John 8:31-36 – Freedom in Christ

In John 8, we have discovered that Jesus was engaged in confrontation with the religious authorities. He announced that He is the light of the world and those who did not believe in Him were living in darkness. He had also warned them of the danger of being separated from God, and so in danger of the fires of hell. He asserted that they were from below whereas He came from above. The two realms just simply cannot mix. Jesus then turned to a segment of the Jews who believed in Him, saying, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 

Unfortunately, they had completely missed His point. They were thinking of their physical ancestry. Responding to Jesus, they said, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?” What they had just expressed was the prevailing thought among the Jews. Unwittingly, they had just expressed their ignorance and were in self-denial. They thought that God had accepted them on account of the physical relationship. In our modern context, it is like saying that my parents are Christians, and even if I don’t believe in Jesus, God will forgive me on their account. They failed to realize that relationship with God is an intensely personal decision. It calls for individual accountability.

The Jews hated being known as slaves. Their history indicates that they had been bondage for centuries. They had experienced bondage to different forces at different periods of their journey – to the Egyptians, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and even at that point in time to the Romans. So Jews would rather die than be known as slaves. But what Jesus was talking about was something spiritual. He told them saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” Jesus wanted them and us to know that we are all in bondage to our sin. Like them, many would deny when told we are sinners. Human beings are experts at trivializing sin until we become desensitized to it. This was exactly the situation of the Jews. It’s true that people living in sin also lives in self-denial, and would never think that it’s that serious. But for us now, with a quickened conscience by our relationship with Christ, may His Word continue to educate our conscience and help us not to trivialize sin.

Jesus had given the remedy in verses 31-32. When we believers turn to His teaching, we will discover the liberating truth of His Word. When we come to the Word of God and seriously and honestly seek to know the truth, we will definitely come face to face with Jesus and be liberated by His truth. There is a need however to continue in His word. This word ‘continue’ means to stay at it, making time to study it, to carve out the principles to apply. There must be the willingness to act on it. Obedience to the Word is critical to our spiritual liberation. In other words, to know the Word, we need to be a student of the Word. And to continue in the Word we must obey the Word.  

In verses 35 and 36, Jesus shows the difference between the relationship of a slave and a son in the home. Being the Son, He alone could help the Jews and anyone, to obtain the freedom they could not acquire for themselves. Jews or Gentiles, men would only be slaves after all. Although the Jews considered themselves to be sons in God’s household, they were in reality, only slaves after all. So whatever right they sought to assert was pointless because they did not have that right in the first place. Unlike them, Jesus is the Son in the house. His position is forever fixed no matter what. He alone has every right and so He alone can set us free.   

We are delivered from our sinful life so that we are free to serve God. We must no longer pander to the cry of our sinful nature. Bear in mind that our freedom in Christ is not a license to do what we please, but a liberation from the bondage of sin to do what we ought. To remain free, Jesus said we need to continue to know His Word. We must not come to it only once in a while, but every day. We come to the Word to read, study, meditate, memorize, digest, apply, and assimilate. So that we can make it part of our daily living and life.  

John 8:21-30 – Are we separated from or united with Christ?

There is going to be a separation between those who believe in Jesus and those who won’t. John had made it quite clear in this Gospel. One well-memorized verse is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” In the previous discussion, the Lord had led them to the idea of separation. One could either walk in the light that Christ came to give or walk in darkness.

In verse 21, He was essentially telling the crowd that they had followed Him all around Jerusalem in the feast of the Tabernacle, and had taken issue with everything that He had said. He assured them that there would come a time when they would be looking for Him but then it would be too late. There would be a separation. These words, though spoken to those who opposed Him, is true to everyone throughout time and history.

We see here, as always, what He had said was misinterpreted. They sarcastically insinuated that He was going to commit suicide. That was a wicked jibe. In their Jewish thinking, those who commit suicide deserved a place in hell. What they said was implying that Jesus was going to hell. And they felt that He was right to say that. With a paly of cynicism, they reasoned, saying that they could not follow Him there. What they did, sneering and scorning at Jesus, was actually affirming Jesus’ words concerning their ultimate end. They were lost and separated from God. And if they persist in that direction, they would certainly be totally and eternally separated from Him.  

What could be the reason for that separation? Verse 23 provides the answer. It’s because they were from a different realm from Jesus. They were from below whereas He has come from above. And the twain would never become one. The word “world” used by Christ here is referring to the evil system of this world. Those that opposed Him were from this world. It is a different realm from where He came from, and the two cannot co-exist. For that reason, they could seek Him and not find Him.  

There is a great gulf between the two realms. There can be no in-between. We are either wholly for Him or wholly for the world. The critical factor Jesus then states is found in verse 24. He said, “…you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” This underscores the importance to have one’s belief truly set on Jesus. Whether we believe in Him or not, will determine eternal life or death for us.   

In unbelief, the people wanted to know who Jesus really was. They were not aware that He was talking about the Father. They did not know that He came from the Father and He spoke and judged according to what the Father had specified. Jesus told them that they would only begin to understand everything when He, the Son of Man, is lifted up on the cross.  The cross, a symbol of great humiliation, is also the first step toward exaltation.

The message of these verses is plain and simple. It is a call to believe in Christ. And as we believe in Him, we will be lifted from the realm of darkness and brought into the realm of light. Yes, in believing in Christ, we are what 1 Peter 2:9 said of us. We “…are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Let’s make known that light of His magnanimous grace.

John 8:12-20 – Jesus is the answer to man’s darkness

Since chapter 6, John had been using images from the past experiences of the children of Israel in their wilderness wandering. First the manna in John 6, then the water from the rock in John 7, and now in John 8, the pillar of fire. In the celebration of the Tabernacle there were two great parts. One was the pouring of water from the golden vessel, to commemorate the provision of water for the children of Israel in the wilderness wondering. Now we see the other part of the celebration: the illumination of the temple. And John 8:20 tells us that the treasury was the place where Christ’s pronouncement took place.

In the treasury there were thirteen great trumpet-shaped treasure chests. There were narrow at the top and broad at the bottom. Each treasure chest was intended to receive the giving of the people for different purpose e.g. to upkeep the temple, to receive offering for different sacrifices, and some were even for whatever leftover the people had and still wanted to give to the Lord, etc. It was also here in the treasury that four great torches were set up. They would be lit. The light from these torches would remind the people of the great pillar of fire that guided the children in the wilderness wondering. It was here that the human traffic would be the heaviest, making it an appropriate place for Christ to make His proclamation. So here Jesus raised His voice above the heavy human traffic and made one of His seven “I Am” claims in John’s Gospel. “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” In this, Christ has made known one of the supreme realities of His existence. What a way to help people to focus their attention on this one truth they needed to know and understand!

In saying that “I am the light of the world…,” Jesus was identifying Himself with the Shekinah glory of God that the children of Israel experienced in the wilderness. Like the pillar of fire that guided the people in the wilderness, He is the light for us today in this world of darkness. The promise here is this: if we walk with Him as our guide, we won’t be floundering in darkness like the rest of the people in the world. We will have a definite guide in every situation of life. How we need this light in this dark world!

He further elaborates in verse 12, saying that “…he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Like the pillar of fire for the children of Israel, Christ is the pillar of fire for us believers today. No matter how dark the world may be, we can experience His light illuminating the path in our journey. Not only will this light of life be there to guide us, He will also be in us. To help us shine for Him everywhere we go, and to help others in their journey of life as well. What an honor! Ephesians 5:18 tells us that “Once we were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.”

Unfortunately, there were among Jesus’ audience, some who did not think that His claim was that wonderful. The Pharisees in particular. So they challenged Jesus. They said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” They got technical and went into the Jewish judiciary system which stated that every truth must be verified by two people. Hence they told Jesus that what He claimed to be could not stand, because He was claiming it for Himself. Jesus responded in verse 14 by revealing that there was yet another witness, God the Father Himself. Christ never acted alone. He had and has always acted in consort with the Father. The immediate reaction of the Pharisees was “Where is Your Father?” The answer is pure and simple, in Jesus Christ, God the Father is unfolded. If anyone wants to know God the Father, all he needs is to be connected to Christ. For in Him the fullness of the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirit - dwell bodily. And we are complete in Him. From verse 20, we deduced that God has a definite moment for everything. Since it was not the moment for Christ to give His life yet, so no one came forward to seize Him. It tells us that when we are in the will of God, we can safely, securely and serenely go about the task He has assigned us.

Without the light of Christ we will walk in eternal darkness. John in his letters tell us the importance of continual walking in the Light. If we walk in the light as God is in the light, we will have fellowship with one another. And the blood of Jesus, His Son, will cleanse us from all sins. We walk in the light simply by looking upward, and walking continuously with him. As we do so, His light will flow in and through us to others. This continual engagement with Him will prepare us to participate in the glory at His coming. Yes, Jesus is the answer to man’s darkness!

John 8:1-11 – Living in the light of God’s forgiveness

This account recorded in John 8:1-11 seems to be out of place in the drift of John’s thought from chapters 7-8. Omitting these eleven verses, the flow would be smoother and perfect. By putting a bracket from John 7:53 - 8:11, the New American Standard Bible seems to indicate that this is a parenthetical paragraph. Whatever the case, reading this account tells us the sentiment the Judeans had against Jesus. Their intention was to trap Jesus. In the last verse of John 7 we are told that everyone went home and the opening verse of John 8 tells us “But Jesus went to Mount Olive.” Perhaps for some quiet moments with the Father.

Early the next morning, Jesus was again in the temple and quickly the people gathered to hear His teaching. Many were captivated by His teachings. And while He was instructing the people, the scribes and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery and set her in the centre of the temple court. Their intention was clear. They brought her there not to seek an opinion from the Lord. They were there to trap Him. However, we must realize that this account depicts a classic example of the wisdom of Jesus. The woman’s accusers wanted to know what Jesus would say to the woman caught in such a blatant sin. Here the scribes and the Pharisees were using her as a tool to attack Jesus. What they were doing was exerting their moral superiority over her, and yet at the same time used her to put Jesus on the spot. They reckoned that it would be difficult for Jesus to wriggle out of this tricky situation. They probably had an inkling that Jesus would want to forgive the woman. If He did that, He would have ignored some instructions in the Law of Moses.

No one can tell what Jesus had written on the floor. Suffice to say that in the day before the invention of chalk and blackboard or the whiteboard, teachers would write or draw on the dust to illustrate their points. However, we do not know what Jesus had written. Perhaps He was listing other sins, and maybe the accusers’ own sin of hypocrisy. He could be just doodling to show His disgust at what their question really deserved. However, His response to them in verse 7 could have a devastating effect, had one of them mistakenly and arrogantly thought that he was without sin. But as we all know so well that whenever we point an accusing finger at someone, we have three pointing back at us. Perhaps the scribes and Pharisees knew this very well too. Jesus did not say that the Law of Moses was wrong, but if they were to seriously consider it in the light of how they had lived, each would be found guilty of breaking the Law at some point. Each of them then quickly and quietly dropped the stone in their hand and left, because they got the point.  

In what Jesus did, He shows us that while the sin of adultery is a serious offence, what matters more was the sin of misusing the Law, and making it a means to make oneself out to be righteous. We are all sinners needing God’s forgiveness. We must not be mistaken to think that the story is telling us that the sin of adultery doesn’t matter. All sins, big or seemingly small, matter to God. Jesus’ concluding words to this woman clearly affirmed it. Don’t mistake the forgiveness of God as His indication that sin does not matter. It does. Forgiveness is the outpouring of God’s grace and a demonstration of His magnanimity. Like His instruction to that forgiven woman, we must also not spurn the grace of God. We must instead live our life in the light of the forgiveness that God had granted us. 

John 7:45-53 – Coming to Christ without prejudice

How amazing! Here the officers sent by the Jewish authority to arrest Jesus, were instead arrested by Him. The difference between them and the Jewish leadership was the fact that they did not have any ulterior motive. They came to do a job and were enthralled by the words of Jesus. So they came back to the chief priests and the Pharisees without arresting Him. When asked why didn’t they arrest Jesus and bring Him to them, the offices could have given any excuse but they did not. Their assessment of Jesus was plain and true, “Never has a man spoken the way this man (Jesus) speaks.” 

This is true in many life situations too. When we come to the Lord without any preconceived expectation that He should work in a certain way, we will find Him speaking to us in the most amazing way. But if we come expecting to have our answer in a certain way that He must do so, we will often go away disappointed. Remember God’s ways are not ours. As the heaven is higher than the earth so are His ways and thoughts higher than ours. We are in for a divine surprise every time we come to Him with confidence and expectation. He will do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ever ask or think.  

In response to what the officers had said, the Pharisees then insinuated that the officers were hook-winked and brainwashed by Jesus. Their implication: they could understand the people’s fascination with Jesus, but they couldn’t understand how the officers could be mesmerised by His words. Pointing to themselves, they insisted that none of them, the elites, believed in Jesus. They even went on to sneer at the commoners, they insisted that the crowd was untrained and know nothing of the Law. In other words, their estimation of the crowd was that they were spiritually and theologically ignorant. They harshly judged them as accursed for believing in Jesus. How sad to know that people could be hindered from truly knowing Jesus because they hold on to some preconceived theological position. The best way to go about our spiritual life is not to be led by dogmatic conviction but to search for the clear instruction of the Word of God. Like the Pharisees, many today still think they have a corner with God. They also conclude that when a person is not among the elite, they can never understand the deeper things of God. How deluded!

Here we see Nicodemus again. He was the one who came to Jesus by night and had a lengthy discussion with Him on the born again experience. With great insight and wisdom, he asked a very good question. “Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” But he was scorned by the Pharisees. They told him that no prophet ever hail from Galilee. In saying that they had shown how ignorant they themselves were. That’s because the prophet Jonah came from Galilee. In showed how ignorant they were about their own national history.

How sad to know that there are people who profess to know God yet could miss Him so widely. We cannot help but be brought back to what Jesus had said in John 7:37-38, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” We need to come to Him with sincerity and openness. Only in Him do we have an ever flowing refreshing stream of living water. Outside of Christ, there is nothing in us that will commend us to God. We must bring our heart to Him, like vessels to an ever-flowing stream. And resting in Him, we will find the inner gush of living water. Oh how precious is that stream!  

John 7:40-43 – Divided opinions concerning Christ

There were three opinions concerning who Jesus was. In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses told the people of Israel that “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” Some on hearing the words of Jesus concluded that He was that prophet whom Moses spoke about. Evidently, there were those who were looking for the emergence of that prophet. They came to the conclusion that He was the prophet because of the words He spoke. Then some among them who were attending the feast rightly concluded that He was the anticipated Messiah. But their voice were quickly put out by yet another group that expressed doubt that He could be the Messiah, because Jesus hailed from Galilee.

This third group of people could cite facts from the Scripture. It showed that the Messiah would come from the descendant of David. He would be born in Bethlehem, a city which David had lived in his early days. The fact that they could cite these facts from Scripture spontaneously, shows that there were strong Messianic expectation among the people.  The divergent views the people had concerning Jesus had led to division among them. Some among them harbored intention to seize Him but no one laid a hand on Him. The reason had already been given earlier - His hour had not yet come.  Hence no arrest took place.

Thinking about division, we must refer to Matthew 10:34–35 where Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” This was again echoed in Luke 12:51–52, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.”

Isn’t it true that the very mention of Christ often brings division to life? It divides between those who believe in Him and those who won’t. And those who sincerely believe in Christ always find people opposing them when they speak about Him. Why? When we subscribe to what Christ had said and sincerely want to live for Him, we find our life being re-directed. We find our love for things changed because our value of things has also changed. This brings a clash between the sincere believer and those with hedonistic passion. Regardless of division or antagonism, we sincere believers of Christ must stand firm in our witness. How we behave and conduct our life are strong determining factors for people to ultimately accept Christ as Lord too. Let us live to glorify Him!   

John 7:37-39 - The flow of living water

John 7:37 talks about the high point of the feast of Tabernacle. It was the last and greatest day of the feast. It was the climax of the celebration where the people would congregate at the temple. The crowd would be unusually larger. At this point Jesus stood up and cried loudly saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” Here we see Jesus openly made the invitation. Unlike His opponents, He openly invited the people to come to Him if they desired to be ministered to. Three words stand out – thirst, come, and drink.

Thirst speaks of a craving. It is desiring for something that one does not already possess. A thirst is something we are conscious of. Many fail to realize that what we need most in life is Christ Jesus. In ignorance, many would thirst for wealth, fame, pleasure, comfort, and the list can go on endlessly. The common problem with all these searchings is that they can never satisfy our soul. Many have lost sleep and health in search for them, and yet found them to be very evasive. The real need of life we should thirst for is Christ Jesus Himself. He will satisfy our inner longing in life. Our restlessness in life is due to the lack of Christ and not the lack of things. The recognition of our need for Christ is the first and important step to a satisfying life.

Then the next word is come. This is an active action word. Here it suggests that we approach Christ and move our desire toward Him. To do so, we need to engage our will and come to Him wholeheartedly. It is an act of faith. It means that we must turn our desire away from the world and those things that could never bring lasting satisfaction. Then the final word is drink. Like the word come, this is also a verb. It requires action. Many may come to the water and not drink of it. In the same way, if we are to have our spiritual thirst quenched, we need to partake of the flowing water Christ alone supplies. This word drink is used here as a figurative expression. Jesus is talking about making Christ our own.

Elaborating on the invitation, the Lord said, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” It was likely that Jesus had in mind Isaiah 58:11b that says, “You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Out of the innermost being shall be the ever-flowing stream of refreshing water. In one Authorized Version of the Bible, verse 38 reads like this: “…out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” The belly is the part where we constantly crave. If Christ is not the centre of our craving, we will be hankering for things that can never fully satisfy.

In verse 39, Jesus tells us what He meant by the living water that will flow from the believers’ inner being. He was referring to the Holy Spirit who will come in and dwell in us, and become the source of life when we make Christ our Lord and Master. At that point they could only anticipate the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. For us believers today, we can expect the perpetual work of the Holy Spirit in our life every time we come to Him. For Christ is already glorified. So whenever we come to Him, His Spirit, like an ever-flowing stream, will flow in and through our life, bringing the much needed refreshing.

During the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacle, water from the pool of Siloam would be collected each day. Then it was poured out from a golden vessel to commemorate God’s provision of water for the children of Israel in their wilderness wandering. Jesus is saying here that He is that water. Through the Holy Spirit He is still refreshing our life. As we grow in Him, we can be one of His life giving streams. We must come constantly to Him and plug in to Him to receive His life enriching water. And then become a tributary of His life giving water to others. We should not be a stagnated pool but Christ’s life giving streams. Are we?   

John 7:32-36 – Faith in Jesus, the starting point of belief

The scheme of the Jewish leaders now found expression. When they perceived what the people thought of Jesus, they sent the temple guards to arrest Him. The Pharisees and the chief priests here refer to the Sanhedrin, the ruling Jewish council. At this point, the Passover was about six months away. In verse 32, Jesus was making allusion to His impending departure. Here He anticipates His death and resurrection, and return to the Father. It would be during the period of His absence that they would be searching for Him and would not find Him. If they persist in their unbelief they would certainly not be able to go to where He was returning to, the side of the Father. Here we see Christ was totally unconcerned about the plot they had against Him. He knew that His destiny was entirely in the hand of the Father and not the Sanhedrin. Jesus’ whole thought was wrapped up in accomplishing the mission He was sent to do. What would we have done in similar situation? When we face opposition to what God had called us to do, will we look beyond the circumstances and stay focused on the mission? Like Christ we must.

Thinking naturally, his hearers were puzzled. They were not able to distinguish His heavenly origin. They could only understand His language from their human perspective. They were probably thinking that Jesus wanted to avoid the atmosphere in Jerusalem and Judea that had become increasingly hostile. They thought He wanted to take His teaching abroad to more receptive audiences. So they wondered what He meant. They concluded that perhaps Jesus was going to the Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire. There were many Jews who had returned to Palestine from the Babylonian exile when permission was granted. But they were also those that didn’t return. They thought Jesus was talking about going to that group of people, and then from there He would launch into proselyting the Greeks. Verse 36 tells us that they were truly confused. They just did not get what Christ was talking about.  

Looking from the natural level, it becomes difficult to understand the teaching of Jesus. If we want to discover where Jesus is and be with Him, the starting point would be to believe in Him. It is only by believing in Jesus can we find Him and be with Him. The key to knowing God is faith. We cannot fully understand everything in this life, but if we come by faith to Jesus, we can accept Him. It’s only then that our spiritual perception of Him will be opened and we will be able to see Him for Who He really is.  

John 7:25-31 – Knowing God deeply

As we examine John 7, we find essentially three groups of people: the Jews, referring to those religious leaders that harbored intention to get rid of Jesus, and they made no secret about it. Then there was the crowd, people who did not know much about the teachings of Jesus or the intention of the authorities. These people were willing to listen and even ready to believe in Him. In John 7:25, we see a third group of people. They were the common people from Jerusalem. They did not belong to those that wanted Jesus dead. But they were aware of the plot to kill Jesus. They saw Jesus and heard His teachings and were somewhat sure that He was the One that the Jewish leaders were looking for. It’s apparent that they were impressed by Jesus’ words and actions. For Jesus was not afraid to talk overtly despite the awareness that there was plots to kill Him. So these people put two and two together and thought that Jesus was the Messiah, but wondered if the authorities had arrived at the same conclusion. The true state of their hearts was found in verse 27. They were confused. They knew Jesus was just a Galilean carpenter. But they also knew that when the Messiah appeared it would be a sudden appearance. They were indeed stumped.  

So Jesus, who was still teaching in the Temple, responded with a loud shout. He said, “Yes, you know Me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but He who sent me is true. You do not know Him, but I know Him because I am from Him and He sent me.” The Lord spoke with great emphasis and emotion to enlighten them. He asserted that He came from God and God was the One Who had sent Him. He did not come on His own accord. He told them that had they known God, they would have been able to recognize Him. What was Jesus saying in all these? He was telling them that they were indeed ignorant. However, the issue of their ignorance was not about Jesus but God. The real reason for their inability to recognize Jesus, the true God, underscores the fact that they really did not know God, the Father.

Jesus, in verse 29, then made known His origin, His authority and His mission. Remember Jesus and the Father are one. He now comes to make the Father known. Knowing Jesus is knowing the Father. At this juncture, they wanted to seize Him but no one made the move because His hour had not yet come. It tells us that it was not God’s time for the sacrifice of Christ as yet. The divine moment for His death and resurrection had not arrived. Note in verse 31 we are told that among the uncommitted in the crowd that were listening to Jesus, there were those that believe in Him because of the signs th

The fact is this: if we want to have a deeper knowledge of God, we need to know Christ Jesus more. By knowledge we mean experiential knowledge. So are we coming to Jesus daily to relate and fellowship with Him? Let’s make time, undivided time, to meet Him and to be quiet in His presence to listen to Him. Then to act on what we have heard. This will enable us to come into a deeper knowledge of God. Are we willing to make the sacrifice of time? 

John 7:14-24 – Seek to appraise rightly

Jesus, who came to Jerusalem after His brothers had left, arrived midway through the feast, at the height of the celebration. He then went up to the court in the Temple and began to teach. Amon those who heard Him were His opponents, and many who came from the region to celebrate the feast. His hearers were drawn to His teaching for He taught with great inspiration and authority. They were amazed and puzzled at the great insight He must have given them. They were puzzled because they knew He did not have any formal training from any rabbi. People with such knowledge and insight were usually those who had have years of training. Here was Jesus, unattached to any rabbi, yet He spoke with great clarity and authority that challenged them. Where did He get such amazing thoughts?  

Jesus told them that His teaching came from God. He was unlike any Jewish teachers of His day. They taught to compete for honor with one another. Whereas Jesus here was giving honor to the Heavenly Father. He was not seeking His own glory but was seeking to point them to Father God. He even accused the Jewish leaders for their faithlessness in teaching the law. Had they been keeping the law truthfully they would not seek to take His life. Their attack on Jesus was an indication that they were rejecting God, for they were rejecting the very one whom God had sent. Jesus asserted that those who genuinely seek the will of God, would be able to discern whether His teaching actually came from God. Isn’t this so true? Over the years, believers who heard or studied, meditated and acted on the Word of God, have been transformed in life. The Word, when acted upon, always change our life.  

In verse 18, Jesus’ point is this: one way to distinguish a God-ordained teacher is to examine the motive of the teacher. If a teacher seeks to glorify himself then he cannot be from God. If he seeks to glorify God, then he is one that God has ordained and sent. As one sent of God, Jesus’ whole purpose was to glorify God and to fulfill His will. Christ was making a case for Himself, asking them to examine the manner and purpose of His teaching. What, how and why He taught clearly showed that He was not an imposter. He had always sought to magnify God in all that He had said.

They knew that Jesus had no formal training in the Law under any rabbi. So they put a question mark over what He had said. Jesus knowing where they were coming from, asked, “Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” Here the crowd, not knowing the intention of the Jewish leaders, then accused Him of being demon possessed. For they did not know that the Jewish leaders had intention to kill Him. So that accounted for why they said, “Who is trying to kill you?” While Jesus was addressing everyone, His question was intended for the Jewish leaders.

In answering the charges, Jesus referred to the miracle of healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda. The man who had suffered for thirty-eight years of paralysis was healed. The healing took place on a Sabbath. They used that incident to accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath law. Jesus then called attention to the fact that they would circumcise a new born on the Sabbath, but would forbid healing of a man who needed it. He was pointing to their inability to distinguish between what’s more needful. He was urging them to look beyond the peripheral. They were unable to judge rightly. A sound Judgment must of necessity take into consideration the man who needed healing, and the whole spirit of the law intended by God. Jesus showed the intention of this healing. The man was not just healed physically, he was ushered into a life with God. That’s what really matters.

Let’s learn to rightly appraise the things of God! We must learn to give preference to the core without insisting on the less important. Let’s go for the heart of God’s will for our life in everything. Don’t just skirt around the surface without examining the heart of the matter!

John 7:1-13 - Being Christ’s bold witnesses

John 7:1-13 begin a new section in this Gospel. Jesus had completed His ministry in Galilee. Though His ministry there was now over, yet He chose to remain there. Verse 1 tells us the reason. It says, “He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him.” In other words, the Judeans were looking out for Him to kill Him. The passage also tells us that the Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. This was one of three feasts, where Jews all over the regions would congregate in Jerusalem. There would be a higher number of people in Jerusalem at this time. The purpose was to commemorate and praise God for His mercy and faithfulness in the Israelites’ wilderness wandering during their exodus.

In verses 3-4, Jesus’ own brothers were anxious for Him to go up to Jerusalem. They reckoned that He should go there and publicly display His miraculous power, since there would be a large crowd of people there to celebrate the feast. What they said to the Lord was actually a display of their unbelief in Him. They thought He wanted to be a public figure, like most people who sought after fame. So they told Him to “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” They were being cynical, because in their heart of hearts, like many Jews, they did not believe in Him. Just imagine, even His own brothers did not believe in Him, people who were His kinsmen and close to Him. Of all people, they should have been the ones who would fully support Him, yet they were doubtful of His works. It’s already painful enough to note that the nation did not believe in Him. It certainly was far more painful to think that His kinsmen, who had been brought up with Him in the same house, did not believe in Him. This shows us how desperately we all need God’s grace to recognize Christ, to follow and serve Him.

Jesus’ response to them seemed elusive. Like what He told His mother in Cana of Galilee at the wedding feast, He said, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do.” This tells us that Jesus works in precise moment. He has purpose and direction. His works in our life are always intentional. They are done to fulfil God’s schedule and divine program for His people. Jesus will never do anything to gain the accolades and applauds of men. He does everything with a purpose, to fulfil the Father’s will. So He told His brothers to go ahead to the feast, He however, stayed in Galilee. Shortly after they left, He went to Jerusalem in secret. This we know was for obvious reason. It was because the Jews there were seeking to kill Him. Since He was traveling incognito, they could not discover Him. We are told that He was the main subject of the people’s conversation. Some considered Him to be a good man. Others said He was a deceiver. Yet no one would publicly declare their belief in Him for fear of repercussion from the Jewish leaders. The fear of man is an awful thing. It ensnares us. Today, many believers still remain silenced because of fear. What about us? Let us pray for holy boldness so that we will fearlessly testify and declare His faithfulness in our life. 

John 6:66-71 – Being true followers of Christ

John tells us that many disciples heard the tough words of Jesus and found it too hard to swallow. So they withdrew from Him and no longer walked with Him. Essentially, Jesus was pressing the people on the necessity to believe in Him. Yet we need to know that nothing deceives Him. While many would be hoodwinked by outward show of believe, Christ would never be deceived by outward show devoid of inward reality. Though one may pose to give the impression of a genuine disciple, Christ can never be misled. Just in case some may conclude that one can remain passive, since it’s the Father that will draw us, we must perish that thought. We must remember that seeking God, and His drawing us to Himself, actually work hand in hand. Jesus will never deny any sincere seeker but we must sincerely draw near. As we sincerely seek Him, He will continue to encourage us by drawing near to us. That’s what James has said: “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to thee.”

In verse 67, Jesus turned to the Twelve and ask if they would also depart from Him. He is also asking us this question today. For one thing, He has no desire for unwilling followers. His question was a challenge and not a test. It is easy to follow the crowd and popular opinions. The question is this: when the going gets tough will we be willing to follow on? Our steadfastness in Him during trying times is a clear indicator of purpose and intention.  We need to pray for grace and strength to remain faithful to Him no matter what. 

Simon Peter, one of the Twelve, bless his heart, responded to Him saying, “…Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” There were many who were attracted by His miracles, but repelled by His teaching. Speaking on the apostles behalf, Peter made known that they were unlike the rest. They were not drawn by the supernatural miracles of Jesus, they were drawn by His life enriching Word. Peter had not only listened with his physical ear only, he had also attended to Christ’s words with his spiritual ear. Those words that Jesus had spoken had sunk deep into their hearts. So as a genuine disciple of Christ, he believed and was fully convinced that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Like Peter, we need to believe the Word of Christ, to be sure. It is by faith that we will understand. When we believe we will have assurance of the realities. The unbelieving will always remain in ignorance concerning spiritual things.

Jesus’ response tells us that He has supernatural knowledge. He told Peter that out of the Twelve He had personally chosen, one of them would be the instrument of the devil and would betray Him. This warn us to be careful, lest in our unguarded moments we unwittingly become the devil’s tool, to inflict pain on the heart of God. Jesus was talking about Judas Iscariot. He was not deceived by Judas, although the rest of the apostles were. Remember that verse 71 is John’s comment years later. Christ while talking about the betrayal, in His grace did not point him out then.    

How have these verses challenged us? For sure they are telling us to be true and to remain true to Christ. Many may come and go, but we must remain unmoved. We must remain trusting even when truths are hard to hear and harder to apply. We must go on with Him even when we are snubbed for trusting in Him. And when we remain true to Jesus, we will find Him true to us. Through it all, we will discover He is moving us in the direction that make us an instrument for His glory.  

John 6:60-65 – True believers demarcated

This passage began to wind down the Lord’s ministry in Galilee with a not so happy ending. All that Christ had said and done were seen not only by the crowds that followed Him, but also by the Jews within the synagogue. Looking at the miracles He had done and the wonderful teaching He had taught, then to see the way the people reacted to Him here is all the more puzzling. Remember it was here in Galilee that He turned water into wine. And here the nobleman’s son was healed without Him even being present with the nearly dead boy. It was here that He had fed 5,000 with a lad’s five loaves and two fish. Each of the miracles alone would be sufficient to prove that He is who He claimed to be and clearly showed His mission. Hence not to believe in Him is without excuse. However, it is sad to note that despite all that He had done, the response to Christ in Galilee was no better than the people in Judea.

This passage tells us that among those who followed Jesus, many were wishy-washy disciples too. His discourse on the bread of life was particularly disturbing to the people for they had misinterpreted Him to be introducing cannibalism. It is easy to follow Christ when there’s no demand, but when the bar of expectation is raised we see the true colour of followers. They followed Him because He met their carnal desires. The situation was very different when He gave them hard truths that did not appeal to their flesh. Many turned away and no longer followed Him. This shows us the nature of man and their tendency. It reminds us that if we don’t take the time to understand Him and be deeply entrenched in Him, we can respond the same way too. In our days, where there is an emphasis on the comfort of easy belief, the hard sayings of Jesus are difficult to stomach. Let’s not pander to the flesh, be seduced by the soft culture, and follow the fad of hedonism presented in our days!

Notice that nothing escapes the knowledge of Jesus. He could and still can discern human heart’s accurately. So here we see how Jesus saw through the thoughts of His disciples. They were stumbled by His teachings and were murmuring among themselves. The Lord then asked a very probing question to get them to see beyond His impending Calvary experience to His resurrection and ascension. He wanted them to know that He would return to the highest glory that originally belonged to Him. He reiterated the fact that to know Him and His divine program was not an act of the human flesh. It takes the quickening of the Holy Spirit. He reemphasized that knowing Him is an initiative of God through His spirit. So He said, “It is the Spirit who gives life….” The Holy Spirit regenerates and opens our spiritual perception. One cannot come to a realization of who Christ is through human means. It takes divine initiative. Verse 63 affirms that spiritual truths are spiritually discerned. People are not won by man’s enticing words no matter how cleverly a message is designed. They are drawn by the Spirit of God. It is important to speak the truth and to speak it well, but we must never exclude the work of the Holy Spirit if we desire effectiveness. This necessitates that we put in much thought and prayer before we speak for God. The Word of Jesus is spirit and life. For true life to happen we need both the Spirit and the Word. The Spirit is the divine agent and His Word the divine instrument.

It is one thing to hear and know the truth, it is another to take responsibility and respond positively. Apparently among the disciples of Jesus, there were those who heard His Word, but did not take responsibility to act on it. By not acting on what Christ had revealed, many lost out and the truth did not benefit them. Spirit growth is not dependent on how much we know but how much we would act on what we know. These verses also tell us that Christ knows precisely those who would wholly follow Him. Jesus again reiterates how much we need the Father. How much we need His divine power to work in us. Without the release of His power, there is no hope of knowing Christ, much less knowing Him intimately. After knowing Him, what then should we do? Obey and act on His Word!

John 6:41-59 – Jesus, God's means to eternal life

Jesus’ discourse of the bread of life brought the memory of the people to the covenant name of God - the great “I Am” recorded in Exodus 3:14. He was literally saying that He is the “I Am”. He claimed to have come down from heaven which was totally unacceptable to the Jews. For they knew who His earthly parents were. So they grumbled among themselves saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” In His response, Jesus told them not to grumble among themselves. He was in essence asking them to stop their doubt and accept Him as the bread of life that came from heaven. He offered them four compelling reasons why He is who they, as well as us, needed.  

Firstly, it is because no one can come to the Father through Jesus unless God has drawn that person to Himself. Here Jesus made reference to the teaching of the prophet. He was most likely referring to Isaiah 54:13 that says, “All your sons will be taught of the Lord….” And those who are taught of the Father will be drawn to Jesus. Secondly, to have a relationship with the Father is to have a relationship with Jesus Himself. Thirdly, only He, Jesus the Son of God, has seen the Father. And lastly, only by partaking of Jesus, the bread of life that came from heaven, can one gain eternal life. Jesus is much better than the manna which God had rained upon the Jews in their wilderness wandering. Why? Those who partook of the manna did not live forever. They all died. Unlike the manna, Jesus is the true bread that comes from heaven, and whoever partakes of Him will never die but will live forever.  

In verse 51, Jesus reveals that He is God incarnate. He said, “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” Jesus is saying that He is God who came clothed in human flesh. It is in partaking of what He would be going through, His death and resurrection, that one will gain eternal life. The word “flesh” was misunderstood by the Jews. They thought He was going to give His actual flesh for them to eat. They mistook Him for teaching cannibalism. They failed to realize that in talking about the flesh and blood, Jesus was looking forward to Calvary. Jesus was referring to the giving of Himself as the sacrificial atonement. He is the offering made for the world and the only offering that God accepts. His sacrifice results in eternal life for all who would accept His death on their behalf as an atonement for their sin. As we believe that He did it for us, and acknowledge Him as our sacrificial lamb, Who died on our behalf, that we find atonement for our sin and receive life eternal. All these were taught in the synagogue in Capernaum. 

The question of Jesus’ audience then was “What must I do that I might do the works of God?” Perhaps this is the same question we need to be asking. The answer Jesus gave them would also be His answer to us. “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.” If we take the words of Jesus seriously, it is to believe and partake of Him. And we do so through His Word and prayer. We will find that as we do that we progressively go through a spiritual metamorphosis. We shall be morphed to be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Oh, what a glorious truth!

John 6:36-40 – Trust Christ to see us through

In verse 35, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life….” This is one of the seven “I am” sayings found in John’s Gospel. It is interesting that He should use bread to refer to Himself. It invites us to stay and reflect on the thought of He being the bread of life. Bread as we know is a staple and daily food in those days. It is a food that will satisfy man’s physical hunger. But we have never taken the time to think about the process for flour to become a loaf of bread. To have a loaf of bread, there must first be the harvesting of the full grown corns. Then the process of turning it into flour. Then the kneading of the flour to make it into a dough before subjecting the dough to the fiery furnace, before it can become a loaf of bread that will sustain life. Christ went through this process to become the bread to sustain our life. He was that grain of corn that fell to the ground and died. He was the grain that became a full grown corn and harvested, grounded to become flour and subjected to divine kneading, before being put into the fiery furnace of God’s wrath. He was truly wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. He went through the full nine-yards of God’s holy wrath, the fiery furnace of God, to become our spiritual bread that will sustain us and grant us eternal life. We cannot dispense with this spiritual bread. Let us draw near to this bread and feed on Him. Let us receive the spiritual nourishment that only He can provide. And Let us ever press in to enjoy a deep and intimate fellowship with Him.   

Along with the claim, Jesus said that He is the bread that will truly satisfy our hunger and quench all our thirst. For that to happen, it requires the confidence and faith of coming to Him, and believing and resting on Him alone for our acceptance with God. Think of it this way, the problem is not Christ’s inability to satisfy our hunger and quench our thirst. It is a question of our confidence and faith in Him. Christ is never unwilling to meet our spiritual needs. The issue is: do we come to Him confidently to draw from Him. Remember: It is from Him that we receive grace upon grace. He is the source of grace to eternal life.         

In verse 36, Christ made a diagnosis of the condition of the people. He said, “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.” They had seen His miracle, ate His bread but yet refused to believe. That’s the condition of the depraved heart. Did Christ fail in His mission? Certainly not! The failure lies in the failure to recognize Him. It’s a failure to believe in Him. Note that Christ is confident of what He came to accomplish. So He boldly declared, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” Our Lord is confident that none of those who come and believe in Him will ever be rejected. He alone can sustain and preserve everyone who draws near to believe in Him. He came to fulfil the will of the Father, not His own. The will of the Father is that we might have eternal life, and Christ will help us to the very end. He will raise all believers who come to Him in the great day of the resurrection. Notice in verse 40, it shows our ability to believe in Him is conditioned on our beholding Him. No wonder Paul’s prayer in the letter to the Ephesians was for the mind of our eyes to be enlightened. It is to have the capacity to see the purpose of God and then to believe in Him. Let’s pray for spiritual perceptiveness so that we can see all that God has installed for us and to believe Him unconditionally. 

John 6:26-35 – Jesus, the bread of life that gives eternal life

The crowds had pursued Jesus not because they were after Him, but rather for the material things He could supply. So consumed were they with what He could supply, that they failed to realize Jesus came to supply the spiritual needs of their lives. Here He sought to lift them to the place where they could see who He really is. He started by confronting them saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” Jesus could tell they were motivated by food and material things. In much the same way, people today still go for easy belief and the comfort of life, rather than pursuing the Saviour seriously. So Jesus continued to urge them not to work for food that perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life. And which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father God has set His seal. 

In saying that, Christ was revealing the spiritual realities He came to make the people see.  He pointed to them two kinds of bread: a material bread that could perish, and a spiritual bread that would live on eternally. Here Jesus was reminding the crowd that we earn physical food through our work and effort, but spiritual food is eternal life and can be obtained only through Christ. One cannot work for it. Through these verses, we can see the defective view of life that the crowd had. They asked, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” They had interpreted that Jesus meant they needed to work for that eternal life. So they asked what they must do, so as to meet God’s requirement. They wanted to know how to get that kind of bread. Jesus then told them that no work is required, but all they needed was to believe in Him, for He is sent by God. In other words, what they needed was the bread that lasts and it comes through faith. The bread that endures unto eternal life is the bread that is freely given and must be freely received. No one can pay for it himself or herself, but can only obtain it through belief.  

The crowd only vaguely understood what Christ had said. Instead of clarifying till they understood, they challenged the Lord instead. They asked, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’” At the back of their mind was the manna that fell from heaven daily in the wilderness wandering, during Moses leadership. And they attributed it to Moses as the provider. What they said implied that what Jesus did in the provision of bread was great. It was indeed miraculous. Now what they really wanted was for Him to do for them what Moses did in the wilderness i.e. to provide them with bread from heaven daily. So He set out to correct their misgiving. He told them that the bread did not come from Moses. It was from God. So He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” 

They vaguely knew what He was talking about. For now they had some inkling that He was talking about something spiritual and not material. Hence they requested of Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” Jesus had led them to where He wanted them to be, so that He could reveal Himself to them. In John’s Gospel, we find many “I am” sayings - I am the light of the world, I am the door, I am the good shepherd, I am the way the truth and the life, I am the true vine and here in verse 35, He said, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” The real bread from heaven is the eternal life that God gives through Christ. We all need to be truly assured that Jesus is the only bread that gives eternal life. And now that we have known Jesus is God’s bread to us, let’s keep coming to partake of Him daily so that we will never hunger or thirst again!   

John 6:22-25 - Seeking Jesus for the right reason

While it is good to seek for Jesus, what’s more important is the motive that drives one to seek Him. Those who found Him and invited Him into their journey in life, found rest from the storm and the chaos of life. There is safety and security in Him. The crowd, who ate of the supernatural bread Jesus had provided, did not understand the significance of the miraculous feed. They had not progressed from merely seeking the goods to seeking the Lord. As far as they were concerned, they only wanted more free food, and an occasion to hail a new prophet that Moses spoke about. One that would lead them out of the bondage of the Romans, like what Moses did for their forefathers in Egypt. Remember, they were so impressed with what they had experienced that all they wanted was to take Him away and make Him their King.

The next day, those who partook of the supernatural bread saw Jesus in Capernaum and were mystified. For the night before they saw Jesus’ disciples going into the boat to get across the Sea of Galilee, but He did not go with them in the boat. How then could Jesus now be found in Capernaum with the disciples? They were certain He could not have walked around the lake. And there was no clear indication that He had taken another boat across. Evidently other boats had arrived soon but Jesus was not with any of them. So they asked Him “Rabbi, when did You get here?”

Verse 24 shows us how frantic the crowd was, going about their desperate search for Jesus. They were able to catch a ride from a fleet of passing boats from Tiberias, and came to Capernaum. It’s difficult to imagine all  of them now with Jesus again, each with their own selfish motive and reason for their search. The question we need to ask today is: what about us? Why do we seek Jesus? Let’s not put the cart before the horse in our search. Let’s us not only go for what He can provide! For He will definitely bless us. But if we are in it for the blessings and not the Lord Himself, we have missed the point. Let’s invite Jesus into our life for the right reason: that we may follow Him, worship Him and serve Him all the days of our life! 

John 6:16-21 – Jesus is the answer to the storm of life

Having eaten the bread that Jesus provided, the Jews wanted to take Jesus away to make Him king. Realizing their intention, He immediately retreated into the mountain to spend time alone. Before He did that He sent his disciples, by boat, to Capernaum on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples went, not realizing that they were heading into the eye of a storm. The Sea of Galilee is actually a Lake. And we all have learned from our geography lesson that storms never occur on a lake. Have you ever wondered why then on the Sea of Galilee, which is a lake, there could be a storm? Well it’s because of the landscape and structure of the surrounding. The Sea of Galilee is surrounded by highland hence making it a huge funnel. Whenever a strong gush of wind blow through, it will get trapped between the highlands, creating turbulence in the water of the Sea. The disciples were caught in such a situation.

Verse 17 tells us that it was already getting dark. Speaking about the same incident, Matthew 14:25 tells us that it was about the fourth watch of the night which is between three to six o’clock in the morning. At this time the sky is the darkest. John 6:19 tells us that they had been rowing for about three or four miles against the storm. We can imagine them struggling and straining at the oars of the boat. In the passage, we are told that Jesus was not there for He had not yet come. Isn’t it true that when we are facing the darkest hour of life, the Lord seems to be far away, or so we think. Do you know that Jesus was watching them as they struggled? How do we know? Again narrating the same incidence, Mark 6:48, tells us that Jesus was watching them as they were struggling with the waves. He saw everything. Unknown to them at that point, He was on a higher ground and was watching them all along. Much like the disciples, we must realize that Jesus is watching us as we struggle and battle the fiercest storm of our life. It’s comforting to know that He lives to make intercession for us.  

At that precise moment, when their strength was failing, Jesus showed up. But their eyes were too focused on the storm that they could not recognize the Lord. Isn’t this very true of us too. We may be so caught up in the deep embroil of our emotion that we could miss Jesus in the midst of our trying circumstances. We may be so drowned by so many bad news and adversities, one after another, that we failed to realize the proximity of Jesus in those trying moments. Like what the disciples were facing, Jesus will come walking to us on the water of our own storm. He will say the same words He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” The reason He came to them walking on the water was to signal to them and us, that the storm that threatens to take our life, is under His feet. He is the Lord of the storm. A careful observation will tell us that there was another miracle here. Verse 21 tells us that once they were willing to receive Him into the boat, immediately, they were at the place where they should be. They could be so caught up with worshiping Him and not realized that they were exactly where they must be. It is truly wonderful to be totally preoccupied with our Lord.

It is inevitable that life will bring along with it contrary wind. The comforting truth is that Jesus knows and sees each struggle we encounter. Just as our strength is failing us, He will show up. The darkness and the storm cannot stay to overwhelm us, longer than it’s allowed. We need to know that whatever storm that threatens to bring us down is under His feet. It has always been the case. He is the Lord of the storm! Why don’t we invite Him into our boat and let Him ride with us through our storm?