Imagine yourself in a dark room. You begin to move around, only to bang your knee against an obstacle. You reach out with your hands to try and feel your way around, but the objects that surround you are unfamiliar and placed erratically. What happens in your imagination? Do you begin to conjure up layout for the room in your mind – build a speculative  image in your mind of what the obstacles are that surround you? Do you then use that fabricated layout to start your journey through the room?

Now imagine that you stumble on a flashlight – turn it on. Suddenly everything you had dreamed up in your mind about the room and it’s contents gets rearranged – suddenly you can see and things begin to make more sense. You move from your speculative surmising into the way things really are.

We’re continuing our study in the Gospel of John, reading chapter 8:12-30 this Sunday.

Jesus describes himself as light. Thinking of our example above, in what way is Jesus light – specifically the light of life?

In the passage we’ll be reading, Jesus does his best to illuminate the way things really are for the religious leaders – but to no avail.  He illuminates the reality that the Father is right there with them, bearing witness to who Jesus is, but they can’t see it. How does that enlighten us about where God the Father is right now? What does that mean to our lives?

Jesus warns them that unless they believe in him, they will die in their sins. He’s likely forecasting the destruction of Jerusalem, but also the larger concept of where a life outside of God’s plan leads. He is illuminating their peril, but also the path of salvation. What is it? What does it tell us about the kind of life Jesus is illuminating for us?

Lastly, as the religious leaders continue to judge Jesus, he tells them that when he’s lifted up (an allusion to his crucifixion), they will know who he really is. Whether they believe on him is another story. How does Jesus’ death on the cross reveal who he is? What does his death for humanity demonstrate about God’s nature and will? What does that mean to our own lives, as we seek to live in the light that Jesus casts?

Hope to see you this Sunday – now go finish your Christmas shopping!

Phew…Thanksgiving has got me all behind in my duties…including this blog! Sorry this is so delayed getting posted.

This Sunday we’ll be reading John 7:25-52 and we’ll be tracking the same themes we looked at last time: a misunderstood Jesus.

Fog is used as a metaphor for times when events seem unclear to us, and I think fog is a suitable metaphor for this passage. Our world is generally a foggy place. There are so many things that want to influence us, but we see so little of the whole picture that it’s very difficult sometimes to make sense of life. That’s one of the things Jesus has come to do in introducing the kingdom of God – he provides a story from which we can start to make sense of the world around us.

In order to grasp that story though, we have to avoid some of the attitudes and reactions that many of the people in this passage had.

In v 25-29 the people draw a conclusion about Jesus based on their interpretation of Malachi 3:1. How does Jesus address this misunderstanding? What didn’t the people know? Does that imply anything to us about what we are sure we know about God and his ways?

In v 30-36, and 40-46 the leaders of Jerusalem want to arrest Jesus but come back stunned and empty handed. The leadership thought that they were in control of this situation, but clearly they were not. What do you fear losing control of most – and what can we learn about who is in control from this passage?

The people in power react to the growing support Jesus is gaining in Jerusalem in v47-52. What attitude jumps out at you from their statements? It’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when we start thinking more of ourselves than we should. In what ways can we as the church start to feel superior to others, and how can we counteract that tendency?

The key to clarity is found in the middle of the passage, in v37-38 where Jesus makes an invitation. He’s addressing a deep human need – a longing for fulfillment and purpose. Come and drink and then be the means by which others have their thirst quenched. How can drinking in Jesus’ words, example and mission be a source of satisfaction and purpose in our lives?

Hope you had a good T-Day – if you had family and friends with you, be grateful. But lets not forget those who lacked this holiday – and there are members of our church family who have suffered over this weekend, please keep them in prayer (you can visit the Prayer Wall to see what I’m referencing).  See you on Sunday!

What are the plans you had for life – the ones you thought for sure would complete you as a person? Was it a relationship, a career, some possession you wanted to acquire? Did you ever find yourself frustrated from achieving that plan? Did you ever feel like people not only let you down but even got in your way to keep you from getting what you thought was the solution for your life?

You’re not alone, you know that, right? In fact, there is an account we’ll be reading this Sunday in John 5:1-15 where a guy faced those same frustrations (albeit, a little differently) but actually found that what he really needed for a whole life was an encounter with Jesus.

Archaeologists have identified where the pool of Bethesda is located in Jerusalem.

When Jesus meets the man who has been unable to walk for 38 years, he asks if he wants to be healed (or come into existence as a whole person). That seems like such an obvious thing, why do you think Jesus asked the man this question?

What is the man’s response? What do you think he had in mind when Jesus asked him this?

As usual, our perceived solutions for life are in stark contrast with Jesus’. This man had one idea about how to become well, but Jesus had a plan to make him whole. What are the bubbling pools that we stare at, what places are we hoping to get to that we think will change our life for the better? What can we learn about our perceived solutions in light of this story?

If Jesus were to pass by your pool today, what would he ask you? What would he tell you to do?  How can we take steps to find our solutions in Christ?

Good stuff to ponder – hope to see you Sunday!

This Sunday we’ll be reading a long passage, John 4:1-30.

It’s one of my favorite stories from the New Testament.  It’s the longest conversation that Jesus has with someone recorded in the gospels. It’s delightful to me because it is so outrageously improper and scandalous in almost every detail. The fact that Jesus is talking to a woman in public (something not done and especially by a rabbi) – the fact that she is a Samaritan (the folks North of Judean territory whom the Jewish people hated) – the fact that she has a history of serial marriage and divorce – it’s like a perfect storm of cultural and religious taboos which Jesus unhesitatingly dives into.

John’s gospel is trying to instruct us that if we want to know what God is like we have to look at Jesus – if we want to know what God is doing we have to look at what Jesus does. This is a startling picture of God indeed. A God who’s love is not restricted by any boundaries enforced by culture or religion.

Have you ever felt far from God – ashamed or embarrassed by choices you’ve made or the lot you find yourself in? Does this picture of God tell you anything about how God views those who are outcasts?

She arrives at the well at noon – in the heat of the day. Most people would do that chore early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the sun wouldn’t be as hot. What does this tell us about her place in the village society? Have you ever felt like her?

Jesus knows all her secrets – by her admission, he knows everything she’s ever done. Does he seem mad at her in this conversation? Does he tell her to get her life together or change some things before he offers her the living water of a new life?  What does that tell you about God’s disposition toward you?

As the church – as those who represent this Christ – do we represent this sort of scandalous grace very well? Who are the Samaritans of our culture and time? What can we learn about how we should be interacting with the world around us in light of what Jesus does in this story?

There’s an awful lot of stuff in this passage – layers of stuff. We’ll pick out a few gems, but take your time and read this over. Try on the characters for size – the woman, the townsfolk of Sychar, the bewildered disciples who find their Rabbi talking with a strange woman in public.  It should be an interesting study – hope to see you there!

By the by – I did a retelling of this story in my webcomic Rabbi Encounters – you can read it HERE.