Jesus – Page 15 – Three Minute Bible

September 11, 2019September 10, 2019

Cutthroat Gulch – John 18: 4-6

Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, ”Who is it you want?”
”Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
”I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, ”I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

When I read this passage I smile to myself. Jesus is generally humble and gentle in all his dealings with people. Sometimes I wish he would just cut loose like he does when he cleanses the temple. You know… kind of like in the old Westerns on TV…

It is a hot, dusty day in Cutthroat Gulch. The only thing moving in the afternoon heat is the tumbleweeds that occasionally roll down Main Street. The sky is hot, and throats are dry. A stranger rides into town on a white horse. Out of every broken window of the second story boarding house, a dusty rifle bore slowly moves into the harsh sunlight. Every gun is aimed at the stranger. The bad guy sheriff slides his coat back revealing his holstered .44 Colt. Even the kid who’s dad owns the trading post pulls out his slingshot ready to have his fun with this unwanted visitor.

Before the first trigger is pulled or the first rock flung, the stranger smiles and sunlight glints blindingly off his pearly white teeth. His eyes glint with something akin to humor, and his hair, ruffled by the same breeze playing with the tumbleweeds peeks out from under his white hat.

”What’s your name, stranger?” Growls the cowhand in front of the saloon.

”Jesus,” answers the stranger.

”Jesus?!” Replies the cowhand. And then all hell breaks loose. Every trigger is pulled, every rock flung. Smoke billows from each gun, every barrel pointed at the man on the white horse. And then it happens…

Each bullet, every rock, and even the tumbleweeds all stop dead in their tracks. Jesus looks around sadly at the lost souls who inhabit this town. Then he raises his hand and speaks The Word. Each atom in every person whose heart is filled with hate suddenly stops and is repelled from every other atom in that person. Like a cloud of vapor or a mist in the wind, each gun, each slingshot, each barking dog and every person deserving death swells into a puff like the smoke from their guns. The atoms disperse and the souls sink down and out of sight. The only people left are those kneeling in awe.

Jesus rides on…

Somehow I just want Jesus to stomp the bad guys and make everything right. But that’s not his style. He is a loving God. He doesn’t want to hurt the good with the bad. He knows a price has to be paid to redeem those whom he loves. Instead, we only get a glimpse of his power, authority, and glory. When he speaks his name, they all draw back and fall to the ground.

Food for Thought: How do you feel about Jesus holding back his power when there is so much evil in the world?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

August 29, 2019August 28, 2019

Worlds Apart – John 17: 16

They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

By my count, the word “world” is used fifty-seven times in John’s gospel alone. Fifty-seven! When Jesus uses the term it seems to mean something different than when us earthlings use the term. In today’s verse, Jesus once again refers to the world as something apart from the … world.

What do I mean by the world being apart from the world?

The way Jesus uses the word, the disciples are not part of the world. Yet we know that from a human perspective that until they died they still lived in the world. In yesterday’s verse, Jesus says, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” So Jesus uses the word “world” two mean two different things. One world they remain a part of, the other world they are not part of. Or as Jesus puts it, they are “not of the world.”

As usual, Jesus grammar is telling. He sees things differently than the rest of us humans. What does he mean, “…not of the world?”

June 2, 2019June 1, 2019

Peace – John 14: 27a

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.

When do you need God’s peace most?

Sometimes when I am awake in the middle of the night, my mind churns over the problems of the day. Sometimes Satan seems to use these lonely times to remind me of my shortcomings. The lack of peace can be excruciating.

When I come to my senses, I remember what Jesus says in today’s verse. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.”

May 3, 2019May 3, 2019

Not Exactly a Vacation – John 13: 33

My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

Where is Jesus going?

April 27, 2019April 27, 2019

Door to Darkness – John 13: 26b-27a

Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

It is helpful to examine how Satan has been at work in Judas’ life. Back in verse 2, we are told that “…the devil had already prompted Judas.” In chapter 12, verse 6 John tells us that Judas was a thief. He would actually steal money from the disciple’s common purse.

Judas was a bad egg. He accepted Jesus’ invitation to be a disciple. He traveled with Jesus for three years. Yet he didn’t really see or hear Jesus. Instead, he was thinking about himself. One thing led to another and in the end, Judas became completely owned by Satan.

Dabbling in the darkness is dangerous. It opens the door to the things that live in darkness. Those spirits lead to dark thoughts and dark ways, and a fear of the light.

April 23, 2019April 22, 2019

Connections – John 13: 18b

But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’

As a writer, I write a lot of words. Some here, some other places, and a lot that ends up in the recycle bin. Do I remember everything I have ever written? The answer to that is, “No.” There is simply too much. (Of course, the other factor is my imperfect memory!)

Referring to yesterday’s post, there are things that Jesus knows that we do not know. Some of that knowledge is hidden from us, some we are incapable of grasping. Some is right in front of our noses.

As I have come to know God over the years, I understand that He is the author of all Scripture. Not just the parts where he is quoted as saying something. Jesus, being one with God the Father, also knows Scripture. All of it.

April 21, 2019April 20, 2019

Blessed – John 13: 17

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Cool! Okay, Jesus. I think I understand. Forgive people as you forgive us. (Even enemies!) Serve others in personal ways that glorify God. We disciples are not greater than our teacher.

Then Jesus adds, “you will be blessed if you do them.”

Sometimes things become so common that we lose sight of them. Have you ever noticed that? We have a grandfather clock in our house that BONGS on the hour and chimes on the quarter hour. If you have never heard it before it is quite noticeable. After hearing it for months it starts to fade into the background. Lately, after years of having the clock in the house, it has become invisible to me. Even trying to listen for it to chime is hard. I almost never hear it.

Then recently we had the clock mechanism serviced. It was taken out of the cabinet and moved to the clock shop where it waited its turn to be cleaned and serviced. Good clockmakers are hard to find so it had to wait several weeks before he even started working on it.

Do you know what happened?

April 18, 2019April 16, 2019

Test Time – John 13: 12

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ”Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.

If you have read the Gospel of John before, you know that Jesus answers his own question in the next few verses. Even so, I want to stop here for a moment and think about Jesus’ question.

‘’Do you understand what I have done for you?”

Imagine that you were in the upper room with the disciples and Jesus. He has finished washing the feet of everyone there. Maybe you are puzzled by this. You think to yourself, “What is he doing?”

April 17, 2019April 17, 2019

My Enemy – John 13: 10b-11

”And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

Does anyone out there remember a corny sci-fi TV show from the ’60s called, “Lost in Space?” I don’t remember a lot about it, but I do remember that the character named Dr. Smith. He was always trying to cause trouble. Oddly, the people he was trying to hurt always seemed to be willing to overlook his faults at the end of each show.

Jesus has a similar problem. He has twelve disciples who travel with him everywhere. They know everything about Jesus and every move he makes. Jesus loves them all but one of them is his enemy.

April 13, 2019April 12, 2019

Mystery – John 13: 3

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God…

If this were a mystery story we would want to know what Jesus knew and when he knew it. John tells us what Jesus knew. He knows that all things are under his power. Presumably that means all things. Even Judas. Even the Romans.

John also tells us that Jesus knows where he had come from and where he was going. That alone is worth a blog post. Who among us knows where they are going? Do you know someone who has a plan for their life and is on a mission? Is this person spectacularly successful? Do they really know where they are going or is there an element of chance in their life?

The real mystery is how did Jesus know? Again and again, in John’s gospel John points to the fact that Jesus is more than just a man. He is a Traveler. He has come from someplace and is going someplace. His time in the Middle East was short but powerful. In three years Jesus changed the world forever.