"But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with Jewish leaders."
John 7:13
John 7:13
My heart was sad today as I read how the people were starting to turn against Jesus. The very people who crowded around him on hillside and followed him along the sea of Galilee now called Him a fraud. You know, I have read the story over and over but it still amazes how quickly the support for Jesus diminished.
Instead of remaining hidden, He shows up at one of the biggest events of the year. He not only shows up but He starts teaching in the temple and confronts His accusers. It was the time of the Festival of Tents. This was when the Jewish people made their trek to Jerusalem to celebrate the Exodus from Egypt. Tents or booths were set up all over the hillside of Jerusalem to help them remember how their ancestors lived in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. Can you picture this scene? Enter Jesus.
He walks straight up to Solomon's Temple, to the Treasury, the most public place in the temple, and starts to teach. Keep in mind this where the key Jewish and Pharisaical leadership were hanging out. As they pour ceremonial water, He offers the crowd "living water." He surveys the hillside of tents lit with candles and declares to all, "I am the light of the Word."
Some moments are so good you just want to capture them and stay forever, like this one. Peter felt the same way about the Transfiguration. But the reality is Jesus, though not arrested in the Treasury will soon be betrayed, arrested, and crucified. As horrible as this sounds, the best is yet to come and I can't wait!
Some moments are so good you just want to capture them and stay forever, like this one. Peter felt the same way about the Transfiguration. But the reality is Jesus, though not arrested in the Treasury will soon be betrayed, arrested, and crucified. As horrible as this sounds, the best is yet to come and I can't wait!
11 Comments:
Wendy, I love your new blog design! Your photo's are Fabulous too! ...just like you!
Hugs!
Wendy: This made me sad, too. Yet I am reminded over and over that Jesus, God on earth, did for all of us. What love. But He is our Redeemer and Hope eternal!
Thanks, Wendy. Our hearts are so often in the same place.
Hugs,
Sharon
Light of the World, Living Water, and Judge; three more names of Jesus!
I found it interesting that Jesus did not go with His brothers to the festival, but He did go, and He didn't keep hidden! As you say, He went to the most public place, the Temple, and began teaching! He makes a quiet entrance, but then He teaches boldly. Maybe He needed to do that so the focus would not be on His entrance, since people were actively seeking Him to kill Him, maybe even before He reached Jerusalem, but rather on His words once He was already at the festival.
The adulterous woman was food for thought for me today. The scribes and the Pharisees were again trying to trap Him by bringing to Him a woman "caught in the act of adultery." I don't think I every noticed that part before. They weren't merely accusing her, she had been caught in the act. The religious leaders wanted to see if Jesus would over-throw the law and forgive her....
John 8: 6-8
but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
Why was He writing in the dust? I researched, and there is lots of speculation on what he wrote, but we will never know because it was in dust and we didn't see it. Nothing is written from a witness account, so all it is is speculation. However, why He wrote in the dust is another example for us. It is to think before you speak. Maybe even think twice before you speak. And when pressed, when people are haranguing you to give an answer (maybe even so they can judge you)to weight your words carefully, even to pray for guidance.
Jesus knew the whole situation and the thoughts and actions of the accusers, I am sure he knew exactly what to say. But I don't. I often find myself, when faced with a difficult situation or one I think is being highly scrutinized, praying "Father, fill my head with your thoughts, my heart with your compassion and my mouth with your words!" If I am still, and wait, I receive then things I asked for.
Be blessed today,
Karen
Thank you Wendy and Karen for your beautiful words this morning. I will "think twice before I speak" for my Jesus.
Blessings!
Wendy and Karen, you two teach me so much! Thank you.
My verse for today was John7:37-39, "If you are thirsty, come to me. If you believe in me, come and drink! For the scriptures declare that rivers of living water flow out from within." or (NKJ)"He who believes in Me,...out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
Whew!
Have been realizing just how parched I've been!
My bible's commentary reminds us that the ceremony at the festival was a memorial to the water that flowed from a rock when the Israelites were in the wilderness. [now imagine Jesus shouting in the middle of a solemn ceremony,"If anyone thirsts, come to me!--bet THAT got people's attention!!!]
In contrast to that small amount of water that came fom the rock, "there will be a river of water coming out of those who believe in Christ. Not only will they be satisfied themselves, but they will also become a river so others may drink and be satisfied."
Holy Spirit, satisfy my thirst. Quench the thirst of those who need you and believe in you.
Praying for a flood,
Allyson
Working amongst non-believers can sometimes be difficult, to say the least. Jesus was amongst non-believers that were plotting to arrest Him. Rather than worry about it, rather than hid away...He walks right into the midst of them and straight into the temple and begins to teach.
What does this say to us (the children of God) today? Do I bodly go amongst those who persecute my God or do I avoid them. Worse yet, do I fear them. Sometimes I am guilty of forgetting just who I am; a fellow heir of Christ.
Adulterous Woman:
It is interesting that the men brought this women in the Court of Women in the Temple. The Court of Women was the place women could come but not go past. They were not allowed to make sacrifices.
I've often wondered why the "man" in this story of the woman "Caught" in the act of adultery wasn't mentioned, so I went to a commentary by Warren Wiersbe to find out what he said. "They would not be likely to "Catch" a couple in the "very act" of adultery; so we wonder if the man (who never was indicted) was part of the scheme. The Law required that BOTH guilty parties be stoned (Lev. 20:10, Deut. 22:22)and not just the woman. It does seem suspicious that the man went free. The scribes and Pharisees handled the matter in a brutal fashion, even in the way they interrutped the Lord's teaching and pushed the woman into the midst of the crowd."
I love the compassion that the Lord had on the woman, when Jesus asked that sinless men judge the woman and be the first to cast the first stone, then told her that He didn't condemn her either. "He was not being "easy on sin" or contradicting the Law. For Him to forgive the woman meant that one day He would have to die for her sins."
Keep reading...keep growing...I look forward to reading every day, and finding our what Wendy and rest of you knowledgeable(is there such a word?) sisters have to say.
Jan TN
Wendy your key verse today has really spoken to my heart. I'm so glad you highlighted it, as I missed that thought. Thinking it could be written today, but instead of being afraid of the Jewish leaders, it might read afraid of peers, teachers, neighbours, boss's, public opinion etc.. Makes me even think of bowing my head to ask a blessing before a meal when out in public places. Not being afraid or ashamed to acknowledge that I am His child.
Also enjoyed the discussion above about the passage in John 8. My heart thrilled when Jesus finally spoke 'to' the woman, and not 'about' her as the others had done. He didn't tell her to clean up her act first and then He'd forgive her, He forgave her knowing that saving grace would be the motivation for her change. Oh that we would empty our pockets of "stones".
Today I focused on Jesus resolutely setting out for Jerusalem, "As the time approached for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." Luke 9:51
As I read this verse earlier today my heart was saddened as well. You see, I know from reading the rest of the story that Jesus made it to His destination. He didn't just 'set out', He arrived. Jerusalem for Jesus meant persecution and death, yet He was determined to go there. He set out resolutely and didn't change course. He didn't give up. He didn't surrender, withdraw or retreat. He had a mission and He fulfilled it.
My heart was saddened because of how often I have 'resolutely set out' on a new task only to find myself abandon the desire along the way. God's call is clear and my resolve is strong, but as I travel to my "Jerusalem" I face roadblocks and detours. Fear. Insecurity. Failure. Disappointment. Judgement. Doubt. Peer pressure. The assurance I knew at the start of the journey has waned and I'm questioning whether I even heard His voice at all.
I look back at others who responded. Fisherman who dropped their nets immediately to follow. A young man named Daniel who 'resolutely' bowed on his knees before an open window unafraid. Three who entered a fiery furnace without turning back. The names recorded in the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews who didn't waver but stood firm in their following.
I too start out with passion and excitement and then the pain that accompanies "Jerusalem" begins to accuse, ridicule and hurt. Arriving in "Jerusalem" means going the distance. It demands hard work. A "Jerusalem" road always insists upon sacrifice. It means braving the struggles that will appear along the way. It requires committing my heart to the destination and not giving up.
This morning God is inviting me to 'pack my bags' and begin a trek in answer to His call. The road ahead looks long. Rejection is inevitable. Hardship is certain. Yet, for the joy set before me... What joy? The joy of knowing I'm walking in obedience. The joy of shadowing footsteps that are trustworthy to follow. The joy of knowing I don't begin this venture alone.
Lord I'm frightened. Frightened of looking foolish by others. Frightened of starting a journey I feel so inadequate to finish. Afraid that a big 'incomplete' will be stamped across my attempts and I'll fail You again. Father, this time, with Your help, let me reach the "Jerusalem" You have chosen for me.
"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 1:6
Joy
PS. Heard Brandee is celebrating a birthday today. Praying today is a special day in every way. Blessings and Hugs, Joy
When it says Jesus stooped to write in the dust, I pictured the accused woman as cowering on the ground and by Jesus stooping down He met her where she was - and just the picture of that in my mind speaks volumes of Jesus' love for the sinner and His amazing humility.
Morgen - MN
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