Matthew 8:18-22, 11:20-30

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Mt. 11:28-29) I thought of these verses on Wednesday evening as we had our “Way of the Cross” service at St. Andrew’s. One of the stations has Jesus taking up His cross. So I first thought of the verse where Jesus says “…take up your cross and follow Me.” (Mt. 16:24) And I knew that that cross would be heavy – very heavy for any of us to take it up, but not nearly as heavy as Jesus’ cross, on which he bore the sins of all people for all time. But I also thought of His yoke and our finding rest. That was a more consoling thought. So we’re somewhere in that mix between our cross and His yoke. Life has its ups and downs, its easy times and hard times. Taking up our cross is essentially inviting some challenging times in our lives, but we know that we are not carrying that cross alone. Jesus has already done the heavy lifting. We are there just to walk alongside, to love the Man who loved us so dearly. Let’s find His rest this Good Friday!

See also:

• July 2 (2019) / Matt. 8:18-22
• July 4 (2019) / Matt. 11:20-30

John 10:1-21

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. (v. 16) Earlier we read about the Syrophoenician woman who had asked Jesus to heal her daughter. (Matthew 15:21-28) At that time Jesus had replied to her, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (v. 24) However, Jesus relented based on her reply (the dogs eating the crumbs that fall from the table) and healed her daughter. Now we see Jesus actively speaking of other sheep that are not of this fold, presumably Gentiles who are not His own Israelite kin. We also saw Jesus earlier traveling through Samaria instead of taking the Jordan River road around Samaria. He had also traveled north as far as Tyre, Sidon, and Caesarea Philippi and gone east across the Sea of Galilee to other Gentile lands. So His first reply to the Syrophoenician woman seems to have been an “outlier” statement. And when He went to the cross, He no doubt died for us all – Jews and Gentiles alike. Each of us is one of those other sheep that are not of this fold. Rejoice!

See also: July 1 (2019) / John 10:1-21

John 9:24-41

The formerly blind man speaking to the Pharisees: “Whether He is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” (v. 25) The last half of that verse is a strong statement. Essentially the man is saying, “I may not know everything, but there is one thing that I do know…”. My first thought was that this statement belongs in our testimony to unbelievers. But frankly, that’s a cop-out! An unbeliever would just shrug his/her shoulders and walk away. But that statement really does belong in our hearts! We may have questions, we may have doubts, we may have fears, but ONE THING THAT WE DO KNOW…!!! We know Jesus.

See also:

• June 29 (2019) / John 9:24-34
• June 30 (2019) / John 9:35-41

John 9:1-23

…those who had seen him before as a beggar… (v.8b) Small point, maybe… This blind man was a beggar, not surprisingly in this 1^st-century world. But it struck me that his parents were still alive (vv. 18, ff.) – why were they not responsible for his upkeep? Maybe it depends on the man’s age. If the blind man were older (40’ish), then his parents would have been old and dependent on others for their own upkeep. The question becomes more confusing if the blind man were younger. Why was he not supported by his parents? Had they thrown him out? Or was a blind man consigned to be a beggar all his adult life? No great insights here – just wondering…

But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. (v. 16b) I noted this division among the Pharisees two years ago (see the second link below) but did not comment on those who were cited as the “others”. Clearly Jesus was turning heads (and hearts?) as He worked these signs and wonders. We already know about Nicodemus’ courage in his (gentle) opposition to the Pharisaic leadership (John 7:50-51). Now presumably there are others who are more actively wondering about Jesus. It could be that Nicodemus’ own pondering about Jesus is having an impact on his Sanhedrin colleagues, especially to the extent that he is musing about Jesus’ activities in his conversations with his friends. Which brings me to our own Holy Week… Could we make it a point to insert into our conversations with our friends that we are going to church on Wednesday evening or Thursday evening or Friday evening? We need to be speaking out, folks! We never know when a small comment can have a large impact. And it will strengthen your own soul – speaking out will be easier the next time!

See also:

• June 27 (2019) / John 9:1-12
• June 28 (2019) / John 9:13-23

John 8:37-59

I have said before that I regularly try to insert myself into these Bible incidents. Today (as a bystander) I find myself consistently sympathetic to the Jewish leaders. Jesus is speaking words that they’ve never heard before. He is making claims about His Father, God, that sound outrageous – even blasphemous to them. I understand that their real concern may be political, either a concern for someone inciting an insurrection against Rome or of someone establishing Himself as a new Jewish leader. Either way, He is a threat to their way of life.

Setting that aside and forgetting what the 1^st-century Jewish leaders heard from Jesus’ words, now I put myself as a 21^st-century believer reading and hearing Jesus’ words – knowing that I have a responsibility to hear Him and act on whatever He is saying. And He is saying a lot!! Jesus is warning us against our pride and stubbornness and our self-satisfaction for who we are and where we’ve come from. He is warning us about the devil and his murderous ways, his seeking to kill our body and soul with his deceitful tricks. He is telling us about His relationship with the Father and (knowing what we know about His death and resurrection) how His relationship with the Father can be ours also! And He is telling us who He is, who He was from time eternal, the great “I AM”! Jesus may have left the Jewish leaders confused and angry, but He leaves us with clear Truth and begs our humility and our worship. Love Him!!

See also:

• June 25 (2019) / John 8:37-47
• June 26 (2019) / John 8:48-59

John 8:12-36

You judge according to the flesh… (v. 15a) I’m wondering about Jesus’ words for today’s society. I’m thinking of the context of same-sex relationships and “transgender” issues. I think of what Jesus might say to people today who support and affirm same-sex and transgender issues, “You are looking at these issues from a very worldly perspective. But I was there at creation and at every conception since time began. We three created man (and woman), each and every human creature in Our image and ordained the institution of marriage. Who are you to change that? Your worldly wisdom is flawed.”

In truth, I don’t know at all what Jesus would be saying about these issues. I know my own perspective and my following of historic, traditional Christian teaching. I could well be wrong; if so, I pray that God will enlighten me.

See also:

• June 22 (2019) / John 8:12-20
• June 23 (2019) / John 8:21-30
• June 24 (2019) / John 8:31-36

John 7:43-8:11

The woman caught in adultery… Today’s reading is one of the shortest that we’ll have all year. It is also an incident that is not included in most of the earliest manuscripts. But to me it’s one of the most powerful of all of Jesus’ activities. It shows His wisdom, His empathy, His righteousness, and His mercy. It’s a powerful story!!

So, where’s the man? I’ve often wondered that question. But today I thought further about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes in bringing only the woman forward. They are showing blatant favoritism toward the man! However, maybe this was a strategic move on the part of the Jewish leaders. They may have reasoned that an obvious question when they brought the woman to Jesus would have been for Jesus to ask about the man. And if Jesus asked about the man, the leaders had Him trapped. If He asked about the man, Jesus would have already been appealing to the Law! The obvious next step would have been stoning the woman! Deal with the man later – the leaders could easily say that the man had escaped. But Jesus bypassed it all – He just stooped down and wrote in the dirt. Brilliant! We need that same Holy Spirit wisdom for questions that the world is asking today. Come, Holy Spirit…!

See also: June 21 (2019) / John 7:53-8:11

John 7:25-52

My mind is on the Holy Spirit these days. We just finished our four-part, “Three Streams” (Scripture, Sacrament, Spirit) Lenten series at church this past Wednesday. Michael brought the previous “three streams” talks together with a number of references and applications from the second half of Acts 2 (Pentecost, ff.), then Brian and I shared our own “three streams” experiences. Discussion and questions that followed focused on the third stream, the Holy Spirit and His work in our church, and how we are weak at St. Andrew’s in that third stream. So now, today, our RTB reading has yet another (John’s sixth) mention of the Holy Spirit in John’s gospel (see also John 1:32-34, 3:5-8, 3:34, 4:23-24, 6:63): But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (v. 39). John has much more to say about Jesus and the Holy Spirit in his later chapters 14, 15, and 16.

So, to this reference in verse 39… For us at St. Andrew’s the Holy Spirit has been given because Jesus has been glorified!! We have been filled with the Holy Spirit! However, when Archbishop Beach spoke about this third steam he said that we are constantly “leaking” and that we need to continue to be filled up, that it’s a daily thing for us – a constant infilling of the Holy Spirit. I believe we now have the responsibility to come to know the Holy Spirit better, to learn more about Him and then to come to know Him more personally, for our own benefit and for the benefit of our entire church. Let’s agree together to pray regularly a “Come Holy Spirit…” prayer, for our own lives and for the full life of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church.

See also:

• June 19 (2019) / John 7:25-36
• June 20 (2019) / John 7:37-52

John 7:1-24

But after His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He also went up, not publicly but in private. (v. 10) I’m trying to understand Jesus’ actions, not just His words. He did not want to go up to the feast publicly – that is, He did not want to join one of the caravans of pilgrims traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem. Yet when the crowds at the temple were the most packed, He appeared teaching. So why His behavior?

I’m sure He would have been besieged by His fellow travelers if He had joined a larger group. In fact, His presence in any caravan would likely have multiplied the size of the group to unmanageable proportions for the three-day caravan and the overnight resting spots. Maybe He was aware of this and did not want to trouble His fellow travelers? Maybe He wanted a more restful journey, possibly through Samaria where He was less well known? Lately He has been teaching more to His disciples and less to the larger crowd, so maybe He wanted to go it alone with them? I’m opting for this last thought, that He just needed some “alone-time” on His journey, knowing that He would be facing the larger crowds and the Jewish leaders at the Feast.

I’m also imagining Jesus’ courage at showing up in Jerusalem at these large feasts. He knew that His time had not yet come, but still – the crowds, the questions, the demands, the Jewish leaders…!! It would not be a restful, spiritual retreat for Him! We’ll be following Jesus’ time in Jerusalem for the next week – three+ chapters in John’s gospel. I’m sure we’ll have more questions than answers!

See also:

• June 17 (2019) / John 7:1-9
• June 18 (2019) / John 7:10-24