Christ's Saving Grace

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him” (John 9:13-23).

Some of those following Jesus just could not believe that He had restored the blind beggar’s sight. They brought the blessed man to the Pharisees who initiated an investigation into the alleged event. There must be some other explanation. They earnestly sought a more reasonable cause. They questioned the blessed man once again. They questioned his parents. They were hoping that he was never really blind, but in their hearts they knew this was not true because they were his neighbors and knew him from birth… “The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, ‘Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?’” (John 9:8). What kept them from believing the truth revealed in this miracle? The critical Jewish elders had asked Jesus for a sign just like this… “So they said to him, ‘Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?’” (John 6:30).  What made them blind to this sign that confirmed the divinity of the Christ? The Holy Spirit reveals the answer to that question through John’s inspired record of this event. The Pharisees indirectly admitted that Jesus performed this miracle as they noted that Jesus “does not keep the Sabbath”. What they could not accept was the Son of Man’s sovereignty over the law of the Sabbath. They had replaced worshipping God with worshipping the law. Their eyes were so fixed on the law they were blind to the Lawgiver that stood before them. In this Sabbath sign Jesus invited those followers who were slaves to the law to become disciples by renouncing their self-righteousness and embracing Christ’s saving grace.

You’ve probably heard it before. You may have even said it yourself. Christ followers say it so often it’s become cliché. It’s not about religion, it’s about relationship. But unlike many clichés this one has roots in Biblical truth. The Word of God did not become incarnate to add more to the law… “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:2).  Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it… “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). In today’s text we see Jesus fulfilling the law in a marvelous way. He showed that no one can earnestly obey God’s perfect law on their own… “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The law was given to guide us to Christ, to show us we need a Savior… “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). While the elders clung to their self-righteousness, honest, humble followers recognized Jesus as the Christ, stepped away from the crowd, and became disciples by embracing the grace and mercy He offered… “ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

As we grow up into Christ we strive to obey His law but we trust and rely on…

Christ’s Saving Grace.

A Story that Points to Christ

The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know” (John 9:8-12).

Jesus gathered another crowd. This time He used “a man blind from birth” (John 9:1). Because the man was born blind there would be no doubt that his healing was supernatural. Through this sign Jesus revealed Himself to be the sovereign God incarnate who not only created all things but still ruled over all things and held them all together… “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:15-17). Through this sign that used the spit of the Son of God and the natural soil and water of the earth Jesus demonstrated His authority over the atoms and molecules of creation. Through sending the blind man to the pool of Siloam Jesus made clear His superiority over the religion and superstitions of the world. And Jesus very strategically gathered a unique crowd by this sign. It was a crowd of “neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar”. This crowd knew the blind man’s story. They watched him grow up under the curse that turned him into an adult beggar. They could not deny the complete transformation that had taken place in his life. They wanted to know how this happened and who is responsible. They were attracted to the man who did this great miracle and wanted to fine Him. This sign provoked them to seek out Jesus and join the crowd of followers… “Where is he?” Beyond this great sign, the greatest wonder we see in today’s text is the Savior giving the gift of a grace-filled story to a most unprepared yet willing man to share with His neighbors. One of the differences between followers and disciples is a burden for the lost and an earnest desire to lead others to Christ. Today, our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, encourages us to become disciples who regularly use one of our most precious tools for sharing the gospel, the power of our personal testimony. Our personal encounter with Jesus gives every disciple a story that points to Christ.

How often do you share your faith? Telling others about the change Jesus Christ has wrought in our lives should be a priority for disciples today as it was for the very first disciples… “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). A witness is one who testifies by telling others about something they did not see or experience themselves. It is not preaching or teaching. It does not require special education or training. It takes the kind of encouragement that is born out of our new birth and daily walk experiences with our precious Savior. As we become more intimate with Him and He shares His heart for the lost with us, His love conquers our fears and controls our heart, compelling us to tell others about Him… “For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;  and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Corinthians 5:13-15). This compelling love for the lost is a sure marker of the difference between Christ’s followers and His disciples. It was beautifully evident in the transformed heart of the Samaritan woman who overcame her dark past and told her neighbors about her encounter with Christ, leading many to believe in Him… “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did’” (John 4:39). The man born blind had a story to tell His neighbors too, and the reflection of Christ’s grace through his testimony prompted many of his neighbors to seek Jesus for themselves.

As we grow up into Christ we become more earnest and successful witnesses because we have…

A Story that Points to Christ.

God's Glory is Displayed in the Midst of Suffering

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing (John 9:1-7).

The crowd that followed Jesus was made up of many different people. There were the proud and the humble, the wealthy and the poor, the prosperous and the needy, and of course, the saint and the sinner. Jesus, the Living Word, certainly had His hands full with His mission to reveal the grace and truth of God to the world… “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:17-18), to raise up crowds of followers… “And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick” (John 6:2), and to challenge followers to become disciples by believing in Him and embracing His word… “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” (John 8:31). He was persistent. In today’s text the Holy Spirit inspired John to record an event that accomplished all three of Jesus’ disciple-making goals. In the way He healed “a man blind from birth” Jesus invited the crowd to embrace the truth that God’s glory is displayed in the midst of suffering.

Have you ever caught yourself in the middle of a difficult time saying or thinking, why me Lord? Have you pondered the seeming contradiction between the sovereignty and goodness of God and the suffering of humankind? Join the crowd. But keep in mind, there are both followers and disciples in the crowd. Followers demand that God act swiftly on behalf of the needy. If He does not heal the sick, deliver the oppressed, or meet the needs of the needy, followers are quick to demean, doubt, or desert Christ. Disciples on the other hand are confident in Christ’s ability and desire to show the glory of God in every situation… “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him” (John 2:11). Disciples are hungry to know Him better and therefore see trials as opportunities to know Jesus on a deeper level and they wait for Him to answer their prayers… “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Disciples see every trial as an opportunity to increase faith, and Jesus taught that God’s glory is seen through the faith of His disciples in the midst of their suffering… “Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’” (John 11:40).

In today’s text Jesus revealed the glory, grace, and truth of God by healing a man’s life-long disease… “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him”. In today’s text Jesus gathered crowds to witness the glory of God by sending the man to, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam”. The man went away from Jesus still blind. He could not even identify the man who healed him, but hundreds saw and followed the man born blind being led to the pool called Sent and returning again to Jesus completely healed as, “he went and washed and came back seeing”? Finally, Jesus challenged what followers believed about the relationship between sin and suffering. He confronted them with the truth that not all suffering is the direct result of sin… “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents”. Jesus echoed the truth that even the righteous suffer… “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). The Spirit reveals the truth that even the Son of God suffered, and He learned obedience through His suffering… “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). In today’s text Jesus invited followers to become disciples who reveal His glory by trusting Him through their own suffering and by serving others who suffer… “That the works of God might be displayed in him”.

As we grow up into Christ our faith grows and we learn to serve others through suffering because…

God’s Glory is Displayed in the Midst of Suffering.

Enjoy Eternal Life Every Day

The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying 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. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple (John 8:48-59).

The elders who followed Jesus could not hear His words because of their corrupted worldview. They accused Jesus of being in league with the devil and having a demon. Jesus answered with a simple denial, and then He confronted these accusing followers with more truth. He was relentless in His effort to compel them to believe in Him and become a disciple. He confronted them with a fresh choice to believe His word. He told them the blessing of keeping His word is life… “If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death”. Because they were thinking naturally, they could not understand the truth of His word. With His declaration, “before Abraham was, I am” Jesus wanted these unbelieving followers, and the crowd that was looking on, to know that He was not speaking about physical death. He was offering them so much more. He promised that followers who embraced His word and became His disciples would escape the second death and enjoy eternal life every day!

Everyone thinks about death from time to time. There is a great difference between the way Christ’s followers and disciples think and feel about death. I’ve sometimes observed at funerals little difference between the grieving of the unbelieving and those who claim to know Christ. One sure measure of whether we are merely following Christ or we are His disciples is how firmly we understand and embrace His truth about death and eternal life.

In His confrontation with the elders Jesus confirmed the spiritual truth that because of sin everyone dies physically… “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). The scriptures teach that physical death is a part of life, but is not the end of life…“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). As surely as everyone dies, everyone will rise again to face judgment for sin… “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice  and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29). The Holy Spirit teaches through the prophet Daniel that the consequences of this judgment are everlasting… “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). Jesus taught that disciples who embrace His words will escape judgment because they have already received eternal life… “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). That’s because Jesus Christ appeased God’s wrath as the propitiation for sin at Calvary… “He is the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:2). There is a clear difference between what followers and disciples believe about life and death. For Christ’s disciples all of life is living for Him and physical death is a mere transition to a more intimate and everlasting fellowship with Him. Believing Jesus and embracing His truth impacts how we live today as well as how we will live in eternity.

As we grow up into Christ we do not fear death because in Him we are learning to…

Enjoy Eternal Life Every Day.

Hear the Word of God

“Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God” (John 8:43-47).

Jesus had been speaking to the crowd for some time now. They were growing familiar with His voice. They were becoming acquainted with His message. But not everyone was hearing Him. Jesus could see into the hearts of all men and He knew that some could not hear His message… “This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand” (Matthew 13:13). What made it so difficult for some to hear His words? What was the difference between followers who could hear and those who could not? Jesus said those who could hear His words were “of God” and those who could not hear His words were “of your father the devil”. It was all about ancestry. What followers believed about their origins and where they came from made all the difference in their ability to hear the word of God.

How about you? Do you remember a time when the word of God did not make sense to you? Many believers have told me they had great difficulty reading and understanding the Bible before they trusted Christ. Like me, many read and even memorized portions of the scriptures as children but had little understanding of the Bible’s truth. But then one day, it all came together. Without explanation, the truth leapt off the pages and into our hearts and minds and we could not get enough of it. What made the difference? I believe part of the reason for the sudden ability to hear the Bible’s message was a transformation in understanding about our origins. What we believe about where we come from and where we’re going is an important part of our worldview. God gave us grace to comprehend that we are not the haphazard result of evolution, but we are fearfully and wonderfully made by a purposeful, loving Creator, and He wants to speak to us through His word. In today’s scripture, Jesus challenged the crowd to consider who their father was. They could continue to believe the lie of the devil or step away from the crowd and be born again as children of God through believing the words of Christ. But their worldview was keeping some of His followers from hearing His words and becoming His disciples.

Jesus used the imagery of fathers to compel followers to consider what they believed about where they came from and where they were going. He was challenging their worldview. Our worldview can either encourage or discourage our ability to hear and understand Biblical truth. There are two basic beliefs about where we come from. To believe in evolution, we must deny important, Biblical truth about the beginnings of the universe and the world around us… “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). To believe in evolution, we must deny essential Biblical truth about the beginning of our lives… “You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:13-14). In short, when we deny the truth of God we must substitute something else in its place in order to make sense of the world and our place in it. We’ve come up with some very imaginative explanations to satisfy our need to understand. We’ve created and teach ourselves and our children some pretty hard to believe ideas like the big bang theory, string theory, and evolution itself, in order explain the unknown. Jesus taught that if we reject God’s truth we are left with lies. He identified the devil as the source of all lies… “He is a liar and the father of lies”. He challenged His reluctant followers to renounce their deceptive worldview and believe that God gave them life and wants them to hear and know His truth… “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

As we grow up into Christ we are thankful for God’s grace that reveals His truth and enables us to…

Hear the Word of God.

Who's Your Daddy?

“I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me” (John 8:38-42).

Jesus confronted the crowd again. His effort to compel followers to become disciples was relentless. He continued His pursuit of “the Jews who had believed him” (John 8:31). These were the chief priests and Pharisees, the elders in the crowd who followed Him for the wrong reasons. They believed they could trip Him up and discredit Him. They sought to have Him arrested, and even to kill Him (see John 7:44; 8:37). Jesus confronted these corrupt followers with truth about their ancestry. He called them to consider their response to the truth He spoke in light of their standing as “Abraham’s children”. He went further and compelled them to consider their hatred of the Son of God in light of their standing as God’s children of promise. Here, the Holy Spirit reveals through John’s testimony another truth about the difference between Christ followers and true disciples. The words and deeds of disciples show the world they are part of the family of God. Their life reveals the character of their Father. As true disciples seek and do the will of our Father, embrace the truth of His word, and grow in the love of Christ, our lives will reflect the character of our Father and prompt the world around us to ask, who’s your daddy?

The elders who followed Jesus claimed that, “Abraham is our father”. Jesus was the revelation of God’s glory, grace, and truth… “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). God revealed His glory to the children of Abraham, the Israelites first… “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11), and then to the rest of the world… “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). If these elders were really the children of Abraham, they would respond to the revelation of God’s truth as Abraham did. When God spoke to him, Abraham believed God… “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness—and he was called a friend of God” (James 2:23). When God’s glory appeared to him, Abraham obeyed God… “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). When confronted by the truth and glory reflected by God’s Son these false children of Abraham neither believed nor obeyed Him, but they sought to arrest and kill Him. Do people believe that God is your Father because you trust and obey Jesus Christ His Son?

The elders who followed Jesus claimed that, “We have one Father—even God”. They believed they were God’s special children because they were descended from Abraham... “Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth… and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:14). But the Spirit of Truth teaches that God’s true children are children of promise, not of flesh… “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring” (Romans 9:8). The Spirit inspired the apostle Paul to teach that Christ’s true disciples are God’s children of promise… “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise” (Galatians 4:28). God’s true children are those who have received Christ by faith… “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). God’s true children love the Son… “For the love of Christ controls us” (2 Corinthians 5:14) and each other… “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Do people believe you are born of God because they see your love for Christ and others?

As we grow up into Christ our life reflects the character of our Father and prompts the world to ask…

Who’s Your Daddy?

The True Freedom of Discipleship

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you” (John 8:31-37).

The most dangerous kind of slavery is also the most subtle. It can creep up on us. It may capture and enslave us before we are even aware of its presence. Jesus recognized that among the crowd that followed Him, “the Jews who had believed him”. As we noted before, Jesus often addressed the elders, chief priests, and Pharisees as “the Jews”. They had believed in Jesus enough to join the crowd and follow Him around Galilee, but they believed in Him only enough to seek to kill Him. Although they heard every word spoken by the Living Word, none of the truth of His words found a home in their hardened hearts. Yet, Jesus still loved them enough to confront them with truth that could release them from slavery to sin and free them to step out of the crowd and closer to Him. In His confrontation with “the Jews” Jesus compelled these followers to experience the true freedom of discipleship.

I understand and relate to the temptation to respond to the word of God today just like “the Jews” did. We are believers. We know Jesus as our Savior and we are following Him by reading His word together today. Yet the Teacher uses Jesus’ confrontation with “the Jews” to confront our hearts too. He wants us to enjoy the complete freedom that is not available to followers but is only known by true disciples. He challenges us to examine our hearts today and every day that we read His word to make sure we are really abiding in His truth… “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples”. There may be areas of our heart that cannot receive and be immersed in His truth because we are unknowingly enslaved by sin there… “For the fool speaks folly, and his heart is busy with iniquity, to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning the LORD” (Isaiah 32:6).

The Jews trusted in their ancestry from Abraham. This was a natural, not a spiritual thing. They judged the spiritual by the natural and they could not see or receive the spiritual truth Jesus was offering them… “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7-8). If we are to Christ’s disciples, we must never judge spiritual truth by natural standards… “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Although they were Christ followers, the Jews were unknowingly enslaved by sin. As Christ’s disciples, we must not give sin any room in our hearts… “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). The heart is the home of the desires and passions of our lives. If we entertain sin in our heart, we create room for hidden strongholds to grow up into sin that enslaves us and steals away the life Christ wants us to enjoy in Him… “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:14-15). Some Christ followers sought to kill Him because they were so enslaved by sin, His word could find “no place” in them. In contrast, real disciples give no ground to sin in their lives so they can plant and enjoy a rich harvest of the freeing truth of Christ’s word in their hearts… “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).

As we grow up into Christ and enjoy increasing victory over sin we experience…

The True Freedom of Discipleship.

Two Kinds of Seekers

So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” As he was saying these things, many believed in him (John 8:21-30).

Jesus continued to provoke His followers to step away from the crowd and come closer to Him, to become a disciple. He confronted the crowd of seekers with a truth that demanded change, increased commitment, and above all else, more faith. He told those who were following Him that indeed, He was going somewhere… “I am going away”. But not everyone who was seeking Him that day could accompany Him on the journey to that destination… “Where I am going, you cannot come”. He directed this truth to a particular group of seekers and their response once again laid their hearts bare before the Living Word. In their self-righteousness the chief priests and Pharisees understood that Christ was speaking about the afterlife, heaven, and hell. They believed they were destined for heaven. Because Jesus told them they could not come with Him they assumed He must be headed for hell and that suicide would send Him to the deepest recesses of hell where they would not be able to follow... “Will he kill himself?" But Jesus set them straight and declared clearly and pointedly that the difference between heaven and hell was not the manner of our death or the manner of our living. The difference between the destinations of heaven and hell was not determined by any particular sin, but it was dependent on the faith of the sinner. The difference between heaven and hell was the same as the difference between the two kinds of seekers, follower and disciple. Followers believed many different things about Jesus, but disciples believed and embraced Him as the Messiah and Savior who was to be known as the Son of Man… “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he”. This truth judged the hearts of seekers and separated disciples from followers… “As he was saying these things, many believed in him”. Today, believing the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of Man still makes all the difference between two kinds of seekers.

Suicide is not the main topic of this portion of Holy Spirit inspired scripture. The Teacher inspired the apostle to focus our attention on faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of Man and the Son of God as the deciding factor that makes all the difference between Christ followers and disciples. But the theme is inescapable. If our ultimate destiny was decided by the way we die, the way we are born, or the way we live every day in between, then we would never need the atoning work of the Savior. Like the self-righteous Jewish elders, we could never hope to go where Jesus is going. Jesus made it clear to a condemned thief upon his acknowledgement that Christ was King of an eternal kingdom that He could come with Him to Paradise… “And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). Jesus prepared those who believed in Him for His departure with a promise that he would return for them, take them with Him, and they would live with Him forever… “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3). Jesus taught very clearly that it is not how we live or die that enables us to be with Him in eternity. Believing that He is God's Son and our Savior makes all the difference… “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1). He makes it clear that heaven is not for self-righteous followers. Heaven is for believing disciples.

As we grow up into Christ we are thankful for the gift of faith that makes all the difference between…

Two Kinds of Seekers.

Walk in His Light

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come (John 8:12-20).

 Jesus confronted the crowd with evidence that He is the Messiah in His persistent efforts to compel followers to step out of the crowd and walk closer to Him as a disciple. He declared Himself the object of the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, the source of light and life, and the only way to heaven. Jesus backed up His claims with miracles as the scriptures said would accompany the Messiah. How did the crowd respond? Many in the crowd took the step of faith and became disciples for various reasons… “Many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing” (John 2:23); “And many more believed because of his word” (John 4:41). The rest of the crowd followed Jesus as long as He fed them and healed them or as long as they believed they could trap, embarrass, or arrest Him. Today we see that Jesus continued to reach out to the worst elements of the crowd, confronting their doubt and skepticism with the truth that He is “the light of the world” and with an increasingly earnest invitation to leave the crowd and walk in His light.

Many of us have already been confronted with the truth claims of Christ in various ways. Many have responded in faith and trusted Him as Savior. There may be a few who are encountering Jesus for the first time in the pages of this humble book. The question, are we Christ followers or disciples? is appropriate for all of us. If we’re honest we have to admit there may be places in our lives where we are merely part of the crowd of followers. When we know His word but do not walk in the light of His truth, we are merely followers. It is in those places where we have truly embraced His word and applied His truth, where we truly know Him, that we are His disciples… “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (John 8:31-32). Jesus taught that real disciples abide in His word and walk in His light.

The transformation from follower into disciple is a life-long endeavor. We are encouraged by John’s record of Jesus’ confrontation with the most skeptical among the crowd because through the word we too are challenged to reflect on our walk with Christ, and we are compelled to become a more fully devoted disciple. Are we walking in His light or are we unconsciously immersed in the darkness of this world? “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7). Are we set apart from the crowd by a daily encounter with His word and through applying its truth to all areas of our lives? “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). Do we judge and shape our will by the flesh or by His word? “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Are we increasingly devoted to knowing Him intimately in every area of life? “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

As we grow up into Christ we are increasingly separated from the crowd to draw closer to Him as we

Walk in His Light.

Hearts of Stone

They went each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 7:53-8:11).

 After seeing the impact of His words on the officers who were sent to arrest Him, everyone went home for the evening. Everyone except Jesus, who had no home of His own here on earth… “Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head’” (Matthew 8:20). Jesus went to the most comfortable place He had here on earth. He went to meet with His father. After an evening on “the Mount of Olives”, Jesus came again to the Temple. The elders brought “a woman who had been caught in adultery” to Jesus and asked Him what He had to say about that. The Spirit inspired John to record their motive. They hoped to find a reason to bring a charge against Him. But once again Jesus did not respond as they expected. The Living Word confronted the hearts of those plotters with truth that could have transformed them from accusing followers into adoring disciples. Jesus wrote in the sand and invited anyone who never sinned to “be the first to throw a stone at her”. With their sinful hearts exposed they all went away from both the Savior and the sinner. If they had only confessed the truth to Him, that they were just as guilty before God as this woman was, they could have received the same forgiveness and victory that she did. Instead, the accusers dropped their stones and walked away from the Savior unchanged because of their hearts of stone.

In every crowd of followers there are plotters, schemers, and accusers. They are intent on tripping Him up, making Him fall, or proving Him wrong. Jesus sees into the hearts of this unique group of His followers… “But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people  and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man” (John 2:24-25). He loves them no less than the rest. He knows about the hurt from past abuse or the pain of broken trust that grips their hearts and compels them to accuse Him… “That they might have some charge to bring against him”. Some of these accusers really want to believe, but their frozen, broken hearts keep them from receiving His truth and surrendering to the Christ… “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). In today’s text, Jesus responded to the accusers who were following Him with a loving confrontation of gospel truth.

“The Word became flesh” not to judge the world but to save the world. Jesus resisted the temptation to judge this adulteress and He invited the elders to judge her themselves… “If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 12:47). This divine invitation forced the elders to judge themselves before they could judge another… “For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things” (Romans 2:1). Jesus showed both the woman and her accusers that God’s law leads to forgiveness and freedom… “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness” (Psalm 130:3-4). The repentant woman received forgiveness while her stony hearted accusers went away from this confrontation with mercy unchanged.

As we grow up into Christ we are slow to judge and quick to forgive since His mercy has melted our…

Hearts of Stone.

His Divine Authority

The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee” (John 7:45-52).

 The officers that were sent by the chief priests and Pharisees to arrest Jesus returned without Him. Their elders wanted to know why the officers did not submit to their authority. Their response showed that when Jesus spoke He revealed much more than divine knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. The words of the Living Word revealed even more than ultimate truth. The crowd of followers confirmed it… “And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching” (Matthew 22:33). They discerned that beyond the content and delivery of His message, the Christ spoke with a fresh, undeniable authority… “And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29). Like the uneducated crowd of Christ followers, these officers may not have known the law as precisely as the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees, but they recognized the authority and source of the law that spoke to them… “No one ever spoke like this man!” When confronted with the truth of His authority, the Jewish elders confirmed that Jesus presented another authority, an authority that was far greater that the poor, legalistic remnant of the law they professed to know so well. Nicodemus urged the Jews to judge the words of Christ by the very law that He gave them… “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They resisted judging Him by the law because they knew He would pass the test and they would be compelled to submit to His divine authority. The truth is, whenever God speaks through either the written or the Living Word, followers are challenged to become disciples who joyfully discern and submit to His divine authority.

How do you respond to the word of God? Have you become too comfortable and familiar with it? It’s true that God’s word comforts and encourages us… “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). But it’s also true that God’s word judges our thoughts and emotions… “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).  God’s word provokes us to grow up into Christ… “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). God’s word equips us to discover His will and pursue His work by revealing His truth and leading us in His righteousness… “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The truth of God’s word is released into our lives as we embrace it as disciples immersed in the truth of our teacher… “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (John 8:31-32). The difference between the many Christ followers and the few disciples of Christ in any crowd will always be our response to His authority. God’s word promises blessings to those who are changed and matured by submitting to the authority of its truth… “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:25). Today we see how the officers following Him to arrest Him became His disciples by resisting the corrupted authority of man and submitting to the divine authority of Christ.

As we grow up into Christ we are transformed by being immersed in His word and surrendered to…

His Divine Authority.

The Great Divide

When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him” (John 7:40-44).

Jesus continued to reveal the glory, grace, and truth of God wherever He went… “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). His presence was creating and drawing crowds of followers… “And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick” (John 6:2). But the Christ did not come to create crowds. He did not come to draw followers. He came to make disciples… “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples’” (John 8:31). With perseverance Jesus confronted the crowd with truth about Himself. He was compelling followers to step away from the crowd and toward Him to become a disciple. He was urging followers to embrace Him and His words as a true disciple would. Today, our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, shows us that many in the crowd were wrestling with the revelation of truth Jesus presented. Some believed He was the Prophet promised by Moses. Some believed He was the Christ promised by the prophets from Adam through Malachi. While many knew of His childhood in Nazareth in Galilee, many did not know the truth about His birth in Bethlehem or about His lineage to David, “So there was a division among the people over Him”. This did not surprise Jesus. He knew a confrontation with the Truth would always force a decision and create division among men… “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division” (Luke 12:51). Every time the world is confronted by Christ and His gospel the result is the great divide.

Since the time of Christ the world has been divided between believers and unbelievers. Since the time we personally accepted Christ we have become more aware of this great divide. As we mature in our walk with Christ, we are drawn by the Truth farther away from the deception of this world. We are drawn by the Hope of Heaven farther away from the hopelessness of the world. We are drawn by the Purposeful Planner farther away from the purposelessness of this temporal world. As we grow more intimate with Christ we are moved out of the darkness of this shadowy world and into the light of His brilliant glory… “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Evidence that we are His chosen people is an increase in our personal holiness, or an increasing distance between our spirit and the temptation and sin of this world. Evidence that we are growing in Christ is our increasing effectiveness in serving Him and bringing others to Him. Evidence that we’ve stepped out of the crowd and into discipleship is an increase in the great divide between us and this world.

We do not leave the world until the Father calls us home… “In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16). But every day since the day of our new birth we are on a journey toward the Lord and our eternal home in heaven. Our focus is on a very different destination than the hearts and minds of the unbelieving world around us… “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). And as we travel through this life with our hearts and minds set on Christ we will become more and more distant from this unbelieving world and we will provoke “a division among the people over him” as others in the crowd are compelled to either seek Him or to run away from Him.

As we grow up into Christ moving farther from the crowd of followers and maturing as His disciple, in our hearts and in the world around us we will encounter…

The Great Divide.

Rivers of Living Water

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39).

Jesus had been challenging the great crowd that followed Him to take a step closer. He challenged those who sought miracles and signs to seek Him as the Source of the supernatural. He challenged those who wondered at His words to seek Him as the Authority for those words. He challenged those who found comfort and acceptance in being part of the crowd to seek Him as the Presence that would never leave or forsake them. He even challenged the Jews, chief priests, and Pharisees who rejected and sought to have Him arrested to seek Him and find Him while they still could. He was relentless in His efforts to provoke followers to step out of the crowd and closer to Him, to become a disciple. In today’s text He continued His pursuit. He identified another type of follower in the crowd. It was the religious follower who was thirsty for truth. He led the religious right into the Temple and up to the altar of God on the final day of the feast when a golden chalice of water was poured out on the altar in the Temple. Then He redirected their attention from the altar to Himself. He made it clear that this step was a step closer to Him… “Let him come to me”. It was a step away from the religious symbolism of the Temple, altar, chalice and water and toward the One they pointed to. It was a step of faith… “Whoever believes in me”. And today He added a promise. On this last day of the Feast of Booths, when that golden chalice of water was poured out on the altar in the Temple, Jesus promised that followers who became disciples will receive from Him, “rivers of living water”.

Once again, our Teacher the Holy Spirit confronts us with the question, are we followers or disciples of Jesus Christ. Today the Spirit of Truth asks us what satisfies our thirst for truth. Do we attend church weekly because it has become a familiar, comforting habit? Are we so dependent on a particular style of music, a regular order of worship, an encouraging type of preaching to keep us feeling close to the Lord? What if our world was so shaken up that we had to change churches or heaven forbid, the music, worship, or preaching in our comfortable, familiar church changed on us? What if we lived in a land where worship was driven underground and Christian fellowship of any kind was forbidden? Would we be farther away from our Savior? Finally, the Spirit offers us a very effective tool for personal reflection today. Perhaps one of the most obvious ways to know if we are follower or disciple of Jesus Christ is to ask if our hearts and lives are overflowing with the Holy Spirit.

The water that flowed onto the altar on the last great day of the Feast of Tabernacles was taken from the pool of Siloam and reminded the worshipper of God’s miraculous provision of water for the children of promise as they journeyed through the desert wilderness from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the land of promise… “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the LORD… that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 23:34-43). The water also looked forward to God’s promise to pour out His Spirit in the latter days… “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants” (Isaiah 44:3). Jesus wants His disciples to impact our world just as the Israelites impressed hostile nations in the wilderness on their way to the land of promise, by God’s provision and presence with them. That’s what the overflowing presence of God’s Spirit does in and through real disciples today as we journey toward heaven, our land of promise… “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

As we grow up into Christ our hearts increasingly overflow with thanksgiving for God’s perfect provision and with the presence and power of His Spirit because as Christ’s disciples, we are filled with…

Rivers of Living Water.