The House You're Building

        Orient   John 5:1-29 This section begins the “festival cycle” of John.  Here we will find a narrative pattern of Jesus attending a Jewish festival and while there, his words or actions create building conflict with the Pharisees.  This is Jesus’s third sign of the 7 in this gospel that point to His authenticity and cause the readers to face who Jesus is.  In this exchange, we find Jesus claiming to be God as He is Lord of the Sabbath.  The focus is on the work He does and how it aligns with the character of His Father.  You will read about roles within the Trinity as well as the power of Jesus to give life.     Introduction If you grew up in a religious household, there were things that were “taboo.”  Public school, smoking, dancing, wearing pants, may have been an unspoken restriction.  It seems to be in our nature to add to God’s law.  People often prohi...

        Orient  John 4:43-54  Today’s passage is a narrative account of Jesus’ 2 nd  major sign to show He was the Messiah.  The setting happens in Cana, getting us to reflect on the first miracle.  Rounding out his encounters with non-believers in chapters 3-4, this time Jesus interacts with a third “type,” a Gentile official.  Unlike Nicodemus or the woman at the well, this official represents someone outside religion who is a political figure, an oppressor of the Jews.  We see the theme of John stated clearly in verse 48 tying the miracles of Jesus to show the truth of His words.     Introduction Over my years in ministry, I’ve encountered people who were desperate for a miracle.  A few years ago, an acquaintance started asking about how to pray.  In finding out more about her situation, I discovered her husband had left her and she wanted to understand how to get what she wa...

  Orient   John 3:22-25 John the Baptist Exalts Christ    Beginning with a transition of travel, the story interacts once again with John the Baptist defending Christ, this time to his disciples.  We learn more about the superiority of Christ and his ministry over any human agent.  Starting in verse 35, scholars dispute the origin on the teaching starting in verse 31, is John the Baptist still speaking or is John the author of the book and apostle interjecting? Checking the quotation marks in your translation will indicate what the editors of your translation believe.  This section contains teaching about our role in ministry in comparison to Christ and the validity of the testimony of Christ in representing the Father.     Introduction In the age of social media, envy is a vice on the rise.  Constantly we are bombarded with perfect images of beauty, fashion, home decor, meals, and trips.  No matte...

  Have you ever thought about what it was like when God created the animals?  I’m a huge Harry Potter fan and one of my favorite parts is seeing how the artists in the films visually recreate some of my favorite magical creatures like hippogriffs and thestrals.  Imagine the whimsy of God, making the massive blue whale, the intricate hummingbird or the pieced-together platypus.  Not only inventing their physical characteristics but choosing their behaviors.  I on team dog because God made them loyal, sweet, and playful.    What was God thinking when He created sheep?  Did you know that sheep are mentioned more than any other animal in the bible [1] ?  Not only were sheep an important part of the ancient world’s economy, but God uses them in the Bible as an analogy of how we act.  It’s almost like God knew us and decided to design an animal that reflects our tendencies to show us our need for Him. Most ar...

Key Verse of the Week: For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 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 5:21-24 ESV) Oh the compassion of Jesus! In chapter 5 of John we see the priorities of our Savior.   Despite the religiosity around Him and the disapproval of those who cared more about their own rules than the heart of God, He heals.   Jesus saw a man, lying there, lame and cripple for 38 years.   A friendless man with no one to help him.   His loneliness and lack of hope had been with him a long time.   So Jesus asks, “ Do you want to get well (v6) .”   Do you want ...