Jesus and the Truth (John 8:31-59)

Let us read today’s verses John 8:31-36.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." They answered them, "We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, `You will be made free’?" Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

These verses were addressed to the Jews who had initially believed Jesus as He taught at the temple grounds. He said that those who trust and follow His teachings will experience a kind of freedom which only the TRUTH can bring. He told them that the truth will set them free. Upon hearing this, the Jews tried to clarify that they had never been slaves because they were descendants of Abraham. There was no need to free them from anything. Historically, the Jews considered Abraham as the father of the Jewish race. And in that context, no Jew could be considered as a slave in the land of Abraham. But Jesus was speaking of a different kind of slavery: a spiritual kind.

First, Jesus stated that anyone who has committed sin is under the dominion of sin. Once man commits sin, he forfeits his authority over his own life to the power of sin. This was what Jesus meant concerning "a slave to sin". Any slave has no permanent place because he can be bought or traded like a piece of merchandise. But the son in a household that had bought a slave has the power to liberate the slave. Jesus likened Himself to such a son when He said, "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed".

Let’s go on to the next verses John 8:37-40.
"I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father." They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them,"If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this."

Abraham, in God’s eyes, was not merely the father of the Jewish race. God looked upon Abraham as the father of all who put their faith in God. Jesus asserted that Abraham would not react towards Him the way the Jews were reacting to Jesus. They were determined to kill Him for telling them the truth that He had heard from God. He was righteously doing His Father’s work and yet the descendants of righteous Abraham wanted to kill Him.

Let’s proceed to the next verses John 8:41-47.
"You do the deeds of your father." Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one father — God." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

Claiming that Abraham was their ancestral father, the Jews also claimed that God was their spiritual father. Jesus quickly refuted their claim. Jesus even went as far as saying that their spiritual father was the devil, the father of lies. They could not accept what God was saying through Jesus because they did not belong to God. They were completely devoid of the willingness to embrace the words of Jesus. They could not accept the truth.

Let’s move on to the next verses John 8:48-50.
Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.

The Jews got stung because Jesus outrightly said that they were children of the devil. So they answered back by maligning Jesus. First they labeled him as a Samaritan which was a way of saying that Jesus was not a real Jew, but a fake one. Then they said that He was possessed by a demon, pointing out that Jesus was the one who was under the control of demonic forces. To deny their insinuations, Jesus pointed out the right relationship He had with the Father. He stated that He never sought glory for Himself, but instead He was always seeking to honor His Father. This is the essence of RIGHTEOUSNESS. The life of Jesus was totally dedicated to giving honor and glory to the Father.

Let’s read the next verses John 8:51-53.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word he shall never see death." Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, `If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make yourself out to be

All persons will experience death. This is the physical death wherein the human body loses its life. The kind of death that Jesus talked about in today’s verses was a different kind of death. Our Lord was referring to a spiritual death. It is an everlasting death for the spirit that is forever barred from entering the kingdom of God. Those who trust and follow the words of our Lord Jesus will never have to go through spiritual death. Their bodies will die, but their spirits will enter into everlasting life. This was what Jesus was speaking about when He said that those who keep His words will never taste death. Again, the Jews could not understand what Jesus was saying.

Let’s read the rest of today’s verses John 8:54-59.
Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. and if I say, `I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

When Jesus said," Before Abraham was born, I Am !", He used a phrase that referred to God when He commanded Moses. In using this phrase, Jesus was clearly claiming to be the God who talked to Moses in the burning bush — the same God who brought Moses and the children of Israel out of Egypt with many mighty miracles. Jesus is the absolute TRUTH; the God that existed long before Abraham or any other man. He had no beginning and no end. But the Jews could not accept the absolute truth which was right before their eyes. They had gotten so used to the lies in their lives that they could no longer recognize truth. In spite of all the miraculous signs that He did before them, they still could not believe in Him. It was the fulfilment of what Isaiah had prophecied: that these people would neither see with their blinded eyes nor understand with their calloused hearts. Without accepting the truth about Jesus, the Jews could not be liberated from their slavery to sin’s power. Thus their spiritual destruction was inevitable.

How about us? How are we dealing with TRUTH ? Are we living out the things that Jesus taught ? Are His truths manifested in our lives ? If not, then the truth will not set us free from the dominion of sinfulness. Sadly, the sins that we hide will continue to bind us in slavery.

Foremost in this lesson is TRUTH. This word is mentioned in today’s verses no less than ten times. If we abide in the teachings of our Lord, then the truth will indeed flourish in our lives to free us from every power of sin. Truth will guide us to everlasting life all throughout our struggle against the power of sin. By God’s grace, we will stand firm. God bless us all.

THE TRANSFIGURATION (Matthew 17:1-6)

Seeing God in all His glory is one of the rewards that await those who are faithful to Him. When we are freed from our corruptible bodies and receive immortal bodies as we enter the kingdom of Heaven, only then can we behold the awesome glory of God. Until then, the mere sight of God will be too overwhelming that it can destroy us. Thousands of years ago, Moses had found favor in God’s sight and he asked God if he could be allowed to see God in all His glory. God only showed Moses His back as He passed by but He did not allow Moses to see His face. He explained to Moses, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live ." (Exodus 33:18-23). And yet, God in His grace has allowed a few exceptions to this prohibition. One of these is an event now known as the TRANSFIGURATION.

Let’s read Matthew 17:1-3. Now after six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfiguted before them. his face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.(NKJV)

The verses say that six days after Peter had acknowleged that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus took the three disciples who were closest to Him: Peter, James, and John. He brought them to a high mountain where they could be alone in order for Jesus to pray (Luke 9:28-31). It was while Jesus was praying that the transfiguration took place. The parallel account in Luke says that His appearance was altered. It seems that His divine splendor shone forth from within His body, causing Him to glow brightly in such a supernatural whiteness. His face shone like the sun; His clothes became white as the light. Such an appearance of Jesus can be compared to another unique instance when God allowed John the Apostle another opportunity to see Jesus in His divine glory. This is written in Revelations 1:14-16, "His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength"(NKJV). These two descriptions show a similarity in the divine glory of Jesus in the Transfiguration and in Revelations. Today’s verses in Matthew goes on to say that suddenly there appeared Moses and Elijah conversing with Jesus. Let us note that Moses had died more than 1,500 years before Jesus; Elijah had been taken up to heaven more than 600 years before Jesus. Both of these Old Testament prophets had been in Heaven for a long time before the event of the Transfiguration. And yet here they were, conversing with Jesus. This truly dazzled the three disciples. But what did Jesus discuss with His two heavenly visitors that was so important? Luke 9:31 says that they discussed "His decease which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem". The word "decease" in the original Greek was EXODUS. This also meant "departure". In other words while Jesus was praying, Moses and Elijah came to discuss with Jesus the manner of His departure from this earth. Apparently, God the Father had sent two of His most faithful prophets in order to confirm to Jesus the necessity of dying on the cross. By His death on the cross, He would enter into His glory (See Matt.16:21). His suffering and His glory were inseparably linked.

Let’s read the next verses Matthew 17:4-6. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. (NKJV)

When Jesus had parted with Moses and Elijah, Peter who was always so eager to banner his own opinions suggested that they set up three tabernacles as monuments of the transfiguration. Actually Peter did not know what to say because he was afraid (Mark 9:6). But even before Peter finished talking, another awesome event occured. They were suddenly overshadowed by a bright cloud and a voice spoke from within the cloud saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him !". Upon hearing this the apostles were overcome with such great fear that they fell on their faces. Even the mere voice of our glorious God is so awesome. With these words, the Father bestowed His stamp of approval on the sinless life that Jesus had lived. The Father expressed His approval in order to show the worthiness of Jesus as the perfect Bearer of our sins on the cross; the perfect sacrificial Lamb of God — no blemish, no defects. God was implementing His plan for our salvation. And Jesus, our Saviour, was about to enter into His glory.

Will you and I be allowed to gaze upon the glorious Jesus? Or will we be deemed unworthy, such that the experience of seeing His glory might destroy us? Not all people can endure the presence of our glorious Lord. Revelations 6:16 says that some will plead pitifully, "...Hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!"

God desires that we be worthy to stand before His glorious presence. He wants to prepare us for that event by bringing changes into our lives. He desires to change man’s wicked heart into a trusting heart. Our thoughts into His thoughts.Our ways into His ways. He desires to change each of us into a new creation: from mortal into immortal, from corrupted into glorified, something like a transfiguration.

But do we desire that too? More than anything else? Are we willing to undergo God’s changes to enter into His glory? Even if we have to suffer in the process? Pray to God about that. God bless us all.

THE CREATOR’S GIFT NEGLECTED*

Wherever our Lord Jesus went during the three years of His public life, He was very accomodating. He acceded to many invitations to visit homes and dine with the people of His day. He was not choosey concerning the types of people that He agreed to socialize with. And no matter who He rubbed elbows with or whose house He was in, Jesus never neglected to share God’s ways by His words and by His deeds.

Let’s read Luke 14:1.
One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, He was being carefully watched.

Jesus took every opportunity to be with people in the short time of his public life here on earth. He even dared to accept an invitation to the house of a Pharisee eventhough He knew that the Pharisees were keeping a close watch on Him, looking for a way to put Him to death. Surely Jesus was aware that the host would probably invite his fellow Pharisees and their close associates: the experts of the law. However, this did not deter Him from going to the Pharisee’s house. Take note that this was a Sabbath day.

Let’s read the next verses Luke 14:2-6.
There in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, He healed him and sent him away. Then He asked them, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?" And they had nothing to say.

When He was still a young boy, Jesus had already declared that He needed to go about His Father’s business (Luke 2:49). True to His word, Jesus never failed to indulge in His Father’s work no matter where He went. Part of the work He was sent to do was to heal the sick. Our Lord attended to this task with all the mercy and love of the Father for His lost children. Today’s verses mention the presence of a man who was suffering from DROPSY (a severe swelling of the body due to a disease in the vital organs). Most naturally, our Lord wanted to heal the afflicted man. But before He healed the afflicted man, Jesus pointedly asked the Pharisees and the experts of the law a controversial question: "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" . He knew that they were watching Him for any possible mistake that they could accuse Him of. Jesus also knew that the healing miracles He had done on Sabbath days were contradictory to the regulations imposed by these religious leaders.

Thier concept of the Sabbath was an exaggerated version of the pronouncements of God. Their distorted interpretation did not reflect the intent and spirit of God’s law concerning the Sabbath. Their rules about the Sabbath had evolved radically to the point being inhuman. They prohibited any physical activity on the Sabbath. Even a simple journey with a distance of more than one mile was prohibited. Stiff penalties were imposed on anyone who violated the Pharasaic rules, sometimes even imposing the death penalty (They even contended that Jesus should die for violating the regulations by healing on the Sabbath —— Mark 3:1-6). Jesus did not agree with their regulations.

But what exactly was God’s concept about the Sabbath? What did God forbid on the Sabbath and what did He allow?

In the story of Creation, the Bible says that God finished all His work by the sixth day. On the seventh day He ceased all His work, blessed that seventh day, and set it apart as holy. Setting it apart, God intended this rest day to be kept HOLY unto God (Gen. 1-3). Exodus 16:29 says, "Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath". This implies that God had created the seventh day for a specific purpose. He could easily have limited the number of days to six instead of seven. That would have meant that He expected us to slavishly work for SIX DAYS and immediately proceed to the next six days of work, without the benefit of a seventh day rest. But God gave man the gift of the Sabbath so that man could rest.

God gave so much importance to the seventh day rest that He included it as one of the TEN COMMANDMENTS (Exodus 20:8). By the words used in that commandment, it is clear that what He prohibited was secular work, or any labor that is for the purpose of a livelihood. That is why the prohibition extends to the servants and the animals. But not included in this prohibition is the necessity of having to procure one’s food when the need arises. An example of this was the Sabbath day when Jesus and His disciples were passing through a grainfield. Because they were hungry, they picked some grain (Mark 2:23-28). This exemption also applies when it comes to our basic needs. God does not prohibit any of his creatures from eating when they are hungry.

Now how about us? Are we willing to abide by God’s prescribed ways of observing the Sabbath? How should it apply to our lives today? Or can we rightly declare that the Sabbath is not applicable anymore in our modern times?

Exodus 31:13 says that the purpose of observing the Sabbath is: "... so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy." It implies that the Sabbath must be spent doing the things that will bring us closer to God. In other words, we not only cease all our livelihood endevours on the seventh day; we should spend that day pursuing the WAYS and the WILL of God. We were given the gift of a Sabbath day in order to rest upon the Lord completely. On this day that is set apart as holy unto God, we are to refrain from indulging in the ways of the world. Worldly pursuits are to be set aside. Worldly entertainment is to be avoided. By the holiness of the Sabbath, the Lord would cause us to know Him better, as he sets us apart for His purpose and pleasure. Our obedience will result in truly knowing the Lord.

Mercy and love are the ways of God. And Jesus, in continuously pursuing His Father’s ways, wanted so much to share God’s mercy and love with the sick person mentioned in today’s verses. So He asked the Pharisees: "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" The Pharisees and the experts of the law remained silent. Deep in their hearts they knew that God’s love and mercy had a rightful place on any day, most specially on the Sabbath day which was set apart for God. Yet they did not want to say anything that would compromise their power and position. They kept quiet for they could not allow God’s ways to supercede their man-made regulations. They had set their minds on how to observe Sabbath days: their way, not God’s way. They misinterpreted and neglected God’s gift of the Sabbath.

Jesus spent Sabbath days not by laying around doing nothing. He kept going about His Father’s business, faithfully imparting God’s mercy and love, even healing on those Sabbath days.

A dangerously wrong presumption

Let us read today’s verses in Matthew 7:19-27.
(Jesus spoke:) "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. "Not everyone who says to Me `Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

God’s faithful children have the ability to discern if a person is a real believer. They know what fruit to look for in the person’s life. The presence of God’s fruit (such as those written in Galatians 5:22) is a signal that the person lives in obedience to God’s will and is trustworthy in God’s eyes. The presence of sinful ways in a person’s life (such as those written in Galatians 5:19-21) would warn believers that the person has not lived in obedience to God’s will and is therefore not trustworthy; he will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Many dare to call themselves as Christians; many even take up positions as leaders in Christian churches; some even succeed in doing much religious work. Outwardly, it may appear that such people can rightfully claim a reserved place in the kingdom of heaven. The public might even call them saints, based on what the public had seen them do and had heard them speak.

But today’s verses give no importance to outward appearances. These verses say that God’s focus is on the inward realities of a person’s life. In the final analysis, Jesus will decide who will or will not enter His kingdom based on what He sees within a person’s soul, and not on any credentials and public achievements.

Many so-called evangelists today abound who boast of mighty works that they have accomplished. Many claim the ability to prophesy and work awesome miracles — even invoking the name of the Lord Jesus as they carry out their performances. Yet these accomplishments do not guarantee their entrance into heaven, according to Jesus. When judgement day comes, they would be very surprised if they were not allowed to enter heaven; their audiences who trusted and followed them would be surprised too.

Jesus said that obedience to God is the key to entering heaven. In today’s verses, our Lord emphasized it by saying it twice. Those that listen to what God tells them personally and obeys, they will enter. They have based their faith on a solid foundation that will endure any destructive challenge. Their obedience will be honored by Jesus in accepting them into heaven.
It is entirely true that some can perform mighty works for God and yet not be living in obedience to God. Some preach eloquently, some can prophesy, and some can stage mighty works of healing and casting out demons. But it cannot be presumed that they do these in living obedience to God. Many do it as a livelihood. Many do it for recognition, fame, and other worldly motives. They only succeed in misleading others as they attain their selfish objectives.

But the most dangerous presumptions come upon those who perform mighty works which had been empowered by God, and yet later live in disobedience to God. They had experienced the empowerment of God as His Spirit used them to do amazing deeds. Subsequently, they refused to obey God. Instead of serving the glorious God, they chose to serve themselves. They exchanged the glory of God with worldly gain. The Bible contains examples of such persons.
Saul, before he became king, was a humble man. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied (1Sam.10:9-11). A real empowerment from God! After he became king, Saul turned into a proud and ungodly man because he often disobeyed God. The rest of Saul’s life was displeasing to God.

Judas was an apostle of Jesus. He was among the 12 men who were closest to our Lord. He had spent plenty of time with Him. In Matthew 10:1 it is written that Judas was empowered by Jesus to perform mighty works: And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. In spite of his closeness to Jesus, Judas did not pursue a life of submission to God’s ways. His materialistic heart learned to rebel against the spiritualistic ways of the Lord. He later sold Jesus to the priests and Pharisees. Judas traded the glory of Jesus which he had personally experienced, all in exhange for 30 silver coins.

Lawlessness is one way that the Bible describes disobedience. It describes the person’s refusal to be led by the guidance of God who keeps trying to guide us towards His ways. Such a person will choose to do only what his heart desires, disregarding whatever God may be guiding him to do. Even if that person’s deeds are not outrageouly wicked and even if his deeds result in good things, if he is not obeying God he is still disobedient.

Judas did not violate the Mosaic Law or disobey any of the 10 commandments. Some would even credit him for the act that allowed Jesus to fulfill His mission to die. Still, Jesus called him the "son of perdition" (John 17:12), a phrase describing a person who is headed toward final judgment and destruction.

Saul and Judas are examples of the kind of people that Jesus warns us about in today’s verses. Yes, there are others like them, many of whom presume that their mighty works are an assurance of their automatic acceptance into heaven. According to Jesus, many of them will be surprised on judgment day because He will reject them.

The ones whom Jesus will accept into His kingdom are those that do the will of the Father. The New Testament says that the will of the Father is that we abide in Jesus whom He had sent. Those who live their lives in obedience to the teachings and examples of Jesus are actually doing the will of the Father. Because they abide in Jesus, He abides in them and reigns supreme in their thoughts, their words, and their deeds.

Jesus will bring into heaven those faithful ones, they that chose to serve Him in total surrender rather than serve themselves. He will even proclaim them before His Father’s throne.
The Judge Himself guides us in today’s verses. Let us live accordingly. God bless us all.

THE SAMARITAN WOMAN - John 4:5-19

Let us read today’s verses John 4:5-19 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, `Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman said to Him. "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, `I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet."

God always uses the truth to reveal Himself. That is how people experience His love and His concern in their personal lives. That was the same way that Jesus revealed Himself to the Samaritan woman. Samaria was an area between Judea and Galilee. The city of Sychar was in Samaria, specifically at the foot of Mount Gerizim, the mountain where the Samaritans worshipped God. Jesus was traveling the long journey from Judea to Galilee. He was tired and thirsty when He reached Sychar. As He sat by a well, He requested a Samaritan woman to give Him some of the water that she was drawing from the well. It was a fact that Samaritans and Jews despised each other. Their mutual hatred had marred their relations for many centuries. It started at the time of the Babylonian Exile when the Jews were conquered and exiled to Babylon for 70 years. Some Jews insisted on staying behind in the land of Israel, a decision which disobeyed the prohecies of God. Among them were the Samaritan Jews. As a result of staying behind, the Samaritans intermarried with their heathen neighbors, which was forbidden by the law that God had given through Moses. By the time the exiled Jews returned to Israel, the Samaritans were not purely Jewish anymore. They were thus oustracized as non-Jews. This animosity could be sensed in the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. The woman mockingly asked why Jesus, a Jew, had requested her, a Samaritan and a non-Jew, for a drink of water. A Jew must not expect any hospitality from a Samaritan. But our Lord transcended that hostile remark. In words that could only come from the gentle lips of the Savior, Jesus tried to explain that He had so much to give anyone who serves Him even if such service is only a drink of water. Jesus used the topic of potable water to illustrate the abundant spiritual blessings that only He could provide. He called it "LIVING WATER". This spiritual water would quench every spiritual thirst. Its’ essence was everlasting life. The woman did not seem to grasp what Jesus was saying. Her worldly understanding was chained to her physical needs and any material benefits she could gain. She could not lift her attention to any spiritual reality. So she tried to toy around by mocking, "Give me this water so that I do not have to come to this well again to get water." But though she mocks Jesus, she does not shun Jesus. Though she cannot grasp the full meaning of Jesus’ revelation, she still converses with Jesus. And more than anything else, she still listens to Him. That was all that Jesus needed at that moment. As long as she would continue listening, our Lord was willing to share His grace and His life-changing words. Jesus shifted the conversation. He wanted to reveal more of Himself; this He did by exposing the deepest secrets of the woman. He invaded the privacy of her heart. He openly declared the secret shame which burdened her soul. The truth could set her free. But how would she react? Humans can easily clam up defensively and deny their guilt in an attempt to avoid humiliation. Humans might even retaliate with insults in order to counteract the rebuke. But the truth, if denied, will be helpless and unable to set one free. The Samaritan woman responded admirably. She made no effort to sidestep the heavy guilt which she had been bearing; she was an adulteress. She chose not to deny the truth; instead she declared that Jesus had been sent by God. Only God can examine her heart and mind. Only God can know all the details of her past, even the darkest sins which she had concealed. She recognized that God had sent someone to draw her heart towards a spiritual reality: that God still loved her and He desired that she turn away from her worldliness and submit to Him. Her response brought a big change in her life (John 4:25-29). How about us? Are we too engrossed with the life of this world? Is it difficult to lift our attention from the worldly to the spiritual? How have we responded to those moments when the Spirit of God tries to draw our materialistic hearts to spiritual reality? Can we still recognize God’s attempts to nudge us from a worldly trance? Do we still marvel at God’s daily revelations of His love the way the Samaritan woman did? May God give us ears that hear and eyes that see. May He give us the grace to respond in humble submission and in loving obedience. And may God be glorified in our thoughts, in our actions, and in our words. God bless us all.

Difficulty in acknowledging Jesus

Let us read John 7:25-30. At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, "Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? Here He is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to Him. Have the authorities really concluded that He is the Christ? But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where He is from." Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, " Yes, you know Me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but He who sent Me is true. You do not know Him, but I know Him because I am from Him and He sent Me." At this they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His time had not yet come.

It was halfway through the Feast of Tabernacles (which was to last for eight days) and Jesus was teaching in the temple courts. The residents of Jerusalem were aware of a plot by the Pharisees to kill Jesus. So they were puzzled as to why Jesus was not being arrested. They were wondering at the freedom of Jesus to go about teaching publicly at the temple courts. They thought that perhaps the religious authorities had already concluded that Jesus was indeed the Christ. They themselves would not believe that He was the Christ. According to them, they knew the origin of Jesus and so He could not possibly be the Messiah. Most of them expected that the Christ would be completely divine with no earthly origin. Jesus commented that even if they knew His earthly origin, they did not know the One who sent Him. Jesus was clearly alluding to God the Father as the One who sent Him. He said that they did not know the Father from whom Jesus came. It was the same as saying that they did not know God. This angered the Jews and they tried to seize Him. But God did not allow them to take Jesus because His ministry was not yet finished.

Let’s read the next verses John 7:31-32. Still, many in the crowd put their faith in Him. They said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more miraculous signs than this man?" The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about Him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest Him.

A good number of those who were at the feast put their trust in Jesus either as a prophet or as the Messiah. They truly wondered if anyone else could ever do more miracles than Jesus. The Pharisees were alarmed at the spread of this impression about Jesus. They saw the need to stem any further increase in His popularity. So they sent the temple guards to arrest Jesus.

Let’s read on to John 7:33-36. Jesus said, "I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the One who sent me. You will look for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come." The Jews said to one another, "Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find Him? Will He go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What did He mean when He said, `You will look for Me, but you will not find Me,’ and `Where I am, you cannot come’?"

Jesus was already aware that His time on earth was going to end soon. The Pharisees were actively seeking to arrest Jesus so they could kill Him. Thus He told the crowd at the feast that He would soon be gone and that they would not be able to find Him or to go where He would be. This caused confusion among His listeners. They wondered if Jesus was planning to escape to the Greek territories where many Jews had migrated. Countless Jews lived in foreign lands. The number of Jews abroad were many times over the population of Palestine during the time of Jesus. The listeners of Jesus thought that He could be planning to go abroad and teach the foreign Jews. But we know that they were wrong. Jesus was not going to the Jews abroad. He was going to die for man’s sins in order to redeem man. That was the work He had to do as the CHRIST.

Let’s read the final verses John 7:37-39. On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time he Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

The last day of the feast had come. It was the greatest day of the celebrations. Now, water was a scarce commodity in the whole of Palestine. By necessity, whenever many people converged for a religious ceremony, water was sold in the streets. There was not enough water for everyone in a big festival such as the Feast of Tabernacles which lasted for eight days. So after seven days, the people in the temple area must have been extremely thirsty. Water was also spiritually important. It was used to symbolize the cleansing of the soul. All Jews were familiar with this symbolism. Thus water also had a spiritual symbolism.

The Jews in Jesus’ time were undergoing a spiritual thirst. Their spirits yearned to be refreshed from the spiritual drought brought about by the doctrine of the Pharisees. Their religion consisted of countless worldly requirements. The Jews were led to believe that it was enough to merely perform all those requirements without having to pursue a real relationship with the living God. They saw no need to listen to God, seek His guidance, and obey whatever God might reveal to each heart. Their spirits were dying from their lack of spiritual nourishment. During the many decades before Jesus came to earth, God had not sent any prophet to proclaim God’s word. They were under a curse from God: " ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land —not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it’. " ( Amos 8:11-12 )

Jesus used the occasion to proclaim an end to that curse. On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus loudly said that anyone who is spiritually thirsty can come to Him to drink of the spiritual water — the kind that both quenches the thirst of the spirit and cleanses the soul. God’s word was once again being proclaimed, and the Christ Himself was proclaiming it: Only Jesus the Christ can save us from the spiritual drought that can kill our souls. When we believe in Him, we are made to drink of His living water and our spirits shall never thirst again. Any person who listens to the words of Jesus with a heart that trusts Him will truly be refreshed. A heart that does not trust Jesus will never benefit from His words. The person who trusts our Saviour is ever so enthusiastic to hear His words again and again and again. He will always be able to draw up new and refreshing nourishment even from verses which he had heard many times before. Experience tells us that those who do not trust our Lord will use every reason they can invent just to avoid giving their lives to Jesus. Some will find ways and means to cast some doubt on the words of our Lord. Others will make up any excuse to stay away from Him. We can find in today’s verses both kinds of human character: those who believed Jesus and those who did not. Those who did not believe Him even went as far as actively seeking His death. How about us ? Do we keep on going to Him to partake of the living water ? Do we continually seek the wisdom of His words ? Are we always trusting Him to free us from the spiritual bondages that have held our hearts and minds in captivity ? Jesus can do so much for us if we actively trust Him with everything in our lives. God bless all of us.

LETTING GOD BE GOD IN OUR OWN LIVES IN SPITE OF OUR OWN PLANS

Our views concerning God would dictate how we would
1) view the ways of God in our own particular lives and,
2) react to Him by revising our own lives to conform to His will.

Let us read today’s verses — Luke 7:17-23
This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are You the One who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So He replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of Me."

It seems that the news about the miracles of Jesus had spread far and wide, and that He was being regarded by the people as either the MESSIAH ( as foretold in many parts of the Old Testament ) or as the PROPHET who would prepare the people for the Messiah’s arrival ( foretold in Isaiah 40:3-5 ). Now John the Baptist knew that he himself was not the Messiah. He knew that his role was that of the prophet — "a voice crying out in the wilderness" — the one who was sent merely to prepare the way for the coming Lord who was to bring salvation. Therefore, John the Baptist knew that the awaited Messiah was the only one who had not yet been revealed.

The prevailing notion about the Messiah was that he would redeem the Jews from the yoke of the Roman colonizers. If Jesus was to fit that image, He had to have the characteristics of one who would militarily unite the Jews and lead them against the mighty Romans. At that time of Jesus’ miracles, He was indeed popular enough to ignite such a revolution. But Jesus never spoke of starting an armed struggle against the Romans. All He ever talked about was the kingdom of God. And instead of arousing the people to a revolution, He talked about loving others - even loving their enemies. This led John to question if Jesus was truly the promised Messiah.

When John sent his disciples to confront Jesus with that precise question, Jesus had a remarkably direct answer. He replied by pointing to the many miracles that He had been doing which only God could perform —— " tell John ..... the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the gospel is preached to the poor". This reply was meant by Jesus to remind John of the time when he baptized Jesus. For as he baptized Jesus, John heard the words of God the Father : "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased "(Matt. 3:17 ).

Jesus’s answer to the disciples of John ended with a remark which carried both a rebuke and an encouragement. " Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me " was how Jesus finished His reply.

It was a REBUKE to John who had personally heard God’s voice identifying Jesus as His Son. But later, John started to doubt this truth that God had spoken, mainly because Jesus did not seem to fit the role the Messiah was expected to be. This rebuke was meant to correct the prejudice of those who would cling to their preconceived ideas about how God must act.

People view their lives as the arena in which God will act, thinking that their personal plans and notions are the boundaries within which God must act. They believe that anything which deviates from their personal plans and notions would probably not have come from God. This is a common mistake in the way people think. We oftentimes have this mindset that God’s will for our lives must function only within the limits of our own ideas about the future. So when God acts in ways contrary to our ideas, we feel "offended" as Jesus warned.

Subjugating ( or regarding as less important ) the will of God to our own will is WRONG !

" Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him And He shall direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes ; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. " ( Proverbs 3:5-7 )

John was being rebuked for leaning on his own understanding. He was somehow trying to limit God to the boundaries of his own understanding of the future. He was being wise in his own eyes. This is an important lesson for us to learn because we often expect God to act within the confines of our own understanding, our own plans, our own will. What God requires of us is actually the reverse. In trusting God with all our heart, our will must conform to God’s will, our ways must conform to God’s ways, and our well-being and our future must be totally surrendered to His abounding love and mercy for us.

The reply of Jesus was also an ENCOURAGEMENT. He who is not offended at God’s chosen ways ( which may differ from our expectations ) will be rewarded. Only the person who truly fears and trusts God can wholeheartedly embrace God’s ways. Just the way Jesus prayed before he was killed, " Yet not as I will, but as You will " ( Matt.26:39 ). Let’s read the rest of today’s verses Luke 7:24-28 After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.This is the one about whom itis written: ‘I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’ I tell you, among those born of women, there is no one greater than John, yet the One who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (NIV)

After the disciples of John left, Jesus spoke to the people concerning John the Baptist. Jesus confirmed that John was the prophet that God had sent to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. And Jesus said that there was no greater prophet among all men than John. He ended by saying, " ... but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater " than John. By this Jesus was NOT saying that John will not enter heaven. What Jesus was saying was that at that point in time, John did not have as much trust in Jesus as "anyone who is" the least in the kingdom. At that point in time, John had not completely surrendered his own understanding unto the will of Jesus.

How about us ? Are we completely trusting our own understanding ? Are we trying to be wise by our own human standards ? Or have we surrendered our ways to God’s ways ? Our will to God’s will ? In all our ways, we are to render ourselves as subjects to His will, and He shall oversee our paths with His love and His grace. God bless you.