Remain in me, and I will remain in you

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:1-8

REFLECTION
For people who are living in an agricultural environment, with fruit trees and vine yards all around them, these words made a lot of sense. For us, people often living in modern, urban environments, it may be a bit harder to understand this metaphor of the gardener, the vine and the branches.
Vines need attention if you want them to be fruitful. Jesus paid constant attention to his Father and in return his Father was continually taking care of him. Jesus, the true vine, is God’s perfect example for us and we need to remain in him. If painful things happen to us, we can learn to trust our Father, the gardener, who is constantly at work in and around us – through his Word and through his Spirit. God creates opportunities for spiritual growth. If we stay connected to the true vine, our Lord Jesus Christ, if we drink in his words and allow him to poor out a constant stream of love and grace in our lives, we will bear much fruit.

PRAYERDear Father, thank you for looking after me. I don’t always understand why you cut certain things of in my life. It is not always clear why you allow pain, problems and adversity. It is often very hard to understand how you operate as a gardener. But I want to stay connected to your Son through his Word and Spirit. I want to bear much fruit for you, not in my own strength, but in full dependence on the finished work of your Son.
Dear Lord Jesus, help me to remain in you. I don’t want to throw my life away and I don’t want to miss great opportunities for spiritual growth. Feed me, cleanse me with your Word, fill me with your power and help me to bear much fruit for the glory of the Father. Amen

Love connection

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." (John 14:15-21)

REFLECTION
If you love Jesus, you will listen to him. And even if we can’t see our Master with human eyes, we can still feel his presence in our heart. Jesus is ‘out of sight’, but he is not ‘out of mind’. His Spirit came to guide us, comfort us, strengthen us, inspire us. There is this long-distance, wireless connection between Heaven and earth that will never let your down. Via this connection you are linked with the Father’s love and truth. And like radio waves and wireless internet, this connection is very real but also very mysterious. Yet you can rely on it, tap in to it, hook up with it and download thoughts and feelings from the Father’s heart. This flow is a constant flow – there are no technical obstacles or interruptions. If there is a connection problem, ask yourself: What is wrong on my side of the line?

PRAYER
Invisible God, nothing is as real as your love for me and nothing is as pure as your thoughts. Yes, you are holy, holy, holy. I need to stay in touch with you. I need to keep your Book at arm’s length, because I need to find out how I can keep an open line. Take away my impure thoughts, create in me a clean heart, because I want to stay connected to you. I need to receive your love before I can share it with the people around me. I need to obey your words before I can make wise decisions. Your Word instructs me to pray without ceasing and that is exactly what I intend to do. I want to obey, I want to love and I want to be loved by you. Constantly! Amen

Do not let your hearts be troubled

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." John 14:1-4

REFLECTION
Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure. It strikes me that Jesus had already started talking about his upcoming death in John 12 (this book has 21 chapters). Based on this, I think that Jesus took the time to make sure that his friends were well-prepared for the things to come. Still, we now know that many of these words were not remembered by Jesus' disciples at the times when they really needed to remember them. Often they panicked first - and only afterwards did they realize that this was exactly what their Lord had predicted…
Today we can still hold on to Jesus words: "Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."
Remember that the skilled Master Carpenter is preparing a home for us where we will live in eternity. I'm sure that this house will be breathtakingly beautiful, but what I am really looking forward to is being in Jesus' presence forever!

PRAYER
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving us so many promises. I know that you are making a home for me! I like to come home, Lord. I like to be in my safe, welcoming environment together with all the people I deeply love. I also like to be in your presence, right here, right now - in this quiet moment. You make me feel at home.
But you also know that this earth is not a hospitable, friendly place for all people. I pray for those people who are longing to be taken away out of their misery - the people who have every reason in the world to long for a better place. Encourage and strengthen your children Lord, please give them courage and help them to keep the faith. Give them strength to be homemakers - even if all their efforts are taken for granted and they don't receive any love or appreciation in return.
Thank you for this eternal perspective: one day we will be with you forever! When I think about this future, I can hardly wait. But I will be patient, not waiting passively or fearfully, but confidently looking forward to meeting you and the Father. Amen

Love as trademark

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34,35

REFLECTION
After Jesus washed his disciples feet, Judas left to betray him. Peter stated that he was willing to give his life for his Master and that he would follow Jesus wherever he went. But the Lord answered that Peter would deny him three times before the rooster crows…
Then Jesus told his disciples that he was going back to the Father. John has left us a full report with all the important instructions our Lord gave his disciples. Jesus humbled himself in order to do a servant’s job and he would soon lay down his life for his friends. But before his return to Heaven, he told his followers that their love for one another must be their trademark.

PRAYER
Dear Jesus, in you we have a perfect picture of God’s love. I do hope that the same love will be visible in my life and in the lives of your other followers here and now. But I’m afraid that many people will not recognize us because we are so judgmental, arrogant and divided. Am I wrong, Lord? What has happened to us? Do we really give the wrong impression about you to the outside World?
Change us, Lord. Change our hearts with the power of your Holy Spirit. Break our hearts open, fill us with your Word and power, let your goodness shine through our lives, let love be our true trademark! Change us into your image, Lord. Amen

Put your trust in the light

Then Jesus told them, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. (…) Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
John 12:35-36 and 44-46

REFLECTION
Jesus told the crowd that the Son of Man must be lifted up and will be taken away. The people just could not understand what the Lord meant by these mysterious words. Some of them did believe that Jesus was the Promised One, the Messiah, but they couldn’t imagine that their Liberator wasn’t going to stay with them for ever. They had their own expectations and didn’t want Jesus to leave.
But this is what we’ve just read: Jesus left and hid himself from them.
If we are pursuing our own plans, when we are trying to manipulate Jesus into doing our will, we will lose sight of Him and of the One He represents. We need Christ’s light to shine upon us, to show us God’s way and to liberate us from this world’s darkness.

PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, please help me to understand your Word. I need your light to show me what needs to be changed in my life; I need your light to get the right vision and perspective on the questions I am facing. I don’t want to remain in the darkness, I want to look at you and through you at the full light of the One in whom there is no darkness at all.
Light my way, dear Lord Jesus. I put my trust in You and I thank you for the light that You’ve brought into this world and into my heart! Help me to reflect your light so that the world will see that I am yours.

For your benefit, not mine

"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!"
Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. John 12: 27-33

REFLECTION
In theory our Lord did have two options. His prayer to the Father could have been: ‘Father, save me from this hour’, but he rejected this attractive option and chose to pray the other prayer instead: ‘Father, glorify your name!’
Then a thundering voice broke through the skies, the same voice that once called the universe into existence, the same voice that shouted light into the darkness – the voice of the Almighty God.
Jesus didn’t need to hear this voice – he was on speaking terms with his Father all of the time. This voice was for the benefit of the crowd – the people who witnessed all of this, among them the disciple who recorded this extraordinary event in the history of mankind.
Read these words again and hear God’s thundering voice echoing in your heart. There is no turning back: God's name will be glorified, Christ's victory will be claimed, the enemy will be defeated and the final judgment is just a matter of time! Yes, we truly have an awesome God and mighty Saviour!

PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for being obedient to your Father’s calling. I believe that you had the authority and every right in the universe to pray that first prayer: ‘Father, save me from this hour’. But all of humanity must be thunderstruck by your willingness to pray the second prayer, ‘Father, glorify your name!’ And God answered your prayer immediately and convincingly.
For this very reason you came: to save the world from darkness, to set us free, to draw all men near to you. Looking back in time, reading these words in your Word, we may think that we understand what happened here – because of the cross. But when I think about your words and let them sink into my heart and mind – I feel overwhelmed by your love. What a Lord I have!

Only one priority

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. John 12:20-26

REFLECTION
Jewish men had to travel to Jerusalem three times a year in order to participate in the most important feasts. They were accompanied by foreigners - people who lived side by side with Jewish believers and who were converted to Judaism.
It's easy to miss this point, but John tells us about some Greek men who were trying to get in touch with Jesus via two of his disciples. During the Succot celebration (Feast of Tabernacles) some Jews had already wondered whether Jesus was planning to travel abroad in order to teach the Jewish believers who were living scattered among Greeks because of the diaspora. This was their interpretation of Jesus' prophetic words, as recorded in John 7: ‘"I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the one who sent me. You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come."
These mysterious, intriguing words - that make perfect sense to us now - were very confusing for the Jewish audience: The Jews said to one another, "Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? What did he mean when he said, 'You will look for me, but you will not find me,' and 'Where I am, you cannot come'?" ’
Jesus was determined. He was going to fulfill his mission - nothing could stop him, nobody could distract him. His journey would lead him through hell and back and his purpose was to bring eternal life to all who put their trust in him!

PRAYER
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for going all the way. Thank you for your willingness to lay down your life for us. Of course there were plenty of people trying to get your attention, asking for some of your time, claiming you for their own agenda. It's good to know that you instructed your servant Paul to go to the Greeks - and other nations - several years later, so that he could proclaim the liberating good news of your death and resurrection. Thank you for sticking to that one priority in your life: doing your Father's will. We can live our lives for you, because you stayed focused on God's purposes. Yes, I do want to be your servant and I am happy that I can represent you right where you've put me on this earth. Help me to bring the good news to other people. And it's such a relief to know that you are with me!

Great exodus and triumphal entry

The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,
"Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt."

At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him. (John 12:12-16)

REFLECTION
Devout Jewish believers came to Jerusalem for the annual Pesach feast to celebrate the exodus - the liberation from slavery in Egypt. A long time ago the people of God were deprived of their freedom and treated as slaves. God Himself noticed their suffering and called a powerful leader and liberator to their rescue, a man called Moses. The people of Israel regained their freedom and entered the promised land after a long and exhausting journey of forty years through the desert.
When Jesus makes his entrance in Jerusalem, the Jewish people are again oppressed by foreigners. This time they were not taken away to a foreign country, an army of strangers had overwhelmed them instead and these Romans were now in charge of their holy land. Maybe God could send a liberator once again to set His people free? And that Liberator, that Messiah, who else could that be than Jesus, the man who was able to call dead people back to life. Surely he was able to start a liberating revolution too...

PRAYER
Lord, the people in Jerusalem were excited about your majestic entry but they only received you because they had their own political schemes and agendas in mind. You were welcomed in as a king by people who were too blind to see and too deaf to hear. Crowds of people shouted ‘Hosanna’ and a lot of them blessed you that day. Many of them called for your horrendous execution and they cursed you with the same passion - not long after all this happened. Your very own disciples only understood the real meaning of your majestic entry after you were lifted high and restored in heavenly majesty as the great Conqueror of death and hell.
Dear Jesus, please forgive me if I've welcomed you out of wrong motives. Don't let me sing your praises and shout for joy when my heart isn't completely changed. I'd rather be like that little donkey who humbly carried you into Jerusalem as the King of kings. I thank you, because now - looking back in history - we can see what an incredible liberation and exodus out of slavery you have made possible for all of us.

The price and the value

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. " It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me." John 12:3-8

REFLECTION
“Some people always know the price of everything, but the value of nothing,” someone once said. What is the value of being in the company of Jesus, the eternal Son of God? And picture this: your brother has been called back to life by the Creator of the universe and the perfect Lover of your soul has forgiven all your sins. What price tag would you put on that?
Mary couldn’t care less about money. She wanted to give her all – with everything she had – to her Master, the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord valued her sacrifice of love.
Sometimes people around you don’t know how to react to your complete devotion. They can only think about the price that your gift to the Master represents and they just can’t stand the sweet smell of pure love. Well, whose fault is that?

PRAYER
Dear Lord, no human being can take your place and nobody can claim your glory. I want to pour out my love to you – no matter the costs and no matter what other people say. You know my true motives and you also know what is really inspiring the people who are mocking me, criticizing me and sneering at me. My prayer is that the sweet smell of my commitment, the gift of my praises, will be enough to drive away the bad odors of people who are only devoted to their own glory and the things of this world. Please put them to shame and make them repent before they go too far to be reconciled back to you. Change their heart and alter their perception, because there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my devotion to You.

One for all and all for One

Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.
"What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish." John 11:45-49

REFLECTION
What would it take for some people to believe? If only… If only they could see God. Well, some people saw Jesus face-to-face and they still didn’t believe. If only they could see a miracle. Well, some people witnessed many miraculous signs, some of them even saw Lazarus walking out of his grave after our Lord called him back to live again! But did they all believe in Jesus?
What does it take to believe? The answer is very simple and very hard at the same time, because it takes faith. And faith has nothing to do with calculated guesses, wild speculations or a complete understanding of all the big mysteries of life. Faith is like love, it is a decision of the heart, it takes total surrender - and that is the difficult part.
If you want to believe, you will see. If you want to surrender your heart to Jesus, you will learn to love him more and you will KNOW that He is Lord.
Some people just don’t believe in Jesus, but they can still tell the truth about him or hammer a sign above his cross with an accurate message. Caiaphas didn’t believe in Jesus, but this time he surely told the truth. As high priest of that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for all to bring us together as God’s people and make us one.

PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, you are able to use us – even if we are not willing to be used. You can use our mouth, hands and feet – even if we are not willing to speak, act or go. You don’t need me in order to do your work on earth, but let me tell you this: I am willing to be used.
If you could use Caiaphas’ lips to proclaim the truth, you can certainly use mine to speak up for you and share the Good News: ‘Jesus died for us all, so that we can live forever.’
Yes, Caiaphas was spot on: they knew nothing at all! They didn’t know what they were talking about, because they didn’t know You – God’s only Son, our Saviour and Redeemer, the Lover of my soul!

Called back to life by the Liberator

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." (John 11:41-44)

REFLECTION
Jesus arrives at Lazarus’ grave. “It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance”, John tells us. The whole story looks like a preview of what will happen later, when Jesus himself comes back to life victoriously.
Jesus instructs the people to take away the stone. Martha is worried about the bad odor that will spread as soon as the stone will be removed. But Jesus is not thinking about Lazarus' bad body odor, he is only focused on revealing the glory of God.
There is no hesitation on Jesus’ part. He trusts his Father completely and in his public prayer, in his proclamation of God’s resurrection power, he reveals the reason why God raises Lazarus: “That they may believe that you sent me.”
Horror movies were unknown back in those days, but all the bystanders and witnesses must have been shocked by the sight of a dead man stumbling out of the grave and walking back into their lives again!

PRAYER
Dear Jesus, I don’t know whether we can really visit Lazarus’ empty grave today. To be honest, I am not that interested in tombs, bad odors and grave cloths. I guess that, later in his life, Lazarus died again and went to Heaven to be with you forever. His sisters must have been so grateful for having him back with them for a while. But your deepest motivation was doing the Father’s will and revealing his resurrection power that brought you back to life and that raises all true believers from the death.
I don’t want to think about the bad odor that I was spreading before you called me out of the darkness. I don’t want to visit my empty tomb and neither do I want to keep on walking restricted by the grave clothes from my past. You have set me free from all these things that were once binding and blinding me!
It is your voice that calls out to us: “Come out!” The same voice that called stars and planets into existence, the same voice that told the sun to shine and the earth to flourish, calls out my name. Here I am Lord, take off my grave clothes and let me walk, jump and dance for joy for you!

source pic

Jesus' tears

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"
But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" (John 11:32-37)

REFLECTION
If you had been here... Mary’s bitter words imply that she thinks that Jesus could and would have prevented the death of her brother Lazarus. Maybe she was right – but maybe not. Look at Jesus’ reply to this statement. Does he say that Mary is right and that he would have cured Lazarus if only he had been there to heal him?
We just don’t know the answer to many of life’s difficult questions. I think that Jesus did not comment on Mary’s statement because he loved her so much. Mary expressed her sadness, her anger and her disappointment to her Master, and the Master didn’t argue with her. Instead he also shows his emotions and cries with the people he loves so much. Deeply moved in spirit and troubled – he only asks this practical question: “Where have you laid him?”
Jesus wept. These tears were tears of sadness and tears of love. I am sure Jesus had many reasons to cry – and we can only guess what moved him so deeply. Maybe he cried because of the sin in this world that causes so much pain and sadness. Maybe he cried because of the suffering and mourning that he witnessed all around him. I believe he cried because he was fully God and fully human and had emotions just like us. I believe that some of his tears were a silent response to the painful questions and bitter remarks he heard all around him.

PRAYER
Dear Lord, I believe that your tears are part of our healing process. I believe that the fact that you were deeply moved in spirit and troubled – is a great comfort for all suffering and mourning people. It must have been such a comfort for Lazarus’s sisters that you shared in their pain. Please help us to remember your tears each time we are confronted with other people’s tears. We want to cry with them and we want to be silent when some people only express their emotions of disappointment and bitterness. We don’t want to give easy answers, we do want to show our vulnerability and sadness. You don't mind if we ask our own difficult questions. Above all, we want to cry your tears too.
Jesus, one day we will all die. Of course we are hoping that you will be here before that happens, but generations of people have passed away already and we don’t know how or when you will call us home. But I trust that we will see you on the other side and that you are loving and powerful enough to raise us up to an eternal life where there will be no place for tears or bitter complaints. You are the Resurrection and the Life. Amen

Waiting desperately

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." John 11:1-7

REFLECTION
If only Jesus was here to help us! Martha and Mary are desperate. Their brother Lazarus is sick and I am sure that his sisters did everything they could to help him. Today we would make some quick phone calls, but the only thing Martha and Mary could do was sending a short, ‘telegram style’ message to their friend and Master. It was a message that would surely cause Jesus to get up right away and travel back to Bethany as soon as he could: “Lord, the one you love is sick.” But instead Jesus stayed two more days and only send an encouraging reply with a mysterious promise.

PRAYER
Lord, we now know how this story ended. But I want to stop at this point and think about the situation your friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus were in. They only had one desire – and it was a very good desire too – they wanted you to come and be with them in this hour of need. But you had a different agenda and they had to wait for two more days. Didn’t you love them enough? No, I am sure that you loved them and these Bible verses explicitly tell us that you loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Of course we all can see the prophetic message in this story – pointing us at the days that you stayed in the grave while your friends were just as desperate and distressed. Yes Lord, I want to think about the lesson that can be found in the first part of this amazing story. Help us to trust you, help us to keep the faith – even when everything seems to be hopelessly lost. We know your perspective on life’s circumstances is superior to our point of view. We will wait for you, because we know that you hear our cries for help and that you love us very much - even if you keep us waiting and wondering.

How much light do you need?

Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"
"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."
Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'? If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken— what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. John 10:31-39

REFLECTION
Jesus walked through the temple area when the Feast of Dedication - the Feast of Lights (Hanukkah) - had arrived. It was winter. Again the Jewish leaders started questioning Jesus. Did He really claim to be the Christ, the promised Messiah? Again Jesus uses the metaphor of the shepherd and his sheep. And He gave the religious leaders the answer they were looking for: “I and the Father are one”. How more specific did they want Him to be? The Jews picked up stones because of this ‘blasphemous’ claim. But Jesus diffuses their anger with some intriguing questions. Keep in mind that these men knew the Hebrew Scriptures by heart and that Jesus supplied all the evidence they needed to convince them of the truth. How much light did they need to recognize their long awaited Messiah?
Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6 to silence his opponents. It is interesting to read this verse in combination with the preceding and following verses, because the Jewish scholars were trained to quote every piece of Scripture in the right context: "They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. "I said, 'You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.' But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler." (Psalm 82:5-7)

PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, you answered your opponents’ questions with superior counter questions. You clearly showed that they didn’t have any sensible reason to reject you as the Messiah, the Son of the Most High. You fulfilled the Scriptures in front of their eyes and nobody was able to refute your rightful claims. Yes, Jesus, Son of God, your bright heavenly light shone in the darkness of this lost world but some people still prefer to live in the shades of unbelief and doubt. But one day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that You are Lord! Nobody is able to steal your glory! Thank You for giving us so much light and thank You for saving me from the darkness. Amen.

One flock and one Shepherd

"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd." (John 10:9-16)

REFLECTION
Jesus uses different metaphors to describe himself as the Lord who watches over his own. The first figure of speech he uses is the one of the shepherd and the thief. The shepherd uses the official gate to bring his flock into safety. Thieves and robbers are making illegal openings in the walls of the sheepfold so that they can steal some sheep. They would not use the gate of the sheepfold, because during the night a guard was watching there to protect the sheep from different flocks. At the beginning of the new day, the shepherd would come to the sheepfold, knock on the door and the guard, recognizing the shepherd, would open the gate. Then the shepherd would call his sheep by name, and in response to their own shepherd’s voice, they would come out one by one, leaving the sheep from other flocks behind. In times of danger, a hired man would abandon his sheep in the open field to save his own life, but the good shepherd would lay down his own life in order to save the lives of the ones that rightfully belong to him.

PRAYER
Jesus, I recognize your voice and I know that you are not a thief or a hireling, but the rightful owner of your sheep. You are also the one and only official entrance to safety! Now we know that you cared so much about us that you literally laid down your life and took it up again victoriously. In doing so, you've rescued us forever! Yes, you are the Good Shepherd from Psalm 23 and you are the fulfillment of God’s promise in Ezekiel 34, “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.” You came to rescue your own and you also came to bring the sheep of another sheep pen into safety. I am looking forward to the day that we will truly be one flock with one Shepherd. In the meantime, dear Lord, please use me to gather some lost sheep for you, so that I can bring them into the safety of your loving care. Amen

He calls me by my name

"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." John 10:1-5

REFLECTION
You can follow a stranger for a while without noticing that he is leading you astray. Listen to his voice. Do you hear words of truth, mercy, wisdom and forgiveness? No? You are not following the Good Shepherd. Do you see a shepherd who is going ahead of his flock, who is leading by example, who is protecting and guiding, who is making sure that his sheep are safe and sound? No? You are not following the Good Shepherd.
Just be quiet now. You must know that there are many misleading voices in this world. Recognize that one voice that sounds convincing, honest, firm and kind, strong and merciful. That’s my Shepherd. Don’t follow fakes.

PRAYER
Jesus, I can hear your voice in a stadium full of screaming people. Shepherd, I can feel your strong hands, your mighty arms carrying me through lonely moments when darkness is all around. Lord and Saviour, with you I have nothing to fear.
I recognize your voice, because this is not my first day in your herd. Your voice sounds familiar to me, your presence makes me feel secure. And it is not difficult to hear your voice, because you call me by my name and my heart surrenders to you and to you alone.
Please forgive me, Lord Jesus. I can be such a stupid sheep. I’ve been walking away from you, even when I heard your voice calling out my name. I am so thankful that you brought me back so that I can stay with you. Yes, you truly are my Good Shepherd and I love you deeply!

One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!

A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God," they said. "We know this man is a sinner." He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" John 9:24-27

REFLECTION
The man who had been blind from birth was brought to the Pharisees. Picture this: these strict religious leaders are looking straight into the eyes of a man who is finally able to see. This man must have been overjoyed and completely blown-away by all the bright colours, beautiful faces, blue skies, clouds, flowers, trees and animals that he can now see for the first time in his life with his very own eyes!
And now the Pharisees want to know who on earth put these little sparkling stars in his eyes and who is responsible for painting that annoying smile on his face without asking for their permission first.
The Pharisees want to make sure that nobody is fooling around with them and they even interrogate the blind man's parents to make sure that this man is really telling them the truth. And the truth is: this man is miraculously cured by Jesus!
The Pharisees' instruction to "Give glory to God" sounds great, but actually these words mean that the religious leaders still didn't accept the man's testimony. They asked for an answer that they wanted to hear, rather than accepting the truth about Jesus that they needed to hear.
I just love the man's reply, "Do you want to become his disciples, too?" Now the man is really pushing his luck! But he just doesn't care. Nobody is going to steal his joy - not even the Pharisees!

PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, you exposed the true characters of these religious leaders by curing this blind man on a Sabbath. I think the man didn't mind at all that you performed this great miracle on a day of rest. I believe his gratefulness and joy are hard to describe!
When I think about all the people that you rescued from darkness, loneliness and despair, I want to sing your praises every day of the week! I just can't understand how spiritually blind some people are. Don't they see the happiness, the freedom and the peace of mind that you have given so abundantly to your children? Don't they want to experience the same joy too? Don't they long to be pulled out of the darkness into your glorious light? Whatever some ignorant people say or think about you - I know you better. If they don't want to find out for themselves, if they prefer to stay blind, well - that's really sad and that's their loss. But even so, nobody is going to steal my joy!

Believing without seeing

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. John 9:1-7

REFLECTION
For the orthodox believers there were only two possible explanations for physical blindness: either the blind person or his/her parents had sinned. Jesus, the One who had just proclaimed I am the light of the world, passes by. Jesus came from the temple where he had left the Pharisees behind – the spiritual leaders who were too blind to see where Jesus was coming from.
Jesus has another explanation for the blindness of the man - an explanation that is not to be found in the past, but in the present. “This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
Jesus talks about day and night, says that he is the light of the world and does a miraculous healing with a strange mixture of saliva and earth from the ground. The man was not able to see what the Master was doing, but I wonder how many of us would accept such a treatment and how many of us would obey Jesus’ command to walk to the Pool of Siloam, take a bath and… find out that Jesus really is the light of the world!

PRAYER
Dear Jesus, I can’t help myself – I just have to say that you are a strange doctor! Spitting on the ground and putting mud in a blind man’s eyes doesn’t sound like professional medical treatment to me! But this man couldn’t be helped by a normal doctor – he needed a supernatural healing.
Lord, why didn’t you heal this man on the spot? Why did you tell him to walk to Siloam and wash himself? I believe this part of the story is not about the physical treatment, but about spiritual obedience. Just like Naaman the Syrian*, this man has to actively participate in his own healing. Naaman protested at first and relented later, but this man just did what you told him to do. What a bright shining example this man is for us, your disciples living in today’s dark world!
Lord, if we are suffering like this blind man, let it be for the glory of God. If no human doctor is able to cure our disease, we trust that you will heal us one day – even if we can’t see you right now. But more important than our physical condition, is our spiritual state. This wonderful man actively participated in his own healing by doing the strange things you told him to do. He didn’t ask how or why, but just took your word for it. I believe that the greatest miracle took place in his heart and mind that day! And you really showed that you were the one sent by God to heal us from blindness and deliver us from spiritual darkness. Thank you, Messiah Jesus!

* 2 Kings 5

Who do you think you are?

"Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?" Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. John 8:53-59

REFLECTION
Who do you think you are? The Jews who are questioning Jesus know exactly who he is claiming to be, but they demand an answer and they get an answer! “Before Abraham was born, I am!” Here Jesus identifies himself as the I AM revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14 – in other words, Jesus clearly states that he is the ageless, eternal God!
If his listeners had paid good attention, they would have heard Jesus saying just moments before, “If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins” (v. 24). From the reaction his I AM words provoke, it is clear that Jesus’ opponents got the point and didn’t like his answer at all. They picked up stones to stone him, because they thought this was a clear case of blasphemy. But Jesus knew that his time had not yet come and that this was not the moment to give his life. So he hid himself and slipped away unnoticed.

PRAYER
Lord, your opponents didn’t know where you were coming from and they couldn’t see where you went. You came and left the temple unnoticed, like an agent on a secret mission. But you revealed yourself clearly, and told your opponents nothing but the truth. And when you left the temple, truth left the temple. As a matter of fact, the great I AM left the temple on that very day!
Thank you for this authoritative self-revelation, Lord Jesus. You clearly show us that you are in complete control of every situation. You alone decided when and where you wanted to lay down your life for us. You appeared and disappeared whenever and wherever you liked. And we know and confess that you came from the Father and went back to be reunited with the great I AM. And now we, your children, eagerly wait for you to return. Come, Lord Jesus, reveal yourself again!

Free indeed

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you do what you have heard from your father."
John 8:34-38

REFLECTION
The Jews were a proud people. As descendants of Abraham they were the chosen ones, God’s own favourites. John often writes about ‘the Jews’ - as a reference to the religious elite of rabbinical Jews that opposed Jesus. John was a Jew, the other disciples were Jews and Jesus was a Jew (let’s not forget that!), but many Jewish leaders and believers rejected Jesus because of his hard sayings and ‘outrageous’ claims. In this chapter we are watching a powerful confrontation between a group of smug people and the humble One who came down from Heaven to reveal himself as the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus’ words were hard to understand and his teachings difficult to grasp, but pride, stubbornness and unbelief were the greatest obstacles for true understanding. All it took to recognize truth was a sincere attitude of humbleness and repentance. But these religious people were so blinded by their false pride and so deafened by their ignorance, that they wouldn’t recognize an eye, ear or heart healer even if he was standing right in front of them.

PRAYER
Dear Jesus, I want to be a son of the Father of lights and not a child of the father of lies. There are so many things in your Word that are hard for me to understand, but I want to trust and follow you all the same. If the truth is puzzling me, if your words of wisdom are provoking and challenging me, I don’t want to turn away from you like so many pseudo-disciples did and still do. I need patience, humbleness and an obedient heart and I must come to you with true faith. Here I am, Lord, your not-so-good follower, please change me from the inside out and turn me into your true disciple. I don’t want to kill the truth, I want to be saved, shaped and liberated by it! Yes, truth can be as painful as love, but I have come to trust myself to you, my capable healer, because I don't want to live a lost life in darkness, sin and captivity. Yes, Jesus, I accept you as the Truth and because of you I’m free indeed!