Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
John 6: 38
” For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”
The nuances of Jesus’ speech patterns fascinate me. The Gospels refer to Jesus having been born, but Jesus does not refer to himself that way. It is always in the context of coming from someplace else to be here for a little while. Being “born” was a doorway into this world for him. He had to go through that process to become human so that he could die for us. Continue reading “Nuance”
John 6: 37
” All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”
I am often amazed at how much information is included in the Bible texts. My tendency is to read the Bible like a story, which it is, but it is also a highly accurate account of God’s Word. What I am discovering is that each sentence has value and meaning.
Today’s verse is one such verse. Continue reading “Confidence”
John 6:36
” But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.”
The reason they call a magic trick a “trick” is that the magic is not magic at all. Something happens to “trick” the eye into thinking you see one thing while something altogether different is actually happening. A movie is a good example of this kind of trick. Regardless of whether a movie is recorded on film or electronically, it consists of 24 to 48 pictures, or “frames”, per second. What is shown to us on the screen is a series of still images. What we “see” is a moving picture.
The miracles Jesus did were not “magic” nor were they a “trick.” Continue reading “Sight”
John 6: 35
‘Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.”’
As we have noted throughout this study so far, Jesus sees the spiritual realm very clearly. He constantly has his eyes on his Father in heaven. He knows where he came from and where he is going spiritually. He sees us as God sees us; not as physical beings that live and then die, but spiritual beings which He created to be eternal, like himself. Continue reading “Game Changer”
John 6: 33-34
‘“For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”’
If you wanted to teach a lesson to five thousand plus people, how would you do it? Let’s say you had modern big screen projectors, the best sound system in the world, and a laser light show and fireworks to get their attention. How would you get five thousand people to focus on what you wanted them to focus on? Continue reading “Bread”
John 6: 31-32
” Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ 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.’”
Reading the stories of the Israelite’s exodus from Egypt, one might understandably get the idea that the people Moses led out in the desert associated the miracles with him rather than with God. Yet the book of Exodus makes it clear that Moses, with one exception, only did what God wanted him to do. He sought God’s guidance for everything. Continue reading “True Bread”
John 6: 30
” So they asked him, ‘What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?’”
The crowds had seen Jesus heal the sick and feed thousands of people with little more than nothing. I, personally, would think that those “signs” qualify the person doing them as someone special. Clearly, those speaking for the crowd thought something more was in order. Continue reading “Signs”
John 6: 29
” Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’”
How hard is it to believe in someone? Well, I suppose that depends on your definition of what it means to “believe.” One definition of belief is to “consider [something] to be true.” (Webster) Okay … so I say I believe, what then? Continue reading “Belief”
John 6: 28
” Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’”
Do you ever feel like people just aren’t listening? Continue reading “Hearing”
John 6: 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.”
Why is the crowd following Jesus? Chapter 6 begins with John telling us that the crowd was following Jesus because he had been healing the sick. Stop and think for a moment about the people in your life. Who doesn’t know someone that is sick, or has been, or will be? Many of us know friends and family who are struggling with terrible diseases or struggle with our own. Who wouldn’t want to be close to a man who can heal every illness? Who wouldn’t want to have him close by all of the time? Continue reading “Food”