FALL 2024 DAILY DEVOTIONAL | Fairview Church

Daily Devotion for Saturday, November 9, 2024

Read: John 21.20-25

Dr. Joseph Dongell sums up the Gospel of John in an effective way:

“The last verse again reminds the reader that the events recorded in this Gospel are representative, a mere fraction of the unfathomable store of memories buried in the minds of the Twelve. Were the story of Jesus to be written in its entirety, the “whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (verse 21.25). At first glance, the remarkable feature of the story of Jesus would seem to be its volume, such that not enough space exists merely to record His exploits. Upon reflection, the reader will conclude that volume stands as a symbol of value. So rich and wonderful were the words and deeds of Jesus, so revealing were they of the character and purposes of God that their wealth is both inestimable and unsurpassable. But despite the impossibility of “telling it all,” the potency of the Fourth Gospel itself should not be underestimated. Though laboring under the various limits of human language, this Gospel presents to the world a majestic portrait of the Son of God, and invites readers to eternal life through faith in Him.”

As John himself writes in verses 20.30-31:

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 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.”

Amen.

Prayer: Lord, I believe that Jesus is the Messiah, Your Son. I receive life in His name by faith. Help me to live that life to its fullest. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Friday, November 8, 2024

Read: John 21.1-19

The last chapter of John’s Gospel begins not in Jerusalem, but back on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, near the original homes of many of Jesus’ disciples (and where many of them first encountered Him). Although the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus have taken place, it almost seems as though time has moved backward: The disciples went fishing, and Jesus performed a miracle!

It must have been difficult for Peter to hear Jesus ask him three times, “Do you love me?” After all, Peter had denied Jesus (as Jesus had predicted) three times prior to the crucifixion and resurrection. However, Jesus used the experience to re-commission Peter to ministry in, for, and through Him. While Peter’s failure cannot be overstated, it must be noted that it was not final: He went on to be the leader of the disciples and to play a crucial role in the spreading of the Gospel to the ends of the earth (see the Book of Acts).

It is interesting to note what the famous Bible commentator William Barclay writes about this passage:

"It was not for nothing that John recorded this incident. He recorded it to show Peter as the great shepherd of Christ's people. It may be, indeed it was inevitable, that people would draw comparisons in the early Church. Some would say that John was the great one, for his flights of thought went higher than those of any other man. Some would say Paul was the great one, for he fared to the ends of the earth for Christ. But this chapter says that Peter, too, had his place. He might not write and think like John; he might not voyage and adventure like Paul; but he had the great honor, and the lovely task, of being the shepherd of the sheep of Christ. And here is where we can follow in the steps of Peter. We may not be able to think like John; we may not be able to go out to the ends of the earth like Paul; but each of us can guard some one else from going astray, and each of us can feed the lambs of Christ with the food of the word of God."

Prayer: Lord, we stand amazed at the forgiveness that is found in Jesus. Keep us from going astray, and help us to feed Jesus' lambs with Your word. In the name of the Word Made Flesh, Your Son Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Daily Devotion for Thursday, November 7, 2024

Read: John 20.1-31

When Mary Magdalene visited the tomb early on the following Sunday morning, she and her companions found the stone had been removed from the entrance. Her first response was to immediately tell Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved (namely, John, who is the author of this Gospel account), who ran to the tomb to investigate.

Note the relationship between Peter and the beloved disciple. In this case, though their actions were parallel, their responses to what they found at the tomb were different. Both saw the empty grave, the removed strips of linen, and head cloth. But, in contrast to Peter, it is said of the beloved disciple that he believed and that he did so without yet understanding from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. Anthony Casurella says that this qualifies John as the first Christian believer.

Mary's experience at the tomb was different, but it also led to belief. After the two disciples had gone home, she remained behind weeping. She, too, looked into the tomb, but instead of grave cloths she saw two angels sitting where the Lord's body had lain. When they asked why she wept, she told them about her loss. The question was repeated by a man standing behind her who wanted to know why she wept and whom she was seeking. Perhaps her tears kept her from recognizing Jesus; perhaps it was something else, but she assumed He was the gardener and asked Him to show her where He had put Jesus' body. If He would tell her, she intended to recover it, and in her grief she probably meant to do so single-handedly.

Jesus merely spoke her name and, in a flash of recognition, her grief turned to joy. It would have been natural for her excited response to have been accompanied by an embrace of some sort, and we may guess from Jesus' next words that it was. In effect he said, “Don't cling to me, Mary; I haven't left yet.” But He soon would leave, and He commissioned her to carry that word to His brothers. By brothers He meant His disciples, now friends and no longer “servants.”

John tells of two appearances to the disciples in Jerusalem. The first was on resurrection Sunday itself. They were frightened and had locked themselves away. But locked doors were no bar to the risen Lord, and into their fear He spoke peace. Like Mary, their mood changed instantly to joy. Then Jesus passed on to them a task like His: He had been sent into the world by the Father, and now in the same way He was sending them. They were to be apostles of the one Apostle. He then formally bestowed on them the promised Holy Spirit.

The disciple Thomas was not present the first time Jesus appeared to the disciples, and he doubted their account. But he was convinced when the Lord appeared in the same way a week later, and he made a profound confession of faith in Jesus: “My Lord and my God!” The entire Gospel is bracketed between 1.1-2 and 20.28-31, and these verses define for the author John what belief really means.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are alive! I believe this! Help me to believe with such excitement that I run and tell others this Good News throughout my day...and my life. In Your name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Read: John 19.17-42

Again, today’s reading is difficult. Crucifixion was a brutal, torturous, and humiliating process of suffering and ultimate death. Coming to grips with the fact that Jesus, the last person on earth who ever deserved such a fate, suffered and died from the process is its own form of agony. For a final time, let’s hear again from Dr. Paul Louis Metzger in his commentary on this text:

“We can never play the innocent victim card given what we’ve done to Jesus and to a host of others. Since we can never play the innocent victim, we can never atone for our own sins. Jesus is the only truly innocent victim. He never victimizes us or anyone else, although we have victimized Him and countless others. And while He is the only truly innocent victim, He never plays the victim card. He is the innocent victim who brings victory to us in the midst of our victimization of Him. Only the innocent victim and bring an end to the cycle of vengeance and retribution and death through forgiveness, death, and resurrection. This is why Jesus can say, “It is finished,” and that is why we can hope for the transformation of our lives and relationships. Jesus has come to heal and cleanse us through His cross and resurrection – His anticipated hour of glory. His healing and cleansing work on our behalf is complete. It is finished.”

“But for many of us, it isn’t finished. Some of us may even cut ourselves because we sense we’re guilty, but we don’t know why. We can’t locate the source of our wrongdoing. Everything about us seems so wrong. So we keep cutting away, hoping the release of blood will relieve us our guilt. But like Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s tragedy, we can’t ever wipe the bloodguilt from our hands.”

“And even if we don’t feel guilty, we still hurt from the wrongs committed against us. Some may think: “Jesus suffered for me, but I’m the one who’s suffering now.” We fail to imagine that Jesus’ wounds are fresh each time we sin, and each time we’re sinned against, even though His saving work was finished long ago. He is here for us in His pain and suffering and life-giving power – the suffering though victorious Lamb and Lion who take and takes and takes the sin of the world.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I acknowledge I am a sinner...I am no victim. Thank you for nevertheless taking my sin upon You on the cross. You are my Savior...my All in All. Amen.

Daily Devotion for Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Read: John 18.1-19.16

For those of us who are followers of Jesus, the events in today’s reading are familiar…and yet, as always, heartbreaking and difficult to read. It’s difficult to summarize all that take place, but an important way of understanding John’s message in this passage is found in “The Gospel of John: When Love Comes to Town” by Dr. Paul Louis Metzger:

“Jesus’ hour of glory is the only true hour of glory. All other hours of glory are false and fading. This hour remains forever. And so a lot is at stake here. It’s show time. Are we ready? Do we have our game face on, like Peter? Will we succeed, or falter and fall like Peter does? Will we deny Jesus, or possibly even betray Him? Or will we respond favorably to Him?”

“I am sorry to be the bearer of bad new, but apart from Jesus, we can’t even respond favorably to Him. The good news, however, is that even in those moments when we are unfaithful, and in those seasons when we are inconsistent, Jesus will remain faithful. The real difference between Peter and Judas is that Judas goes to the wrong priest after it is all said and done. He should have thrown himself on the mercies of God, just like Peter. Peter comes to realize by the end of John’s Gospel that no matter how much spiritual bravado and idealism one has, one can never have enough of it. We just cannot perform well on the grand stage of God’s drama. We choke. Jesus alone is ready for this hour, and He alone is able to save the day. He is ready to save us.”

“In the end, after bidding farewell to His followers, Jesus goes it alone. He has to go it alone. We are not able. We are not willing. Only Jesus can handle the pressure. Only Jesus can take away our sins. All we can do is throw ourselves on His mercy. Only then will we find shelter from the storm and enter into His glory through the cross and resurrection.”

Prayer: Lord, help us to recognize and confess our inability, and then throw ourselves of the mercy of Jesus, who is able! In His name, Amen!

Daily Devotion for Monday, November 4, 2024

Read: John 17.1-26

In today’s reading Jesus prayed to His Father directly, apparently aloud and in the presence of the disciples. His prayer demonstrated the deep communion between Son and Father, summarized His teaching about Himself, and reiterated several important themes. This “high priestly prayer” (as it has come to be known through the centuries) was in four parts: a prayer for Himself, a prayer for the disciples, a prayer for subsequent believers (including you and me!), and a prayer for His mission to the world.

First, Jesus prayed that His approaching death (“the time,” literally “the hour,”) might result in glory for His Father. He had glorified the Father on earth by completing the work assigned to Him, including providing eternal life. Now that He had nearly completed His work, He petitioned the Father to restore to Him the glory that was His in His preexistence.

Secondly, Jesus prayed that the Father would protect the disciples. He had revealed the Father to them, and they knew that the mission of Jesus originated in the Father. It was for these who had believed in Him that He prayed and not, at that moment, for the world, though He was not unconcerned about the world. Since they belonged to Him, they also belonged to the Father, and now that Jesus was no longer going to be around to protect them, He asked the Father to look after them and preserve their unity. Jesus had lost only Judas, and that had been in fulfillment of Old Testament Scripture.

Jesus was returning to the Father, but the disciples were remaining behind in the world.

This was the background to Jesus' further prayer for the Father's watchful care over them. It had two parts. (1) As recipients of God's Word, they could no longer be described as of the world, and they would be targets of the world's hatred. But the world was their sphere of ministry, as it had been His, and He asks that they be protected from the evil one. (2) Like Jesus, they were not of the world, but He was sending them into it for ministry, just as He had been sent. He asked the Father to sanctify them completely by the truth - that is, by His word.

Thirdly, Jesus prayed for the unity of the future generations of Christians who would come to faith through the testimony of the disciples. He said that by observing this unity the world might come to know that God had indeed been behind the mission of Jesus and that His blessing was on the church. Jesus' ultimate desire was that believers should join Him in heaven and behold His eternal glory.

Finally, Jesus summed up both His prayer and His ministry. By definition the world did not know the Father, but Jesus knew Him and came into the world to make Him known. He came to bring light instead of darkness and life instead of death. He had done this; He would continue to do it. His goal was the salvation of the world.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, in Your greatest time of testing and stress, you prayed for me. Thank you. You also prayed for the unity of your Church; help me to pray for that unity today as well. In Your name, Amen.

Sermon for Sunday, November 3, 2024

Scripture Lesson: John 11.17-27

Sermon Title: “I Am the Resurrection and the Life”

Notes:

Simple truths:

In life, all of us face personal death.

In life, all of us experience the loss caused by death.

In life, all of us encounter human limitations.

Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life:

Only Jesus offers the certain hope of eternal life. Verses 25-26

Only Jesus offers real-life comfort in the face of death. Verses 33-35

Only Jesus offers a life in which we can experience the glory of the impossible.

Verse 40

Study Guide for Personal or Small-Group Study

“I AM the Resurrection and the Life”…John 11.17-27

In the message this week, we learned that only Jesus offers the certain hope of eternal life. "Hope" from the Christian perspective is much more than simple "wishful thinking." What are the difference between these two things, and what accounts for the differences?

Can and do Christians fall prey to wishful thinking rather than experiencing authentic hope in Jesus? Why or why not?

Can you think of a time when Jesus provided you with real-world hope in the face of significant loss? How did this comfort help you at that time? How can the remembrance of that comfort provide actual comfort and hope for you today?

"Only Christ offers a life in which we can experience the glory of the impossible." Do you agree with this statement? What are the implications of this statement in practical terms?

Daily Devotion for Saturday, November 2, 2024

Read John 16.1-33

A portrait of the ministry of the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth, the Counselor, the Advocate), the third person in the Trinity, emerges in the words of Jesus in today’s reading. The Spirit would help the disciples remember, understand, interpret, and apply the truth taught to them by Jesus. The Spirit would guide them into all truth, which is not to be confused with “new” truth. The Spirit’s truth would be “new” in that He would reveal the “old” truth within new and constantly-changing contexts.

In his commentary on this chapter, Anthony Casurella writes:

“After teaching about the Spirit of truth, Jesus returned to the theme of His imminent departure and unattainability. This time He also referred to a return. As before, His words caused bewilderment, but His explanation did not do much to clear up the uncertainty. As the suffering of a woman in childbirth gives way to joy when her child is born, He said, so the disciples' mourning when Jesus was taken from them would later turn to permanent joy. When that happened, the nature of prayer would be changed, and Jesus urged them to take advantage of the change. One cannot be sure whether the return Jesus spoke of was His resurrection on Easter Sunday or His reappearance at the Last Day. Both would be appropriate in the context, and we may have here a case of deliberate ambiguity. Either way, the response of the disciple would be the reverse of that of the world: when the disciple sorrowed, the world would rejoice, and vice versa.”

“At this the disciples felt that they finally understood Jesus because they felt He was at last speaking directly. On this basis they expressed confident faith in both His person and His origin. But Jesus knew that their confidence was misplaced and that they would soon desert Him to face His fate without them. He would not be alone, but it would be His Father, not the disciples, who would be with Him. His question, ‘Do you now believe?’ was pregnant with irony.”

“Jesus' final words in this chapter contained a message of comfort. He had already warned the disciples of the animosity of the world, and it was inevitable that they would experience it. But peace was possible because of His triumph. He had overcome the world; in that thought lay the essence of the Gospel.”

Prayer: Lord, remind us today and always that peace is possible not because of what You have yet to do, but because of what You have already done through Jesus. In His name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Friday, November 1, 2024

Read John 15.1-27

In “The Gospel of John: When Love Comes to Town,” Dr. Paul Louis Metzger writes the following about our reading for today:

“In the surrounding context of John 15, we find that Jesus is leaving shortly for the cross. His followers are beginning to experience spiritual vertigo as they make their way with Jesus toward the Mount of Olives, where He will face His enemies. Having left the upper room and no doubt passing by vines on their way, Jesus tells His followers that they must be like branches that draw life from Him as the true vine if they are to bear much fruit while He is gone…only as we depend on our triune God’s loving care for us and love one another in loving obedience to Jesus will we bear much fruit. We bear fruit as we obey Jesus’ word; and we obey His word as we love one another as Jesus loves us. And we love one another because Jesus has first and foremost loved us with a selfless, sacrificial love: ‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15.13). As Jesus’ friends, we lay down our lives for one another, just as Jesus has first loved us. Of course, we will experience spiritual vertigo as we let go of our lives and take hold of Jesus, His word and one another. But after all, falling in love is what life’s all about.”

“Jesus doesn’t want us to experience unpleasant surprises, so He goes on to warn us that we will experience unpleasantness and urges us not to forget. I think that some of the disillusionment we experience as Christ-followers today is the result of entitlement thinking, and this entitlement thinking results from forgetting that Jesus has warned us that we will face trials, hardship and persecution. We need to warn one another that disillusionment results from not remembering Jesus’ warning, and we need to encourage one another that we are entitled to certain spiritual benefits in the face of the persecution that awaits us: Jesus’ abiding presence, abundant fruitfulness in ministry and one another’s abounding love.”

“Persecution awaits Jesus’ servants, just like hard times happen in any meaningful relationship. Hardships can either break relationships or make them. Entitlement thinking will surely break them. You owe it to yourself not to make the mistake that so many of Jesus’ followers make by putting yourself above Jesus and by pulling out when the going gets tough. And it will get tough.”

Prayer: Lord, when the going gets tough, makes us spiritually tough…and then help “the tough to get going!” In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Thursday, October 31, 2024

Read: John 14.1-31

Jesus’ disciples had good reason to be troubled. They had just learned that one of them would betray Jesus and that another disciple, despite his repeated professions of loyalty, would deny Him three times. This is in addition to Jesus’ statement, “I will be with you only a little longer” (John 13.33). They must have felt that their world was beginning to come apart at the seams. How did Jesus reassure them? He instructed them to put their trust in Him. Although He would be leaving them soon, the purpose of His journey was to establish a place for them in His Father’s house and to return to take them to be with Him forever. Although Thomas interjected that the didn’t know either His destination or His travel route, Jesus made it clear: the way to the Father was through Him, and to know Him was to know the Father.

Anthony Casurella writes:

“…in what followed Jesus spoke of the reciprocal relationship between the believer and Himself. Just as He loved the Father and was in turn loved by Him, so there would be mutual love between Him and the believer. Such love is not a matter of mere emotions, though emotion is not ruled out. Rather, true love is expressed in obedience. As Jesus loved the Father and obeyed Him, so those who loved Jesus would in turn obey Him. And, for the disciples, that separation from His physical presence that they so dreaded would be replaced by a deeper spiritual presence…He would request the Father to send another Counselor, whose function would be to abide with them always…The Counselor, here expressly identified as the Holy Spirit, would make clear to them everything Jesus had taught them…The chapter ends as it began with Jesus comforting the disciples. He bequeathed to them a peace for their bereavement that was quite beyond anything earthly. And He reminded them again that His departure was really a matter of rejoicing, because he was going to the Father.”

Listen again to Jesus’ words about a peace “that was quite beyond anything earthly:”

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14.27).

May we abound in this peace today…and every day.

Prayer: Lord, in our world that not only fails to give us peace but also so often robs us of peace, give us the peace of your Son Jesus, so that are hearts will be not be troubled and we will not be afraid this day. In His name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Read: John 13.1-38

In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the focus of this final evening meal shared between Jesus and His disciples is the institution of the Lord’s Supper (also known as Holy Communion). Most scholars believe that John’s Gospel was probably written after the other three accounts, so John’s failure to include this focus is likely due to the fact that Jesus’ establishment of this sacrament was already widely known and, indeed, commonly practiced. John instead includes a part of the evening that may have been considered “secondary” (for lack of a better term) by the other authors but was of “primary” importance to him, especially in the context of the Last Supper: Jesus washed His disciples’ feet.

Foot-washing was not unusual in Palestine, where the roads were unpaved and where the feel of reclining guests could not be hidden under a table. However, it was performed for visitors by household servants, not by the hosts…or by disciples for their master, rather than the other way around. Understandably, the disciples felt uncomfortable and embarrassed when Jesus began to wash their feet (and one can only imagine how Judas, who was to betray Jesus, was feeling in those moments). From our distance as readers we can see the significant symbolism of Jesus’ humble act of service, but Peter could not. Perhaps with a mix of embarrassment and pride, Peter tried to prevent Jesus from washing his feet. But, when Jesus said to him, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me,” Peter requested that Jesus wash his hands and his head as well! Jesus explained that such additional washing would be unnecessary, since it was a matter of inward rather than outward cleaning.

This event, on the evening before Jesus’ death, may have seemed forgettable to some, but for John it carried profound significance and meaning. Jesus undertook an act of love that led Him to stoop to the most menial of service. He was offering spiritual cleansing and setting an example of how His followers…including us…must treat each other.

Jesus goes on to predict betrayal and denial by ones who had just experienced His act of loving service, which gives even richer and deeper meaning to what He did for His disciples. This is love: a deliberate act of service and kindness toward another as a reflection of God’s intention and sacrificial love.

Prayer: Lord, help us this day to do deliberate acts of service and kindness toward others as a reflection of Jesus' sacrificial love. In His name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Read: John 12.20-50

Today’s reading begins with a request from some Greeks who were worshipping at the festival. Apparently, John is identifying them as Gentiles who had converted to the Jewish faith (known as proselytes). These Greeks wanted to meet with Jesus, so they approached the disciple Philip and asked for his help. Philip in turn recruited the disciple Andrew’s help, and together the two disciples told Jesus of the request.

John doesn’t tell us whether the meeting took place. Instead, he notes Jesus’ immediate response to the Greeks’ inquiry: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” According to John, the issue at hand was the request itself: Gentiles now sought Jesus! This was sufficient to signal the arrival of “the hour” which Jesus had been anticipating all along: the hour of His glorification in suffering and dying. In his commentary, Dr. Joseph Dongell writes:

“The glorification Jesus now awaited would take place not after His death, but in His death. His full obedience to the Father’s will and the death included in that will would demonstrate the glory of Jesus through His perfect unity with the Father. Jesus illustrated the principle of glorious benefit in and through obedient death by appealing to a simple seed: ‘Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.’”

Jesus’ words in John 12.32 foreshadow His coming cross: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” A time of darkness is approaching: “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light” (John 12.35-36).

In the words of Dr. Paul Louis Metzger, as children of light “we must come to know that Jesus is like the Father. Only then will we realize that there is no dark side to God and that Jesus truly is the light of the world. The light of Jesus’ life and words will lead us forward, preparing all of us to pass safely through the dark valley of the shadow of death on our way to the Father’s house.”

Prayer: Lord, help us this day to be "children of light" in every way for the sake of Jesus. In His name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Monday, October 28, 2024

Read: John 12.1-19

As Jesus approaches Jerusalem for the final time in His ministry, John includes two episodes for us to consider in today’s reading: the anointing of Jesus, and the triumphant entry of Jesus into the Jewish capital.

The perfume that Mary poured on undoubtedly demonstrated her great love and devotion to Jesus, intertwined perhaps with her gratitude to Jesus for raising her brother Lazarus back to life. In her mind, what gift of appreciation would be too extravagant? However, Mary’s act of wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair was a symbol of complete humility…impressed with the unsurpassed majesty and power of Jesus, she openly showed her genuine humility in the presence of Jesus.

Dr. Joseph Dongell notes the following in his commentary on this passage:

“No one witnessing these events protested, except Judas, the disciple who would betray Jesus. In hindsight, it seems predictable that one whose heart would harbor theft and betrayal should so quickly object to a supposed fault in another. Though Judas’ protest took the ‘high moral ground’ of concern for the poor, his underlying motive is revealed to be nothing other than greed. Had the sale of the perfume brought a large sum of money into the disciples’ money bag, Jesus, the dishonest keeper of the bag, would have profited enormously. But Judas would not have the last word, and Mary would not be shamed because of her act of devotion. Without at this time exposing Judas and his dishonest ways, Jesus exonerated Mary and interpreted the significance of her anointing in ways Mary herself did not likely intend…(Jesus stated that) the disciples would have many other occasions for helping the poor (as they should), but not many more occasions to honor Jesus. Jesus was fast approaching his death, and Mary’s act of devotion had served to underscore, in a way perhaps unknown to her, the nearness of that end and His burial. Her application of perfume to His body anticipated the application of perfume to His corpse. As always, Jesus could see the significance of the future within the present.”

Commenting on Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem, Dr. Dongell notes:

“Though the full significance of these events was hidden from view, the religious leaders understood enough to realize that Jesus’ popularity threatened their power and standing among the people…Their alarm would only confirm them in their plans to kill Jesus in order to preserve (as they saw it) their national identity and their standing within it. These drastic measure seemed to them the only option…but their observation that the ‘whole world’ had gone after Jesus would, ironically, find greater fulfillment than they expected.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we know that being fully devoted to You in today's world is truly counter-cultural...the world would tell us to "tone it down" with regard to our devotion. Help us to be fully devoted to You regardless of cultural pressure, starting this day. Amen.

Sermon for Sunday, October 27, 2024

Scripture Lesson: John 10.11-18

Sermon Title: “I Am the Good Shepherd”

Notes:

Simple truths:

A shepherd protects the sheep sacrificially.
A shepherd cares for the sheep continually.
A shepherd knows the sheep personally.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd because:

He knows us completely. Verses 14-15

He cares for us lovingly. Verses 12-13

He gave His life for us willingly. Verses 17-18

Study Guide for Personal or Small-Group Study

“I AM the Good Shepherd”…John 10.11-18

Take a few minutes to reflect upon the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. A shepherd knows his sheep, and they know him. What do you think of the concept that "Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves?"

Can you identify a time when Jesus lovingly cared for you as a Good Shepherd? Can you describe how Jesus cared for you?

Read Psalm 23 as a companion to John 10.11-18. How does David describe the Lord as a Shepherd? How does this compare to Jesus, the Good Shepherd?

Take a moment to consider the people in your congregation, your community, your nation, and your world who need to know they have a Good Shepherd. In what practical ways could you "shepherd" someone in need of "spiritual shepherding" and point to Jesus as the Good Shepherd in the process?

Daily Devotion for Saturday, October 26, 2024

Read: John 11.1-57

“’Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother (Lazarus) would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.”

At the sight of Martha’s sister Mary weeping, along with the weeping of those around her, Jesus wept.

At Lazarus’ tomb, “Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’”

In “The Gospel of John: When Love Comes to Town,” Dr. Paul Louis Metzger writes:

“Have you been victimized in life by death? Are you like Martha who wants a miracle to occur – but on her own terms? Martha wishes Jesus would have come before her brother had died and healed him in his sick bed…But as Jesus said to Martha, so He says to you, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ I’m not saying Jesus will raise you or your loved one from the grave just now, but that He’ll raise you spiritually from the dead and give you new life in the face of victimization. That’s one of the greatest miracles imaginable. The bodily resurrection from the dead will surely follow, when God makes all things new. But now is the time to respond to His call, as He performs the present miracle of removing the stone that seals your heart and raises your soul to new life.”

“Jesus calls to you now. Take off your grave clothes and go.”

Prayer: Lord, take off our grave clothes and let us go...go to serve you with no expectations except to see Your glory. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Friday, October 25, 2024

Read: John 10.1-42

Arguably the most famous self-description of Jesus is found in today’s reading, when Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10.11). Jesus as a shepherd is certainly one of the most prominent images in Christian art. But, what does this mean…and what does this mean for us?

In his book “Jesus’ Claims – Our Promises,” Dr. Maxie Dunnam writes:

“One of the highest priorities of the Good Shepherd is to protect His own. Think about what that means for us. What do you fear most in life? Failure? Old age? Broken relationships? Your child’s future? This list could go on for fear is rampant: the temptation of sexual lust; the tightrope of compromise you’ve been walking; the competition in business that is pressing so hard, driving you in ways you don’t want to go, threatening your integrity. It is good to name our fear, if we can; face it head-on. Equally important is to know that the Good Shepherd will protect us from all that we fear.

Accept the promise of Psalm 23:

‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me…Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ – Psalm 23.4-6

“That’s the protection of the Shepherd. He will lay down His life for His sheep…The secret of living under the protection of the Shepherd is our realization that we do not have to depend upon our own strength, our own willpower, our own good intention, our own self-confidence. We become truly confident when we give up confidence in ourselves and place our confidence in the protection of the Good Shepherd who has promised that He will lay down His life for us.”

Prayer: Lord, help us to give up the wrong kind of confidence in ourselves and place our confidence in the protection of the Good Shepherd. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Thursday, October 24, 2024

Read: John 9.1-41

Ray Stedman was an evangelical Christian pastor, and author. He was a long-time pastor of Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California, and author of several books. Known for his emphasis on “authentic Christianity,” he wrote the following commentary on today’s Bible reading:

“The disciples had evidently been taught that sin and hurt, injury and handicap are linked together; that human hurt is the result of human sin. Notice that Jesus does not deny that. It is helpful to note right from the beginning that he recognizes there is such a link. However, it is not the one that many people think, as he will make clear.

What that indicates is that we are not living in a world where we can always expect perfection; that God does not try to operate the world in such a way that everything works out beautifully. We are living in a fallen world. The Scriptures declare that we are living in a broken world, a fragmented world, a world which is not what it once was and is not what it shall be. For the present we are afflicted with hurts, injuries, difficulties and hardships.

The Scriptures confirm that everybody is affected by human evil. Many of us think we have escaped it because we were not born with evident disabilities. But in fact we all have disabilities. Everywhere humanity reflects the weakness of the fall. This is why our minds cannot operate as they should. I tried to quote a poem recently and I could not think of the first line. It just fled from me. This illustrates how sin, the corruption of the fall, has attacked me, even in this simple way.

But Jesus makes clear that suffering is not always directly traceable to personal sin. Sometimes it is, but in the case of this man that is not true. Many people think it is rather strange that the disciples would even think that, since the man was born blind. How could his blindness be caused by his sin when he was born in this condition, before he ever had an opportunity to sin?

The disciples are probably thinking of the Jewish rabbinical teaching that it is possible for an embryo to sin. This may be what lies behind their question. But Jesus declares, No, it is not that; nor is it the parent's sin. Why, then, was he born blind? That the works of God might be made manifest in him, is Jesus' response. That gives a positive reason for this kind of affliction. It is an opportunity—not a disaster, but an opportunity—for certain things to be manifested in such a person's life, and in the lives of people who come in contact with that person, things that would otherwise never be brought out. The disabled frequently develop inner qualities of peace and joy and strength that otherwise normal people do not have. They oftentimes show a tremendous strength of spirit that is able to take on challenges and endure difficulties that other people cannot. Fanny Crosby, that dear saint of the last century, was blind from her earliest babyhood as a result of an accident. She amazingly wrote when she was only eight years old, describing herself as a happy child, even though blind. She stated she was resolved to be contented, amid her many blessings that others simply did not have, and that she would not, even could not weep or sigh because she was blind!

Do we see and resent our disabilities as handicaps, or are we learning the freedom and joy of seeing them as opportunities for God to use them, and us, for His good and perfect purpose?”

Prayer: Lord, when we see and resent what we perceive to be our "disabilities" or "handicaps," help us to see and rejoice in them as opportunities for You to work in and through us in ways that will bring You glory and honor. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Read: John 8.12-59

The events in today’s reading should be read in the context of John 7. The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, a celebration full of symbolism and pageantry, featured priests who had drawn water from outside the Temple in Jerusalem and carried it into the Temple courts in a grand procession. It was in this context that Jesus identified Himself as the source of living water to the thirsty. However, light also played a role in the festivities. During the nighttime hours of the celebration, the Temple courtyard was ablaze with torchlight as the crowds joined in singing God’s praises. It is in this additional context that Jesus proclaims, “I am the light of the world” (John 8.12a). In doing this, Jesus was not simply playing on the powerful imagery of the festival’s torchlight; the Old Testament repeatedly emphasized the symbolism of light as God’s gift of life, guidance, protection, and even presence among His people. Jesus’ claim to be the light of the world was a lofty claim indeed, but He adds a crucial promise to this claim: “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8.12b).

Jesus later makes yet another incredible claim: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8.31-32). Jesus sets out a test for those who had believed in Him, to distinguish between true (and enduring) disciples and those who simply wanted their expectations fulfilled. Dr. Joseph Dongell, in his commentary on this passage, identifies the following “links in the chain:”

“First, the requirement to hold to Jesus’ teaching not only stressed the need for faith to continue beyond its starting point, but underscored the centrality of Jesus’ word for salvation. The true disciple will hold firmly to Jesus’ word, because in those words he hears the voice of the Father. Second, Jesus’ teaching brings one to know the truth – truth about God, truth about Jesus as the Son, truth about his or her own sin and liability to eternal death, truth about all that is necessary for salvation. Though from every standard of truth known to the world the teaching of Jesus may be judged false or inadequate, it stands perfectly aligned to the Father’s will and character, and is therefore unfailingly true. Third, this knowledge of truth (accessible only by holding on to Jesus’ teaching) brings freedom, a freedom from slavery to sin and to death which follows immediately behind.”

Jesus offer of freedom is freedom from false forms of redemption, including our comforts, careers, fickle peer pressure, positive feedback from social media, or seeming political victories. Jesus declares, “Before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8.58). As Dr. Paul Louis Metzger writes:

“How can we settle for that which is fleeting and ultimately impersonal rather than pursue lasting, relational identity with God through His Son, who with His Father is the Great I AM? Before my comforts, Jesus is. Before my career, Jesus is. Before my casual Internet friendships…Jesus is. Before all our attempts at finding false redemption, Jesus is. Jesus is the great ‘I AM.’ As the great I AM, Jesus is our all in all.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, be our true Light and our true Freedom. Set us free from the fear of our world's darkness, and help us to remember that You are indeed our all in all. Amen.

Daily Devotion for Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Read: John 7.53 – 8.11

The text for today does not appear in the very earliest manuscripts of John’s Gospel and appears in different places from manuscript to manuscript. Some scholars note that it seems to interrupt the flow of the story from chapter 7 to chapter 8. However, almost every Biblical scholar accepts the passage as a reliable report of an incident in Jesus’ ministry, and it has a firm place in Christian scriptural and preaching/teaching tradition. Therefore, it’s important for Christ-followers to consider and live out its message.

In “The Gospel of John: When Love Comes to Town,” Dr. Paul Louis Metzger writes a excellent summary/analysis of today’s reading:

“Jesus does not ignore what the woman caught in adultery has done. While Jesus does not condemn her, He does not condone her sin, either. He tells her to go and sin no more. We often forget that part of the story. However, the million-dollar question was: What was Jesus writing in the sand? The sins of the persons who had accused her? Perhaps each one of them had slept with her or someone like her before. And since she had been caught in adultery, where was the man with whom she had just slept? The law of Moses required that both parties be brought forth to be stoned, not just the woman.”

“Jesus upholds the law, not the accusers or the accused. He walks in the light, for He is the light, as the next account makes clear. The rest – accusers and accused – walk in darkness. And yet, Jesus brings His light into the darkness and becomes the guilty party, even though He is completely faultless.”

“If the million-dollar question is, ‘What was Jesus writing in the sand?’, the ten-million-dollar question is, ‘Why do we like playing the victim card, accusing others of victimizing us, when the only truly innocent victim, Jesus, doesn’t play the blame game with us – His victimizers – but forgives us?’…We keep dancing with the devil by playing the blame game when we could be dancing with Jesus, who sheds light on our situation and helps us to see that we’ve been doing the tango – stepping on one another’s toes. He helps us to see that we need to accept His forgiveness and forgive others so that we can dance to a new tune with Jesus as the lead partner. So shall we dance?”

Prayer: Lord, help us to forgive as we have been forgiven in Christ. In His name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Monday, October 21, 2024

Read: John 7.1-52

The division and defection that happened among the larger crowd that was following Jesus was occurring at the same time that a plot to kill Him was forming in the region of Judea (where the Jewish capital of Jerusalem was located). The text today makes it clear that tension was growing around…and because of…Jesus.

The Feast of Tabernacles was an occasion when the Jewish people were to celebrate the gathering of the last harvest of the year. As was often the case, the people were called to remember the Old Testament exodus from slavery in Egypt in which God constantly provided for their needs. By Jesus’ day, Jewish tradition had extended the themes of this feast to include an elaborate procession in which priests took water up to the Temple for various ritual, featuring an impressive night show in which torches lit the Temple courtyard in Jerusalem as jubilant crowds celebrated.

It is in the context of these activities that Jesus says, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7.37-38). The following verse explains that by this Jesus meant the Holy Spirit, “whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”

In his commentary on John’s Gospel, Dr. Joseph Dongell identifies four aspects of the gift of the Spirit that come to light in Jesus’ words about “living water:”

“First, it is Jesus who gives the Spirit as water to the thirsty. The Spirit does not stand as a power independent of Jesus, nor as a focus of faith distinct from Jesus. In coming to and believing in Jesus, the Spirit is given. Second, the gift of the Spirit comes in such abundance that what begins as a quest for a ‘drink’ becomes the discovery of a ‘river’! In many ways, grace far exceeds human expectation and desires, not only at the point of initial faith but throughout the entire course of Christian experience. Third, this gift of abundant water fulfills the longing of God’s people, a longing witnessed by the Old Testament…because ‘water’ appears repeatedly throughout the Old Testament as a symbol of life, salvation, refreshment and joy…all of the deepest desires of humankind are richly supplied in the water Jesus gives. Fourth, the giving of the Spirit would happen only according to the larger plan of God.”

This “living water” is available to us today…and Jesus invites us to “drink up!”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, give us Your living water, that we may never experience real thirst again. Amen!

Sermon for Sunday, October 20, 2024

Scripture Lesson: John 10.1-10

Sermon Title: “I Am the Gate”

Notes:

Simple truths:

The purpose of a gate is to shut something behind us and to open something before us.

Gates offer protection.

Gates offer opportunity.

Jesus is the Gate because:

Only Jesus can close the gate on our past. Verse 9a

He offers us true protection. Verse 9b

He provides us a superabundance of life in the real world. Verse 10

Study Guide for Personal or Small-Group Study

“I AM the Gate”…John 10.1-10

Take a few minutes to reflect upon the image of Jesus as the Gate. What is it that you would like Jesus to close behind you at this particular time in your life?

Read again John 10.10. Jesus is not only the gate that closes off our sin and guilt, our loss and pain; He is the gate that opens to a more abundant life. In what ways has Jesus opened the gate to a more abundant life for you?

As you think about the current state of your personal life, what is it that you would like Jesus to open in front of you?

Take a moment to consider the needs for loving service in your congregation, your community, your nation, and your world. In what practical ways could you be a "gateway" or channel through which Jesus could address/meet these needs?

Daily Devotion for Saturday, October 19, 2024

Read: John 6.1-71

John 6 is a critical pivot point in the Gospel. The crowds…and His disciples…have great expectations of Jesus; He is at the height of His popularity. What will His response be to these expectations?

Consider what Jesus does in this passage:

1) While by the Sea of Galilee, He feeds a following crowd of 5,000 with a boy’s lunch of five bread loaves and two small fish. The leftovers of bread were sufficient to fill twelve baskets after “all had enough to eat.”

2) After withdrawing from the crowd, His disciples watch (in fear!) as Jesus walks on storm-tossed water in order to join them on their subsequent journey by boat across the lake.

3) Jesus makes the declaration, “I am the bread of life,” leading to confusion among the crowds (who were looking for more miraculous signs…and probably more bread!) and confrontation with the Jewish religious leaders.

4) Jesus’ popularity begins to decline precipitously.

In “The Gospel of John: When Love Comes to Town,” Dr. Paul Lewis Metzger helps us understand what is going on in this text:

“Most of us probably don’t look to Jesus to give us our next meal, but we might look to Him to add to our wardrobe or to help us advance our careers and increase our benefit packages. Moreover, we live in a culture driven by consumer demand and untrained desire. So we may be asking Jesus, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ in a very different way…What if He doesn’t meet our great expectations for what we would make Him out to be? Consumer demand means that we will likely try to take Jesus by force and make Him king…We don’t realize what life in Jesus is all about – freedom from ourselves and freedom for God and others as we live abundantly by faith in Him and His word rather than out of the fear of scarcity. When will we truly realize that Jesus Himself – and not the bread or the new jeans or the raise or the career move – is our daily sustenance and significance for life? When will we realize that Jesus is greater than Moses and Elijah and Elisha, and that our expectations for life are often so trivial and that Jesus is so far greater than our greatest expectations?”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to realize and live our lives on the truth that You are our daily sustenance and significance for life. Amen!

Daily Devotion for Friday, October 18, 2024

Read: John 5.1-47

Back in Jerusalem for an unnamed festival and on a Sabbath (the Jewish day of weekly rest), Jesus encountered a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. The man was located at a pool called Bethesda near the Sheep Gate, which many believed was a place of divine healing. Many individuals seeking such healing spent long hours (and even days) by the pool, based on the commonly-held notion that the person who first touched the pool’s water when it appeared “stirred” would be healed. Jesus approached the paralytic and took the initiative by seeking from him a desire for healing; the man failed to understand what Jesus could do for him and made excuses for his ongoing illness. Jesus then told him to “pick up your mat and walk,” and “at once the man was cured.”

The fact that the cured man carried his mat is no incidental detail. It was, first of all, solid evidence that he had been healed. But it is also the basis for what follows, for, as the text emphasizes, it was a visible violation of Jewish law to carry one’s mat on the Sabbath. When accused of committing this violation, the former invalid explained that “the man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” He was at that time still unaware of Jesus' identity, but, when he did discover it, through another initiative by Jesus, he made it known to the Jewish leaders. Jesus’ command to stop sinning speaks of the man's spiritual condition but does not necessarily imply that his past illness was caused by his sin; the point of the episode is to illustrate the type of holistic salvation Jesus provided.

As far as the Jewish leaders were concerned, Jesus was a Sabbath-breaker because of His healing of the paralytic and of His subsequent command to pick up and carry his mat. His justification of His actions on the basis of the activity of God served only to make the Jewish leaders even more angry. They correctly understood that He referred to God as His Father and that He was making himself equal with God, and they saw this as blasphemy because they viewed Him as a mere human. But Jesus was not a mere man: He was the incarnation of the divine Word.

In his commentary on the Gospel of John, Dr. Joseph Dongell writes:

“…the majesty and submission of the Son go hand in hand, each only enhancing the other. The more the authority of the Son is portrayed, the more clearly His complete dependence upon the Father comes into view. The more His dependence upon the Father is stressed, the more brightly His derived authority shines. So perfect is the harmony between them that the Father and Son are not ‘two gods.’ Rather, ‘I and the Father are one’ (John 10.30).”

In verse 20, Jesus says, “…the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.” Our amazement at Jesus is only beginning!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are amazed at You, Your authority, and Your power. Help us to have eyes and ears to perceived You working around us this day...amaze us! Amen!

Daily Devotion for Thursday, October 17, 2024

Read John 4.43-54

John tells us in today’s reading of the “second sign” that Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. A royal official, hearing that Jesus was in the area, traveled fifteen miles (not a short distance in those days) to ask for His help. The official had a son who lay close to death, and he begged Jesus to return with him and heal his child. Jesus agreed to help, but on His own terms: He instructed the father to return home alone, simply assuring him that “your son will live.”

The details about the meeting between the father and his servants are intended to clearly demonstrate that the child was healed precisely at the time Jesus had declared to the official that his son would live. The point of the story is clear: Jesus had in fact healed the man’s son…and had done so long-distance! As a result, “he and his whole household believed.”

Jesus led the royal official to the point of complete dependence: taking Jesus at His word apart from visible presence and, once doing so, believing in Him. Jesus also pushes us today to take Him at His word and believe. Sometimes circumstances may lead us to feel all we have is Jesus’ word…but Jesus is in His word. He gives Himself to us, just as He gave Himself to the Samaritans and to Nicodemus.

When we become completely dependent upon Jesus, we move past the simple need for a miracle and move to personal faith in Him…and when we see Him as what we need more than anything else, we find our miracles.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to completely depend upon You in personal faith. Amen.

Daily Devotion for Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Reading: John 4.1-42

The first several verses in our reading set the stage for the main story. Jesus was traveling from Judea to Galilee because the Pharisees (strict religious teachers of the Jewish law in that day) had learned of His success in making and baptizing disciples. For the journey, He chose the shortest route followed by travelers between Judea and Galilee, which went west of the Jordan through the region of Samaria. Jews who strictly followed Jewish law tried to stay away from Samaria and Samaritans, since they considered them half-breed cousins who had polluted the true Jewish religion. However, Jesus' path led Him straight through the Samaritan village of Sychar, close to land purchased by Jacob, one of the great ancestors of the Jewish (and Samaritan) people. Jacob's well, where Jesus rested at about noon in the hot Middle Eastern sun, is identified by ancient tradition but is mentioned nowhere else in Scripture.

Jesus encountered a local Samaritan woman and asks her for a drink of water. A discussion ensued, with the woman expressing surprise that Jesus had asked her for a drink. Jews in the first century thought it unseemly for a rabbi to talk to a woman, let alone a Samaritan one. In response to her surprise that He would ask her for a drink, Jesus offered the woman “living water.” He was speaking of water that gives eternal life, but she understood Him to be offering running water, which would have made Him greater even than Jacob, who provided a well rather than a spring; she was shocked. Of course, the author of John’s Gospel knows that Jesus was greater than Jacob, but not in the way she thought. Jesus then stated the issue plainly, but the woman still did not understand.

Jesus' change of subject led to the revelations that the woman was currently unmarried and that Jesus knew about her marital history. Impressed at His prophetic knowledge, she raised the main question that divided Jews and Samaritans: whether Jerusalem or Mount Gerazim (the holy place for Samaritans) was the right place to worship God. Once again Jesus deepened the discussion. If it were simply a matter of deciding between Jewish and Samaritan worship, the Jewish way is right. But even that is being superseded by a spiritual manner of worship in which God and humanity find their true union in Jesus. After this, there was only one thing left to say: Jesus is the Christ. The woman guessed it, and Jesus acknowledged it.

Jesus’ disciples returned and were surprised to find Him talking with a woman. The woman reported her conclusion about Jesus and His identity to the villagers and invited them to come see Him. When the disciples encouraged Jesus to get some physical nourishment, His response in terms of spiritual food confused them. They wondered if someone else might have fed Him. But He was referring to doing the will of God and was speaking of the work of evangelism that God had outlined for both Him and them.

The Samaritan woman actually became one of the first evangelists as a result of her encounter with Jesus. In Him she had found the living water that satisfied her unquenchable thirst. It flowed within her heart from Jesus and overflowed to others. Jesus redeemed her story and redeemed many others in her village through her. That is a portrait of connection…and salvation.

Prayer: Lord, quench our life thirst with Your living water...and help us tell others about where to find this water! In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Reading: John 3.22-36

Today’s reading returns to the ministry of John the Baptist, examining it after Jesus appeared on the scene. Jesus and John were both engaged in ministries involving baptism. An argument between John's disciples and a certain Jew about ceremonial washing, no doubt in response to John's ministry, led to a pointed reference to Jesus' baptism and popularity.

However, John felt neither threat nor jealousy. The honor that both were receiving was decreed in heaven, and God's intentions were not to be disputed. In any case, John was not the Christ but only the forerunner. Jesus was the Christ (the Messiah, the promised Savior); now that he was present, John must diminish.

Dr. Paul Louis Metzer in “The Gospel of John: When Love Comes to Town,” offers a compelling summary and commentary on this passage:

“Each of us in our own way wants to be the Messiah, the king, the bridegroom. We want to be number one. We want to be God. We may not want praise choruses sung to us; that would feel too strange. But each of us has a hard time putting Jesus’ will ahead of our own. That’s what makes John the Baptist’s response so special. The response is all the more special because John actually delights in these roles; it’s not that he has just resigned himself to the fact that that he is a forerunner and friend. ‘The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete’ (John 3.29).”

Each of us is number two…at best. We need to make John the Baptist’s motto our own: “He (Jesus) must become greater; I must become less” (John 3.30).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to make you #1 in my life and to keep myself #2 for the sake of Your glory and Your kingdom. Amen.

Daily Devotion for Monday, October 14, 2024

Reading: John 3.1-21

Today’s reading is the preeminent Biblical text on the necessity of a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

All we know about Nicodemus is what John’s Gospel tells us. This prominent religious leader and member of the Jewish ruling council held a conversation with Jesus at night, apparently in response to Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem that was described in yesterday’s reading. Nicodemus met with Jesus at night; the rabbis (religious teachers) sometimes conducted their discussions until late in the evening, so perhaps Nicodemus could not meet Jesus during the day…or perhaps he wanted to keep his meeting a secret. Nevertheless, Nicodemus opened the conversation by acknowledging Jesus' miraculous works and that God was obviously with Him.

In response, Jesus stated that the mission and goal of Jewish religion, the Kingdom of God, could not be entered without rebirth. The Greek words behind this has two possible meanings: either “born again” or “born from above.” From what follows, it is clear that, while Jesus was thinking of spiritual birth, Nicodemus understood Him to be speaking of a simple physical rebirth…and he was understandably confused! Jesus patiently explained and expanded the concept in His answer to Nicodemus’ questions.

What does it mean to be “born from above?” Jesus makes it clear that this birth belongs in a category completely different than physical or human birth. This birth does not have its origin in this world, and it cannot be brought about by any human means. In his commentary on this passage, Dr. Joseph Dongell writes:

“Any hope of salvation (seeing or entering the God’s Kingdom) rests entirely upon God’s actions from outside the human realm through the Spirit to transform human beings. All other options, however religious or meaningful to their adherents, fall short of the target. The ultimate question asks not about human experiences, morality or beliefs, but inquires whether God has acted to transform. Genuine experiences, morality and beliefs flow from that…everyone born of the Spirit still lives within the earthly realm, though his or her origin and ultimate destiny seem ‘mysterious’ to those who have not been born of the Spirit. The spiritual realm intersects with the natural realm, though the two remain distinct.”

What is the “bottom line?” Being “born from above” means death to self. It means throwing ourselves completely on Jesus in faith, just as the people of Israel in their Old Testament journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land threw themselves on God’s mercy when bitten by poisonous snakes; only by looking to the bronze serpent hanging on the pole that Moses made at God’s direction would they be saved. For us, it is looking to Jesus in faith that saves us, who gives us new life by His death…by being lifted up on the cross of wood for all to see. We die with Jesus in order to be reborn…this is the essence of a “personal relationship” with Him.

How can such a sacrifice by Jesus be understood? Here is where the true meaning and majesty of John 3.16, perhaps the most famous verse in the New Testament, shines forth:

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

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to throw ourselves completely on You in faith and truly experience the New Birth into eternal life. Amen.

Sermon for Sunday, October 13, 2024

Scripture Lesson: John 8.12-20

Sermon Title: “I Am the Light of the World”

Notes:

Simple truths:

Light is the antidote to paralyzing darkness.

Light exposes the truth about reality.

Light reveals the way forward.

Jesus is the Light of the World because:

He lifts the darkness from life. Verse 12a

He shows us what God is like. Verse 19
He is the way forward. Verse 12b

Study Guide for Personal or Small-Group Study from Sunday's Message:

“I AM the Light of the World”…John 8.12-20

What is the brightest light you have ever seen? How did you feel in the presence of that bright light?

What is the “darkest dark” that you have ever experienced? How did you feel when surrounded by that darkness?

If you are a follower of Jesus, how have you experienced the reality of Jesus’ claim, “I am the light of the world” (John 8.12a), in a personal way? How has Jesus been the light of the world to you?

In the message on this passage, it was stated that Jesus shows us what God is like (see John 8.19). How does He do this? Given this, what is God like in your own words? How would you describe God to a questioning friend or family member?

In the message, it was also said that Jesus “is the way forward” (John 8.12b). In your own words, what does this mean? Can you think of an example of how Jesus has been “the way forward” for you or for someone you know?

Read I John 1.1-10. How can we “walk in the light” in everyday practical terms?

Daily Devotion for Saturday, October 12, 2024

Reading: John 2.13-25

Jesus? Turning over tables in the temple?

In “The Gospel of John: When Love Comes to Town,” Dr. Paul Louis Metzger again writes:

“The notion of Jesus overturning tables at the temple is hard to categorize, and it challenges our domesticating agenda for Jesus. We often forget that we cannot commodify Jesus, even though we unwittingly tend to trivialize and “trinket-ize” Him in our minds and practices, turning Him into our very own genie in a bottle, good luck charm or bobble-headed doll that we can purchase at the local Christian bookstore. We fall prey to this way of thinking and behaving because we become complacent in our spirituality, consuming and commodifying everything religious for our convenience. We make Jesus fit our expectations and prepackage Him so that we can consume Him whenever we like. If we had been with Jesus in the temple courts, we would never have allowed Him to act in such an uncivil, uncultured, unpredictable and inconvenient manner, messing with our messianic plans for Him – and us. But like His disciples, we really have no choice in the matter. You can’t commodify and prepackage Jesus. In fact, you can never package Him.”

At the wedding in Cana, Jesus protects the ceremonial integrity of the wedding and protects the wedding party from a humiliating scene. However, in the temple as the Jewish observance of Passover is approaching Jesus makes a very public scene by confronting the commerce surrounding temple worship. The temple leaders had created space for merchants to sell their ceremonial wares in the temple area itself, trivializing and thus desecrating the temple. Jesus refused to tolerate this. In the words of Dr. Metzer, “we find Jesus going from being the life of the party (literally) at the wedding in Cana of Galilee to being the one who crashes the party in the temple in Jerusalem – and all within the space of a few verses!”

It seems that Jesus’ passion for His Father’s honor and worship drove Him to see this commercialization of the temple as an obstacle to reverent, thoughtful, and intentional worship. By their determination to conduct their business regardless of the context in which they were operating, the merchants exhibited a blunted sense of reverence for God and a dulled sensitivity to the needs of those seeking God. It’s little wonder that this story has come to be known across the centuries as “the cleansing of the temple.”

The passage goes on to tell us that “the Jews” (which, throughout John’s Gospel, refers to the Jewish leaders and religious establishment of the day, and not to the entire Jewish nation) in turn confronted Jesus. They wanted to know by what authority he cleansed the temple; their first response was not to acknowledge the need for reform, but rather to demand some authenticating sign for His action. This rejection is contrasted with the believe many in Jerusalem were expressing in Jesus after seeing “the signs he was performing.” But Jesus knows how flawed the human heart can be, so He did not “entrust himself to them.” Again in Dr. Metzger’s words, “Unlike the religious leaders who question Him because of their customs and the people in the crowds who believe in Him because of His external signs, Jesus sees inside. He seeks people after God’s own heart and, as the law’s fulfillment, is concerned for the spirit of the law rather than the trappings of the law.”

May Jesus overturn the tables in our lives that keep us from living out His passionate holy love!

Prayer: Lord, if there are tables in our lives that need to be overturned in order for us to belong to You completely, please cleanse us by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Friday, October 11, 2024

Read John 2.1-12

Today’s reading finds Jesus and His disciples at a wedding. The story begins with Jesus’ mother Mary informing Him that the wedding party had no more wine. No explanation for this is offered. Had someone failed to adequately prepare? Had more guests arrived than anticipated? Were finances an issue, or had a major event overtaxed the area’s wine supplies?

Whatever the reason for the embarrassing circumstance, Mary seems to expect Jesus’ help with the situation. Since it appears that Jesus had not performed miracles before this time, it seems strange that Mary was looking for one. She probably had come to simply trust her son’s judgment and resourcefulness in times such as this.

While Jesus seems to be less than comfortable with His mother’s request, He nevertheless moves into action. He instructs the caterers to fill six large ceremonial cleansing jars with water (each holding 20 to 30 gallons). The catering team may have wondered why they were taking unnecessary and unrelated steps at the direction of this wedding guest, especially given the press of time. In reality, they had no other options. It turns out that they have nothing to fear: Jesus not only turns the water into wine, but He also turns it into the finest wine imaginable!

Jesus does more than simply save the day (and perhaps the marriage!). The author of John’s Gospel refers to Jesus’ miracles as “signs,” pointing beyond themselves to a greater truth, and this is the first of Jesus’ “signs.” We get a glimpse of the greater truth of this sign in verses 9-10 of our reading:

“The master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, ‘Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.’”

Sometimes we may struggle with whether Jesus has our best saved up for last. Sometimes the “high points” of our journey with Jesus can be suddenly followed by unexpected “low points,” causing us to wonder about the trajectory of our course of discipleship. However, John knows that, just as Jesus saved the best wine for last at the Cana wedding, Jesus will save the best for last for John and all of His followers. We should save the date for the great marriage supper of the Lamb foretold in John’s last book Revelation, “when Christ comes in final victory and we feast at His heavenly banquet” (in the words of many rituals for the Lord’s Supper).

Verse 11 in our reading states that “this was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” John shows us that he intends to carefully choose the miracles he includes in his Gospel. He’s not attempting to “put on a show,” but rather to show us who Jesus is so that we might believe and have life in Him…just as His first disciples did.

Prayer: Lord, help us to trust all of life to you...the past, the present, and the future. Especially, help us to recall that you have the power to save the best of life for what is yet ahead of us. Help us to hold fast to hope...always! In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for Thursday, October 10, 2024

Read John 1.19-51

In “The Gospel of John: When Love Comes to Town,” Dr. Paul Louis Metzger describes the difference between a “Christian celebrity” and a Christian saint:

“The celebrity leverages the gospel for her or his own benefit. The saint asks God to leverage his or her own life and “fame” for the Gospel and for people. The celebrity wants to be famous. The saint wants to be influential so that others might meet Jesus. The celebrity will sacrifice others for his or her own ascension. The saint will sacrifice herself or himself for the benefit of Jesus’ elevation and others’ union with Him – preparing the way for the Lord in their barren wilderness, especially among the least of these on the streets of Portland, Oregon; West Jackson, Mississippi; and Jerusalem in Judea.”

John the Baptist is clearly a saint in our reading this morning: He knows that Jesus is greater, for he states that Jesus is before him. John also knows that Jesus is greater because the Spirit descends on Jesus, indicating that Jesus will baptize with the Spirit. Finally, John knows that Jesus is greater because Jesus alone takes away the sin of the world. When he saw Jesus passing by, John said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” Because of John’s witness, two of his own disciples left him to follow Jesus; one was Andrew, who in turn brings his brother Simon (Peter) to Jesus. The day after John’s declaration about Jesus (and probably related to it in some way), Jesus calls Philip to follow Him, and Philip brings Nathanael to Jesus.

John understands that he is not Number 1: Jesus holds sole claim to that number. John knows that he is Number 2, and that Jesus far exceeds him in value and importance. This is precisely why John the Baptist in so important to the Kingdom of God.

Again from Dr. Metzger, “Those who prepare the way are exceedingly rare. Unfortunately, what’s not so rare today is the cult of celebrity inside and outside the church. We don’t need any more dime-a-dozen celebrities. What we do need are saints who bow low to Jesus and prepare His way like John did.”

Will we also prepare the way?

Prayer: Lord, help us to prepare the way for Jesus in the lives of others, especially in the natural network of family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors with whom we interact daily. Help us to point to Jesus and Jesus alone. Amen.

Daily Devotion for Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Read John 1.6-18

Each of the four New Testament Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life include an introduction to John the Baptist, not to be confused with the author of the Gospel of John (who was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples). A better rendering of his title is John “the Baptizer,” since the main emphasis of his prophetic ministry was calling people to be baptized:

“And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: ‘After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit’” (Mark 1.4-8).

There is considerable evidence that John the Baptist was far more famous than Jesus in the early New Testament world (at least until Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection). Many believed that John the Baptist was the Messiah (or savior) promised to God’s people in the Old Testament. It’s little wonder that the author of John’s Gospel echoes Mark’s account in today’s daily reading:

“There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light” (John 1.6-8)

Our author John calls Jesus “the true light.” Again from Dr. Joseph Dongell’s commentary on this passage: “If we take our cue from other passages…the true light stands in contrast not so much to false lights, but to dimmer lights showing the way to One much brighter…the Son comes as the fully sufficient and final light, the true light which supersedes such partial, flickering (but good and divinely provided) lights as Moses (in the Old Testament) and John the Baptist (in the New Testament).”

John 1.14 is one of the most famous verses in the entire Bible: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus, God’s Son, is “God Incarnate” (from the Latin word for “in flesh”). In Jesus, God’s Word, God has become “up close and personal” for us; in Jesus, we can both know the truth about God and experience the grace of God in a personal relationship with Him.

We need both grace and truth today…and we find the complete and final dimension of this combination only in Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, thank you that in Jesus, Your Son, I can both know the truth about you and experience a personal relationship with you. Help me this day to grow in both knowledge of You and my relationship with You. Amen.

Daily Devotion for Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Read John 1.3-5

In these verses, John explains the implication of Jesus as God’s “Word:”

1) All things were made through Him.

2) All living things owe their ongoing life to Him.

3) Jesus, as God’s “Word,” continually sustains and preserves creation itself, keeping it from slipping back into the chaos of darkness.

In his commentary on John's Gospel, Dr. Joseph Dongell writes:

“A picture emerges in which God’s creation and God’s salvation correspond to each other…Just as God created the world, gave it life, and now sustains it through the Word, so also must the totality of the world come to terms with the single agent of God’s creation. The good will of the Creator toward the creation did not evaporate in the face of human sin, but resolved to save and restore the creation…All who turn to faith in Jesus find that they walk not into the arms of a stranger, but into the arms of their loving Maker.”

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1.4-5).

Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord, thank you that Your good will toward Your creation did not dissipate in the face of human sin. Thank you for resolving to save and restore the creation...and me...through faith in Jesus. Amen.

Daily Devotion for Monday, October 7, 2024

Read John 1.1-2

In the New Testament, each of the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life begins in a different way. Mark begins at the inauguration of Jesus’ public ministry. Luke begins with Jesus’ birth and the events immediately prior to it. Matthew also begins with Jesus’ birth, but he first lists Jesus’ genealogy. John, however, begins at an entirely different point:

“In the beginning…”

This takes us all the way back to the opening words of the Old Testament: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1.1 NIV). John connects Jesus to the great eternal reality of God and God’s creation by identifying Him as “the Word:”

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”

John is letting us know that the story of Jesus cannot be limited to time and place; Jesus is not a part of God’s creation, but rather has enjoyed unprecedented and unsurpassed intimacy with God throughout eternity. Jesus’ story is the most important story of all time precisely because it transcends time.

John identifies Jesus as God’s Word, a Word so powerful that He spoke creation itself into existence; again and again, Genesis 1 says “and God said” caused creation to come into being. As the Word, Jesus is Lord of creation itself and God’s revelation of Himself (for our smartphone culture, He can be seen as God’s “selfie” picture!). Therefore, if anyone wants to understand the world, life, and/or God Himself, we have to begin with Jesus.

“In the beginning...”

Prayer: Lord, help me to focus on the story of Jesus as the most important story of all time, precisely because it transcends time. I am open to what you seek to teach me through Your Word. Amen.

Sermon for Sunday, October 6, 2024

Scripture Lesson: John 6.22-40

Sermon Title: “I Am the Bread of Life”

Notes:

Simple truths:

Life depends on bread.

Physical bread is God-given.

Physical bread sustains life; it does not make it what God intends it to be.

Jesus is the Bread of Life because:

He provides eternal life. Verse 27

We receive this life by believing in Jesus. Verse 29

Only in Him do we discover true and ultimate satisfaction. Verse 35

Study Guide for Personal or Small-Group Study from Sunday's Message:

“I AM the Bread of Life”…John 6.25-40

If you are a follower of Jesus, how have you experienced the reality of Jesus’ claim, “I am the bread of life,” in a personal way? How has Jesus been the bread of life to you?

In the message on this passage, it was said that “physical bread sustains life, but it does not make it what God intends it to be.” In your own words, what does God intend life to be? How does Jesus as “the bread of life” provide this God-intended life?

In John 6.26, Jesus states that the people wanted to be with Him because He had fed them, not because they believed He was the Son of God. Is it possible for people today to also follow Jesus out of a desire for material benefits rather than the spiritual benefit of eternal life? Can you think of specific examples of how this can happen?

In Matthew 4.4 Jesus says, “It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In what ways are we tempted to give more importance to our physical lives than to our spiritual lives? List three things we do to care for ourselves physically; then list three things we do to care for ourselves spiritually.