Category Archives: John

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Following Christ Without Any If’s

Being With Jesus:
John 20:3-6 (NLT)

Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside.

You’ve got to give Peter credit—he was never one to hold back. John outran him to the tomb, but nervously stopped at the entrance to peek in. Not Peter! When he finally arrived, huffing and puffing, Peter, ignoring graveyard protocol, pushed past John right into the place where Jesus was buried.

Of course, the greatest part of this story is that Jesus wasn’t there! He had risen from the dead, the victor over death and sin, and now was alive forevermore. If Peter had found Jesus’ body still sealed behind the stone entrance of that tomb when they arrived, nothing else about this story would matter. But Jesus had risen, indeed, and that is why the other details of this story matter. Even small, seemingly insignificant details become both interesting and instructive—like Peter pressing in past John to witness the reality of the resurrection first hand.

Peter’s spiritual pushiness is what endeared him to Jesus. His personal deficiencies are well documented, of course; the entire world knows of them thanks to the Gospel writers. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John pulled no punches in their accounts of this braggadocios, foot-in-mouth, leap-before-you-look, think-before you speak disciple. Yet is was Peter’s reckless abandon when it came to spiritual expectancy that led Jesus to declare,

“Peter, on your kind of faith, I am going to build this small team of disciples into a world-wide force called ‘the church’ that will take back Planet Earth from Satan and return it to its Rightful Owner.” (Matthew 16:18)

Sure, Peter got into trouble more than his fair share, but he was the only disciple to actually get out of the boat to walk on water—albeit a walk that was short-lived and ultimately very wet. He was the first to go into the empty tomb—Ground Zero of the Christian faith. And he was the first one called upon in Acts 2 to give the inaugural sermon of the Christian era—where two thousand people responded to his altar call.

Jesus loved Peter’s brassy boldness. That was the kind of raw material the Lord could work with. It was certainly raw, but it was ready. It didn’t take much to light a fire with Peter; he was a tinderbox waiting for combustion.

I think we could learn something from Peter’s example. Peter didn’t have it all together in his life, but he was always willing to offer all that he had, raw as it was, and press into Jesus with full expectancy of what could happen when raw readiness met with resurrection reality.

“Faith takes God without any ‘if’s.’” (D.L. Moody)

Getting To Know Jesus: Be Peter-like today in your journey with Jesus: a bit bold, daring to go so far as to be a little spiritually pushy. Chances are, you will encounter some resurrection power. Word has it that it’s still floating around out there.

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Death Is Buried In The Crucified Christ

Being With Jesus:
John 19:30 (NLT)

Jesus drank the wine and said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

Mission accomplished! The purpose for which God became man was complete! Jesus, the perfect God-man, had just offered himself as the only atoning sacrifice to the Heavenly Father for the sin of the world. He then proclaimed for all of heaven—and hell—to hear: It is finished. Having done that, Luke, one of the other Gospel writers, tells us that Jesus cried out in a loud voice then surrendered his spirit to God.

What I find profound about this is that a man in the final throws of death doesn’t cry out in a loud voice, unless he is a courageous soldier—a war hero dying in battle to defend his cause, liberate his people and defeat an enemy. No, a dying man usually whispers hoarsely, or whimpers pitifully, or expulses a cry of pain—or perhaps just gives up and quits breathing.

But Luke carefully chose the Greek phrase, fone megale —mega-phone—to capture Jesus’ final word. This was a shout of triumph, an outburst of victory! As he hung on that cross, Jesus had in his sights sin and death—those evil twins that had thwarted God’s original intent and tormented humanity since the fall of humanity back in the Garden of Eden.

Now, Jesus had defeated sin. He had offered himself as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for sin, he had forgiven the repentant thief, he had extended forgiveness to the ignorant who had sent him to the cross. Jesus had won! It was finished and Jesus knew it. Not his life; not his future; but his work was finished—complete, mission accomplished.

Yet there was one more thing he needed to do; one more enemy to defeat—Death. As Jesus’ life quickly ebbed toward death, the spirit of death appeared out of the invisible realm, ready to claim yet another victim—this time, to crush the life of the One who claimed to be the Resurrection and the Life. But just as the death demon reached out to take hold of Jesus, the Lord of Life laid hold of death instead.

Death was grasped and dragged until it was absorbed into the bosom of the Eternal One…and so, in that moment, all things were crucified —every last thing! Sin, sickness and suffering along with hell, the grave and yes, death, were crucified—all things!

But wait, there was one more thing: you and I. We were crucified with Christ…nevertheless, in dying with him, we live in him.

That was the loud voice—the fone megale—the shout of triumph. Our victory had been forever won! And having won the greatest of all victories—our eternal salvation, he bowed his head and surrendered his spirit. And the very next thing he heard on the other side, I imagine, was “well done, good and faithful Servant!”

 

“The death of Jesus Christ means the death of death itself.  The death of death in the death of Jesus Christ also means victory over death for those who trust in Christ as their God and Savior.” (Thabiti Anyabwile)

Getting To Know Jesus: Find a hymnal—you might have to look long and hard these days—and sing the him, “Christ Arose” as a prayer of gratitude to God for Christ atoning sacrifice for you.

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It Got Ugly

Being With Jesus:
John 19:15-16 (NLT)

>“Away with him! Crucify him!” yelled the Jewish leaders. “What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” they shouted back. Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified.

From our perspective as Christians nearly two thousand years after the event, the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus has become a thing of redemptive beauty. This was God at his best—his love, grace, mercy, redemption and sovereignty on display as Jesus was beaten, mocked and nailed to a cross for the sins of the world.

Yet on that exact day Jesus was forced to endure this suffering, it got ugly—beyond description. So brutal was his treatment we would have averted our eyes in horror were we to witness it first hand. So disgusting was Pilate’s cowardly desire to placate the rabid hatred of the Jewish leaders we would have shaken our heads had we witnessed it for ourselves. So unhinged was the hatred of the Jewish leaders for their Messiah we would have dropped our jaws in disbelief had we witnessed it with our own eyes.

The prophet Isaiah described the physical horror that Jesus endured as so graphic we would have had to turn away, unable and unwilling to grasp what Jesus actually experienced: “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” (Isaiah 53:3).

John 19:1-3 tells us, “Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. ‘Hail! King of the Jews!’ they mocked, as they slapped him across the face.” Thirty-nine times the whip crafted for maximum damage to a human body, was brought down upon Jesus’ back, ripping open the flesh, tearing at the nerves, muscles and sinew, laying him open to the bone.

Amazingly, Jesus survived a trauma no human should ever—perhaps could ever—have to endure, but only to have a crown of long, sharp Judean thorns forced upon his brow, penetrating down to the skull. Then the soldiers who had mockingly crowned him began to beat the defenseless Jesus, punching time and again with full force in the face.

It got ugly the day God died—so bad was the physical violence that Isaiah 52:14 says, “Many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness.”

Then Jesus was brought before Pilate, the Roman governor, who was to hear his case. After the Jews brought their trumped up accusations against the Lord, and after Pilate had interviewed him, he tired to release Jesus: “I find him not guilty.” Pilate said. “Take him yourselves and crucify him. (John 19:6) Not guilty—that usually secures freedom for an innocent man, yet Pilate was more afraid of man’s opinion than dispensing deserved fairness. And in that moment, Pilate secured his dark place in history as the one who could have freed an innocent man, yet sent him as a lamb—the Lamb—to the slaughter.

It got ugly the day God died—the innocent dying for the guilty: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.” (Isaiah 53:7-8)

But what of the Jewish priests and officials! Here we find misguided religion at its worst. The long-awaited Messiah was finally among them—his life of love on display in every action, every miracle, ever word—yet they are so blinded by hatred they stop their ears and cry all the louder, “crucify him” as Pilate weakly pleads for Jesus’ release.

It got ugly when God died—those who were his own people willingly, knowingly, visciouly sent their Eternal King to his death by claiming loyalty to a temporal king.

Yet for all the human ugliness inflicted upon Jesus, Isaiah tells us that it was “the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer…to makes his life an offering for sin.” While man’s darkness was being exposed, God’s sovereignty was powerfully moving events toward a glorious end, the redemption of sinful man.

Yes, it got ugly the day Jesus died, but Jesus had to take the ugliest of human darkness and sin into himself so that he could crush to death what would crush him to death. It got ugly for Jesus, but it became a thing of beauty for you and me.

“Upon a life I did not live, upon a death I did not die; another’s life, another’s death, I stake my whole eternity.” (Horatio Bonar)

Getting To Know Jesus: Read through Isaiah 53, taking time to pause after each thought to offer gratitude to God that in Jesus’ death, sin met its match and you found your freedom.

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God Holds All The Cards

Being With Jesus:
John 19:11 (NLT)

Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above.”

There is nothing in this world that happens apart from God’s sovereign knowledge and by his sovereign permission.

Jesus understood that as he stood before Pilate, who nervously tried to impress upon our Lord that he held the power to either crucify him or free him: “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?” (John 19:10, NLT) That is when Jesus, who, up to this point, had held his peace, looked Pilate directly in the eye and informed him in no uncertain terms that even though he might be a high officer of the Roman court, he held no such power—only God did.

In the awful light of what Jesus had been through, and what he knew he was about to go through, what an amazing statement of not only understanding the sovereign will of God, but of complete trust and submission to it. That was the reason Jesus could so calmly and resolutely traverse the terrible way of the cross. And that is the reason you can walk through the difficulties of your life as well—even if your path takes you through the valley of the shadow of death. As King David said,

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4, KJV)

You can know what King David knew that our Lord knew: Because of God’s sovereign control over all the affairs of this universe, and because of his immeasurable love for you, this world is a perfectly safe place for you—even if you are standing before your cross.

Before you begin this day, take a moment to read the Shepherd’s Psalm printed below. In fact, you may want to read it every day this week before you head off into the busyness and challenges of your world:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

What a great declaration: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Yes, God holds all the cards, so put your confidence in him.

“Much that worries us beforehand can afterwards, quite unexpectedly, have a happy and simple solution…Things really are in a better hand than ours.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Getting To Know Jesus: Memorize Psalm 23 from your favorite version, and pray it each day this week.

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Fighting For The Wrong Cause

Being With Jesus:
John 18:36 (NLT)

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

Those around the world who claim Christianity as their faith would do well to think deeply on Jesus’ response to Pilate: My kingdom is not of this world!

Jesus was standing before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, who in a sense had the power to set him free or to crucify him. So it would have been expected that Jesus would lay down a defense for his life at this point. Yet Jesus chose not to, instead informing Pilate that if it were about winning his freedom, or winning this turf war against the Jewish religious leaders, or throwing off the yoke of the Roman Empire to establish a new religious kingdom that would rule Planet Earth, his followers would be putting up a fight right about now.

But they weren’t. And Jesus wanted it that way. He had bigger things in mind—like the spiritual revolution that would be set afoot throughout the world by his death for the sins of man and his victorious resurrection from the grave as Lord of life. Gaining and maintaining power in the current world order was not what Jesus was about. He knew that mankind had been so totally corrupted by sin that a whole new, recreated world would be the only answer. Now make no mistake, until the time for that arrived, there would be kingdom work to do, but with Jesus, it was never about political, military, cultural or philosophical domination.

Jesus’ disciples struggled with that at first—but they eventually got it. Following his death, resurrection and ascension, they set out to take Jesus’ message to the ends of the earth. In 300 years, without fielding an army, without financial backing, without a huge voting block, without academic systems, without TV networks, printing presses and marketing campaigns, they subdued the mighty Roman Empire when Emperor Constantine declared Christianity to be the religion of the very empire that had done its best to snuff it out. And all they did was do what Jesus did: loved fiercely, served humbly, proclaimed boldly and die sacrificially.

It is too bad that around the world today, Christianity is known more for its politics than its love. We fight rather than die. We protest, leverage power, build a constituency rather than sacrificially serve and humbly surrender. In Eastern Europe, Christians wage war to cleanse their land from ethnic impurities. In the Middle East, Christians take up arms against the Muslims bent on destroying them. In the United States, Christians flock to a political party and a candidate friendly to their views and use all means at their disposal to tout their platform.

Now am I saying that Christians should not use all means possible to influence their culture, to defend their wives and children against harm and to get their guy elected? Not necessarily. But there is a fine line between fighting for a system that will soon be destroyed by fire and laying down their lives in the same manner their Savior did to redeem the world.

What I am saying is that true Christians need to think long and hard about what Jesus said—that his kingdom is of another place—and make sure they are not fighting for the wrong cause. What does that mean? It will mean different things in different places. But in your place, like the early disciples, you have to figure that out and then begin to live within your culture as Jesus did.

And if the untold thousands of us around the world who claim Christ as Savior did that, we would set afoot a new wave of Christian influence that would capture Planet Earth in about three months, not three centuries.

The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected. (G.K. Chesterton)

Getting To Know Jesus: What are you putting your hopes in—a political party, winning an election, enacting certain laws? Think about that in light of what Jesus said: My kingdom is of another world. If it weren’t, my followers would be putting up more of a fight. Are you fighting for the right cause?

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Passion Over Perfection

Being With Jesus:
John 18:25 (NLT)

“Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.”

Peter usually takes a beating when evaluated alongside the eleven disciples. He gets labeled as the stumbling, bumbling, think-before-you-speak, foot-in-the mouth, inconsistent goofball from Galilee, who for reasons God only knows, got chosen to be one of Jesus’ first disciples. Good old Peter—the first century version of Gomer Pyle in the Lord’s little band of foot soldiers.

But let’s give Peter some credit. He may not have been perfect—by a long shot—but he sure was passionate! And he was there—at least give him that. In John 18, as Jesus was arrested and brought to trial, when everyone else but John had fled, Peter figured prominently. He was like a bull in a china shop—passionate, yes; perfect, no—but he was there:

He whacked off the ear of one who came to arrest Jesus. (John 18:10-11, NLT) Passionate—but misguided!

He surreptitiously followed as the High Priest’s SWAT team took Jesus to jail. (John 18:15-17, NLT) Passionate—but fearful!

He stood among the soldiers as they warmed themselves by the fire. (John 18:18, NLT) Passionate—but silent!

He denied knowing Jesus when questioned, but at least he was there to be questioned. (John 18:25, NLT) Passionate—but weak!

He doubled down on his denial when questioned again. (John 18:26-27, NLT) Passionate—but fundamentally flawed!

Yes, Peter was all of those things we’ve said—there is no doubt about it—but passionate? You bet—imperfect, but passionate to the core! Perhaps that is why Jesus gave Peter so much public attention and placed him so prominently on his leadership team. Like the very flawed King David, Peter had a heart after God.

God can use people like that. In fact, I suspect God prefers them over the perfect. Oh, and just a little a hint: There are no perfect people, only those who think they are. Of course, I am not excusing Peter’s imperfection; only explaining it. But I think the reason the Gospel writers included Peter’s gaffes with regularity was not to put him down as the dunderhead we often think he was, but to remind us that God uses imperfect people, especially the passionate ones!

“Passion, though a bad regulator, is a powerful spring. ” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Getting To Know Jesus: Ask God to give you greater passion. Pray for self-control and wisdom, too—but if you are like me, you probably need more passion than the other two.

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Creating Space

Being With Jesus:
John 18:1-2(NLT)

After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples.

We know this grove of olive trees was called the Garden of Gesthemane. By the other Gospel accounts we also know that when Judas showed up with the guards to arrest Jesus in this very place, he was in deep and agonizing prayer. What may be lost amidst the greater drama of Judas’ betrayal and Christ passion, however, are the words, “Jesus had often gone there with his disciples.”

This was a regular place for Jesus. The disciples were familiar with Jesus’ garden retreat; so was the devil, since he knew to inspire Judas to betray the Savior there. Jesus had gone there often enough that those who knew him knew that would be the very place where he prayed.

Have you ever wondered why John took this small, seemingly insignificant detail and tucked it away within the more obvious storyline of Jesus’ arrest? Perhaps he wanted us to see what was plain to Jesus’ disciples: That even the Son of God carved out the time and made room and even found a physical place in his life for regular communion with his Father. Furthermore, Jesus had purposely included his disciples in his private times with God to leave an example for them to show that if he, the very Son of God, needed quiet time, so did they.

So do I—and so do you. In fact, making space for God in your daily schedule is not only a great way to give your worship to God, it is one of the most beneficial things you can do for yourself. It is the path to staying in a peaceful place for the rest of the day, for turning your concerns of what you’re about to face over to the One who can take care of them, for gaining God’s wisdom and perspective on life, for off-loading junk that you don’t need to carry with you a second longer, and on the list could go. Everything that is health and life to you has roots in the quiet space you create to be with your God.

Do you have that regular place? Do the people in your life know where you spend time with God? Does the devil know where to find you? The place itself is not important. The fact that people know that you are regularly in that place is not important. What is important is that you are in that place where you can touch God and God can touch you with his love and grace.

It is said that early African Christians were dedicated and regular in their personal devotion to God. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly challenge anyone neglecting their prayer life, “Brother, the grass grows on your path.”

Keep the path to your garden well worn!

“Prayer is the acid test of devotion.” ~Samuel Chadwick

Getting To Know Jesus: Perhaps making this very moment of devotion a regular part of your life that you fiercely guard will be the beginning of that “familiar place” for you.