Burunche’s Blog

John 8:13-20 Jesus Defends His Self-Witness

“The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.”

Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”

Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?”

Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.” These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.”

Well, the Pharisees are at it again. Never mind that Jesus has been teaching wonderful truths, illuminating the Scriptures and enlightening all those who hear him. Never mind that Jesus has taken over John’s ministry, calling people to repentance even as he teaches about the Kingdom of God. Never mind that the common people are flocking to listen to Jesus because they instinctively KNOW that this man has been sent from God. Never mind that Nicodemus, one of the chief teachers, has personally met with Jesus and has become one of his followers. All the Pharisees can do is to resort to legal arguments, and here they are complaining that Jesus should not be able to bear witness of himself as if he were on trial and required two other independent witnesses  to verify his teaching.

“Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”

Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?”

Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”

Jesus confounds his accusers by indicating that he does have two witnesses: his testimony and that of his Heavenly Father. Sadly, Jesus’ statement is quite accurate: these sneering experts know nothing of either Jesus or his Father. Schooled in minutiae developed over the centuries, these men are legalists bent on pouncing on anyone committing an infraction of those laws. But tragically, these men have never really had an experience of God and know nothing about His true nature.

Luke 18:9-14 recounts a story Jesus told illustrating the hardness of heart of his accusers. “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Many of the Pharisees despise the common people because they fail to observe all the picky laws that had grown up around the Mosaic Law; yet, these people are hungry for a real experience of God. While religious authorities continue to sneer, Jesus draws prostitutes and tax collectors into the Kingdom of God.

When William Booth began his career as an independent evangelist in some of the worst slums in London, traditional religious authorities deemed him mad. Booth persisted while urchins would throw stones and fireworks at him to try to halt his preaching, and many times he would return home with his head swathed in bloody bandages. Salvation Army workers would go into the lowest parts of the city, risking their lives to bring those living there to Christ. But while socially prominent people sneered, Booth and his workers persisted. Today the Salvation Army is an international ministry renowned for its relief work.

What can we learn from Jesus’ stance with his critics and from Booth’s example? When God calls you to do something, listen to Him and not to the nay-sayers. You may find yourself in a very lonely place where your only consolation comes from God. But never forget your calling! You are not copying your critics, but the Lord who has called you. Follow His example and not someone else’s.

May God help each of us so that we never forget Who has called us and why He has called us! May God help us to always keep our eyes on Him!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to avoid distractions and to look to You for guidance. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 8:1-11 “But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He

did not hear.

So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”

She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

The Pharisees are positively gloating! This time, they’re going to catch Jesus in a doctrinal with no means of escape. And what better place to stage this encounter than on the teaching steps on the east side of the temple, where thousands of people will witness Jesus’ humiliation?

For weeks, the Pharisees have had spies following Jacob, one of their own, to the house of Miriam, a gorgeous young woman married to a merchant who travels frequently. Even though Miriam has previously resisted all blandishments from several of the men in the group, this particular night she has finally given in to Jacob’s endearments out of sheer loneliness. As soon as Jacob has completed the act of intercourse, his colleagues rush in, pouncing on Miriam and dragging her down the street and up the temple mount to the teaching steps, where they throw her at Jesus’ feet.

In an oily voice, one of the senior Pharisees puts the question to Jesus. “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”  You can almost see all the other men in the group rubbing their hands in glee. Not only are they about to catch Jesus teaching false doctrine, but they’re also going to punish this ridiculous woman who has previously spurned all their advances. This is going to be VERY satisfying….or is it?

The Law these men are trying to refer to is in Deuteronomy 22:22“If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel.”  Notice that these self-styled teachers of the Law have made a major since Jacob has also committed adultery, leaving himself liable to the same fate of stoning as Miriam.

“But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He

did not hear.

So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.”

The sheer hypocrisy of these men convicts them, and they slink away. Will any of them truly change their hearts and minds? Will they cease preying on vulnerable young women? Will they stop taking revenge? We don’t know. But this we do know: “And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”

She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Jesus knows all the circumstances surrounding this incident. Now Jesus has given everyone involved the opportunity to start over and act differently.

We love this story because it humiliates those who would humiliate Jesus; however, how many times have we behaved like the Pharisees? How many times have we manipulated or misunderstood God’s Law? How many times have we accused others of the very sins we have committed, either physically or mentally? Those Pharisees slunk away because of their vivid memories of the times they too had lusted after Miriam. Now their consciences were screaming at them.

May God help us, so that we avoid hypocrisy and minister faithfully.

PRAYER:  Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to remain humble and true, refusing to accuse others, since You are the only Just Judge. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 7:32-53 “The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.”

Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Who Is He?

Therefore, many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.”

But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” So, there was a division among the people because of Him. Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

Rejected by the Authorities

Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?”

The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!”

Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.”

Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?”

They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.” And everyone went to his own house.”

One of the tragedies surrounding the story of Jesus is the hard-hearted attitude of those who claimed to be waiting for the Messiah. These gentlemen had STUDIED THE SCRIPTURES AND THEY WERE SURE THEY KNEW EVERYTHING! Too bad, they really had terrible memories and didn’t know that much.

There are two arguments being used against Jesus here: Authorities don’t realize that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and is a direct descendant of David. They think Jesus is from wide spot in the road up in Galilee and assume he was born there.

Second argument: no prophet has ever come from Galilee. BRAAACK!!! LOUD BUZZER SOUNDS! Both Nahum and Jonah came from Galilee and their home towns are also closely associated with Jesus’ ministry.

“Nahum was from the small village of Elkosh (Nahum 1:1), a small fishing village at the northeast corner of the Sea of Galilee. However, his preaching ministry may well have been in the larger city some six miles to the east, a city which still bears his name, Capernaum, or Kfar Naum (“city of Nahum”).

Jonah was from another small village, Gath-Hepher (2 Kings 14:25). By the time of the first advent this village had disappeared and had been replaced by another one only three miles distant, Nazareth.

Thus we see the linkage between these three Galileans. Jonah was from the area of Jesus’ boyhood home and Nahum preached where Jesus preached, in Capernaum.

Both Jonah and Nahum have two other points in common. They were both prophets to the northern kingdom of Israel and are the only minor prophets to address their prophecies to Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria.”  https://www.heraldmag.org/1997/97mj_4.htm#:~:text=While%20no%20future%20prophet%20was%20predicted%20to%20arise,were%20closely%20connected%20to%20the%20life%20of%20Jesus

Shockingly, it is the pagan soldiers and the general public who realize Jesus is something special. When the soldiers are sent to arrest Jesus, they refuse, saying that nobody has spoken as this man does. These guys might not live perfect lives, but they know holiness when they see it. Many in the general crowds are also convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, for they have seen the miracles and have heard his teaching. And there’s another thing: the crowds and the soldiers have been with Jesus while the religious authorities are sitting safely in their offices. But Nicodemus HAS met Jesus personally and he is the only major religious leader to question these false assumptions. Nicodemus KNOWS that Jesus is the Christ but nobody’s listening to him.

What can we learn from these verses? God has a nasty way of turning our cherished notions on their heads and refusing to participate in our prejudices. There is a story told of a missionary in South America whom God called to work with members of another Chrisitan group. “But God,” the missionary argued, “I don’t believe the same things those people do.” “Well,” God replied, “I don’t believe everything you do either, but I still work with you.”

As servants of the One True Living God, we must make sure that we are listening to God and not to other people. We must continue to examine our beliefs, discarding anything that does not please God.

In the end, many of the common people will believe in Jesus, as will many of the soldiers. ^“When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:54

We must listen to God and not to other people. Sometimes God will use others to guide us, but if their thoughts fail to line up with the Bible, trust the Bible. But get rid of your prejudices. God isn’t interested in them and won’t bless them.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to listen to You alone and to get rid of any beliefs that don’t line up with You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 7:25-31 Could this be the Christ?

“Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”

Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”

Therefore, they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”

Well, Jesus is at it again, irritating the religious leaders beyond all endurance. Everywhere Jesus goes, there’s confusion because there are those who are certain that they really know the Messianic prophecies and they are equally certain that they know all the facts about Jesus. Of course, these people are completely wrong, but they are certainly vocal.

To make things even more exasperating, Jesus keeps referring to himself as having come from God and having been sent by God. Such assertions only infuriate the religious leaders, causing them to wrack their brains for ways to eliminate this pest before he gets them in trouble with the Romans. But despite the best efforts of those plotting against Jesus, they are failing to come up with a workable plan.

What is keeping Jesus’ enemies from eliminating him permanently? Simple. God is controlling Jesus’ ministry and Jesus has far more to teach and demonstrate before the time comes for him to be sacrificed.

One of the hallmarks of Jesus’ ministry is divine leisure. Jesus accomplishes a great deal, walking all over Galilee, Samaria, and much of Judea, riding in boats on the Sea of Galilee, and healing, teaching, and preaching. But Jesus continues to have time for people-time to heal a woman bleeding from the vagina for years, time to heal lepers and blind men and to deliver those possessed by demons.

How is it that Jesus can do so much and yet remain calm? Jesus is in constant contact with his Heavenly Father through the Holy Spirit. Jesus isn’t going off on tangents by himself but is taking orders from God, the same God who has designed times and seasons, who regulates the tides of oceans, and who has created everything in nature. Just as birds build nests and start families in the springtime, Jesus moves from place to place guided by the Holy Spirit.

“Jesus, you’re going to Capernaum. There’s a tax collector there named Matthew who’s ready to follow you and Me if you stop and chat with him. There are fishermen mending their nets who are hungry to know more of Me and who will become some of your staunchest disciples.”

“Jesus, there’s a widow here in Nain who’s about to bury her only son. Rebuke the spirit of death and raise that young man from the dead.” One thing we never see in any of the Gospels: we never see a time when Jesus is upset or surprised by the needs of those around him.

What can we learn about divine timing from these verses? God has more for Jesus to do, and Jesus knows this. Now, Jesus isn’t about to take foolish risks, and that’s why he goes up to Jerusalem by himself; however, when the Holy Spirit prompts Jesus to act, he does so.

How can we learn to work like Jesus? Copy Jesus’ habits of prayer. Jesus has special times where he goes off by himself to pray to his Heavenly Father, but Jesus is also in a constant dialogue with Him. If we want to work like Jesus, we must begin and end our days in prayer and pray throughout the day, asking for guidance. We don’t have to worry over every small decision for our training will dictate many of the decisions we must take. But we must be prepared for God to turn our days upside down.

As the only doctor in a bush hospital, I never knew what I would encounter when I went to work in the morning. I might make routine rounds and get home early, or I might find myself in the operating room until late at night. Both my husband and I had to learn to relax and allow God to work the way He wanted and not the way I had planned. At times, I would have to improvise instruments or techniques or even suture material to get things done. But if I would simply keep looking heavenward, there would always be some way through the problems.

May God help us to remain in contact with Him so that as we go through our days, we will enjoy the same divine leisure that marked Jesus’ ministry!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to remember that You are the One who calls us to our work and therefore You are the expert who knows how our schedules should unfold. Help us to trust You and not to stress out. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

“ohn 7:10-24 The Heavenly Scholar

“But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?” And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, “He is good;” others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.” However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”

Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him. Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”

The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

After Jesus’ family has left for Jerusalem, Jesus gets a release from his Heavenly Father to go as well. Jesus goes into the temple and begins teaching, probably on the teaching steps on the east side of the temple. The religious authorities are outraged! Here is this upstart from Galilee, of all places, teaching in the TEMPLE! Not only that, but this man teaches eloquently and with authority. How can this possibly be? The scribes and Pharisees have been studying all their lives, and they are certain that this ridiculous Galilean carpenter cannot possibly know more than they do….yet, he does. And those who actually love God know that the things Jesus is teaching are true because his teachings resonate with them.

“Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.”

The religious authorities delegate some of their underlings to interrogate Jesus as to the source of his teachings. Jesus, knowing that there are those who really do love God, answers, referring them back to their own hearts. Jesus then points out that he is not seeking his own glory, but God’s.

“Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

When Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, the religious authorities became incensed, feeling that this represented forbidden work. These men were far more concerned with the letter of the Law than with the Spirit, and they totally lacked compassion. Now Jesus is pointing out that the Sabbath has become the favorite day for circumcising, even though Moses never ordered any such thing. These men who claim to be following every tiny nuance of the Mosaic Law are actually breaking it; yet, they want to criticize others who are doing acts of compassion.

Yesterday, I spoke about Arthur Blessit, the man who carried a 12-foot cross with a wheel on the end throughout 323 countries for more than fifty years. Many people refused to understand Blessit’s passion for men and women to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Some of those most offended were in traditional churches. Years ago, a pastor friend gave his testimony. Our friend was about thirty years old, a highly successful businessman, and an elder in his Methodist church. But when people on fire for Jesus came to speak at a Lay Witness Mission, our friend realized that he had never committed his life to Christ. That commitment cost our friend his businesses, a nice home, and many other possessions. He and his family moved so he could attend Methodist seminary, and he began pastoring tiny churches in rural areas. Financially, things were tough, and our friend wondered if he had really heard God properly. But during the short time our friend was at the church we attended, at least eight different families entered the ministry or missions. Our friend’s sermons were so good that I still have the recordings and listen to them periodically. As with Blessit, only eternity will tell how many have come into the Kingdom through our friend’s willingness to sacrifice.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to obey You, even when we don’t understand, when others around us are criticizing, and when it’s uncomfortable or difficult. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

“After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.” When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.”

Few things are tougher than going against your family’s wishes. Parents and siblings are always certain that they know more about you than you do yourself. Add in a calling from God that leads you to do strange new things and you’re really in for problems.

Jesus has returned to Galilee, his home area, because Jewish religious leaders are trying to kill him. But there’s a problem: the Feast of Tabernacles, one of the major feasts, is approaching. As an observant Jewish male, Jesus should go to Jerusalem, but it’s too dangerous. Jesus’ brothers are absolutely no help, for they urge Jesus to go to Jerusalem and preach there. Obviously, Jesus’ brothers have no conception of who Jesus is, and in addition, they are likely embarrassed by Jesus recent teachings about being the bread of life. Then there’s Jesus’ statement about people eating his flesh and drinking his blood-too weird! Not only do Jesus’ brothers not understand who he is, but they fear that the religious authorities-and possibly also the Romans-are going to swoop down on Jesus, killing him and taking vengeance on his family as well. Far better for Jesus to go to Jerusalem and act out there rather than remaining in Galilee, attracting unwanted and deadly attention to his family.

“Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.” When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.”  Jesus always does things in his Heavenly Father’s time, not on a schedule dictated by those around him. So far, Jesus has not received a release from God the Father to go to Jerusalem, so he’s staying in Galilee.

It’s tough going against the advice and wishes of family and friends. The man in the picture who is carrying a cross and waving a Bible is Arthur Blessit. During the Jesus People movement, Blessit was running a Christian coffee house when God called him to take down the 12-foot cross from the wall of the coffee house, attached a wheel to the lower end, and begin carrying it on Christmas Day 1969. Until Blessit’s recent death on January 14, 2025, he carried that cross around the world through 323 countries and territories, logging 43,340 miles, or to about 86 million steps and shoes he had to re-sole or replace several times every year. During these travels, Blessit was shot at, chased by wild animals and snakes, and persecuted. In India men tried to set the cross on fire.

No matter where Blessit went, he preached salvation through Jesus Christ and moved other pastors to invite people to follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Sometimes, people would fall to their knees when they saw the cross. When Blessit went to Westminster Chapel in London in 1982, he turned the place upside down, encouraging all who heard him to go out and invite people to follow Jesus. Only eternity will tell us how many people were led into the Kingdom by Blessit or by someone whom he inspired.

Undoubtedly, when Blessit began carrying that cross, there were many who thought he was crazy, and many more who were offended that he would take such an action. But God had spoken to Blessit, and Blessit had such a passion for God and His Will that he picked up the cross and began walking. Blessit even had an aneurysm and had been warned that his health was failing; yet, the aneurysm never burst and Blessit kept walking.

It’s quite likely that God will never call you to do something as radical as carrying a 12-foot cross throughout the world. But God delights in forcing us out of our comfort zones. When I was a surgery resident, the hospitals where I was training had no hospital chaplain. One Sunday while in church, I felt God calling me to begin leading a Bible study in one hospital. I got permission to use a vacant conference room and advertised the weekly Bible study. Some days I was the only one attending the study. I would write out the main points of the Bible study on the blackboard in the room, figuring that someone would read it, even if it was only the janitor cleaning the blackboard! I also prayed for a chaplain and nine months later, God raised up a chaplain who sought me out to introduce himself. I hugged the man and wept, for God had answered my prayers and I was released from the Bible study.

Did I want to occupy an empty conference room and appear foolish? Absolutely not! Did people think I was crazy? Probably. But a hospital chaplaincy was born from that empty conference room. Who knows how much comfort and how many people have found their way to God because I was willing to appear crazy?

May God help all of us, so that when He calls us to do something radical, we will obey and not argue or listen to well-intentioned friends and relatives who would stifle the call of God!!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow You and not listen to those who would force us away from Your call on our lives. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 6:60-71 Many Disciples Turn Away

“Therefore, many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also, we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

“Therefore, many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” You have to feel sorry for the disciples. Here they’ve been basking in the thrill of miraculously feeding several thousand people and watching Jesus tame a storm on the Sea of Galilee, only to stand and listen as Jesus begins teaching difficult spiritual concepts.

While Jesus is describing himself as being the bread of life and talking about people eating his flesh and drinking his blood, men in the crowd are sidling up to Peter and the other disciples and asking, “Just what does your master mean by all this?” While Peter would love to appear spiritually advanced, frankly, he too is clueless. Peter may be coming up with grand-sounding phrases such as “Just wait and Jesus will explain it all.” But the disciples are just as baffled as everybody else. It’s no fun looking stupid! Some of the disciples are whining that these things are incomprehensible, and Peter is tempted to agree.

“Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.”  Once more, we see Jesus refusing to water things down. Jesus knows full well that some of those claiming to be disciples are simply camp followers who will desert at the first sign of trouble. Here, the term “disciples” refers to all those who have been traveling around with Jesus during his ministry.

“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also, we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

The twelve disciples whom Jesus has chosen might be confused and even embarrassed, but they remain faithful. But these teachings might mark the time when Judas Iscariot begins to distance himself from Jesus. Judas wants to commit himself to a victorious Messiah, not to somebody teaching weird stuff that attracts ostracism from religious leaders.

There are many times in the Bible when large numbers of casual followers disappear while a trusty few remain. In the story of Gideon, Gideon starts out with 22,000 men and winds up with 300, but those 300 accomplish everything God wants them to do. God is far more interested in dedication than He is in sheer numbers.

When the Northern Ethnic Conflict began in Northern Ghana in February 1994, our small clinic had 11 workers. Later, we acquired another 11 workers as Konkomba nurses fled to Saboba, making a staff of 22. We were the only source of medical care for 100,000 Konkombas who had nowhere else to go. We were running this clinic with intermittent electricity from a small generator and no running water. We sterilized everything in a big pressure cooker over a coal pot on the verandah. And God showed up and did miracles. Many of the staff who served sacrificially have gone to be with Jesus, and many more have retired. But those of us who remain can confidently testify that God multiplied our efforts and gave us supernatural strength.

Pursuing God’s Will can be a lonely business. But Romans 8:31-32 tells us, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”  

Your position may be a lonely one, but if God has sent you there, God can keep you there, and God will be with you to the end of the age.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help those of us in lonely outposts to remember that no matter how many people desert us, You will never leave us or forsake us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 6:41-59 Rejected by His Own

“The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”

Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.”

The Jews are furious! Jesus is NOT performing up to expectations! First, Jesus does this great miracle, feeding thousands of people. Then when those same people follow Jesus, he refuses to repeat the miracle and even teaches that he has been sent from heaven to be the “bread of life.” The nerve of this man! After all, he’s just from Nazareth and everybody knows his family. Where does he get the crazy idea that he has come down from heaven and that God is his Father? What about Joseph?

“Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.”  Now Jesus is virtually teaching blasphemy, making himself equal with God. The Pharisees and Sadducees are absolutely livid! All these men can think of is how can they get rid of this upstart? As the religious leaders rage, they completely ignore Jesus’ statement that “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” 

Is God drawing the religious leaders? Yes! Forever and ever, God continues to draw all people to Himself. But only those who are spiritually hungry will respond. When Isaiah describes his call from God in Isaiah 6:8, God asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Only Isaiah answers, even though the temple might have been full of people. Isaiah is listening and longing for contact with God while those around him are merely practicing religious rituals. So, Isaiah hears God’s call, receiving the touch of God’s coals of fire on his lips, and becoming one of the most important prophets of all time while the rest of the crowd observes their rituals and returns home unchanged. This same phenomenon is about to happen to those hearing Jesus teach. And things are about to become even more radical.

“Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” 

Jesus begins teaching about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Drink blood?!?!?! From the time of Moses, Jews have been forbidden to drink blood or to use it in cooking. Even Jews caught up in idol worship avoid drinking blood. And eating human flesh is just as abhorrent an idea. The Jews fail to realize that Jesus is speaking of spiritual matters and not physical ones. Even the disciples likely remain confused until Jesus dies and is resurrected.

Jesus is speaking plainly; however, many in the audience fail to grasp the truths he is teaching. Blinded by prejudice or preconceived notions, thinking only of earthly things-it doesn’t matter. Many hearing Jesus reject him and his message because he fails to meet their expectations. But Jesus never waters down his messages or changes his focus. Jesus is speaking the truths his Heavenly Father wants him to speak; to do anything else would be to fail his Father.

Many times, we may be tempted to soften harsh truths, to water down the demands of the Gospel, or to try to explain that God doesn’t REALLY require holiness and righteousness…but if we do such things, we are failing God and ourselves. Jesus told spiritual truths, knowing that many would reject him, but he went ahead anyway.

My husband got saved at the age of 37 through the witness of a fellow worker named Jack. But this witness was anything but diplomatic. Daily, Jack would tell my husband, “Bob, either you accept Jesus, or you’re going to hell!” This statement was roughly the verbal equivalent of being smacked up alongside the head with a 2×4! Now, Jack was not the only Christian influence in Bob’s life; however, one morning Bob found himself asking Jack, “How do I get the Lord in my life?” Jack’s story bears out the fact that even rough approaches may work with the right people.

May God help us, so that we refuse to compromise the message of the Gospel or to water it down!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to fearlessly proclaim Your Word, being careful to deliver Your messages in Your fashion. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 6:22-40 The Bread from Heaven

“On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone—however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks—when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”

Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

Therefore, they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Jesus has just done a miracle, feeding 5,000 men, plus approximately another 5,000 women and children by multiplying 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish. When the crowd begins to murmur about making Jesus king, Jesus immediately hikes on up the mountain and out of sight. The crowd disperses and the disciples set off in their boat. Jesus comes to the disciples, walking on the water in the midst of a terrible storm, the wind and waves die down, and the boat suddenly arrives at Capernaum. But the crowd is entranced by the idea of free food, so as soon as they can get transport across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, they follow Jesus and the disciples. 

“Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

Jesus has no illusions about the crowd’s reasons for following him. “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

Therefore, they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Now we’re getting to the truth. These folks are still hoping for more free food and attempting to disguise their real purposes by sounding religious.

“And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Jesus has done a miracle out of compassion for those listening to him; however, he refuses to be swayed from the fundamental reason for which he has come. While the crowds are concentrating on physical needs, Jesus is speaking of spiritual needs. These verses from John 6 are some of the most comforting things Jesus says, for they assure us that everyone who believes in Jesus will have eternal life and that nobody who believes in Jesus will be refused or discarded.

What can we learn from the fashion in which Jesus handles the crowds? Jesus loves these people, but he has eternity in view while those listening are generally thinking only of earthly things. When we live for Jesus, we must always live with eternity in view, “keeping the main thing the main thing.” It is incredibly easy to get sidetracked. One friend of ours with a call to village ministry has become involved with running a Christian orphanage. While orphanages generally are very necessary and quite a good ministry, this was never our friend’s calling. Now decades have gone and he is still running an orphanage while fighting the uncomfortable feeling that he should be doing something else.

May God help us, so that as we go through this year, we follow His leading and not settle for something that is good but that is not God’s perfect will for our lives.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us not to become distracted or diverted from Your Will and Calling for our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 6:15-21 Jesus walks on the water

Therefore, when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. So, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.”

Jesus has just miraculously fed nearly 10,000 people. Needless to say, these people are thrilled and want to seize Jesus and make him king. After all, why not? Jesus as king might mean free lunches forever! But Jesus knows exactly what these folks are thinking and climbs up the mountain to talk with his Heavenly Father. Meanwhile, the disciples have gotten back into their boat and are heading across the Sea of Galilee for Capernaum. But there’s a problem. The mountains to the east of the Sea of Galilee act as natural wind tunnels, funneling storms onto the Sea of Galilee. Windstorms can come up with no warning, endangering those in small boats.

With the wind coming from the east and the disciples setting out from the west side of the lake, they’re rowing against the wind and struggling out in the middle of the lake. Suddenly, lightning flashes. The disciples glimpse a figure walking on the water and begin to panic. But then they hear a familiar voice reassuring them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” It’s Jesus! And as soon as the disciples help Jesus climb into the boat, the wind dies down, and they suddenly reach dry land. In a few short minutes, the disciples have gone from the sheer terror of thinking they are about to die to safety, relief, and peace.

There are all kinds of storms out there, and some of them are far worse than a sudden windstorm on a large lake. “Your scans show that spot on your lung has doubled in size. We need to do a needle biopsy.” Some friends just lived through this storm. H. went into the hospital, thinking he was facing a needle biopsy on a lung mass. But the doctor was diligent and chose to repeat the CT scan, even though the previous one was only a few weeks old. Our friend’s wife had just gone for a cup of coffee when the OR coordinator called to inform her that the procedure had been cancelled. The repeat CT scan showed that the mass was now so small that the surgeon wouldn’t be able to get tissue even with a fine needle biopsy! Rather than spending much of the day in a hospital gown, our friends returned home rejoicing. The next doctor’s appointment is scheduled for May. What happened? Jesus passed by.

Another friend from Hawaii is an avid cyclist. Unfortunately, our friend suffered a fall on a steep mountain trail, landing on his side and possibly cracking ribs. But within two days, our friend was pain-free and completely healed. What happened? Jesus passed by.

WHEN JESUS PASSED BY (Recorded by Heaven Bound)

1. A Cripple starts walking, A blind man can see, the leper is cleansed, and the captive have been set free. A woman rejoices, her son did not die, All of these things happened, when Jesus passed by.
2. Chorus: When Jesus passed by, when Jesus passed by, gone were all the heartache, the troubles and strife, Just reach out and touch him, and he’ll hear your cry and you’ll know something happened, when Jesus passed by.
3. Now I was a sinner, in the rags of my sin, unworthy without, I needed Jesus down deep within, then this King became my Savior, his riches they’re all mine, I became God’s child, when Jesus passed by.

Chorus: When Jesus passed by, when Jesus passed by, gone were all the heartache, the troubles and strife, Just reach out and touch him, and he’ll hear your cry and you’ll know something happened, when Jesus passed by. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78SSiHGeVCw

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, please help us to trust that You will pass by and that You will move miraculously for us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.