Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:10-11).

As we study the scriptures and follow the life that Jesus lived here on Earth, we not only get to see the sinless life that he lived, but it is evident that His desires were always perfectly aligned with the will of the Father. 

In John chapter 18 we see the scene where Judas has betrayed Jesus and brought Roman soldiers to come and arrest Him. Jesus is confronted by the Roman soldiers and tells them exactly who He was. This is what needed to happen in order to fulfill the word which had been prophesied before Him and Jesus knew that. Peter, however, had another plan in mind. Understandably, Peter loved Jesus and did not want Him to be arrested so he drew a sword and cut of the ear of one of the Roman soldiers. Jesus immediately tell Peter to put His sword away and says to him, “the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

Jesus understood something that many of those who follow Him have a difficult time fully grasping. The Father’s will is going to be accomplished regardless of what we do and our desire should be that it would be accomplished regardless of how we feel about the process. Jesus’ situation is unique obviously because He is one with the Father, so ultimately His will and the Father’s will is the same. However, do we not have the one true son of God living in all of us as His followers? Should not we seek to drink the cup that the Father has given us? I do not simply mean the knowledge we have that Jesus has the ultimate victory and that we will be in heaven with Him one day where He is glorified forever, but I mean that we should seek to drink the cup that He gives us in every moment of our lives.

In Peter’s case, we can see that he does not want Jesus to be taken so he takes matters into his own hands. I think that we often do the same thing, possibly without even realizing it. God has a unique plan that he is using us to work out. He does not need us, but He wants us! However, it seems that many times we are, as many American’s would say, “dealt a certain hand” that we would rather not have been dealt. Instead of seeking the Father in how he might be using this circumstance for His will, we may try to react in our own “wisdom” or seek Him for an outcome that is, without a second thought, our own desire. It may be difficult and we may be tempted with many different emotions challenging us to crave the outcome we desire. This is why it is so important for us to seek the Father’s will through the Holy Spirit. Through the seeking of the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives, our minds can be renewed and we begin to realize more readily what the Father’s will is for us and our circumstances. He truly loves us and the things that He is working out in our lives are truly for our own good (Romans 8:28). Let us always seek the will of the Father!

In John chapter 15, Jesus says that He is the true vine and that we are the branches. Now there are many theological discussions too be had here such as how this passage explains the significant of Israel, or whether or not this passage is speaks of apostate believers. However, these are not the types of discussions that I would like to get into today. It seems that there is a truth that can be very easily recognized from this passage and that can be offered as a challenge to many who may be with or without Christ.

From my experience as a student in his fourth year of college, there have been many challenges and there have been and still remain many unknowns as to what my future might look like. In a sense, there always will be. I have found myself contemplating for hours on end about the things I want to know, the things I want to experience, and the things I want to accomplish. In the midst of this contemplating I have found myself being tempted. The fact that our future is unknown can be a scary thing. I am almost finished with my undergraduate degree in psychology, yet my plans are not clear. I am planning to attend graduate school online, and I am planning to go home and learn the ways of the concrete business that my father owns while doing so. I know that I want to serve Christ with my entire life, but if I am being honest it can be difficult to give God complete control when it comes to the unknowns and my own desires. 

Let’s revisit the truth that God is the true vine and that we are His branches. In Him is the only way that we can bear fruit. When I think about my future, I have so many things that are in a sense competing to my vine, if that makes sense. One of these things is my academics and the world of psychology. There are times where I am tempted by the idea that if I make psychology my vine, then I will produce all of this good fruit. I will help all of these people and be viewed as this super intelligent person that has all the answers because he knows so much. Sometimes I am tempted to make money my vine. I am tempted by the idea that if I chose a certain job that I might be able to afford so many of the things that I want to have the money for. I am even tempted by the idea that if I had a certain level of biblical knowledge that I would be able to change so many people’s lives in what I truly want to do, which is Christian counseling.  I do not say any of this to mean that I would consciously reject God in making another thing my vine, but what I do mean to say is that we have to be careful because there are things that are constantly trying to tempt us and pull us away from the true vine.

All of the things I mentioned that were knowledge in psychology, money, and knowledge of the Bible are things that can be used for God’s glory. However, none of them will produce any fruit unless you, the branch, is connected to the true vine, which is Jesus. Some things try to tempt you in terms of how others see you, but God says you are loved by Him so why does it matter? Some things try to tempt you in terms of the happiness you think they will bring you, but only true joy comes from the Father. Some things try to tempt you in how much you can accomplish, but truly you cannot accomplish anything a part from Christ. If you know Christ, is there something in your life that is challenging Christ’s place as your vine? If you do not know Christ, will you choose to make Him your vine so that you may abide in His love and so that your joy may be made full?

Like all of the other signs, the one that Jesus did by healing the man born blind is amazing. I mean how could you not be in awe of the idea that Jesus simply mixed a little spit and a little dirt and made some healing mud that was able to take away that darkness that this man had lived in for his entire life. Now of course we know that it was not the mud that was able to restore the man’s vision, but instead it was Jesus who healed the man and who decided to portray this miracle in such a way. My last post was on this same passage, but I have come to understand it in a different light and wanted to take this opportunity to share.

Not long before this blind man received healing, Jesus’ disciples wondered who’s sin was responsible for the condition this man was born with. As I read through Encountering John, I was reminded of a perspective that is crucial to the life of any follower of Christ. When Jesus responds to the question from the disciples, He is sure to put to rest the notion that a specific sin might be the cause for this man’s blindness. Not only does He put this idea to rest, but he shifts the focus to the fact that God was using this man’s blindness for His glory in order to display His works.

A deep comforting truth can be found here.

Growing up, like many others, I was faced with issues such as my parents divorce and my father’s addictions. In the midst of the suffering it can be easy to wonder why? It almost seems automatic to question the reason for all of the tragedy that comes our way. Though, how often do we stop in the midst of tragedy and wonder, “how can God be glorified in the midst of my struggles?”. We get so wrapped up in our sufferings that this concept sometimes seems foreign, but how often do we simply trust that God is using our circumstances for His glory and ultimately for our good. Andreas Köstenberger offers the idea that it takes faith to believe that good can come out of evil and that this idea completely defies the world’s logic that bad is simply bad no matter what.

Going back to the disciples question of who’s sin was the cause for the man’s blindness. It seems that what one can take away from this passage is to recognize that contrast in perspectives between the disciples and Jesus. The disciples sought to understand the cause of this man’s sufferings and Jesus sought to glorify the father through what He knew the father wanted to do using the man born blind.

As we follow Christ and seek to be more like him, and as we continue to experience trials and sufferings, let us shift our mindset to one that is opposite of this world. Let us trust that we serve a God who is in control and who is using all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

At the beginning of John chapter 9, we see Jesus’s sixth miracle. This was the miracle where He healed a man who had been blind his entire life! Thirty-eight years to be exact. When reading this passage, I was surprised by the second verse and was not really sure how to understand it to be honest. After encountering the blind man, the disciples ask Jesus if it was the blind man’s sin that caused him to be blind or if it was his parent’s sin. I understand that the result of sin is death and any association with sin is going to have consequences for anyone, but it seems as if the disciple are asking which specific sin has caused the man’s blindness. I think they definitely were asking this, but after reading D.A. Carson and trying to work through the text, it seems that the disciples are simply attempting to work through the consequences of the fall here. While many would agree that it is possible for specific sins to cause a specific illness or experience, biblical evidence seems to deeply oppose the idea that this always happens . Jesus goes on to address the disciples question by saying that “it was neither this man that sinned, nor his parents”. He does not discount the disciples question, but answers that neither of their sins caused His blindness. Jesus goes on and says, “but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in Him”. Reading this line from Jesus puts me in awe and makes me realize how in control our God really is.

Finally, before healing the blind man, Jesus says, “we must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” This verse is another that I am still trying to work through. I am unsure as to what the ‘night’ is that Jesus is referring to. It seems that opinions differ as to whether Jesus is referring to the period during His death or after He is resurrected and ascends into heaven. However, what does seem to be evident is that Jesus is speaking of urgency for God’s work to be done in the present time. What comes next is a beautiful picture of what has just been illustrated by Jesus. He gives sight to a man who has been blind for 38 years. He gives light both physically and spiritually to a man who has been trapped in both physical and spiritual darkness for his entire life. Thus, proving himself to be the only true light that can provide a way for people to come out of darkness.

This is the truth that we cling to as we serve and follow Christ. He is working through us to shine His light on a dark world and He is the only true light that can bring people out of darkness.

As I continue to read and reflect upon the story about how Jesus ministers to the Samaritan woman at the well, I am compelled to think about my own life when it comes to sharing the truth about Jesus as the only true hope in a world full of hopelessness. I first think back to my child hood being raised in a very protected environment. Lost in sin, but innocent according to the world’s standards. My life quickly became something unfamiliar when my parents divorced and my dad fell back into his addictions. This was the start of a season in my life that the Lord would use to shape and to mold me in ways I never could have expected. For years I spent much time by my father’s side, experiencing many different places and people that had been brought down by the powers of addiction. I saw a whole new side of life. One that lacked the security and assurance that so many of us have gotten used to in a typical American lifestyle, but more importantly it was a side of life that was so evidently broken and in need of a work that only Jesus can accomplish. My parents had their divorce when I was about 8 years old and the Lord delivered my father from his addictions during my early years of high school. As I lived out my high school years, the Lord continued to pursue me and work in my heart until the summer after my junior year of high school when I decided to put my faith in Jesus and commit my whole life to Him.

                  When I began to fully pursue Jesus, he placed a burden on my heart for ALL those who did not know Him. One of the reasons why this passage about the Samaritan woman weighs so heavy on my heart is because just like the Jews who looked down on the Samaritans and saw them as dirty and impure, I have seen many people look at those who suffer from poverty and addictions with a similar mentality. My point in making this distinction is not to point to how much people suffering from addictions need the gospel because those who look down on them need it just as much. My point in writing this is to remind you of the fact that Jesus chose to reveal truth to this Samaritan woman despite any social, cultural, or political influences that would oppose His choosing to do so. Jesus did this because He desires that all would come to know Him (Mark 16:15).

                  It has been so long since I have lived a life like the one I experienced during my father’s addictions. That time in my life has become faint and I have recognized in my own life that as an American citizen that has experienced so much privilege and opportunity since then, it is easy to fall into the trap of a comfortable Christianity where we do not allow ourselves to minister to anyone if it means we must become uncomfortable. I am not bashing America. I feel blessed to be able to live in this country, but as followers of Christ we must careful not to fall into the mindset that is so often pushed here, which is one that focuses on oneself. God has called us to put our own selfish desires aside and to step outside of our comfort zones so that all might come to know Him, even if they look a little different, are not as clean as we are, or the influences around us tell us not to.

I recently crossed paths with an old question that I have not thought about in some time after it was recently presented by one of my classmates. This question challenges people on the subject of whether or not God would be pleased with us choosing to sell things inside the church building, when we have such a clear example of Jesus and His righteous anger displayed during the temple cleansing when he had discovered that the Jews had turned His temple into a marketplace. While I do believe that questions such as these can be prompted by a very surface level understanding of scripture, I am not saying that it is unacceptable to consider such a question. However, I believe that it might be unacceptable or just simply unwise to formulate an opinion about such a question when one has not properly sought to understand the truth of God’s Word in a deep and meaningful way, which is what many of us have chosen to do in the past, including myself.

Answering this question specifically is not my goal, but more so I want to encourage you to reject complacency when it comes to searching for truth so that you may be able to accurately handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

The temple cleansing and the righteous anger that motivated Jesus’ actions in the second chapter of John is something that I have sought to understand for a few years now. However, I settled for an answer that was indeed prompted by a very surface level understanding of the passage. I accepted the fact that Jesus’ anger was righteous because I knew that sin was not an option, but until now I had sought no further insight on the matter. I did not understand how personal this was for Jesus. The issue was not simply that this was a place where these types of things should not be done. One issue was that the temple was a beacon of God’s presence and that, through their actions, the Jews were turning the temple into a beacon for something else. Another issue is that, as evidenced in Old Testament passages such as Isaiah 56:7 and 1 Kings 8:41-43, the temple was a place where God desired all people and all nations to be able to come and worship Him. The significance of this reason became even more evident after Andreas J. Köstenberger explained in Encountering John,that the Jews had set their marketplace in the court of the gentiles, the only place available for those who were not Jewish to come and worship God.

Regardless of whether or not we feel that it is acceptable to sell things inside the church building, we can know these things for sure. God desires that we do nothing that would hinder our own or anyone else’s worship to Him. Also, God desires that all would come to know Him, so we should desire to be beacons for God’s presence and seek to make Him known in any way that we can, above all other things.

In closing, I believe that another thought becomes relevant when we realize in Johns prologue that God’s presence has now been revealed through the person of Jesus Christ and then again when He speaks of himself as a temple after the temple cleansing in chapter 2. Jesus of course was the perfect temple in which the glory of God was perfectly revealed, but 1 Corinthians 6:19 also speaks of our bodies, as followers of Christ, as temples of the Holy Spirit and through us God is also revealing Himself to the rest of the world. With that being said, I think it would be wise for us to be on guard in making sure that our temples remain a beacon for God and that they do not become a place in which our worship to God is hindered.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton