Daily Digest

22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.

John has just recorded Jesus talking about himself as the good shepherd & his sheep (people) knowing his voice. Jesus now continues this as he is ambushed while walking in the Temple. The Jewish leaders want to know if he is the predicted Messiah, the Saviour. Jesus’s response shows them that they are not his sheep or they would recognise him & the miracles he’s done.

It seems as though these Jewish leaders already had their minds & hearts made up, they were ready to dismiss him either way. Jesus said plainly “you do not believe because you are not my sheep”.

I need to be careful to keep my heart following Jesus, so that I don’t miss what he’s doing or what he is speaking to me, lets not be like these leaders who because they didn’t like the answer, it wasn’t what they wanted to hear, they completely missed the salvation they had been waiting for. They walked away from eternity.

Jesus it’s my desire to follow you all the days of my life. Thank you for your promise of eternal life & for the security, care & love you show me as the Good Shepherd. Amen

Written by Suzie Hodgson

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

I love this man’s clarity of sight.

Even before he is healed he has more self-awareness than these intelligent Pharisees: He knows he has a problem that only God can fix. Though he could not see the visible world he sees the spiritual significance of what has happened to him with crystal clarity, in dramatic contrast to the learned scholars.

Jesus calls himself “the Son of Man” many times, but it seems that only this man sees its significance. “The Son of Man” is not just a theological term. He’s personal. He’s here now. He requires a response: the “blind” man seeks him with purpose; he asks the Son of Man to reveal himself; he acknowledges him as his Lord; he believes in him unreservedly; and he worships Jesus. Again, it’s a sharp contrast to the Pharisees who respond with hostility and a challenge.

Jesus, I want to be like that “blind” man who saw so clearly.

Written by David Cornell

9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.

Jesus firmly resists an analysis of the world which is purely cause and effect.  The world is stranger than that, and darker than that, and the light of God’s powerful, loving justice shines more brightly than that. But to understand it all, we have to be prepared to dismantle some of our cherished assumptions and to let God remake them in a different way.  We have to stop thinking of the world as a kind of moral slot-machine, where people put in a coin (a good act, say, or an evil one) and get out a particular result (a reward or a punishment).  Of course, actions always have consequences.  Good things often happen as a result of good actions (kindness produces gratitude), and bad things often happen through bad actions (drunkenness causes car accidents). But this isn’t inevitable. Kindness is sometimes scorned. Some drunkards get away with it.  Being born blind doesn’t mean you must have sinned, says Jesus. Nor does it mean that your parents must have sinned. No: something much stranger, at once more mysterious and more hopeful, is going on. The chaos and misery of this present world is, it seems, the raw material out of which the loving, wise and just God is making his new creation.

New creation always seems puzzling. Nobody in the story could quite figure out whether the man was the same or not. Sometimes when people receive the good news of Jesus it so transforms their lives that people ask the same question: is this really the same person? Can someone who used to lie and steal, to cheat and swear, have become a truthful, wholesome, wise human being? The answer is yes, this can and does happen.

Father may we experience Your new creation life so deeply that we are never the same again and people do not even recognise us!

Written by Ps. Richard Botta

39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

The old saying ‘actions speak louder than words’ rings just as true now as it did for the Pharisees speaking to Jesus. We may be able to kid ourselves, but our behaviour and actions reveal our heart. A label or signing a church membership doesn’t mean I belong to Christ. While I can’t live worrying what others think, I hope the way I live reveals that I follow Jesus. I need to make sure my behaviour lines up with what I say. Jesus burned the people he speaks to here, but I want him to proudly say to the Father ‘I know her, see, she belongs to us’. Jesus is speaking of a relationship, knowing the Father, not just knowing about the Father. I want to live with patent integrity. I want people to see Jesus in me.

Heavenly Father I thank you for all you have done for me. Thank you I can belong to you. Help me Lord to follow you faithfully. May I always bring Glory to your name, in Jesus name Amen.

Written by Christine Knight

21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.” 22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?” 23 But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” 25 “Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.” 27 They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

Tough crowd! Jesus has an up hill battle with this lot. They just didn’t get it. Jesus, God the Father, His ascension, where He came from, their sin and consequent death if they don’t believe – none of it.

They even asked “who are you?”

But people were still listening. People were still believing! (See verse 30)

I need to remember this. When I have those conversations about my faith that I think are going nowhere, badly even, who knows who could be listening. God only knows who could be believing, even as I speak. I just need to speak!

Thanks Lord, that you waste nothing. Please take all my words and efforts to share my faith – even the ‘bad’ ones – and use them to rescue people. Amen.

Written by Boudy Van Noppen

[The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53.] 53 Then they all went home, 8 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

This whole episode arises because the scribes and Pharisees want to trap Jesus, want a basis for accusing him, in order to discredit him and even to remove him from public life altogether – whether by imprisonment or death, no doubt. Jesus turns what is a terribly humiliating and deliberately destructive set of actions into a moment of redemption, love, and healing.

This passage is a direct affirmation of the promise made of God in Romans 8:28 – that he makes everything work out for His good. The key is, though, that He can and does. If I was in Jesus’ shoes in this episode, I would have been hard pressed as to how to handle the whole situation. Not my Jesus!

That’s why I trust in Him, I listen to Him, and I follow Him. And when I, or those around me, are hard pressed in tough situations like this woman found herself in, I come to Him – “Jesus, work this out for your good purposes! Give breakthrough wisdom, that silences the arrogant and foolish, and that heals and restores the broken and needy. Amen”

Written by Ps. Rob Waugh

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. 40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” 43 Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. 44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

Over January we have been learning and hearing from God about the Holy Spirit.  How incredible to think that Jesus says in this passage “anyone who is thirsty can come”; however those who believe “can come and drink”.   Every person is invited to COME to Jesus; but only those who believe can COME and DRINK.  “the scriptures declare that ‘rivers of living water will flow from His heart.”

In this hot weather over summer it has reminded me afresh that people become dry and thirsty in tough conditions.  People in our community are dry and thirsty for truth, for honesty, for integrity, for freedom, for purity, for grace, for a message that brings life, hope and a future.

I have thought about this – what can I do to help people see the “river of Christ’s hope in me”?  I can remove blockages, I can focus my heart and my mind on Christ, I can pray for release and freedom.  I can think less about myself and my circumstances and focus more about how God can use me.

Lord help me to see others better and clearer.  Give me the skill and ability to connect with others and help them to see you.  Help me to be a river of living water this year.

Written by Ps. Sue Botta

14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?” 16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” 20 “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?” 21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

I really like how Jesus regularly challenges the judgements people made about him. So much of it was around the Law and their understanding of it. When the crowd was against what he did, he responded by saying: “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgement” (v24).

The actions that we see don’t always reflect the motives for what was done.

For Jesus, the “why” was more important than “what”. The heart is more important than the action. For the crowd, they saw the “what”, the action but didn’t know why Jesus did the things he did. They were so bound up in observing the Law that they lost sight of God, who is more interested in our heart than our actions.

We will make mistakes, some small, some really big, but what matters to God is our heart.

It’s the same with regrets. I have been challenged recently about a few things that I regret, things that happened quite a while ago. All I can remember is the result, and I remember what went wrong, and wish I could somehow fix those mistakes, but I can’t. What I can do, is remember why I did what I did. Did I set out to hurt someone? No, absolutely not. But reflecting, I can say that I did the best I could for everyone.

To “judge correctly” as Jesus says, don’t forget to look beneath the surface, also look at the motives, whether it is for someone else or even for yourself.

Father, help us not to be quick to judge, but to look beneath the surface to make a right judgement, whether that is for someone else, or even ourselves. Better than a judge, you are a good father to us. I am thankful that our hearts are more important to you than anything else.

Written by Andrew Martin

52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” 61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.” 66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

Jesus is encouraging the people around him to eat his flesh and drink his blood in order to have eternal life. Those in the synagogue were confused and alarmed by this teaching. Many could not stomach what Jesus was saying and turned away but Peter remained steadfast in his faith in Christ.

When you think about it being encouraged to eat someone else’s flesh and drink their blood is very strange not to mention confronting.   Jesus even goes so far as to ask if some have taken offence to what he is teaching. He knew they had! It is interesting to note that this particular teaching turned people away from Jesus. Much of Jesus teaching and ministry drew people but this particular line of teaching repelled some. People felt strongly, they argued and were confused. What’s in it then and what is this true bread from heaven that leads to eternal life? To receive eternal life we truly have to partake of Jesus regularly ie. “Remains in me and I in him.” It speaks of wholehearted commitment and devotion and not a part time interest. Jesus has to have every part of us. Jesus is not an entree, side dish or even a desert – he’s the bread of life, the essential and the only! His message is the same to us today.

Thank you Lord that you have the words that give eternal life. Like Peter, help us believe and know you are the Son of God. Amen

Written by Ps. Ainslie Woods

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” 28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” 30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

The part that stands out to me in this passage is verse 27, the NLT puts it this way. “But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

How am I spending my energy? Am I expending it on things that will last, or am I using it all for temporary things? How often am I spending my time, energy and attention on seeking God in His Word, in talking and listening to Him, in worship, in being with Him, in thanksgiving or in enjoying the world and people He has made?

My God desires to give me eternal life – life that doesn’t run out or grow weary or cynical or cold; a fountain of new and fresh life, full of energy, faith, passion, creativity and joy.

God, please help me to see that I have a choice when it comes to how I invest my time. Please help me to see the possibilities of moments I can spend seeking the never running out life you offer. Amen.

Written by Ps. Bethany Waugh

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

The disciples were facing a rough storm that led them to be fearful. But when Jesus came to them, He said, “It is I; don’t be afraid” (vs 20). What strikes me most in this passage, is the next verse which says, “…they were willing to take Him into the boat…” (vs21). It seems almost strange that they didn’t invite Jesus into their boat straight away, without question. It took them a moment to become willing to allow Jesus in. If I was in their situation, I would like to think that I would be desperate for Jesus to come and rescue me if He was before me in the flesh.

However, this makes me think about the times in my life where I need the help of Jesus, and are not quick to invite Him into my situation. When do I overlook my need for Jesus to ‘step into my boat’ and be my helper and strength? In the second part of verse 21, Jesus entered the boat and they immediately reached safety. When we are aware and willing to invite Jesus into our situations, He is immediately there for us.

Lord God, I thank You that You are for me and with me all my days. Please prompt me to call upon Your Name daily and invite You into all the areas of my life. Thank You that You rescue and redeem me. In Jesus’ Name.

Written by Ps. Laura Samperi

31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true. 33 “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. 35 John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. 36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 41 “I do not accept glory from human beings, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

Believing is a major theme in John’s gospel. He uses the word 95 times. He tells us he wrote the book so that we could believe that Jesus is the Christ, and so have life. (John 20:31)

Jesus’ disciples believed because of what they saw him doing and heard him saying. Even Samaritans believed in Jesus because of what they saw and heard. Even though a miracle has been done in front of this group of lawyers’ very eyes and Jesus has told them quite explicitly who he is and how he did what he did, they can’t see past their closed interpretation of the law. God has done what only God could do, but it was done on the Sabbath.

I think Jesus would have been justified if he had shaken his head in disbelief at their wilful stupidity. But Jesus is better than that. He works within their (constricting) legal framework of truth: the testimony of three witnesses is conclusive, nothing less.

Today people have other ways of deciding what is true. In our “post-truth” era, some seem strange, but I’m confident that the truth about Jesus stands no matter how you judge truth. I’m challenged to follow Jesus and place myself in the mindset of people I talk to and tell the truth about him in the way that will make it as easy as possible for them to believe.

Jesus was good at knowing how others were thinking, but It’s not so easy for me. I’m sure it involves more listening than speaking, especially listening to the Holy Spirit (John 5:19). I’m sure it needs me to align my heart with his. Holy Spirit, I need you to lead the way here.

Written by David Cornell

5 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” 11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” 12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Jesus heals a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. At the time he was healed he had no idea who Jesus was. Jesus simply told the man to get up, walk and take your mat with you. The miracle was performed on the Sabbath which angered the Jewish leaders. Jesus referred to God as his Father thereby equating himself with God and this further infuriated the Jewish leaders.

Jesus was happy to see the man made whole but he also warned him to stop leading a sinful life because something far worse may happen. The guy was probably thinking what could be worse than lying here paralysed for 38 years and had no concept of an eternity in hell.

Jesus authority is clearly on display here. The paralysed man had no idea who Jesus was yet at his command he got up and walked. He did this without hesitation. There was no questioning who Jesus was and why should obey. He just did it and his obedience paid off. There must have been something so compelling about Jesus that this man took him at his word. It encourages me to take God at his word especially where I feel unable to move in the right direction or make any kind of move at all.

It is interesting that Jesus asked the man what he wanted – wasn’t it obvious! God so wants to relate to us – to chat. He wanted to hear this poor man explain why life wasn’t working for him. The hopelessness of never making it to that pool in his own strength. When Jesus tells the man to get up and walk it’s like he’s saying, “Enough of this life, no more, be healed!” It’s said in direct response to the man’s explanation.

Thank Lord thank you for the authority that Jesus has in my life to make me whole. Amen

Written by Ps. Ainslie Woods

27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” Many Samaritans Believe 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

We learn some of the details of this woman’s history from the previous section of John. A sorry summary of shame and shadow. A woman whose lot is such that she avoids the community well gathering by enduring the midday heat to gather her water. We know how her world tells this story. But Jesus enters that story and this passage follows the aftermath. When Jesus reframes and retells her story not only does her world come alive with new hope and shameless enthusiasm but she becomes the catalyst for eternal transformation in her community. Not only does Jesus embolden her to go back to her neighbours, those neighbours are awakened to Jesus and their deepest most wonderful dreams of salvation come alive.

Let Jesus retell your story. All failures and regrets; alienation and shadow, get overwhelmed by living friendship with Jesus. Old burdens get replaced by the deep revelation that you matter to God, the realisation that you haven’t been forgotten and that you truly have a place to belong.

Dear Jesus, thank you for sitting with me by the well. Invigorate me and send me to my community. Help me to tell your story – your story in me and through me. Awaken the eternal hope of Jesus amongst my friends, family and neighbours. Amen!

Written by Sam Stewart