statements. Today I want look at John 15:1-8 where Jesus says, "I am the vine." (v. 5) In verse 1 He also says, "I am the true vine," setting Jesus apart from any false vine. He goes on to say that his Father is the gardener who prunes the various branches of the vine so that they will be more fruitful. We, his followers are the branches, who get pruned, or cut back, by God, so that we can be made more fruitful. Imagine yourself as a plant. God gets out his pruning shears and cuts part of you off. Seems painful, but we understand that God runes (disciplines) us in order to make better.
When Jesus talks about being the Vine, he is really talking about remaining connected to him. Jesus presents two kinds of branches here, those that are connected to him and those that are not. Let's look at these two types of branches and do a little compare/contrast. The disconnected vine: can't bear fruit (v. 4), can do nothing (v. 5), gets thrown away, withers, gets thrown into the fire and burned (v.6). In other words, not remaining connected to Jesus leads for fruitlessness and spiritual death.
On the other hand, what do we gain by remaining connected to the Vine. The connected branch: bears fruit (v. 4, 5), God answers our prayers (v. 7), bears much fruit (v. 8), we show ourselves to be his disciples (v. 8). In other words, remaining connected to the Vine leads to fruitfulness, answered prayer and life. Also, I see that remaining connected to the Vine, keeps me connected to all the other branches. The connection that we have to each other is through Jesus Christ.
So then, it would seem that maintaining that connection to the vine should be a great priority in our lives. We accept God's pruning. We study our Bibles and pray to maintain that connection. We enjoy the benefits of the fellowship. It would seem that these these would be very important to us for two reasons. The benefits of this connection are great, and the outcomes of disconnection from the Vine are rather grim. So let us stay connected to Jesus the True Vine.
Tom
Friday, July 4, 2014
Jesus: The Truth
Hey everyone and Happy Independence Day.
It has been a while since I have written anything. The end of a school year is incredibly busy for me, as I am a teacher and supervise two departments. But the school year finally ended last Friday, (about a week after everyone else.)
The last time I wrote about Jesus: The Way. In this statement in John 14:6, Jesus is calling himself three things. He is saying, "I am the Way. I am the the Truth. I am the Life." Today we will examine Jesus: The Truth. To be truthful, I really had a hard time answering the question, "What does it mean to me that Jesus is the Truth?" It just wasn't striking a cord with me. So you know what I did? I opened up the Bible to see what the Bible had to say about, and it turns that the Bible, particularly the book of John has a great deal to say about it. According to the NIV Complete Concordance, the word "truth" is used over 50 times in the book of John, and the word "true" is used another 12 times. Jesus uses the phrase, "I tell you the truth," around 25 times, just in John. It appears that truth is an important concept in John that I was completely missing. So I went back and re-examined a few things. Here are some things I picked up on:
Tom
It has been a while since I have written anything. The end of a school year is incredibly busy for me, as I am a teacher and supervise two departments. But the school year finally ended last Friday, (about a week after everyone else.)
The last time I wrote about Jesus: The Way. In this statement in John 14:6, Jesus is calling himself three things. He is saying, "I am the Way. I am the the Truth. I am the Life." Today we will examine Jesus: The Truth. To be truthful, I really had a hard time answering the question, "What does it mean to me that Jesus is the Truth?" It just wasn't striking a cord with me. So you know what I did? I opened up the Bible to see what the Bible had to say about, and it turns that the Bible, particularly the book of John has a great deal to say about it. According to the NIV Complete Concordance, the word "truth" is used over 50 times in the book of John, and the word "true" is used another 12 times. Jesus uses the phrase, "I tell you the truth," around 25 times, just in John. It appears that truth is an important concept in John that I was completely missing. So I went back and re-examined a few things. Here are some things I picked up on:
- John 1:14-17 - Jesus came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John goes on to say that the Law came from Moses, but grace and truth came from Jesus. Moses' law was good, but grace and truth is better. I have always been so wrapped up in the Jesus, who was full of grace here, that I have ignored the part about being full of truth. These two things (grace and truth) go hand-in-hand here.
- John 3:21 - Truth and light are connected. "But 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." Jesus is Truth and has no hidden agenda. Likewise his disciples live in such a way that people can see the truth of their lives.
- John 4:23-24 - Jesus is looking for those who will worship in the Spirit and in truth. Again both are important. Jesus is not looking for people who worship in spirit, yet do not hold onto the truth. Truth is an important part of our worship to God.
- John 7:18 - Truth is connected to seeking god's glory rather than our own.
- John 8:31 - Truth sets us free. Logic dictates that if Jesus is the Truth, and the Truth sets us free, then Jesus sets us free. (That Logic class I took in college has finally paid off.)
- John 8: 42-47 - Jesus represents truth, while his adversary, the devil, represents lies. Jesus is also the Life, and the devil has been a murderer since the beginning. (Jn 8:44) Truth is part of the sharp contrast between Jesus and Satan.
- John 15:26 and 16:13 - the Holy Spirit is a spirit of Truth. Important enough that Jesus said it twice. This is the Spirit we have inside of us as his disciples. According to 16:13 He will guide us into ALL truth.
- Finally, in John 18:37 when standing before Pilate, Jesus says that the reason he came was to testify to the truth. I would say that makes truth kind of important. Strangely, a cynical Pilate, responds, "What is truth?" and then walks away from the one person who could really answer that question.
Tom
Monday, May 26, 2014
Jesus: The Way
Happy Memorial Day everyone.
Today, I want to continue to look at Jesus' "I Am" statements. This time in John 14, where Jesus says, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Now, back at the end of John 13, Jesus has told the apostles that he is going somewhere but they cannot follow, but that they would follow later. Peter gets all hung up on the fact that Jesus is going somewhere and that he can't come with him now, but that is a story for a different day. Then Jesus tells them in John 14 that he is going to prepare a place for them and that they knew the way to get there.
Thomas chimes in with a question. In a Hughes' paraphrase, Thomas basically says, "Lord, we don't even know where you are going, how can we possibly know the way to get there?" It seems like a legitimate question. Jesus' answer is simple. "I am the way." Jesus is going to be in the presence of the Father, a place that they would be later, and Jesus is telling them that he is not pointing the way or leading the way to God. He IS the way to God. (In fact, He is God, John 1:1) After telling them that he is The Way, he tells them that "No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus is the one and only way to God. He then tells them that since they know Jesus, they also know God. Since they have seen Jesus, they have seen God. The point is made further when Philip says, "Show us the Father and that will be good enough for us." (14:8) Jesus responds, "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you all this time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." Philip had spent three years walking around with God on Earth without really understanding that. He was still asking to see God after spending three years with him. It is likely that many, if not all, of the apostles where thinking along the same lines as Philip, and not really understanding what they were seeing.
We all understand that later, all of these men, except Judas Iscariot, really do "see God." By Acts 2 they are changed men, boldly declaring Jesus to the people of Jerusalem, and they continue through the book of Acts and for the rest of their lives. But for now, how sad is it that they see Jesus for three years without really "seeing" or understanding God? In that light, is it possible that a person could be around the Church for several years without really seeing or understanding God? We all know that it's possible. (We all know some who are going through the motions, without really being close to God. In fact, that could have been said of me at a few times in my life.) So what can be done about it? If that describes you, then understand that Jesus is the Way, and start digging deeply into a study of Jesus and see what you can learn. Try to see Jesus in a new light. Discover things about his character that you have never known before. Believe me when I say that Jesus is a very deep well to draw from and none of us know it all. If you are "seeing" God, then help others. Be like John the Baptist and point the way to Jesus, because he is the way to God.
Today, I want to continue to look at Jesus' "I Am" statements. This time in John 14, where Jesus says, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Now, back at the end of John 13, Jesus has told the apostles that he is going somewhere but they cannot follow, but that they would follow later. Peter gets all hung up on the fact that Jesus is going somewhere and that he can't come with him now, but that is a story for a different day. Then Jesus tells them in John 14 that he is going to prepare a place for them and that they knew the way to get there.
Thomas chimes in with a question. In a Hughes' paraphrase, Thomas basically says, "Lord, we don't even know where you are going, how can we possibly know the way to get there?" It seems like a legitimate question. Jesus' answer is simple. "I am the way." Jesus is going to be in the presence of the Father, a place that they would be later, and Jesus is telling them that he is not pointing the way or leading the way to God. He IS the way to God. (In fact, He is God, John 1:1) After telling them that he is The Way, he tells them that "No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus is the one and only way to God. He then tells them that since they know Jesus, they also know God. Since they have seen Jesus, they have seen God. The point is made further when Philip says, "Show us the Father and that will be good enough for us." (14:8) Jesus responds, "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you all this time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." Philip had spent three years walking around with God on Earth without really understanding that. He was still asking to see God after spending three years with him. It is likely that many, if not all, of the apostles where thinking along the same lines as Philip, and not really understanding what they were seeing.
We all understand that later, all of these men, except Judas Iscariot, really do "see God." By Acts 2 they are changed men, boldly declaring Jesus to the people of Jerusalem, and they continue through the book of Acts and for the rest of their lives. But for now, how sad is it that they see Jesus for three years without really "seeing" or understanding God? In that light, is it possible that a person could be around the Church for several years without really seeing or understanding God? We all know that it's possible. (We all know some who are going through the motions, without really being close to God. In fact, that could have been said of me at a few times in my life.) So what can be done about it? If that describes you, then understand that Jesus is the Way, and start digging deeply into a study of Jesus and see what you can learn. Try to see Jesus in a new light. Discover things about his character that you have never known before. Believe me when I say that Jesus is a very deep well to draw from and none of us know it all. If you are "seeing" God, then help others. Be like John the Baptist and point the way to Jesus, because he is the way to God.
Monday, April 21, 2014
How much Faith is Faithful
Hey everyone.
I am on Spring Break this week, so I am going to try to write out some of the thoughts that I just haven't had the time to write recently. A couple of days ago I wrote about Jesus' statement, "I am the Resurrection." Today I want to take a look at that same conversation with Martha and the healing of Lazarus from a slightly different perspective.
Going back to John 11, Martha greets Jesus, by saying, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." It is clear at this point that Martha has a great deal of faith in Jesus. She is confident that Jesus could have and would have healed her ailing brother. She adds that even now God would give Jesus whatever he asked. As the conversation goes on, Jesus challenges Martha a little, to really believe in him. He says in verses 25 - 26, "The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die." He tells that those who live by their faith will really live and never die. The key, then, to a real life in Christ is our faith. The greater the Faith, the greater the Life.
Then he challenges her "Do you believe this?" Her response is good: "Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is come into the world." Martha has a pretty strong faith. But a little later on, we see where she reaches the limit of her faith. Now she had said earlier, that God would give Jesus whatever he asked. Perhaps there was some faint hope that Jesus could do something about her brother's condition, but when Jesus asked that the stone be moved away, Martha more practical side came through, and she quickly pointed out that Lazarus had been dead for four days and that at this point there would be a bad odor. Jesus challenges her again, in verse 40. He says, "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?" Then Jesus raised Lazarus, a man who been dead for four days, from the dead. Jesus has performed a great miracle and Martha and the others were allowed to witness the glory of God.
Understand this, I am not down on Martha at all, she was a woman of great faith. Jesus, however, was even greater than her great faith. He was able to do things that her imagination could only dare to think about. For us, no matter how great our faith may be, Jesus is greater than that. He can do far more than we could ever ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) Martha got to see the glory of God AND got her brother back.
The challenge is there, isn't it? Imagine your dreams, and imagine Jesus saying to you, "Do you believe I can do this?" Jesus wants all of us to witness the glory of God as well, and he can do it. Jesus is greater than whatever it is you just dreamed about.
May we see God's glory together.
Tom
I am on Spring Break this week, so I am going to try to write out some of the thoughts that I just haven't had the time to write recently. A couple of days ago I wrote about Jesus' statement, "I am the Resurrection." Today I want to take a look at that same conversation with Martha and the healing of Lazarus from a slightly different perspective.
Going back to John 11, Martha greets Jesus, by saying, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." It is clear at this point that Martha has a great deal of faith in Jesus. She is confident that Jesus could have and would have healed her ailing brother. She adds that even now God would give Jesus whatever he asked. As the conversation goes on, Jesus challenges Martha a little, to really believe in him. He says in verses 25 - 26, "The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die." He tells that those who live by their faith will really live and never die. The key, then, to a real life in Christ is our faith. The greater the Faith, the greater the Life.
Then he challenges her "Do you believe this?" Her response is good: "Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is come into the world." Martha has a pretty strong faith. But a little later on, we see where she reaches the limit of her faith. Now she had said earlier, that God would give Jesus whatever he asked. Perhaps there was some faint hope that Jesus could do something about her brother's condition, but when Jesus asked that the stone be moved away, Martha more practical side came through, and she quickly pointed out that Lazarus had been dead for four days and that at this point there would be a bad odor. Jesus challenges her again, in verse 40. He says, "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?" Then Jesus raised Lazarus, a man who been dead for four days, from the dead. Jesus has performed a great miracle and Martha and the others were allowed to witness the glory of God.
Understand this, I am not down on Martha at all, she was a woman of great faith. Jesus, however, was even greater than her great faith. He was able to do things that her imagination could only dare to think about. For us, no matter how great our faith may be, Jesus is greater than that. He can do far more than we could ever ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) Martha got to see the glory of God AND got her brother back.
The challenge is there, isn't it? Imagine your dreams, and imagine Jesus saying to you, "Do you believe I can do this?" Jesus wants all of us to witness the glory of God as well, and he can do it. Jesus is greater than whatever it is you just dreamed about.
May we see God's glory together.
Tom
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