John 5:9-17   The man who was healed by the pool carried his pallet..  and headed to the temple. It was the Sabbath.. and for the first time in 38 years he was able to walk!  He had much to be thankful for and he was ready to worship and praise God for this wonderful miracle.  But.. the first thing he runs into is judgement.. "therefore the Jews were saying to him who was cured, 'It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.' "  An incredible work of God had just been done and the Jews missed it because of a pallet... because of their hard hearts. 

The man had heard Jesus and obeyed Jesus.  He was headed to the Temple to thank and praise God, not even knowing who Jesus was until He found the man in the temple and said to him, "Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may befall you." 

This man went to the Jews and told them that it was Jesus who healed him.  They, in return,  turned on Jesus because He did this on the Sabbath. Jesus had one answer for His actions.. " My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.." 

The work of God .. His business... is not bound by the Law that He gave to men. He is always working and is not limited by earthly expectations and rules.  The Jews continually missed the Truth.. they missed Who was the Sovereign God.. the One who made the rules.  They missed God..completely. 

Psalm 86:5  "For Thou, O Lord, art good and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon Thee."  Verse 8 " There is no one like Thee among the gods, O Lord. Nor are there any works like Thine."  Verse 10 "For Thou art great and doest wondrous deeds, Thou alone are God." 

If only the Jews would remember the Words of God and given Him glory..  Let us not miss Him either..

Father in heaven, You are still at work.. in us, in our world, in the church.  You are working to bring us to know Your greatness and Your wondrous deeds.. to honor Your Holy Name.. to celebrate Your forgiveness and Your love that You have granted to us who will believe.  May our hearts be ever yielded and still before You that all You desire to do in us will bring glory to the Name of our great  Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

 John 5:1-8  Jesus went back to Jerusalem.. back to celebrate one of the feasts, perhaps Passover.   Jesus went first to Bethesda where there was a pool of water surrounded by "a multitude of of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered.. "   A hospital without any doctors or nurses.. a place where the only hope was that the water would be stirred by an angel and one person might be healed.  A place where most of the residents stayed in hopelessness. 

Jesus approached one man.  He had suffered for 38 years.  He could not even hope to reach the healing waters.. he had tried and failed too many times to try again.  Jesus asked him, "Do you wish to get well?" He didn't know who Jesus was.. he didn't have much hope.. but when Jesus spoke the Words, "Arise, take up your pallet and walk."  this man did not hesitate!  It was immediate.  He felt it. He believed.. He obeyed. 

Two quotes from the Bible Knowledge Commentary:

"His Word has power to work; people are simply to believe His Word." 

"Jesus' word accomplished His will... When people obey His command to believe, God works in and through His Word." 

" In the beginning was the Word... And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.. " John's gospel shares with us the power of the Word and leads us to "simply believe".  

What words do we need to hear today? What is the Word of God, Jesus Christ, speaking to us.. personally?  Let us have ears to hear.. to believe and to obey. 

Father in heaven, let me hear the voice of Jesus Christ, the living Word today..in Jesus' name Amen. 

 John 4:46-54  Jesus and His disciples left Samaria and returned to Galilee, first going to Cana.  There, a  "certain royal official"  came to  Jesus to request Him to come to Capernaum and heal his son.  This man knew that his son was at the point of death and he knew that Jesus was his only hope.  He had already taken a step of faith, leaving the bedside of his dying son to travel to Cana seeking Jesus.  Yet, Jesus, knowing this said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders you simply will not believe." 

But, this did not phase the royal official.. he just continued to plead with Jesus, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 

Jesus did not go down.. but he said, "Go your way; your son lives."  The man could have given up hope.. but, he chose to believe "the word that Jesus spoke to him and he started off.."  The story continues.. the man meets his slaves on the way home.. they have good news.. his son is healed.. and it happened at the same hour that Jesus had spoken those words. "So the father knew that it was the same hour in which Jesus said to him, 'Your son lives'; and he himself believed and his whole household." 

I see a progression of faith in this event.  The man came to Jesus.. so perhaps there was a measure of faith present in his heart.. or was it just desperation? But.. it seems that the words Jesus spoke hit the mark.. "Unless you people see signs and wonders you simply will not believe.."   Jesus says "will not".. not "cannot".. The man tries again.. he wants to believe.. he wants Jesus to do that sign.. that wonder.. to heal his son.  And when Jesus tells him to go and that his son lives.. he chooses to believe.  Perhaps it was a tentative belief .. a hopeful belief.. a step of faith.  But... when he receives the good news and he checks the timing of the healing.. he knows it was Jesus who healed the boy.. Jesus who spoke the Word.. Jesus who did what He said and was Who He said He was.  And then.. He BELIEVED!  And his whole household did too. 

Perhaps we can relate to this man.. this "certain royal official"..  We come to Jesus with our desperate needs.. we hope.. we have only the smallest grain of faith.  We do want to see the signs and wonders.. but what we need most.. and He knows we need it more than anything.. is the will... to make that choice.. to believe. He speaks to us even now.. we have the ability to believe in Him.  It is not that we cannot.. it is that we will not believe.  It is a choice that we must make our own selves. 

Father, help us to move from unbelief to absolute, confident faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in all things... and in every circumstance.  Open our ears to hear His voice.. the Word, Who became flesh.. Who speaks Your Words.. that we might know Him more and know You, our God and Creator.. in greater fullness than ever before. We know that faith is a gift that You provide, so we ask that You help us to make that choice.. to believe..  We ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ the Beloved Son and King of our hearts. Amen.

 John 4:35-45 Jesus told His disciples to "lift up" their eyes.. to see a harvest that was not 4 months away.. but one that was right before them.  It is not a physical harvest for the food they thought He needed.. but spiritual fields ready for harvest.. people who were waiting for "life eternal".   Truth had been sowed.. the Word of life spoke the words of life and the disciples were sent to "reap" a great harvest.. in a little town.. in Samaria. 

The whole town came out to hear Jesus for themselves and "many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the women who testified.. and many more believed because of His word." ( v39-41)  She spoke.. they heard for themselves.. and they knew that "this One is indeed the Savior of the world." 

Lord, give us eyes to see the harvest before us.. who is waiting to hear our testimony?  Who is waiting to know You as the Savior of the world?  Send more workers into the harvest field Lord God.  Enable those  called to  the far off towns and villages.. of Africa and Asia or South America to go and tell what Jesus has done. Strengthen those who are going to busy, crowded cities around the world, so that the people may hear the Word and know the Truth.  Open hearts, Lord Jesus, that they may see You and hear Your Words of Life. We ask this, Father, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. 

 John   4:1-34  Jesus returned to Galilee from Judea and "had" to pass through Samaria.  Most Jews would not go that way, but Jesus went where His Father led Him.  He stopped at the well of Jacob and sent all of His disciples to go get some food.  Surely it didn't take all of them.. but they all went.  It was no accident that Jesus was there alone when this unnamed Samaritan woman came to draw water.. by herself... in the middle of the day.  It was a divine appointment.. 

Jesus began a conversation with this woman.. unique in that He was a Jew and she was a Samaritan and in that culture this was not done.  He was a man and she was a woman.. again in that culture.. this would be frowned upon.  None of that mattered to Jesus.  He knew this woman.. knew her pain and sadness.. knew her sin and her loss.  But.. He offered her a gift that greater than anything she could ever have imagined. 

Jesus asked for a cup of water.. but wanted to give her "living water". He offered her  life -giving spiritual sustenance .. the True and Eternal God who saw her, loved her, forgave her, and redeemed her. Jesus revealed His True identity to this unnamed woman beside a well in a land despised by the Jews.   If that isn't wonderful.. what is?

He sees us in our mess. He sees us in our loneliness and shame.  He sees us in the every day chores and the dreariness of life.  He sees us in our sin and in our hopelessness... .  and.. He comes to us with Living water.. Life through the Spirit of God that frees us from all of that keeps us in the darkness.  He is the Messiah and He knows all about us.... and He cares for us.  

Jesus told His disciples that His "food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work."  This was what He did at the well of Jacob with an unnamed Samaritan woman.. and what He does with each of us who will look to Him for this Living Water.  Hallelujah ! What a Savior!

Father in heaven, You are so kind and merciful, sending Your Beloved Son to give us Life.. to give us Living Water.. so that we will no longer thirst for what will never satisfy.  Thank You for seeing me.. for knowing me.. for waiting for me.. and for finding me.  Thank You for the Word that came to speak Your words of life so that we might be made whole and complete in Your Sight. We praise Your Name and give You all our worship.. in spirit and in truth. Amen. 

 John 3: 22-36   John records the last testimony of John the Baptist before he was taken to prison.  When they were in Judah baptizing John was questioned about Jesus who was also baptizing those who came to Him.  John's answer revealed that he clearly understood Who Jesus was and his own role as the one sent before Him.  He was satisfied and filled with joy at the coming of Jesus.  "He must increase, but I must decrease", John declared.  

John's testimony showed that he had been given a greater insight into Who  Jesus was:

 " He who comes from above is above all.... He who comes from heaven is above all. What He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness; and no man receives His witness."  ( v31-32)

" For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.  The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand." 

Jesus is the Word who became flesh.. He was with God and was God and He came from heaven to speak the Words of God.  The Father gave His beloved Son to bear witness.. to reveal the heavenly Truths that God sent Him to speak.  If we receive His witness.. the Word tells us then we will have eternal life (v36). If we deny Jesus, we "shall not see life, but the wrath of God.. " 

Do we believe that Jesus spoke the Truth? WE Do! Do we believe Who Jesus really is?  We Do! Do we believe that the Father sent His Son to speak the Words that we need to hear and obey?  Yes, we do!

Like John the Baptist we have a fulness of joy that Jesus came and that He is coming back again.  We rejoice that He is above all things and that all things have been given into His hand.  We rejoice that He has allowed us to know Him.. that He has revealed Himself to us.. that He has saved us who have believe in Him!  Hallelujah! What a Savior! Amen. 

John 3:1-21  John recorded the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus.  John wrote to testify of the  things he witnessed.  We are not told that he was there during this night time meeting, but it seems he might have been as this conversation is very detailed. 

Nicodemus admits to Jesus that he has seen enough to believe that God had sent Him and was with Him.  Jesus takes this open door and speaks to Nicodemus saying, "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again.. he cannot see the kingdom of God."  As Nicodemus stands confused before Him, Jesus explains the fact that it is being born of the Spirit that brings true life to a person. 

Jesus reveals that He knows and speaks of what He has "seen" .. that He had come down from heaven to speak of heavenly things.  He even tells Nicodemus that He would be lifted up on a cross in order that all who would believe in Him would be saved.  Jesus testifies that this is God's plan, coming from His great love for the world.  He also tells Nicodemus that those who would believe would be given eternal life and would not be condemned or judged.. but those who would not believe are already judged and condemned. 

 V 19 The [basis of the ] judgement (indictment, the test by which men are judged, the ground for the sentence) lies in this: the Light has come into the world, and people have loved the darkness rather than and more than the Light , for their works are evil."  We are all given this same opportunity .. to come out into the Light.. to practice truth and be seen for who we are.. formed in God... or we hide from the Light holding onto our secrets and sins so that we won't be "exposed or reproved."

Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, came to reveal the Kingdom of God. His Life is that Light. It is a spiritual life, a new birth that only the Spirit of God can produce as we believe Jesus and cling to Him, finding salvation through His life, death, and resurrection.  We can either come into this Light or remain in the darkness.  Let us choose Light!

Father in heaven, thank You for sending Jesus into the world to expose the darkness and to overcome it with Light from above.  May we have this new life.. born by Your Spirit.. and washed by the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God.  Help us to walk in the Light and keep trusting and clinging to Jesus... resting in His Name, practicing the Truth that He has revealed, in utter dependance upon You. Amen.