Living in the Light

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

LIVING IN THE LIGHT

John 3:21

21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."   

NIV

This is the last statement Jesus made to Nicodemus about being born again and the resulting life of either accepting or rejecting the experience. Here we learn that if we do accept Jesus, believe on his name, become born again, we will live by the truth and come into the light. We will leave the darkness of our own minds which we were once in and walk freely into his light, living openly before God and men. It would appear that what we have done should be plainly seen as being done through God. This would imply that we should never take a bow, never accept applause for what we do, never accept a compliment for our achievements, performances or even for our ministries. If we are living in the truth, in the light than all we are and all we do is solely because of God.  We should not take any credit for anything we do. It is questionable if we should be celebrating certain achievements should as a graduation, or promotion, marriage, having a child, even a birthday, as all of those are centered around the person, unless of course we are careful to tell all of it those events are because of the blessings of God in our lives. We need to be diligent to always give God the glory, the credit for anything that we do because we live in the truth, in the light of Jesus. Our lives should be an open book before God and before men as we have nothing to hide, as those do who still live in the darkness. This might also imply that we should confess our sins one to another so that we might by healed, but that would mean we need to admit we have sin and that would be living in the truth. Not only should we not take credit for all the good deeds, but that we should not hide the bad deeds, if we are living in the light. We cannot live behind a façade of false spirituality, but we should truly live by the truth because we have come into the light. 

The Light

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

THE LIGHT

John 3:18-20

 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

NIV

We can certainly see this is a choice of each and every person. This verse is one of those which indicate that man has the choice to hate the light because they choose to do evil deeds, which are much better done in the darkness. Now Jesus is not talking about day and night, but in the light of his truth, or in the darkness of denying his truth. It seems obvious to us believers that those who refuse to believe do so because they are fully aware of the truth of God and simply do not want anything to do with it because they prefer to serve their own passions. It would seem that they think if they say they do not believe in Jesus, then his light has no bearing on their lives and they can live however they want. In fact they know full well they lives are not right in the eyes of God and will not allow the light of Jesus into their lives because they fear the kind of life they are living will be exposed, not to others, but to themselves. How can people love the darkness, shutting out the light of Jesus? It has to be a cold and lonely life, without true love, hope, and peace. It is a wonderful feeling to know the light, to live in the light of Jesus, having the Spirit reveal areas of our lives that need attention, knowing that God teaches us because he loves us and desires for us to have the fullness of life, experiencing true love, real hope and exceptional peace. But some would rather live in the misery of their own lives, trying their best to hide from the light in the darkness of their own closed minds. God has declared this as a verdict, not an indictment, He has declared it as the truth because he knows the hearts of men, he knows their closed mindedness to his truth, he knows their love of self and their hatred of having to accept the truth. Still this does not reveal us from the responsibility of sharing that light with as many people as we can in hopes that some will be as we were, inspired by the Spirit to open their lives to the light of Jesus.

Condemned or Not

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

CONDEMNED OR NOT

John 3:17-18

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

NIV

Jesus continues to explain to Nicodemus the reason for his being here within this portion of his dialog with him. It seems too obvious to us who do believe, but is seems irrelevant to those who do not believe. We understand Jesus came to save the world, to satisfy his own need for justice. In this world when a person commits a crime against humanity we demand justice, in some cases we demand that person pay with their life, other cases we demand incarceration for a period of time or for the rest of their natural life. We feel it appropriate and justified to punish those who commit crimes against humanity, but why then do people feel it unjust of God to demand punishment for those who commit crimes against him? Do they think God should be loving and forgiving to them when they are not loving and forgiving to those who sin against them? The answer to that question is of course he is, that is why he sent his Son Jesus to die for our sins. He is paying the price for our crimes against God. But if people do not want to accept this payment, this justification, this self-sacrifice by God, then they said condemned as guilty of all the crimes they have committed and will in fact receive the death penalty for their crimes. The truth is we all deserve the death penalty, but praise God for whatever the reason we choice to believe, because of that we have been redeemed, we have been saved, we have been pardoned and freed from the prison of sin, from death row itself. It is s glorious thing to be a member of ‘whoever believes in him is not condemned’. Jesus does not want to condemn anyone; God wants all to be saved as all are members of his creation. Why would a God who created us what any of us to be condemned to death? He doesn’t, but he has given us the choice to believe in the name of Jesus or not believe and the result of that choice is what it is. Condemned or not.  

Die or Live

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

DIE OR LIVE

PERISH OR ETERNAL LIFE

John 3:16-17

16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

NIV

Here we are at the most widely known, yet also the most highly ignored verse in the entire Bible. Maybe because someone always shows up with a big sign at every sporting event in hopes the Television camera will pan past them and the whole audience will see John 3:16. Maybe John 3:16 has been overused so much no one really thinks about the message which is within these words of Jesus. It is amazing how so many people believe that we all are going to live for eternity either in heaven or in hell and that it is always someone else some really bad evil person, like Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer or some other really bad person who is going to hell. It is also amazing how so many people believe they are a good person and therefore they are going to live forever in heaven. But that is not what Jesus says here. He makes is very clear that whoever believes in his name will not perish but have eternal life. That is an either or situation. Perish does not mean eternal life in hell. Perish means perish, eternal life means eternal life. Some try to explain perish as being outside the presence of God, but that is impossible because he is everywhere. People simply do not know that hell is not eternal, for it will be throw into the lake of burning sulfur and perish alone with all those who fall or refuse to believe in the name of Jesus. Perish is what is referred to as the second death, the end of the spirit of a person, the complete utter end, ceasing to exist in any form whatsoever. For me that is an unbearable thought, and it is difficult to understand why anyone who loves their life would consider that kind of end by refusing to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Yet people need to hear this true message of what Jesus is saying, and he is not done as we will see later. This is just the beginning of his explanation of his purpose here. So for now let us rejoice that we believe in the name of Jesus and that we will not perish, we will not experience the second death, but we will have eternal life.  

Only Believe

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

ONLY BELIEVE

John 3:9-15

9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. 10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man.   14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.  

NIV

In the continuing conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus we see that Nicodemus is absolutely dumbfounded by what Jesus said about being born again in the Spirit. We see that he is just looking with the human eyes, and not with his spirit. Of course we know that Jesus is talking about his being crucified, being lifted up on a cross as the snake was by Moses. This is so common to us as we have the complete story at our fingertips, but Nicodemus was not privy to all we have and he just could not wrap his mind around the spiritual truths Jesus was unfolding for him. The somewhat surprising thing, or it seems, as nothing really surprises Jesus, is that Nicodemus was a teacher of Israel, he was not a common uneducated man, like perhaps a shepherd or fisherman, or some brick mason, or goldsmith, or even tax collector. He had studies the scriptures, had knowledge of all prophesies, knew the law, taught others in the intricacies of the law, yet he could only see with his eyes, with his human intellect. It seems such a simply thing, believe in the name of Jesus and receive eternal life, yet even today we have so many who depend on their intellectual prowess to understand the intricacies of the scripture, looking for, searching for underlying truths, hidden or essential meaning to appear as one who is spiritual, but in reality is not much unlike Nicodemus, seeing only with physical eyes. We must be careful not to fall into the trap of knowledge that exceeds faith. Satan would like nothing better for us to spend our energies on knowledge rather than faith. Believing does not require full understanding of every aspect, every nuance of every scripture. The truth is that in order to obtain eternal life we simply must believe in Jesus. True once we believe we should endeavor to live by his example, by his teachings, but those are not hidden from us nor are they shrouded in secret phrases that requires only the brightest minds to unveil. Jesus is the one and only need to inherit eternal life. We need only believe.

Seeing

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

SEEING

John 3:4-8

4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." 

NIV

Nicodemus was only thinking in human terms while Jesus was enlightening him with spiritual truths. So often people what to try to understand God in their human capacity, with human understanding, with human concepts, that which they can explain in relationship to what they know. What Jesus is telling Nicodemus is beyond our ability to actually understand completely, we simply have to accept it in faith because Jesus spoke it. Many people, like Nicodemus, cannot see the spiritual, but only the physical, and thus are stuck in the confines of their own minds, their own thinking, their own form of self-imposed prison. People should not be surprised that Jesus said that if we want to enter the kingdom of God we need to be born of the Spirit. If we are confined to our sinful physical form it would be impossible for us not only to enter, but to even be able to see, to visualize the kingdom of God. But we have the Spirit who gives us a new birth, a rebirth of what was a dead spirit within us because of our sin. Our spirit is reborn into a new creature, free from the condemnation of sin, free from the judgment of God. We cannot see this new spirit nor can we show it anyone, for it is simple within, it is who we truly are, who God sees. We need to make sure we continue to see the things of God with our spirit, and not our physical eyes. We need to make sure we do not try to explain the things of God with our intellect, endeavoring to appear spiritual, but in reality only being human. We should continually live in the spirit, walking with God, talking with God, seeing the kingdom we have entered into. 

Born Again

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

BORN AGAIN

John 3:1-3

3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." 

NIV

What better Christmas day devotion this this words of Christ? This is the first teaching of Jesus as recorded by John regarding what it takes to regain our rightful position in the family of God. Sure Adam and Eve started out in the family, with all the rights as heirs to the Kingdom. They had it all, even walking in the cool of the day side by side with God himself, well maybe it was actually Jesus, God in the flesh. But as we know God gave them a choice to make and they blew it so from that day forward all of mankind no longer had any rights to the Kingdom of God, instead they had a long list of laws to attempt to live by so they would see the foolish of trying to live alone, thinking the laws would regain them their rights to the Kingdom. But know we know nothing can do that, for as Jesus tells Nicodemus, he tells us all that in order for any of us to see the Kingdom of God we must be born again. What a gift is this. Jesus has just given us the key to regaining our rights as heirs to the Kingdom of God. Of course ultimately it was going to take his death on the cross, but his death would mean nothing to anyone who was not born again. If people are still dead in their sins and refuse to be reborn in the spirit then his death has no effect on their end, it is still their choice, just as Adam and Eve had. Being born again, which we will see in the rest of this narrative between Jesus and Nicodemus, is a moment it time, just as a natural birth in the flesh is. We are not morphed into being born, it happens in instant, we are in the womb, and then we are out breathing, crying having been born into a family of man. Likewise we cannot morph into being a born again believer in Christ, it is a moment in time, we are in sin and in an instant we are out, breathing, crying, living as a member of the family of God. We cannot transition into being a believer; it is a transformation, out to in. What a blessing to be born again, to have a new life in Christ, to once again have the rights to be heirs to the Kingdom of God. What a joy it is to be born again. 

He knows

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

HE KNOWS

John 2:23-25

23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.   24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

NIV

Several truths are revealed for us within this little vignette about Jesus. He certainly did miracles that are not recorded for us, as we are simply told some people saw them and believed in his name. But the hard truth for us here is about the fact Jesus did not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. Jesus knows the heart of each and every one of us. He created all things, and knows all things, which includes the inclination of our hearts. He knows if our faith is sincere or if we are hypocritical. Jesus knows who he can confide in and he knows who he cannot trust himself or his gifts to. Jesus knows each one of us; he knows our cares, fears perplexities, temptations, afflictions, desires and hopes. He also knows what helps us and what hinders us as well as our progress in a divine life or our declining from that divine life. He knows everything about our heart and how we approach our life in him. If we live with Jesus being a part of our life, spending the rest, even the majority of it serving our own needs, that might be a hypocritical life and would Jesus entrust himself and his gifts to us in light of our ways? But if we live our lives fully committed to him, putting all else aside, living humbly and low in spirit, knowing our sinful state and being at his mercy and grace, Jesus will indeed entrust himself to us and bestow his gifts upon us, pouring himself out for us. We might attempt to fool others about our spiritually, but Jesus looks into our hearts and knows our deepest thoughts. He knows who we really are and still he died for us. We need only recognize who we are, not trying to fool others or ourselves with illusions of spiritually. We are but sinners saved by grace. We certainly need Jesus. We need to come to him daily with a broken heart, seeking his influence in our lives. He knows. 

Faith and proof

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

FAITH AND PROOF

John 2:17-22

17 His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."   18 Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."  20 The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

NIV

We find a self-contained explanation of his words is here for us in this narrative. Of course in hindsight we know all this as we have the whole of the gospel at our fingertips having read it many times, being as  familiar with the events of Christ’s life as we are with our own. Yet what Jesus said here is as important to the good news as his death on the cross for our sin. There is no other faith on the entire planet that has a risen Savior. Some of them might claim a god alive in spirit, but we have a God who is alive in body, as we not only know he rose from the grave, had physical contact with people, ate with them, but that he ascended into heaven in a physical form. We are the only faith who has the proof of a living Savior. That almost sounds like an oxymoron, faith and proof, but it is true. We have the first hand witness’s account of him being raised from the grave and his ascension into heaven, alone with the first hand witness of being told he will come back again in that same manner. So many people believe all sorts of words written by other people who said they witnessed something, but refuse to believe what men like John wrote about what he witnessed. Many who write accounts of what they claim to have either witnessed or researched from others who wrote words about an event, write for personal gain, either fame or fortune. The words John wrote of this event did nothing but end him up exiled to a life on an island. Some of the others who wrote firsthand accounts of this event ended up dying a horrible death. The other truth we see here is that some can only believe in the physical life they know, in the record of man’s achievements, taking  forty-six years to build a temple, not being able to see the accomplishments of God. We are so fortunate to know the truth about Jesus. We believe the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. 

Purged

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

PURGED

John 2:13-16

13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" 

NIV

So much has been said about this passage which has a great deal of fulfillment of Old Testament prophesies within and has been used as the beginning of the reformation of a life of faith. As these various animals were a convenience to those who came to sacrifice from a great distant, not being able to bring their own critters with them, or for those who dwelled within the city, not owning any livestock at all, it was not all a bad practice. Any market place outside the temple would not have created this scene. However having the market in one of the courts of the temple was despicable. Surely the priests had made a deal with the merchants, renting them space within the temple, as well as charging a handsome fee certifying the animals to be without blemish, not much different than certified kosher food is today. But the truth for us today is not about all the corruption within the church as a building, but the corruption within the church as a body and the corruption within our own hearts. As Jesus purged the temple, driving out that which corrupted it, so he purges our hearts. We cannot be sure of these facts, but it seems he made a whip from the cords or ropes which the sellers had led their livestock into the temple with. Jesus used their tools to purge his temple. He overturned the tables of money throwing it to the ground, demonstrating the contempt he had for using the church, using God for profit. All this was all about his desire to keep the temple of God pure, and that is his desire for us, as we are the temple of God. We need to allow Jesus to purge out all those things which we have allowed to pollute the temple. We need to allow Jesus to purge out pride, unforgiveness, greed, selfishness, self-righteousness, anger, jealously, envy, and all else which defiles the temple of God. We need to allow Jesus to keep us from turning the temple of God into a market place of world ideas. 

Being Alone With Jesus

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

BEING ALONE WITH JESUS

John 2:12

12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

NIV

A moment at home with the family and friends is what we are witness to here. We can be certain wherever Jesus went people would go with him. His mother, his brothers and his disciples would not leave his side, they were drawn to him, either because of their witness to the miracle at the wedding or because of his personality, the way he conducted himself. There are certain types of people who others just want to be around, and Jesus was certainly one of those, especially because he was God in the flesh, although they still had really not recognized that yet. But the other interesting truth we can see in this journey to Capernaum is that Jesus spent some personal alone time with his family and disciples. We are not privy to the conversation that ensued, but we can be certain it was a time of personal teaching and learning. Because we know that God does not show favoritism, we can be sure that he treated them all with the same loving care and instruction, answering their questions with truth. Jesus spends that kind of personal time with each one of us if we will but follow him and there stay for a few days. All too often we come to him with our laundry list of needs, spit them out, thank him and get on with the rest of the day, just as he was about to get up close and personal, we have too much other things to do. If we want that kind of loving care and instruction from our Lord and Savior we really need to get alone with him for more than five minutes or so. Sure we have things to do, but we can be in an attitude of pray all day, that is always being aware of his presence, always talking to him in the spirit and most importantly listening to his soft sweet voice giving us guidance and direction in every moment of our day. But still it would be so much better if we could simply spent a few days alone away from all else and reflect with Jesus, learning at his feet. Retreats, not vacations, may be a way for us to accomplish this needed time. Being Alone with Jesus. 

Putting Faith

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

PUTTING FAITH

John 2:11

11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

NIV

The result of this water into wine demonstration by Jesus was having his glory revealed and having his disciples put their faith in him. Sure when he called to them to follow him they did, perhaps because of the manner in which he called them, perhaps because of his demeanor, but we have already seen they did think he was the awaited Messiah. They may have thought he was going to set up an earthly kingdom freeing them from the tyrannical rule of Rome, but they had not yet actually put their faith in him as the Son of God, full of all glory and power. We are told it was not until they witnessed a miracle that they actually put their faith in him. Could it be there are a lot of so called Christians who believe in Jesus as the Savior, attend church, but have not actually put their faith in him? Are there believers who continue to live exactly the same way, except for trying to abide by some of the rules and regulations of their chosen denomination, as they did before believing in Jesus because they have not really put their faith in him? Maybe they have never seen a miracle and that is all it would take for them to put their faith in him. But Jesus has also told us in the conversation with Thomas which we will see later that we are blessed because we have not seem him, but that did not include seeing a miracle which he is still in the business of doing. Sure many believe in him for salvation, but do they put their faith in him. What does it mean to put our faith in Jesus? Does it only mean faith for being saved, for getting to go to heaven instead of hell? Does putting our faith in Jesus mean more than just for salvation? Does faith in Christ apply to every aspect of our lives? Does faith apply to where we live, where we work, to our financial status and how we deal with money? Does our faith in Jesus apply to how we make decisions or plans, our dreams or aspirations? Does our faith in Jesus apply to how we interact with others, both other believers and those who do not believe yet? A miracle certainly reveals the glory of Jesus, and it surely helps believers to put their faith in him. Having been both a witness to and a recipient of many miracles from the hand of Jesus, I for one have put my faith in him from the very first day I believed. 

First Class

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

FIRST CLASS

John 2:4-10

4 "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

NIV

A long story is unfolded for us here but it reveals a simple truth. We should think about how Jesus responded to his mother for a moment. It seems he was not pleased with her putting him on the spot plus the fact he did not call her mother but dear woman. This phrase, this word is not one of disrespect, as he used the same word on the cross for his mother when he told John to take care of her. We do not know the actual tone of his voice, and we could read in a rebuke into this response, but we might well be wrong. He could have said this in a loving quiet tone, suggesting to her not to get anxious, that he would do want needs to be done when it is needed, but at that very exact time, he was not ready. He would do this, but when it was precious the right moment. We do not know the exact time between his response and her telling the servants to do whatever he tells you. We seem to assume it was immediately after he told her to wait until the time was right. Nevertheless he did want she had asked of him, as he always does, not just because she was his mother, but because she was a dear woman, a woman of faith, believing in his power, his ability to perform a miracle. When Jesus does miracles he does them to the very best, as this wine he had turned the water into was the best the master of the banquet had tasted at this wedding. There is nothing second class about what Jesus does. Man can so some second, even third class works, but when Jesus is involved it is first class all the way. It should give us pause, a period of reflection of how we do in our service to him. Do we hold back? Do we give just a portion of our talent, our ability, our service to Jesus? Do we do a second class job of being a believer? When we are called to a task, do we hesitate because it might interfere with our own desires? Yes, Jesus is God and God only does things perfectly because he is God, and we are not perfect and therefore cannot do things perfectly, but we can give it our all, give the first class service he deserves. Whenever we pay for a first class ticket or service we expect it to be the best, Jesus always gives the best, always gives first class, should we do any less for him? We need to treat Jesus as first class.

Just Ask

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

JUST ASK

John 2:1-3

2:1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."

NIV

This is the beginning of one of the most famous stories of Jesus’s first miracle in public. Why did Mary bother to tell Jesus they have no more wine unless she knew he could do something about it? It is doubtful she expected Jesus to run over to the local winepress and buy more. Even though she knew in her heart he was born to her by the power of the Holy Spirit why would she expect Jesus to be able to solve this situation of no wine left at the wedding. Even though this is the first recorded miracle of Jesus could it be he had done some privately at home in the present of his mother? Nevertheless the lesson for us here is that a simply statement is all we need in order to present the need to Jesus. We need not have to use all those religious words, the right denominational phrases; the eloquent speak, waxing on so to speak, in order to tell Jesus of our need. This is also perhaps the first record of an intercessional prayer as Mary was asking for the needs of others. It is right for us to ask, it is right for us to use plain honest language telling Jesus what we need and what others need. All these people at the wedding were not all believers, sure a few of his followers may have been there as well, but for the most part all were lost souls trying to live under the law, and had not yet experienced the transformational power of Jesus. Mary may have been asking Jesus to show them who he was so they could have the same insight into him as she had. An actual scientific miracle, such as turning water into wine, could bring any unbeliever to their knees, it did for me. We know that was just the first of many, and he isn’t done. Jesus is still in the miracle business, doing whatever we ask in his name. That seems a little brash but that is what he has told us. We will see that in chapter 14. Mary already knew this, and she asked knowing full well Jesus would take care of the matter. Just ask.

The Extra Mile

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

THE EXTRA MILE

John 1:46-51

46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."  48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."  49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." 50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that."  51 He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." 

NIV

A long narrative which cannot be broken apart shows us that Jesus is willing to go the extra distance in order to help Nathanael see the truth. Sometimes people, like Nathanael are not simply going to accept what someone else says about Jesus. Certainly in my own life, I did not. No matter what others said I was not willing to see the truth of God unless he demonstrated his reality, his power directly to me. There are many people like me, who will make some negative remark such as Nathanael did about anything good coming from Nazareth. But Jesus went the extra mile; he demonstrated to Nathanael that he had the power of God, the ability to see beyond human sight and it was exactly what Nathanael needed. God did that in my life, showing me he had the power over science of chemistry, over the technology of photography, exactly what I needed to believe. Jesus also told Nathanael that he would see far more as a believer then he ever saw before. He would see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Jesus may have been referring Nathanael to the recorded vision of Jacob seeing the ladder leaning against heaven and angels going up and down it and that he too would see such things. The Israelites held Jacob up as one of their greater ancestors, making him as someone special because of his interactions with God. But Jesus is making the point that we all are special, that we all are special ancestors in the body of Christ, that we can all see heaven open. Jesus is not keeping the heaven a secret from us, he has opened heaven for our spirits to see. We only need to open our hearts and minds, believe in the miraculous, believe in visions, believe in the absolute power of God and his willingness to go the extra mile so we believe.  

Follow Me

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

FOLLOW ME

John 1:43-45

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."  44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

NIV

Although this is just the beginning of a longer narrative between Jesus and Nathanael we should simply deal with the finding of Philip. Jesus has told us, ask and we will receive, to seek and we will find, knock and the door will be opened, but that narrative is in regards to asking God for the Holy Spirit. The real question is whether we found Jesus or Jesus found us? Earlier we saw that Andrew told his brother he had found the Messiah, but it was because of what John the Baptist had said about Jesus, when we was walking by that caused Andrew to follow after him. Although all the people of Israel were waiting for the Messiah to appear, it is doubtful that Philip was out searching for him. We see here that Jesus found Philip and not engaging him in a lengthy conversation about who he was and what he was here to do, and that if Philip had any sense he was accept him, he just told him said, “Follow me.” Jesus came to seek and find that which was lost, and we are lost without Jesus. So we might consider that we do not find him, but that Jesus has found each and every one of us and calls out to us, “Follow me.” But once again we see Philip after Jesus finding him, ran to find Nathanael to tell him we have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. So we do have people saying they found Jesus, but we also see Jesus finding people. Once Jesus has found us, it appears we have a responsibility to tell others, but the truth still stands, Jesus finds us, maybe just those who will go tell others, maybe all of us, maybe the way he finds us is like John the Baptist telling Andrew, maybe he finds us by the power of the Holy Spirit so we are nudged in our spirit to find Jesus, maybe he finds us in some other supernatural way, but Jesus is on the hunt for all who are lost. He calls to us, “Follow me.”

Found him

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

FOUND HIM

John 1:40-42

40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).

NIV

 There are two stories within which should be told separately, one of finding him and bringing someone else to him and the other of having a new name. After Andrew discovered that he had actually found the Messiah, the long awaited Christ that had been prophesied about so many year ago, the very first thing he did was go find his brother and tell him all about finding Jesus. Remembering those first days after being saved, certainly we ran to our brothers and sisters, our children, our parents, our most best friends and told them we had found Jesus. But what about ten, twenty, thirty or more years later, are we still running to tell them about Jesus?  Sure Andrew was excited about finding him, his life was going to be changed, and things were going to be different. Andrew was living under Roman law and surely the prophesies told of the Jesus setting up a new kingdom, one in which Andrew would be a part of. He had not yet understood that Jesus was bringing the Kingdom of God, not overthrowing the earthly government, of course that fell on its own. But his first thought was of his brother, he had to get him and tell him to come and meet Jesus. So many of us believers think others will meet Jesus because of the way we live, or because we go out into the community and do good deeds, or because we say we love them, but the fact is we should be using our mouth, making words, that say, we have found Jesus, come and meet him. The second story here is about Jesus changing Andrew’s brothers name from Simon to Cephas. The scholars tell us that Cephas is Aramaic and the Greek word for Peter both mean rock. Some would say that when Jesus said, Upon this rock I will build my church, he was saying that Peter was the foundation of the church. How wrong can that be? Jesus is the cornerstone, he is the foundation. The Greek word Petros is Peters name, but Jesus used the word Petra which is a large rock, not a name of a man. That phrase is used metaphorically to mean the strength and firmness of a man’s soul. This is what Jesus will build his church on, the strength and firmness of our souls, not on any one man. But the other truth is Jesus gave Simon a new name, and he has given each and every one of us a new name as well. Yes, we will get a new name when we get to heaven, known only to us and Jesus. But for now we also have a new name, we no longer are children of the world, but we are children of the Most High God. We have been given the name after Christ, Christian. Our name is Christian. 

Believing is Seeing

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

BELIEVING IS SEEING

John 1:35-39

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39 "Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

NIV

Although we could focus on John’s words, “Look the Lamb of God!” it would be more beneficial to focus on the few words of Jesus. Of course it is also noteworthy that John was always pointing people to Jesus, as well as when pointed his disciples turned and followed after Jesus. Should we not also always be pointing people to Jesus? When these men were following Jesus he asked, “What do you want?” Is that not just like our Lord and Savior, always asking want we want? He told us that he did not come to be served, but to serve. Of course he was asking so they could voice their intentions of not just following, but staying with him, aboding with him. His answer was both for them at that moment and for all mankind for the rest of time. When Jesus calls out that word, “Come” not only did they see where he was staying, but when we response to his call to come, we too will see where he is staying. It is also true that when we response to his word “Come” to follow him, we will truly see. In the words of the songwriter, “Once I was blind, but now I can see, once I was lost but now I am found”, how amazing is the Grace of God, how amazing is Jesus, he gives sight to the blind. Without following Jesus people are wondering about life blind, not knowing where they are going, but Jesus will allow us to see. Instead of the phrase, seeing is believing, we experience believing is seeing. 

In The Spirit

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

IN THE SPIRIT

John 1:32-34

32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

NIV

John already had told us he did not know Jesus, even though they were actually cousins. John had left at some time and spent his life in the great outdoors, being sort of a strange person, while Jesus grew up in a secluded lifestyle within the village. Yet from the time John was in his mother’s womb he knew Jesus, as he was inspired by the Spirit. He lived his entire life inspired and was waiting for this moment, the pinnacle defining moment of his life. John is the first human being to declare to the world the Jesus is the Son of God. The Apostle John does not record the fact the voice of God also made this testimony about Jesus at that same time, but nevertheless we know that all three of the persons of the Trinity were present at the same time. What a spectacular moment in time for John the Baptist and those who were at rivers edge. We are not told that the Spirit left Jesus. Some people, artists, depict the Spirit as a dove, but the scripture does not say the Spirit was a dove, but that he descended as a dove would and remained on Jesus. This is the same Spirit that Jesus sent to his followers, to us. For us to see the kingdom of God we must be born again, but we are also to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So many denominations call this baptism of the Holy Spirit something else, which takes away from the truth of the scripture. As John immersed people in the water of baptism, which at least some denominations follow that example, being baptized in the Holy Spirit by Jesus we should be immersed in the Spirit, not just filled, but immersed, totally, completely soaked in the Spirit. Although we arise from the waters of baptism symbolic of being born again, we can never arise from the immersion of the Spirit.  We must live within the Spirit all our life. 

The Lamb of God

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

THE LAMB OF GOD

John 1:29-31

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

NIV

The system of having a sacrificial lamb was a part of the life of every Israelite as they have offered them for the sin of Israel for many years. It is noteworthy that John did not say, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of Israel.” He said this Lamb God takes away the sin of the world, the whole world, which at that time would have meant the gentiles as well as Israel. Of course we, having the whole of scripture know all this and it is not new to us, at least us who believe, but they did not know as we do, and it may not have registered that he was the Messiah of the whole world. Now John also said, which may have lead those hearing him to think of Israel only, the reason he came was so the Jesus would be revealed to Israel. Just because Jesus was revealed to Israel certainly did not mean that he came only for Israel, but that he came for us. Jesus is the One and Only true sacrificial lamb, provided by God, to take away our sin. In the Old Testament this sacrificial lamb was representative of taking away the sin of Israel, but no longer is it representative, it is actual.  Jesus actually, literally takes away our sin. Our sin is gone, not by any action on our part, but solely because of Jesus, all we need to do is accept him as our Sacrificial Lamb of God. 

Not Worthy

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

NOT WORTHY

John 1:24-28

24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

NIV

Although John does not record the rest of what Luke records concerning the words of John the Baptist we still have enough to know John was warning them about Jesus. Luke tells us that John also told them that this one coming after him would baptize them with the Holy Spirit and Fire. But here our take away is the fact that John, as filled as he was with the power of God was still not worthy to untie the sandals of Jesus. We might think from time to time, if God demonstrates his power through us, that we are someone fairly spiritual and therefore somewhat special. We might be tempted to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to if we are able to gain some particular insight into the truths of God. We might be tempted to consider ourselves better than some others because God has used us in some special way. By what John said, we know without a doubt he had no illusions of being anything but a voice telling people to prepare for the One and Only who was coming and that it is all about the One and Only. John knew his position in the kingdom, in Christ, and it was to serve him, and that he was not worthy of doing so because he was not without sin. We should all know we are all unworthy of serving Jesus, although that is exactly what we should do, even in our unworthiness. 

Get Ready

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

GET READY

John 1:19-23

19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ." 21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." 22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"  

NIV

John was sure not to take anything away from Jesus. His testimony was not about himself, but about Jesus. Yes he told them that he was the voice of one calling the in the desert. He did not say that he was the one who was calling in the desert, but that he was the voice of one. He could not be the voice of two, but just one who was telling people to get ready, to make their lives prepared because the Lord was coming. So often we thing that sharing our testimony should be all about us, what God did in our lives, how he blessed us, how he saved us, and from what we were saved. But John merely told the people to prepare their lives, Jesus was coming. He did not want any fame or fortune because he believed, he simple was warning the people, that the Lord is coming. We should learn a lesson about how we share our testimony. Maybe we should just tell people who are not saved that they need to prepare their lives because Jesus is coming, which indeed he is. Sure it might be a good thing to tell them all that God did in our lives, it could serve to demonstrate the power of God, which might convince them of their need to prepare their lives for Jesus, to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Some might try to love them into the kingdom, trying to show them the love of God by doing all sorts of good deeds. But it just might be the best thing telling them they need to prepare their lives because the Lord is coming. It might be the best just to tell them to get ready. 

Knowing God

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

KNOWING GOD

John 1:18

18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

NIV

All those records of when Adam walked with God, and Moses spend with God in light of this truth might well have been walking and talking with the One and Only who is now at the Father’s side. We know, of course, the One and Only as our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God the Father. John makes sure we understand that Jesus is God, not just a creation of God. But John also makes sure we know that Jesus has plainly made God the Father known to us. If we have seen Jesus then we have seen the Father. Jesus has seen God, as we already saw, Jesus was with the Father all the time, from the very beginning of time, and that it was Jesus who did all the creating and now he is back where he was from the very beginning. It is so far out there, it is no wonder some people just cannot get past their human understanding. They are trapped by their own minds, unable to free themselves from their own minds, and simple accept all this with faith that it is true. Once receiving Jesus in faith, the intellectual facts are as plain as day. The record reveals so much that not only is faith needed but the ability to allow the Spirit to reveal all this truth and thus gain understanding beyond the human level. Sometimes people think that only those people some two thousand years ago were able to see Jesus while he walked among them, but any of us today can see Jesus if we look for him. True, maybe not in the physical sense since he is at the Fathers side, but we can still see Jesus and thus know God.