All in Jesus
The crowd by the Sea of Galilee was mystified. First, they had been fed well the previous evening, all 5000 plus of them, from “five small barley loaves and two small fish” (John 6:9). Then Jesus had sailed across the lake without a boat—how in the world (6:22)? Miracles were foremost on their minds. Give us more they said, manna for this day too, "bread from heaven”, so we can believe you were really sent by God (6:29-31).
Imagine the surprise of the Samaritan woman when Jesus talked to her by Jacob’s well that day, for Jews do not associate with Samaritans (John 4:9). When He told her He had living water to offer, “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (4:14), she was intrigued. That He knew about her five husbands, and that “the man you now have is not your husband” (4:18), she saw He was a prophet. When He revealed that “salvation is from the Jews” (4:22), she indicated she was aware of the expected Messiah who would make all things clear.
How much further could it be? How could I be so foolish as to wander off on my own?
I was lost and fearful in the heart of Washington, D.C. My mission that afternoon was to walk from my work conference to The National Cathedral.
As I read this verse in Ezekiel, I thought, Wait a minute. No one takes a shoot from the top of a tree and plants it. The shoot would surely die! Yet, God declares, On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches (Ezekiel 22:23).
A stroll through the familiar vineyard of John 15 today, ladies, should refresh our sense of the simplicity of life in Jesus.
Perhaps you have heard of the My One Word experiment, designed by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen to encourage you to live—really live—by the word you pick for the year. Well, look no further. In the first ten verses of John 15 Jesus uses the word remain eleven times, in multiple combinations of: remain in me and I will remain in you; remain in my love; let my words remain in you. Seems to me ladies, we need to take the hint from Jesus and remain in Him.
In 1948 A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) wrote in his classic, The Pursuit of God: “Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us.” Imagine how Tozer would feel if he were alive today. Nothing is simple--our schedules are loaded, our deadlines frantic, and the world distracts, not to mention the complexities of the “religious”.
With these words a 400-year silence of God was broken. Zechariah received God’s message from the angel, Gabriel, who announced the birth of a son filled with the Holy Spirit. He would be used of God to prepare the way for the Lord. Another message came from Gabriel shortly thereafter. He proclaimed to the virgin Mary that she would give birth to the Son of God.
Sensing this is his final letter, Paul sets out with even more than his usual fervor to impress upon Timothy the details of his calling. Not a word is wasted: preach the Word; or as the Message translation says: proclaim the Message with intensity.
Ladies, one more clue to follow this week as we unravel divine mystery. We are on our way to experiencing the full riches of complete understanding that Paul wishes for us. Knowing Christ is the essential element—Christ the divine, the reality; Christ in you, the hope of glory. It’s in Christ that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. Let’s do a little digging.
Ah, and so the riches of the mystery unfolds ladies: Christ in you, the hope of glory! God can be God, Jesus divine; but if you don’t personally unwrap the clues of the incarnation, a perfect life, brutal suffering, death on the cross, the resurrection, think of what richness you will miss out on.
Hang ups—we all have them. Not only was the early church at Colosse hung up on the divinity of Christ. Enter the Judaizers who were doing their best to reinstitute the need for circumcision and the ritual traditions of the Old Testament as criteria for salvation.
Before the apostle Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the Law a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church (Philippians 3:5-6). Meeting Jesus head-on provided the clues to complete understanding. If Paul could be converted, if he could know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, there was hope for any Jew. It would take revelation, mixed with brain power, based on facts, to unravel this perplexing question.
It was an ordinary night. The shepherds were attending their sheep and watching for intruders by the light of the moon. They had grown accustomed to the darkness, accustomed to watching for shadows that might present danger.
A few years ago, we had a most unusual Christmas day lunch. It was the “in-law Christmas,” and so, our girls and their families were coming the day after Christmas. I had been busy preparing food for the week and just didn’t have the energy to prepare another meal for Christmas day. Therefore, we went to eat at one of the few restaurants open.
My friend told me the story about her early Christmas present. Her mother bought a new car for her and her husband. At first I was struck by the generosity of this mother, but the rest of the story intrigued me more.
Christmas is about _________. Would you say Christmas is about presents, lights, families gathering…? Many words could fill that blank, but only one word fits that blank best—Jesus! Christmas is about Jesus!
Crowded as we were in the car on the way to the airport last spring break, the conversation turned to the upcoming Good Friday service. Grandson number three asked, “What’s Good Friday?” As we explained that it was the day Jesus died on the cross, his puzzled response was, “So, what’s good about that?” At this, the other three of us in the back seat exclaimed in unison: “It was good for us!”
“I want Jesus!” shouted my three year-old granddaughter from the back seat of my car. Imagine my surprise and delight.
