Month: April 2022

The words of Jesus here have never been clearer. So why do we love to find fault in others but won’t even consider the blatant sin in our own life a problem? It’s because we don’t want to be identified as a sinner, and we’ll go to great lengths to distance ourselves from that dubious title. We seem to forget that the Bible tells us that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But we’d rather “Gloss Over” our sin and focus on someone else’s. The reality is we’re no where as “Good” as we imagine ourselves to be, or want others to believe about us. The bottom line is, all of us are needy and vulnerable to temptation and sin on a daily basis…and a little humility and self-assessment could go a long way in comprehending what Jesus was saying to us here.

We all have unrealistic expectations when it comes to others, and ourselves for that matter. We live in a very broken world, filled with broken people and broken relationships. The reality is, we are all sinners looking for comfort and contentment…not to be confronted with unlovely people who hurt us and deeply flawed relationships that leave us alone and confused. This brokenness is evident everywhere we look and with whoever we communicate with. So what can we do? First is to be honest with God, others, and ourself. We can be responsible to someone, but not for them…and the only person you’re ever going to change is yourself with God’s help. Next, never be satisfied with the status of an estranged relationship…or as C.S. Lewis put it, “One of the biggest problems for Christians is not that we are dissatisfied, but that we are far too easily satisfied.” Most people hate confrontation…but Jesus confronted people all the time with love and truth, and we must follow His lead. Finally, never lose your joy. People are going to disappoint you, attack you, and even abandon you…but always remember that Jesus is there right in the middle of whatever you are facing.

My husband and I have remodeled several homes over the years. At first glance we saw broken windows, missing shingles, and sagging (or even missing) porches. But on closer inspection we saw solid structures and good bones. And after a lot of hard manual labor, we were able to restore them back to what they once were. But it tells us here that God is also in the restoration business. He isn’t willing for this broken world to stay in its present condition. Just as we looked at a house and saw it’s potential…God looks at the world and sees promise through the work of His people. Sure it takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to restore a house…but in the end is the hope and promise of something beautiful. In the same way God looks at this world and only sees it’s perfected and finished condition through His Son, Jesus Christ.

This verse is the basis of all of Christianity…and what makes Jesus different from all great religious leaders across time. In the end they all died, including Jesus, but only Jesus was resurrected from the grave. And the words, “He has risen”, then became the greatest words of hope for any Christian today, for in it is the promise of eternal life. II Corinthians 4:14 gives us this blessed hope when it says, “Because we know that the One Who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us…” Jesus is risen and the tomb is empty and because of that we too now have new life to His glory!

Jesus did not deserve to die. There were no creditable charges against Him, no probable cause for His execution on the cross. Nothing Jesus had ever done on earth was worthy of this type of conclusion…but yet, here He lay. So why? Why would Jesus willingly die in our place? The simple explanation is Grace. Romans 3:23-24 reminds us that, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Or as the 5th Chapter of Romans tells us, death came through Adam, but life came through Christ. Where sin and all its ugliness and depravity had led to condemnation and death…grace came to renew, restore, and justify fallen man. Through this grace we got what we didn’t deserve…salvation and eternal life…or to put it another way, God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

The Roman soldiers were surprised to find Jesus dead, but not nearly as dumbfounded as His disciples. All their hopes and dreams of finally overthrowing the harsh Roman rule were now, before their eyes, reduced to a corpse hanging on a cross. Their minds reeled with one question…What kind of King dies in order to establish His Kingdom? But the kingdom they thought Jesus was ushering in was no where near what He was actually speaking of. They imagined war horses, drawn swords, and liberation from the grip of the Roman Empire…instead they got Jesus, gentle and lowly, riding on a donkey into Jerusalem…not freeing them from Roman rule but rather freeing their souls from eternal damnation. What kind of King dies for His Kingdom to come? Only Jesus Christ…Who died and rose again to deliver, redeem, and offer the hope of salvation to all who turn to Him.

We know that the Jewish Leaders were already looking for a way to get rid of Jesus…of plotting how they might kill Him…and we can assume that word had gotten out onto the streets. We also know that Judas was a thief, only thinking of himself. This being revealed in John 12:4-6 when he objected strongly to the woman pouring the expensive nard on the feet of Jesus…calling it a waste of money. Not because he had such compassion for the poor, but because he was pilfering the moneybag he was in charge of. The question Judas posed to the Jewish Leaders overflowed with arrogance, haughtiness, and pretentiousness…”What will you give me if I singlehandedly give you Jesus?” The corrupt nature and operation of Judas’s evil heart was readily seen here as he chose to please self rather than please his God.

In this Chapter of John, Jesus is again comforting His disciples as He readies them for His departure. And as they attempt to grasp it all, Jesus reassures them not only of His love, but the Father’s love for them. For the three persons of the Trinity are united in their love for Believers…and we are simply to respond to this love with faith and trust. This affection between Jesus and the Father shown here is the same as Jesus had for His disciples…or for that matter, you and me. The wonderful thing of this being the impossibility of this tie to ever be broken… either between Jesus and God, or Jesus and us.

The image of Job sitting among the ashes scrapping his painful sores…his mind reeling from all the devastating losses, vividly displays his experience of both physical suffering and spiritual desolation. But yet, as overwhelmed as he was, Job never lost sight of the goodness of God. But for the wicked, there is another kind of dread…their fear being God’s punishment and righteous judgment which is inevitable for all who reject Him. “What the wicked dreads will overtake him.” (Proverbs 10:24) Fear is the common denominator…whether saved or lost, but for the Believer we have the foundational truth of Romans 8:31, “But if God is for us, who can be against us?” Yes, we may have affliction and fear come into our lives…but we have the gift of grace and the work of Christ as He intercedes on our behalf to fall back on and put our trust in.

The disciples were confused and sad as Jesus told them He was leaving, but then He gave them and for that matter us, the greatest promise He could…”I am coming back for you and will take you to heaven to be with Me forever.” Think of it, Jesus could send angels back to earth to do His bidding, or He could miraculously transport all Believers with a word. But no, Jesus Himself will be coming back to fetch us…just as a Bridegroom fetches his beloved and cherished Bride…His heart’s affection for us the same as between God the Father and Him…a love so strong that it’s impossible for the knot ever to be broken. Jesus is preparing a place in heaven for all Believers, just as the Holy Spirit is today preparing us for our place there…until that day He comes to get us.