The Notes are Good

While it makes no sense, we all can be guilty of the hardened heart of the jewish leaders and their hatred of Jesus.  They had spent their entire lives and profession wanting to see the Messiah.  They studied the scriptures and firmly held to the belief that all of the woes of Israel’s past had come from disobedience to the law.  They knew the law and they encouraged, by all means possible (including stoning), the extreme adherence to the law.

So when they see a man who has been lame for 38 years, walking unaided with the mat that he had laid on daily, their first reaction was not joy or wonder or celebration, but chastisement for breaking the law.

If you had asked them, they would have said that they anxiously sought the Messiah.  But, when the Messiah comes to them, they reveal it is not the destination they love, but the journey.  What could Jesus have possibly given them as proof that He was the Messiah?  For that matter, what could anyone at any time have given?  There was nothing, because they loved the anticipation more than they loved what they anticipated.

How about you?  Do you pray for Jesus to return, but secretly dread it?  Do you pray, thy kingdom come thy will be done, but hide in the darkness of your own sin hoping God doesn’t see?  What will it take for you to love Jesus more than you love “the life” you have created?  What will it take for you to stop judging others and start loving and celebrating with them while they are still sinners and unclean?

In the same way, we say we want joy, but are we willing to give up worry and gossip?  We say we want peace, but are we willing to address our own hatred?  We say we want love, but are we willing to let go of self-worth and self-reliance to trust in the source of love, God?

It’s not that we don’t want these things, we just want the wanting more.

My Answers:

11.
33. John the Baptist – Human witness
36. The works giving to Jesus to perform by the Father – Signs and Wonders
37. God the Father – Divine
39. The Scriptures – The prophets and all the bible

My response is that I believe and testify

12.
v42. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.  v37b-38, You have not heard His voice nor seen his form nor does His word dwell in you, for you do not believe.  v40 You refuse to come to me to have life

It is not lack of evidence or testimony, but a hardened heart that prevents people from coming to faith

13.
They studied them diligently because they thought that in them you have eternal life, but they did not believe what they said (even the words of Moses)

It is not just that we are dead but that we also asleep that is the problem.  We’ve all heard the phrase popularized in movies, “dead man walking.”  It took hold because it is a catchy phrase that applies to a lot of situations in our lives.

There are times that we find ourselves in situations where we feel like a dead man walking.  It may be as our company falls apart.  It may be in a time of caring for a loved one who is dying.  It may be in reaction to the threat of attack or terrorism.  But, most appropriately, it is an apt description of life without Jesus.

The phrase in movies represented an inmate who had received a conviction sentence of the death penalty.  They were still breathing, but their days were numbered.  Without Jesus, that is the state of all mankind.  We a born, we breath, we walk, we die.  But Jesus offers to take us from death into life, to enable us to cross over, from the land we are to one where we are forgiven and set free of our death sentence.

But for all too many people, they are not dead men walking, but dead men asleep.  They go through life in denial of death, not wanting to think about it.  They go through their days as if they will last forever, while knowing they won’t.  Routines govern our days, to do lists and tasks.  We sleep walk.

The greatest call to those around us is not “do you want to live forever?”, but “can you wake up out of the hypnotic sleep that sin puts us in to realize where we are, what awaits us and to understand that we have a choice?”.

My Answers:

9.
a.
crossed over from death to life – we live in the land of the dead / sin

b.
If I hear and believe (Revelation: Reads, Hears, Heeds), then I am assured

c.
It says all rise from the dead, some to eternal life, some to condemnation – v29.  This is contrary to what non-christians believe that there is nothing after death or that they miss out on heaven only.

10.
That we have assurance. That He stated that He is God, the Son of God, the judge of the world and worthy to receive honor and praise as God the Father does.  These are not things someone else said of Him, but His words.  And in those words He promised to give us the ability to cross over from death to life.

In a series of verses that testify, in Jesus’ own words, His equality with the Father and His power and authority, verse 19 stands out as a bit of a quandary.

V19: Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

If he can’t do anything by himself and can only do what he sees his Father doing, then doesn’t that mean that he is less than God the Father?  But how does that fit with Jesus power over life and judgment of sin and that not honoring Him is the same as not honoring the Father?

I think there are two answers.

First, Jesus is equal to but not separate from the Father.  Unlike man, who in the temptation in the garden, left unity with God to become a god himself (Genesis 3:5).  Jesus refuses to separate from the Trinity.  He does not want to become a god, He wants to be what He is, an element of the triune God.

Second, can may also mean will.  For example, I cannot embezzle and be a good employee, I cannot cheat on my wife and honor my wedding vow, I cannot refuse to exercise and expect to be healthy.  Since the Father does only what is True and Holy, for Jesus to do anything else, anything different, would be a sign that He was not God.

My Answers:

6.
He did “these things” (signs and wonders – healing), on the Sabbath (observance of the law of God was more important than God).  Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day and I to am working.”  Calling God His “father” put him on the same level as God, which was blasphemy to their ears because they could not accept the possibility that He was.

7.
Son can do nothing by himself, Whatever the Father does the Son also does, The Father loves the Son.  He shows Him all that He does – greater works are coming.  Son can raise the dead and give life to whom he pleases.  The Father judges no one, that is entrusted to the Son.  Son is to be honored just as the Father.  Not honoring the Son = Not honoring the Father.

8.
Power over death: the ability to give life – He is the Lord and giver of life
The authority to judge: Father judges no one – He is my brother and my judge.  He knows if He is in me or not.
Honor: Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father – Jesus is equivalent to the Father

 

While I’m in complete agreement that the healing of the disabled man at the pool of Bethesda is a wonderful miracle showing Jesus’ power, authority and love, I think the central point is not what Jesus told the man, but what he asked him.

John 5:6, “Do you want to get well?”

Our first thought may be that this is a silly question.  They guy has been lame for 38 years, longer than the average life expectancy at that time.  And for many of those years he has been coming to this place of healing.  This routine had become his life.  This illness had defined him.  He had nothing else and no one else.

But those are exactly the same points that make this question so appropriate.  If he is healed, then what?  Who does he become?  Who does he “do life” with?

Isn’t the same true in our life?  How often do we lie to ourselves that things are “good enough”?  When there is a call for prayer requests, is our first thought, “I’m doing OK – I don’t need prayer”?

Jesus didn’t require the man to make a statement of faith to be healed.  It was not a quid pro quo deal – if you believe then you will be physically healed.  The man did not even know who Jesus was.  Jesus simply asked him if he wanted to be healed and then healed him.

But Jesus also did not leave it there.  Now that the man is healed of his physical ailment, Jesus comes back to him and gives him the bigger challenge: stop sinning.  Jesus didn’t make this conditional, in other words, He didn’t say I did this for you so you do this for me.  He simply said to the man the same He says to each of us.  Stop sinning.  If you do not choose to “get well” spiritually, if you do not choose to let go of your sin problem, then all the other problems you have faced and insignificant in comparison.  Physical and mental problems affect this lifetime only.  Sin problems affect eternity.

My Answers:

3.
38 years, an invalid.  “I have no one to help me”, “While I am trying… someone else goes ahead of me.”

4.
a.
He first asked him, do you want to be healed.  He then told him to “get up, pick up your mat and walk”

b.
Convict me that I want to be healed.  Heal me.

5.
stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.  I am convicted not to fall back into habitual sin

The lesson with the signs in our lesson this week can be confusing for people.  In John 4:48 Jesus admonishes the people (plural) around Him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”  But does that mean that signs and wonders are bad or praying to see them is negative.

What we need to keep in mind is the type of prayer and request.  If we ask for Jesus help, such as healing or strength, we need to trust and obey.  He says that He hears our prayers.  We don’t need to ask or expect confirmation that He’s got it and is taking action.  To do so is to doubt His promise to us.

On the other hand, if we seek direction or guidance on how to do our work better, then we may ask for a sign to help show us the way.  This sign may come through a series of events that unfold (what others may call coincidence but that we know is the hand of God).  It may come through another, through the scriptures or it may actually be a sign.

The signs and wonders of our Lord are works of art.  They are wonderful and beautiful.  But the one to be admired and loved is the artist, not the artwork.  It is not the paint or brush or canvas, but the master who uses these things for our good.  The admonition is to not allow our focus to shift to the created not the creator.

My Answers:

10.
Jesus first viewed the official in the light of those in Galilee and the area.  They lacked faith in Him and only placed faith in the signs and wonders He performed.  It was about the art not the artist.  But the royal official did not require proof.  He heard the words of Jesus and obeyed, unquestioningly.
As
a result, he witnessed and participated in a very big sign

11.
It is fine to ask Jesus for healing and care for ourselves and others, but do not require Jesus to prove Himself.  Ask, trust and obey.

12.
He asked, and accepted what Jesus said.  He obeyed and trusted.

Christianity is not a “leap of faith”.  We are not called to thrust ourselves blindly into the unknown, hoping against hope to be caught.  We don’t fall into it, but are lifted up by it.  The message as demonstrated by the Samaritans was that all are welcome to come and that faith in Jesus is a walk, a journey.  When we repent, we simply recognize we do not have the strength or ability to save ourselves.

Without Jesus, we are alone in the ocean of sin.  While there are thousands of people in the same ocean, none of them can save us.  Being “better” than others, simply means we are drowning more slowly.  The only hope for salvation comes from above.

Once we are saved, our walk begins.  In faith, we stand on the solid ground of the gospels, but we are still soaked through in our sinful body and world.  But if we walk with Jesus every day, if we pray, if we study scriptures, if we worship and sing, we grow stronger and holier.  Like a patient who has been bed-ridden, our muscles atrophy and our tendons contract.  But, by walking and working, we grow in strength.  It can be challenging and, at times, painful, but it is the path to spiritual wellness and holiness.

My Answers:

7.
1. They heard the testimony of another (the samaritan woman)
2. They learned the word of God
3. They received true and complete faith (we know this man is the Savior of the world)

Kids and people at work

8.
They took the time to stay with and learn from Jesus.  They believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the savior of the world as promised by God and the prophets

9.
a.
Philip went to Samaria following persecution after Jesus’ ascension and the martyrdom of Stephen.  Many were saved, healed and baptized, both men and women

b.
It often comes through difficult times or persecution.  People when oppressed are more interested in hearing the good news.  People challenged by health, death, hardship, fear, turn to the one solid anchor – Jesus.

What payment do you want?

Romans 6:23 tells us the wages of sin is death.  But in John 4:36, Jesus also tells us there is a wage for those who participate in “the harvest.”  Matthew 6:20 calls this treasures in heaven.  Throughout the scriptures we are admonished to focus our desires for wages on the long term.  If we “cash in” on our good deeds on earth, through acknowledgements, pride and recognition, then we have received our reward.  But if we do our work diligently, as for the Lord, then glory awaits us at the banquet in heaven.

But this is hard.  Delayed gratification is difficult, but always has its reward.  Carole Dweck’s work on the growth mindset provides a psychological example of a heavenly truth.  In her experiments with children and their ability to forego a reward of a marshmallow.  Those who successfully delayed gratification were found to do better in many stages of life, including standardized testing years later.  The successful children did this by changing their focus, from the immediate reward to something else.

In the same way, we can change our focus as well.  2 Cor 3:18 tells us to not focus on the problems all around us, but on the riches of heaven.  Philippines 4:5-8 calls us to focus on Godly things, things that are true, noble, right and pure, lovely, excellent, admirable and praiseworthy.  By focusing on these things, we see the big prize – eternity with our heavenly family.

My Answers:

5.
Jesus, already using the analogy of food to discuss spiritual joy, continues by transferring it to the harvest4 months left is the lull time for wheat (7-8 months).  There isn’t anything to do.  But Jesus says to look, others have already done the hard work and you  get to participate in the harvest of souls.  The sower is the word of God and the Holy Spirit, it is also those who prophesy, teach and speak the work (like JTB).  The field is the earth, all humans, God’s creation.  The crop is saved souls brought in to everlasting life in faith, the harvest is the time of decision, the choice to accept the gift.  The reaper is the one who brings the person to faith and witnesses for the good news of Christ.  The wages are joy and heavenly riches.

6.
I can get into the lull period.  I can not see / recognize those who are ready, but just go on with my normal day-to-day.

When someone becomes a Christian, they immediately are filled with living water and they never thirst again.  Everything from that point forward is just wonderful and joyous and divine.  Right?

For most of us that is not the reality that we witness, nor is it what Jesus is promising.  He does not promise a mountaintop life, with only highs and no lows, with no work and only play.  Instead, He calls us to be workers in the field, to get our hands dirty, to sweat and toil for the kingdom of God.

But he also promises that joy will always be accessible to us and that His power and Spirit are always with us.  There will be times of hardship and sadness.  One does not need to look far to see how Jesus Himself was persecuted as were all of His followers.  But the solution is not to be found in looking downward, in focusing on the problems, but instead in looking up.

Too often we let our focus drift to the challenges and problems of the world.  We live in a broken world, with broken leaders and systems and ideas.  The things of the world are not the things of God.

I listened to a pastor this week admonish Christians to be aware of their focus and words.  When our attention is too drawn to politics and world problems, we portray to others a sense of worry and of dread.  The call is not to ignore these things, but to communicate that there is a solution and His name is Jesus Christ.

My Answers:

3.
a.
to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.  The gathering of believers brought spiritual nourishment.  Fed by bringing glory to God

b.
The highlight of my weeks are the time I get to spend telling the story of God’s word to kids.  I also enjoy writing about it and find myself more filled up than poured out from doing it.  I gain more by the act.

c.
Start by relying on Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.  By changing their focus in life from the troubles around them to the glory of God (2 Cor 3:18) and act as one who is blessed by God (Phil 5:5-8

4.
a.
I often seek my way first and turn to God when it fails.  I too often want the easy path instead of wanting God to challenge and work me so that I will grow.

b.
Care for others, needy, widows, orphans; prayer; fasting; storing up riches in heaven; bibles study, memorization of verses; not worrying (trusting in God instead); making disciples; going to where others need to hear about Jesus; Testifying to the good news of God’s grace; finishing the race

As a follower of Jesus Christ, hopefully the answer to that question is to spread the good news to others.  You can do that in many different settings and situations.  It doesn’t need to be done in a church or on a mission trip, it can be done where you work, eat, live.  It can be done with words, but also with service, through interactions or even in quiet prayer.

But, being honest, how many days of this past week could you say that was your big rock for the day?  To use the Stephen Covey analogy, we may call that the big rock, but then we first fill our lives with little rocks, the little details of life of laundry, cooking, work, etc.  If the big rock happens to fit in, great, but many days go by and it just didn’t fit.

Obviously, there isn’t anything wrong with laundry, cooking or work.  There isn’t anything wrong with most of the day-to-day things we do.  The thing that is wrong is when we get so much in a rut or a mistaken priority, that they become the things that prevent us from sharing and caring for others.

I think this is one of the key messages of the woman at the well.  She came for water.  She needed water.  She got water every day.  But when Jesus presented her with the opportunity to share, she left the water jug behind and rushed off to share.

Are you willing to interrupt your day to help and serve?  Which directs your life, your todo list or Matthew 28:19?  Is your living water acting like it is alive, or do you keep it all bottled up so you can just get some stuff done?

My Answers:

11.
a.
She came for water, she drew water, she left the water.  Her mind was no longer on the water in her jar or the well.  Once having tasted the truth, she didn’t turn immediately back to the physical, but was compelled to tell others.

b.
she went and told others and they came to him – she heard and was saved

12.
a. Jewish men didn’t chat with unchaperoned women, b. Jews didn’t associate with Samaritans
He was above both of these social norms

13.
I know, yet I still don’t ask for living water each day

Jesus tells the woman at the well that “true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”

To me, one of the most important words in that sentence is the word AND.

There are many that seek the spirit.  They want joy, peace, love.  They want good feelings.  They want euphoria.  They don’t care about the truth.  Truth, words, study, those all are weights that bring down the spirit they seek, in their eyes.  Let’s just all get along.  Live and let live.  All paths lead to God.  Love wins.  All are God’s children regardless of what they believe.

There are also many that seek the truth, but they begin that search by rejection of the spirit.  They are the scientists and skeptics who seek physical proof alone.  They begin their theorem with the rejection of God and the bible because, well, just because.  With that possibility rejected outright, they then construct a new tower of theory and “fact”.  But all are incomplete and all insufficient.  Take evolution.  First, there must be a complete rejection of the creation story.  Second, it does not withstand the question of “and what was before that?” because it is an incomplete theory.

But these are not the worshipers that God seeks.  These are people who follow in the tradition of the Samaritans.  They may “worship” God, but it is a God AND worship.  God and myself.  God and my own logic.  God and the almighty dollar.  God and science.  God and what makes me feel good.  God and whatever I want to do.  God and how I identify myself in this world.  God and my own world view.

But our God is a jealous God.  He desires only a personal and complete relationship with you.  Exclusively.  No other Gods.  No God AND, only in the Spirit AND in truth.

My Answers:

8.
There is worship of lies and theorems instead of the truth.  Most of the theories can only stand up at all by first absolutely denying the word of God as a possibility

9.
He said “We” of the Jews.  Jesus did not separate Himself from the promise God gave to Abraham, He endorsed it and came to fulfill the covenant and return the “children of God” to the state before original sin.

10.
In Spirit and in the Truth.  By coming to God first in prayer and repentance, not casually, but with intention and resolve and respect, humility and trust.