#John20 #John21 - Believe it or not...

Click here to read John 20-21:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

The ending of these two chapters are like little "asides" from the actual story of Jesus. The end of chapter 21 reveals that what we see as recorded in John is not the whole picture. It is an accurate account from an eyewitness, but it does not contain the complete works of Jesus Christ. We know some of the other things, because different eyewitnesses (as recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke) contain some of the same stories but also some different ones. I love how he says, "If every one of [Jesus' works] were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." (John 21:25). I also really like at the end of chapter 20 that John even tells us the purpose for writing his gospel account, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." John wasn't writing for fame, he wasn't writing for profit; he was writing so everyone who read it would believe in Jesus and receive salvation.

2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?

When I read the story about the miraculous catch of fish, I think back to the beginning of Jesus' ministry when he called the disciples to be fishers of people. It's funny that it begins and wraps up with fish. I don't know that it is incredibly profound, but just interesting.

3. What does this mean for my life?

I really relate to Peter. Just a couple chapters ago, Peter denied Jesus three times after pledging his lifelong support for Jesus. Here in chapter 21, we see Jesus ask Peter three times if he loves him. Jesus knows that Peter loves him, so I think that this exchange is actually more for Peter to be assured that Jesus has forgiven him and restores him to his kingdom work. I know that in my life, I blow it sometimes. There are days, even in the midst of doing ministry, that I feel unworthy to have God use me to change people's lives. But I know that Jesus does forgive sins, and he does claim us as his brothers and sisters and colaborers in the work of God's kingdom. So even though I mess up, Jesus qualifies me to keep on moving forward.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

As I read these chapters, which include multiple descriptions of Jesus appearing to the disciples after his resurrection, my silly question is, "What did Jesus look like after he was raised from the dead?" He must have been in human form, because he still had hands, feet, a recognizable voice, etc. But Mary didn't recognize him at first, the disciples on the road to Emmaus didn't recognize him, the disciples gathered behind locked doors seemed to need some extra convincing, and the disciples at the beach didn't dare ask who he was. There must have been something that was unrecognizable to his face or figure, because it seemed to take people a little while.

Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!

In Christ,
Dan

image from http://bookwyrmshoard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Piles-of-books_01.jpg

#John9 - Was blind but now I see!

Click here to read John 9:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

This chapter centers on a man born blind and his encounter with Jesus. Everyone in the story except Jesus misconstrues the man's "misfortune" as a punishment for something. The disciples assume that it was either he or his parents who sinned. The Pharisees remind him that he was steeped in sin from birth. Jesus is the only one that sees this man for who he is - a beloved creation of God. Jesus heals this man, but since it is on a Sabbath the Pharisees go nuts and grill the guy about Jesus. I love that he asks them if they want to be his disciples too. This man has a testimony that no one can argue with, and in sharing it he is pointing people to Jesus. He is the author of one lyrical line in "Amazing Grace." He says, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?

Jesus likes to heal on the Sabbath. Well, actually he likes to heal all the time, and some of those times happened to be the Sabbath. He was proving that there is no end, no pausing, no break for God's desire to help people. Yes, we should stop working on the Sabbath, but when someone needs help it is always time to help them. Here are some other accounts of Jesus healing on the Sabbath: Mark 3, Luke 13, and John 5.

3. What does this mean for my life?

It's easy to try to rationalize why certain things happen, but from a human perspective we are severely limited in our reasoning. Almost every time something bad happens, or someone goes through a challenging time, some well-meaning Christian says something like, "Everything happens for a reason." That kind of reminds me of the disciples. At best, that statement is not helpful. At worst, it leaves people to figure out why they are being punished. Perhaps the reason is you made a dumb choice not to study and now you're failing the test. Perhaps the reason is that this world is just broken. People get sick. Natural disasters happen. Employers have to make hard decisions. But I believe that no matter what the reason (if there is one), God wants to reveal himself to us more in every circumstance. He wants us to trust him in the midst of hardships. He wants to comfort us in times of loss. He wants to be our hope in times of despair. He wants to be our rock and refuge when the world is shifting all around us. I need to remember to turn to God in all circumstances.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

I always wondered why Jesus spit in the dirt to make mud and then put it in someone's eyes. Why didn't he just touch his eyes, or speak it over the man? It's kind of gross. However, if I knew it would make me see, I wouldn't care at all. I would just want him to do it.

Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!

In Christ,
Dan

image from http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_le6zpkIFB81qcgzw1o1_500.jpg

#John6 - The Most Wonderful Bread

Click here to read John 6:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

Almost the entire chapter was about bread. First Jesus feeds the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. Then when the crowds find him again on the other side of the lake, they ask for more bread. Jesus calls them out on their fickle dependence on him for actual food, when they should be seeking him for eternal life. Jesus says, in essence, "God sent bread down from heaven to keep you alive from day to day, but now he has sent me so that you can be alive for all eternity. Get your eyes off the ground and your stomachs, and look up to see what God is really doing here. Even WonderBread still spoils eventually despite the added preservatives. Get some of the most wonderful bread, that will never spoil - me."

2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?

When Jesus talks about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, it sounds a little creepy and weird. It seems at first like symbolism, and then he keeps using the same language and carries it to a point where it has to still be symbolism, but doesn't sound much like it anymore. But it did make me think of Holy Communion and the Last Supper. Jesus broke the bread and said, "Take and eat, this is my body given for you." He also took the cup of wine and said, "This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood...drink of it." It sounds very similar, and reminds us that we need Jesus at every turn.

3. What does this mean for my life?

For this question, I look at the scene at the end of the chapter where many disciples desert Jesus. He then turns to the twelve remaining and asks why they haven't left yet. Peter (often the first to reply) said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." As I have experienced more of life and simultaneously become more acquainted with the Bible, I find myself thinking the same thing. "Where else am I going to go? God is the only thing that actually makes life make sense. Life as revealed in the Bible is the only one worth living."

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

How do the two concepts Jesus teaches about those who believe have eternal life, and that God is the one who draws them in make sense together? It sounds a little contradictory, but I'm just curious how they really fit together.

Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!

In Christ,
Dan

image from http://www.livingrichwithcoupons.com/wp-content/uploads/Flowers-Foods-poised-for-growth-eyes-acquisitions.png

#John5 - Testify!

Click here to read John 5:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

This chapter was again filled with directives to believe in Jesus. It's amazing how much that word has come up in just five chapters of this gospel. But besides that this piece about Jesus having testimony about him really intrigued me. In the culture of that day, there weren't news camera's on every corner. There wasn't Facebook or Instagram or Twitter to spread the word about something. There weren't camera's on everyone's cell phones to capture visual proof of events. Instead, people relied almost entirely on the witness and testimony of others. Jesus is saying that there are really three major testimonies verifying that Jesus is the Son of God. John the Baptist verbally testified that Jesus is the Messiah, God the Father testified about him through the obvious and miraculous work Jesus was doing, and the Scriptures even testified about him. He is trying to use human reasoning to convince the hard-hearted that he really is who he says he is.

2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?

When Jesus healed the invalid by the pool, the man went away and obeyed Jesus fully. Despite the Jewish leaders who were appalled that this healing happened on the Sabbath, Jesus meets up with this guy later and tells him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." This reminds me of how Jesus handled the situation with the adulterous woman. After he restored her dignity, he said, "Now go and sin no more," or "Go now and leave your life of sin." Jesus doesn't condone sin. He doesn't just dismiss it as okay. But he still offers healing, hope, and salvation to all of us despite our sin. The question is, will we repent, believe in Jesus, and live our life for him?

3. What does this mean for my life?

The way Jesus describes his relationship with God the Father made me realize that I need to let go of some things and really let God have control of my life. "...the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." I want to be able to say of my life, "Dan can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does Dan also does." That would be the ultimate aim of our sanctification, the process God uses to transform us more and more into his image.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

What was Jesus talking about when he said he was going to the dead, and that the dead would hear the voice of God and believe and live. Was he speaking of his death? Like apostles creed "he descended into hell," stuff? That was a little confusing.

Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!

In Christ,
Dan

image from http://www.stichtingrevive.nl/uploads/1/1/7/7/11775636/5617080_orig.jpg

#John2 - Can you believe it?

Click here to read John 2:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

After each major event John describes in this chapter, he makes a special note of all those who believe in Jesus or believe in his name. I noticed it in this chapter, but it is obviously a theme throughout the book of John. In this case, the disciples began to believe in him, early on. Then, as he performed other miracles and traveled around teaching, many people saw him and believed in him.

2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?

I mentioned this is a theme in the book of John, and I can think of three other specific instances where this theme of believing. John 1:7&14 both ring out the goal of the gospel of John, that people might believe in Jesus. "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." Again at the end of John in chapter 20 verse 31, he clearly states his hopes for the readers of the gospel. "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." And the most famous of the believing verses in John 3:16, of course.

3. What does this mean for my life?

Above all else - all understanding, all striving, all education, all tasks, all "missions", all relationships, all hardships, all doubts, and all fears, I need to simply believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and find all life in him.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

What is the meaning of the last two verses in this chapter? "Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person."

Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!

In Christ,
Dan

image from http://cleo.uwindsor.ca/gata/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/seinfeld-meme-generator-you-better-believe-it-buddy-9c21d1.jpeg

#Mark6 - Got Any Tartar Sauce?

Click here to read Mark 6:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

The feeding of the 5,000 is one of the few miracles that appears in all four gospels. I don't know if that makes it the most significant (outside of the resurrection of course) or just one of the most memorable for the gospel writers. But there were a few details that caught my attention this time. The first detail is that Jesus didn't set out to do that miracle, or even to have a large crowd around him. We see from verse 31 and 32 that Jesus and the disciples were trying to get away from the crowds, but the crowds came to him. He didn't yell or scream at them to get away and get a life. Instead, "he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd." Another detail is that they had 12 baskets leftover. Not only is that "a lot" but there were 12 disciples. God even provided for them. Finally, I was reminded that it wasn't 5,000 people. Scripture clarifies that this is just the number of men, not including women and children that may have been present.

2. How does this passage relate to any other Scripture I know?

In Matthew 16, Jesus asks his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" The disciples respond by saying, "Some say you are John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others say you are one of the prophets." This theme exactly is represented here in this chapter, as Herod was wrestling with that very question. But unlike Peter, who confessed Jesus as Christ, Herod figured that Jesus was a resurrected John the Baptist and was never saved because of that answer.

3. What does this mean for my life?

Jesus sends the disciples out in a boat ahead of him, while he heads up to a mountain to pray. The timing of this next part caught me. "Later that night" he saw the boat struggling against the wind, but it wasn't until "almost dawn" when he went out to them. Sometimes I think God does that. He can see that we are struggling, but he promises to be with us during times of trial and seeming defeat. Sometimes we don't see God in it until we're almost totally through it.

4. What questions do I have about this passage?

In verse 5 and 6 there seems to be a direct correlation between the faith of the people and the ability to perform miracles. Is that how Jesus operated? Operates? Would we as a church " see more miracles if we had more faith? Just a question.

Those are my thoughts for the day. I'd love to hear yours. Keep Digging In!

In Christ,
Dan

image from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkhftZSE-obztFvJOdZIBc-bEJiOxvcqhMyvOyXzUoeyQZHaHPvRT-m2AcYUHA0YeLu0XHQgYVWoOu8PESfd7DPYlTYN2d8oXp5HLyZVr0d7xPSR4MvlBCTg8wMuukEJX_Ob46PgrKKw/s1600/MultiplyingFish.gif

#Matthew14 #Matthew 15 - No Rest for the Righteous

Click here to read Matthew 14-15:

1. What stood out to me from this chapter?

I've known about the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand people for as long as I can remember. The story would often come up in sermons or Sunday school lessons. But after reading the chapter today, the surrounding events make this story even more remarkable. Just before this event, Jesus learns that his cousin, his prophetic forerunner, John the Baptist has been beheaded. On learning this, Jesus just wants to get away and have some time away from the crowds, so he goes with his disciples out on a boat. But the crowds follow him and are gathered in large number when they land. When Jesus saw the crowd he could have yelled something like, "Can't a guy just have one moment of peace? Seriously!" Or he could have just quietly said to his disciples, "Oh shoot, the people followed me here. Quick let's turn around and go somewhere else." That's probably what I would have done. But Jesus had compassion on them, and he healed their sick. Then when the time came he fed them. There is no break in following God, no retiring from doing God's work in the world, no rest from the pursuit of righteousness.

2. How does this passage relate to any other Scripture I know?

In this passage, Jesus boldly teaches the Pharisees that what you eat does not make you unclean. He basically says, being "unclean" in God's eyes has nothing to do with washing, or what you eat. It has everything to do with the sinful nature and actions of a person. This reminds me of the story in chapter 10 of Acts, which was the first book I started blogging about, where Peter is called to visit a Gentile. He receives a vision where God shows him all the animals that had previously been labeled as unclean. Then God tells him to kill and eat. Those were some of the ritualistic laws in the old testament that had been fulfilled by Christ and therefore cancelled on the cross.

3. What does this mean for my life?

While the choice to read two chapters was simply in order to make up for my missing yesterday due to a crazy schedule (it happens), it was interesting that these two chapters contained two different stories of Jesus feeding large crowds. What caught me though was not that he did essentially the same miracle twice, nor was it the difference in the numbers of loaves and fish and people. What caught my attention was when Jesus faced hungry crowds for the second time (who knows how much time passed in between, but only one chapter) the disciples asked him, "Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?" I wanted to slap the disciples and say to them, "Duh! Are you that dull? (which Jesus also says to them in this chapter) Do you not remember that Jesus just got done feeding a larger crowd with less food? Don't you know he can provide what you need?" And as soon as the thought entered my mind, I realize that I am just as dull (if not more) than they were. I often wonder how God will provide in each situation. Whether it's personal finances, ministry finances, staff or volunteers, I often begin to question God just like the disciples. But he has never failed to be faithful to his promises. Lord, help me trust you every step of the way.

4. What questions do I have about this chapter?

In the encounter between Jesus and the Canaanite woman, Jesus says, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." It's clear the disciples don't want to waste their time with her. But the comments Jesus makes almost seem like he is trying to make a point. Like he is either testing or displaying her depth of faith. My question is simply, "Why did Jesus wait to answer her request for healing? Why did he answer the way he did?"

Well, we're back on track with reading. :) Keep digging in. I welcome any other comments from either of these two chapters.

In Christ,
Dan

image from http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6c38kSziu1r7ygo8.jpg