Burunche’s Blog

Jesus Promises Another Helper John 14:19-24

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

Indwelling of the Father and the Son

“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

Tonight, Jesus is teaching his disciples about the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. Tomorrow, Pontius Pilate will ask Jesus a key question: What is truth? Sometimes we find ourselves embroiled in situations where rumors are flying like snowflakes in Canada. If you don’t like the story you’re hearing right now, wait a bit. Someone else will come along with a contradictory rumor very shortly. And the more stories are passed around, the wilder and less truthful they become. Rather than correcting this problem, social media can magnify it beyond all imagination.

When I was a child, we had a game called “Telephone.” A group of children would sit in a circle on the floor. Next, one child would whisper a short phrase to the person on their right, and that person would turn and whisper the phrase to the person on their right, and so on around the circle.  By the time the message had gone around the circle, the message the final person received bore little or no resemblance to the original message!

Jesus wants us to know that when we believe in Him, he will send the Holy Spirit to guide us, and the Holy Spirit is faithful and true. We don’t have to feel like spiritual orphans, for the Holy Spirit will guide us and encourage us.

“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

Jesus knows that tonight is all the time he has left to teach his disciples everything he has not already taught them. One key teaching is the concept of loving God. One Christian speaker once said, “I hate it when someone says they’re going to tell me something “in love.” If the statement you’re about to make is loving, I will know it. And if the statement you’re about to make is NOT loving, I will also know that as well.”

“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” You can’t fool God; He knows your heart better than you do. When we love God, we will obey Him. That obedience allows our Heavenly Father to express His love for us. Rebellion blocks God from blessing us because when we rebel, we are telling God that we don’t need Him and that we can run our lives better than He can. When we love and obey God, God will be with us forever.

“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”  It all comes back to obedience vs. rebellion. That night in the Upper Room, there were eleven disciples willing to obey Jesus while one, Judas Iscariot, refused. When Jesus washed Judas’ feet, he was giving Judas one last chance to repent and refuse to betray Jesus. Really, the religious leaders and Romans could easily have picked up Jesus at any point; after all, Jerusalem wasn’t that enormous a town. But Judas persisted in rebellion, refusing to keep Jesus’ words or to acknowledge them as orders coming directly from the Heavenly Father.

Who doesn’t need divine insights or help? As I am writing this, a sister group is being convulsed by a combination of miscommunication, tale-bearing, and confusion about where the truth lies. We all need the Holy Spirit, for otherwise we can easily jump to wrong conclusions and falsely accuse innocent people. And we need the Holy Spirit as our Helper so we will make correct choices and fulfill God’s calling on our lives. May God help us, so we will always look to Him for information and not to tale-bearers!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to remain obedient to You and to trust the Holy Spirit. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 14:12-18 The Answered Prayer

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

The disciples are confused! For three years, Jesus has been leading the disciples throughout much of Judea and Samaria, teaching and preaching and modeling the kind of behavior he wants his followers to exhibit. The Passover meal has gone smoothly, except for Judas Iscariot suddenly leaving as Jesus urges him to do what he is going to do quickly. But Jesus is always doing strange things, so the remaining disciples simply assume Jesus has given Judas a special assignment.

But now Jesus is suddenly dropping heavy teaching after heavy teaching on the disciples’ heads, as if his time to teach them is getting short. The disciples might be excused if they wonder what’s going on; after all, Jesus can continue to teach them tomorrow, can’t he? And why does Jesus keep talking about going to his Father? Everybody knows Jesus’ earthly father Joseph died years ago. It seems as if Jesus is speaking in riddles.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” Jesus knows that sometime in the next 18 hours, he is going to die, leaving his earthly body to ascend to his Heavenly Father. The disciples have already enjoyed the heady experience of being sent out in pairs to preach, teach, heal, and cast out demons.

Luke 10:1-12, 17-18 tells the story of Jesus sending out seventy of his followers, not merely the twelve closest to him. Luke 10:1-12 “After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless, know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.”

Luke 1-10:17-18 The Seventy Return with Joy

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

The eleven disciples left in that upper room all participated in that great campaign of healing and deliverance. Now Jesus says they will do even greater things.

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” Again, the disciples might be listening but they aren’t understanding. Why is Jesus speaking in riddles? Surely, Jesus isn’t going to die anytime soon, so why mention praying in his Name?

The advantage the disciples have over us is that they get to hear Jesus speak these words for the very first time in history. The advantage we have over the disciples is that we know why Jesus is saying these things; Jesus is giving the disciples a final briefing just before he is dragged off to be interrogated, tortured, and crucified.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” The amazing thing is that Jesus is not merely speaking to those eleven disciples but also to us. Throughout the history of the church, believers have healed people, have cast out demons, have sometimes even been transported from one place to another-all by asking God the Father to work in the Name of God the Son, Jesus. Many times, we might pray without asking specifically because we aren’t certain what God wants to do; however, if we pray asking God to work His perfect Will in a given situation, we can rest assured that He will do so.

What if you want to pray for a given situation but are uncertain as to how you should pray? Here is one model prayer: Heavenly Father, You see this situation. You love this person better than anybody else; in fact, Jesus went to the cross and died for this person’s sins. Lord, we ask for healing, for deliverance, for restoration. We soak this person in the Blood of Jesus, the Love of Jesus, and the Fire of the Holy Spirit. Please deliver this person from any demons working in their life. Please correct anything that is out of place. May Your Kingdom fully come and Your Will be fully done in this person’s life. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to trust that You WILL do greater things in us and through us because You are faithful. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 14:1-11 The Way, the Truth, and the Life

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The Father Revealed

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”

Well, the disciples are distressed! Jesus has just warned them that one of them will be a traitor, and that he, Jesus, will die shortly. Judas has left, presumably on some errand assigned by Jesus. Peter has made a ringing declaration that he will bitterly regret by tomorrow morning. And now Jesus is embarking in earnest on imparting everything he must before his time dwindles away.

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”  First, Jesus is ordering the disciples not to allow their hearts to become troubled. As I am writing this study, our hospital is being convulsed by rumors, most of which have no basis in fact. When we allow our hearts to be troubled, we open ourselves up to listening to wild gossip; the more gossip we listen to, the more agitated we will become and the less peace we will have. Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for what’s about to happen.

“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.“ In Jesus’ day, very few families lived in solitary dwellings; instead, young couples would live with the wife’s family in rooms the groom would prepare ahead of time. Guests would be accommodated in special chambers if there was room. Here Jesus is promising that just as a bridegroom prepares a place for his bride, so He is going to his Heavenly Father and will prepare a place for those who love Him and who long to be with Him for eternity.

“And where I go you know, and the way you know.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” The disciples are already worried and now they are also confused. Jesus appears to be speaking riddles. Little wonder that Thomas pipes up and asks these questions. Thomas is merely voicing what the other disciples are thinking.

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” This statement is one of the most profound tenets of faith in the entire Bible. Jesus is the way because he is about to die for the sins of the whole world. Jesus is the truth because everything he has taught about the Kingdom of God and about his Heavenly Father is true. Nobody else has ever gotten everything about the Kingdom of Heaven completely correct. Jesus is the life because those who believe in him and accept his blood sacrifice for their sins will have everlasting life in heaven with him.

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” One last time, Jesus is emphasizing to the disciples that God the Father is the One who is working through him and speaking through him.

While the crowds have seen a handful of miracles each time, the disciples have witnessed countless miracles and have even been the agents for some of those miracles. The miracles alone should be enough to convince the disciples of the reality of God the Father and of His Nature.

What do these verses mean for us? For believers, Jesus IS the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No matter what we are going through, we can rest assured that God the Father loves us and has already prepared places in heaven for us.

Psalm 46:1-3 tells us: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.” Psalm 125:1-2 also tells us: Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.”  

St. Paul, writing after Jesus’ death and resurrection and facing his own certain death tells the Romans: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-38)

Jesus has demonstrated the nature of his Heavenly Father. Standing on these promises, we can remain fearless, no matter what life throws at us, for we have an eternal destiny that cannot be stolen from us. John 10:27-29 says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” The disciples are about to enter the darkest night of their lives, but at the end, they will see Jesus risen from the dead and they will never fear death again. May God give us faith to trust Him!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust when we do not see. Help us to remember Your eternal promises and to KNOW that nobody can snatch us out of Your hands! In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 13:31-38 The New Commandment

“So, when he (Judas) had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Judas Iscariot has taken off to meet with the Jewish religious leaders so that he can eventually lead them to Jesus. Jesus knows that his remaining time is short and that he is about to be sacrificed. While this sacrifice will glorify the Heavenly Father and ultimately also glorify Jesus, there’s nothing pretty or appealing about what’s about to happen. Realizing that things are rapidly coming to crisis point, Jesus begins telling his disciples those things he most wants them to know.

The first and most important thing Jesus wants for the disciples is that they love one another. Sounds simple, right? But this is a bunch of guys who have spent much of the time on the road arguing over who will be the greatest in the Kingdom of God. At one point, James and John even enlisted their mother to plead on their behalf. Work with one another? Certainly! Love one another? Hmmm. And Jesus wants these men to love one another as he has loved them. What does that mean?

Jesus has called these men from fishing boats on the shores of Galilee, from a tax collector’s office, and from so many other places. Each of these men has followed Jesus for one reason: Love. On the day Jesus called each of these men, they looked at him, and his face radiated pure love and acceptance such as they had never known before. Now these men have followed Jesus around the countryside, wearing out pairs of sandals as they have trudged through towns and villages, risking their lives in small boats on the Sea of Galilee, wondering where their next meal will come from. All for the love of Jesus that has inspired and encouraged them. Jesus wants these men to love one another with that same deep kind of love that overlooks offenses and never quits.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

“Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”

Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”

Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”

Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.”

Jesus realizes that he is about to die; this is why he says, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow me afterward.”  Peter is sincere; he really thinks he would lay down his life for Jesus’ sake. But Jesus knows Peter better than Peter knows himself and warns Peter that Peter will deny him three times this very night.

The amazing thing about Jesus’ love for the disciples is that he loves them in spite of their defects and failings. Jesus knows that Peter is a rough tough fisherman with a great deal of physical courage; however, Jesus also knows that Peter hates being mocked as a country bumpkin. Most Ghanaian languages have a phrase describing ignorant people from the bush, and in Jesus’ day, Galileans are considered bush people. Peter’s test will not be a physical one but a personal one, and he will fail.

Jesus knows that all the other disciples are going to take off, leaving him to face interrogation and abuse by himself. But if this is the case, why does Jesus still love these men anyway? Jesus knows that his crucifixion is going to provide the sternest of tests for all the disciples, and that only John will stand the test and remain faithful throughout the ordeal. But Jesus also knows that once the disciples have weathered this storm, they will learn and grow and they will never fail him again for the rest of their lives.

What can we learn from this aspect of Jesus’ life? Sometimes people will fail us, no matter what we do. But we should not allow our disappointment to cause us to reject people. Jesus chose these disciples, knowing that eventually they would fail, but Jesus also knew that ultimately when the Holy Spirit would descend, these men would become fearless preachers and teachers, spreading the news of the Kingdom throughout the known world.

Jesus knew Peter’s weaknesses, just as he knows ours. How many times have we failed Jesus, and yet, Jesus has not rejected us but picks us up, dusts us off, and orders us to keep going. If Jesus is willing to do this for us, why are we reluctant to do it for others? Remember that Jesus told the disciples to love one another as he had loved them. If we have experienced the love of Jesus, we must share that love with those around us, whether or not we think they are worthy. God qualifies the unqualified and God is the One who sends people to us, expecting us to love them no matter what. When we are willing to extend that agape love to others, it transforms them so that they can then pass that love on to those around them, creating a tsunami of God’s love and grace. May God help us so that we specialize in loving and not in judging!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to love one another as You have loved us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 13:18-30 Jesus Identifies His Betrayer

“I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke.

Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke.

Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”

Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy those things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.”

Jesus and the disciples have just finished the Passover meal. Jesus has stripped down, washing the disciples’ feet, and then has dressed again. In explaining this act of service, Jesus tells the disciples, “Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” The disciples have been arguing over eventual places of power in the Kingdom of God; meanwhile, Jesus wants them to realize that positions are earned by serving, not by fighting. Jesus also wants them to know that when he sends someone out, true believers will receive them. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

“When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” Jesus is distraught, because he knows that Judas is about to betray him, even though Jesus has just washed Judas’ feet along with the other disciples. Up to the last second, Jesus is giving Judas the chance to change his heart and not meet with the religious leaders as he has planned. When Jesus washes Judas’ feet, does Judas have any pangs of conscience or does he harden his heart further? Interestingly enough, the other disciples are clueless, for they nudge John, who is lying closest to Jesus, to ask Jesus.

“Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him.” Although John comments that Satan enters Judas after Jesus gives him the piece of bread, Satan has already been working on Judas; otherwise, the foot washing would have melted his stony heart. But even after Jesus hands Judas the piece of bread, the disciples still refuse to believe that Judas really might betray Jesus.  

“Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy those things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.”

As a leader, how do you handle a situation in which you have a traitor who is actively conspiring against you? First, you must be certain that such treachery actually exists, for there are always tale-bearers who hope to curry favor by pouring poison about others in your ears. Listening to those who wish to flatter you is always dangerous, for such people will say anything to gain an advantage over others.

What if you truly are working with someone who is attempting to undermine your best efforts? As the head of a mission hospital, I have endured staff strikes against me on three separate occasions. Each time, these strikes were led by those who hoped to gain some position or favor to which they were not entitled or who wished to eliminate me because I was preventing them from stealing. My answer: investigate the underlying causes to ensure that no injustices are actually being committed, correct anything that is correctible, and then leave God to sort out the human element.

Sounds sloppy, right? But only God knows human hearts and only God can deal with people properly. As soon as we attempt to take revenge over some imagined insult, we risk hurting someone innocent about whom we have believed lies. In any such situation, there are generally a few ring leaders who have incited several followers who are easily swayed in any direction. We sponsored one nurse who had led a strike to a course in pediatric nursing because we needed his talents at our Children’s Ward. He worked with us for a few years and then left, becoming a pastor.  

Treachery is always painful, and we should consult God before trusting people implicitly. But believing rumors and acting on them can lead to disaster, both for us and also for any institution or group with which we are working. Deuteronomy 32:35 tells us, “Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them.’” Evil carries with it the seeds of its own downfall. Medieval Christians in England were fond of saying, “God sort all!” If we wait on God to sort things out, He can do so without mistakes. If we attempt to sort things out, we can destroy innocent people. May God help us, so that we will wait on Him and allow Him to handle traitors.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to wait on You, knowing that You can take care of liars and traitors far better than we can. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

When I was growing up, we lived on old U.S. Route 34 3 miles outside Altona, IL. The State of Illinois handed the road over to the counties in about 1958; unfortunately, part of the road ran right along the county line between Knox and Henry Counties while the remainder was in Henry County. Neither county was very interested in maintaining the road. Although this neglect worked in our favor much of the time, leaving us with wonderful wild strawberries and wild roses with an intoxicating scent, winter was a different matter.

It’s February 1960. We’ve had so much snow that our road has yet to be plowed; meanwhile, the county road to the south of us is open and the school bus is running down that road. My two brothers and I dress ourselves in layers of winter clothes until we resemble little copies of the Michelin Man, for we must walk across the fields to the neighbors and we have no idea how deep the snow will be or how sharp the prairie wind will be. We only know that the temperature is below 20 degrees F. and the wind is out of the northwest at 15 miles an hour. We must survive walking across harvested corn fields with sharp stalks sticking up at unexpected intervals punctuated by downed fences topped with rusting barbed wire to reach our neighbors’ home where we can wait for the bus. Of course, I am wearing a skirt tucked inside my corduroys. Girls simply don’t wear jeans or slacks to school or church. I am wearing my first parka, one I have gotten for Christmas, and a hat and mittens that Mom has knitted for me. (Mom is an accomplished knitter and always has a project going.)

Money has been tight this last year. My mom has been commuting to classes at a local college to complete her BA so that she can teach school and stabilize our income. Farm prices haven’t changed in nearly ten years, and things are tough for family farmers. While we all have boots, those boots have begun to leak a little and we can’t afford to replace them right now. If we are unfortunate enough to accidentally find some barbed wire or sharp corn stalks lying on the ground under the snow, our boots will leak even more. To rectify this problem, we are using the plastic bags in which we buy our bread. These bags are sturdy and fit nicely over our shoes; they are even long enough to reach the tops of our boots.

My brothers are in third grade and first grade and therefore aren’t carrying any books.As a sixth grader, I have a few books and my French horn. We have band today and I must bring my instrument or be completely embarrassed. So we slog through the snow, trying to choose a path where there are fewer drifts and where the cornstalks under the snow don’t appear as sharp. I am probably carrying my books in a brown grocery store bag; backpacks for books are still a thing of the future.

We make it to the neighbors and even get to watch one of the space launches on television before the bus comes. We wave good-bye to our friends and hurry to join the bus. By nightfall, our road will be plowed enough for Dad to collect us with a pickup truck. But we will wear those bread bags inside our boots for the rest of the winter.

At school, we find that many of our friends also are using bread bags inside their boots. This is an era when thrift is considered a necessary virtue. Boys wear patched jeans without shame, and hand-me-downs are a way of life. Those of us fortunate enough to have cousins a few years older rejoice in new-to-us clothing, at least until we have growth spurts and suddenly are larger than our cousins. (Of course, sometimes you can lose the hand-me-down lottery. My husband has a horror story about being given a suit made with pink checked material. Despite his protests, he was forced to wear the suit, and developed a profound hatred of the color pink, a dislike he has maintained to this day. In the 1950’s NO self-respecting boy would be caught in any pastel colors and “pinko” was a pejorative term for a Communist sympathizer.)

We rent our text books and make covers for them from brown grocery bags. Heavy plastic bags for frozen vegetables are just becoming available, and we also recycle those. Ziploc bags have yet to make an appearance, although Tupperware is beginning to be heard of. Friends in town are still collecting glass pop bottles and turning them in for small rewards.

At home, those of us who live in old drafty houses are likely to have a double layer of straw bales around the foundation of our houses to keep out the cold air. Those unfortunate enough to live in rental properties with negligent landlords may also pack rags around doors and windows. If we are fortunate, we have storm windows that we hang up every fall and remove in the spring once we are certain we won’t have any more blizzards. But storm windows can also leak. Sometimes we help ourselves by purchasing calking guns in the local lumbar yard and re-calking our window panes. When storm winds are really heavy, we hang blankets over our windows.

In some of these old houses, it’s common for people to carry hot water bottles with them and put them under the covers at the foot of the bed. We also wear heavy flannel night clothes and dress our beds with flannel sheets, quilts, and heavy woolen blankets. Bed socks are quite common and knitters have many patterns for creating them. Even if a family has a coal-burning furnace, hot air can only rise so much against huge amounts of cold air coming down from drafty upper stories. Proper insulation is unknown and many homes still have horse hair stuffing cracks inside their walls. We lived in one old house that was so drafty that my mother and I had to wear our snow boots inside the kitchen with an electric heater blowing on our feet to survive fixing supper.

Live in an old house during a bitter winter and you rapidly learn to put your underwear inside your bed under the covers and change into your underwear under the covers. The alternative might be to carry your clothes downstairs and stand close to a heating stove or a register pouring out hot air. Heavy bathrobes are not a mere accessory but an absolute necessity. In that same home, our bathroom was on the north side of the house, the windward side. We had to run an electric heater for at least twenty minutes before anyone could bathe, and we all bathed as quickly as possible. But at least there we had a bathroom.

When I was a small child, we lived in a large old house with lots of cracks and no central heating. We had a wood burning Warm Morning heating stove in the dining room and another stove in the kitchen that could burn either LP gas or wood. I spent many mornings dressing close to the stove in the dining room. We had no bathroom; instead, we had a toilet 50 yards from the house and used commodes that we then emptied every morning. Once I got old enough and big enough, emptying the commode became one of my daily jobs. We bathed in a galvanized tin tub in the kitchen, heating the kitchen by turning on the oven, opening the door, and then closing the doors to keep in the heat. We had a hand pump in our sink connected to a cistern that provided soft water. We had a well immediately outside the back door and got our drinking water and most of our water for washing clothes from that well. I used to be an expert at priming the pump by pouring water down the casing, and I also suffered a chip in one incisor when the pump handle flew up into my mouth.

These days, we live in northeastern Ghana. Old habits are hard to break, and we have large collections of plastic bags and glass containers, many of which wind up being very helpful. We don’t have snow, but if my Wellington boots leak, I might begin lining them with plastic bags.

John 12:42-50 Walk in the Light

“Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

When we hear of secret believers in closed countries such as North Korea, we might think that this is a modern phenomenon; however, it’s not. Even in Jesus’ day, there were religious leaders who were honestly hungry for God and were seeking God. But there was a problem: these men lived in mortal terror that they would be excommunicated and thrown out of the synagogues.

How tragic! These men are revered teachers and scribes, they have families and great reputations. When these men walk through the streets of Jerusalem, people point to them, greeting them effusively, and giving them honor. Now these men have a big problem: the Holy Spirit is tugging on their hearts while their fears are actively opposing the Holy Spirit.

“Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

Jesus knows the names of these secret believers. But these men are facing a choice with eternal consequences: either they choose to believe Jesus and receive what he is saying or they reject Jesus’ message, thereby rejecting Jesus’ Heavenly Father and the chance for eternal life.

It’s tough to realize that many people might listen to Jesus and still refuse to believe. We want to believe that if we were in that crowd, nothing would keep us from believing Jesus. We want to believe that certainly we would be faithful, no matter what. But is that really true? We have an unparalleled opportunity to study Jesus’ words, for we have many different versions of the Bible and we can easily find one that will speak to us. Are we studying Jesus’ messages or are we merely brushing over them?

Now, a second question: if we are preaching or teaching, how disappointed are we when we do our very best to present the claims of Christ, only for someone to ignore us or to reject us outright?

Remain in ministry long enough, and you will definitely face rejection. Sometimes those who are closest to coming into the Kingdom are also fighting the hardest to keep from travel those last few centimeters into eternal life. Under such circumstances, it is tempting to become discouraged and to give up; however, such a decision would prove eternally fatal for any number of people.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a famous British evangelist of the latter part of the nineteenth century. At one point, Spurgeon was so popular that his sermons were printed in the local newspapers. Despite these successes, Spurgeon frequently struggled with depression. When someone cried “Fire!” during one of his sermons in a crowded building, many people were injured or killed. At the time, there were those who wrongly blamed Spurgeon, even though he had nothing to do with the panic.For the remainder of Spurgeon’s life, he would weep whenever he remembered this incident. Spurgeon could have allowed this tragedy to drive him out of the ministry, but he did not. Many came into the Kingdom of God simply through reading Spurgeon’s sermons. One believer even came to Christ through picking up a dirty torn copy of a Spurgeon sermon from a gutter, thinking he was going to wipe his shoes with it.

When people reject you or question you, remember that they did the same thing to Jesus. Don’t become discouraged but remember those poor religious leaders who favored the praise of men more than the praise of God.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to continue to follow your Light. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 13:1-17 Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”

Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew who would betray Him; therefore, He said, “You are not all clean.”

So, when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

We’re skipping the very last part of John 12 and we’ll return to it tomorrow. But today is Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to love. If anyone ever set an example of divine love, Jesus did.

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”

Love never quits! Jesus isn’t stupid; he knows that the scribes and Pharisees have been plotting against him for months or even years and that Judas Iscariot already has agreed to betray him. What we might fail to realize is that Jesus loves Judas just as much as he does the other disciples who are NOT plotting against him. By this time, Jesus has sent Judas out along with the other disciples to preach, teach, heal, and cast out demons. Presumably, Judas has done all these things as well as have the other disciples. Jesus is going to love Judas to the very end of Judas’ life, whether or not Judas repents and refuses to betray him. So Jesus, washes Judas’ feet along with all the other disciples’ feet.

“And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.”

Love serves! Face it, folks, the disciples have goofed! Usually, there is always a very junior servant assigned to wash the feet of everyone who is coming to share a meal. You won’t catch upper-level servants washing feet. But there’s a major problem: there are no extra people at this supper, only Jesus and the disciples. While somebody should have been washing feet as the group arrives, nobody volunteers. The disciples are already arguing as to their eventual positions in Jesus’ kingdom. In a country where everyone wears sandals and garbage disposal is handled by dumping it in the street, anyone coming in from town will have filthy smelly feet. The very last thing any of these guys want to do is to lower themselves to cleaning donkey and chicken manure, rotting fruit, and human feces off someone else’s feet. Now Jesus is voluntarily stripping himself down to his loin cloth and then tying a towel around himself and WASHING THOSE STINKY FEET! The disciples are blown away, horrified, and embarrassed. Suddenly, the disciples see that all those arguments about “who’s most important?” are worthless and shameful. These guys have missed an opportunity that will never come again, the opportunity to wash Jesus’ feet as well as those of the other disciples.

While John is the one who is telling this story, it’s quite possible that when John witnessed Jesus doing this, he quietly wept. John was the disciple who was closest to Jesus, and of all the disciples, John might have truly believed Jesus when Jesus was foretelling his coming sacrificial death. John could have washed everyone else’s feet, but he failed to do so, persisting in the senseless competition for positions in the Kingdom of God.

“So, when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

Love follows Jesus’ example. Again, we must watch Jesus and see what he is doing. Jesus strips himself of the robes that might mark him as a prophet or a teacher, reducing himself to his basic humanity. Very few of us look impressive in our underwear! If we are going to serve like Jesus, we can’t haul our social or professional position, our education, our financial status, or our religious standing into the situation. Jesus is fulfilling the most basic need, one that should have been handled before the meal. Why has Jesus waited until after the meal is over? Jesus has been giving the disciples as much opportunity as possible for them to do the right thing; too bad the disciples have totally blown it. When we serve like Jesus, we must act like Jesus, the One who is washing feet even as he knows that in a few hours, he’s going to be dragged off, tortured, interrogated, and crucified. We must keep serving, no matter what is happening or about to happen in our lives.

Love never quits. Love serves. Love follows Jesus’ example. This same night, Jesus is going to tell his disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” When we love like Jesus, we will serve like him and lay down our lives for him. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You and to serve selflessly, stripping ourselves of everything that would impress others. Help us to never quit loving and to follow your example. In Your mighty and precious Name, Lord Jesus. Amen.

John 12:23-41 Jesus Predicts His Death on the Cross

^“But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”

“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.”

Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”

Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”

Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”

Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

Who Has Believed Our Report?

But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:

“Lord, who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

Therefore, they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:

“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
Lest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.”

These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.”

Jesus’ life is coming to a close, even though the disciples are doing everything to ignore what’s happening. While Jesus has referred to those who serve him to the point of laying down their lives, he is also foretelling his own death.

“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.”

Sometimes we might have the idea that Jesus is kind of floating around preaching and teaching without worrying about his eventual death, and that his death on a cross will come as a shock. But crucifixion is one of the Roman Empire’s favorite means of dealing with malefactors while using them as terrible examples to discourage other would-be rebels. The Jews have watched crucifixions before. Jesus knows what’s about to happen and his soul IS troubled. Although Jesus is the Son of God, he is also human and the human part of him doesn’t want to suffer and die.

“Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die.”

Jesus has come to Jerusalem in fulfillment of prophecy, knowing that eventually he must die for the sins of the world. What can we learn from this story?

Romans 8:20 tells us that God has subjected the entire creation to futility, to frustration, knowing that He will eventually redeem creation. Sometimes God leads us into situations that take bizarre turns, plunging us into chaos, confusion, and conflict. No matter what we might think, God is in these situations just as much as He is when things are going smoothly. Our task is to trust God, hold on, pray, and continue to perform what God has called us to do as well as possible.

Through our 38 years in missions, we have weathered all kinds of upheavals-changes in management, changes in direction of missions, changes of personnel, and changes of location. We have lost friends and supporters to death and economic upheavals. We have been misunderstood and mishandled by superiors and have watched other missionaries equally be mistreated by the very groups that have assigned them to difficult situations. Throughout all these challenges, we can testify that God will lead you through situations that appear impossible to endure. It’s an awful lot like navigating a white-water river, only to find yourself suddenly going over a 100-foot-high waterfall. You can only hope that you will be able to escape the hydraulic turbulence at the bottom and that you won’t land on any rocks.

In the fullness of time, Jesus will die for the sins of the world and be resurrected. After being lifted up on a cross, Jesus will truly draw all people to himself as the Savior of the world. The disciples will follow Jesus, spreading the good news of redemption through Jesus Christ and eventually dying for their faith. May God help us, so that we will follow hard after Him and trust Him, no matter the circumstances. And if God calls us to die for Him, may we remember that we practice for dying for Him by living for Him.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us trust You and fulfill Your prefect will for our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

John 12:20-26 The Fruitful Grain of Wheat

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”

Jesus has just triumphantly entered Jerusalem to shouts of adulation from masses of people. The disciples have stars in their eyes, certain that everything will be wonderful from now on. But trust Jesus to be a spoil sport.

Philip and Andrew are thrilled. Some Greek believers have just approached them, asking to see Jesus. How wonderful! Truly, this request proves that Jesus is gaining an international reputation, and his associates can bask in reflected glory.

But Jesus has a weird response to all this. Certainly, Jesus greets the Greeks courteously and undoubtedly makes a strong impression on them. But in the next breath, Jesus is making some more of those statements that fill the disciples with dread.

“The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”

At this point, the disciples might be thinking, “Oh no! Not again! Jesus, we’ve already given up homes and businesses and family comforts for you. How much more must we sacrifice?” And Jesus refuses to give any pat answers or assurances that he really doesn’t mean this, that his followers are not going to have to die in his service.

“unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”  These verses have special meaning for me. Forty plus years ago, I was in a very rigorous training program working roughly 120 hours a week. The surgeon with whom I should have been sharing duties had withdrawn from the program, leaving me as the only pediatric surgical fellow for a very busy 250-bed children’s hospital. To make matters worse, I was a female surgeon working in a male-dominated specialty and facing cultural expectations of which I was unaware until I had already violated them. The pressure was almost intolerable. I literally cannot count the number of times I walked the halls of that hospital with the Holy Spirit chanting these verses in my heart.   

The two years I worked in that program constituted a spiritual boot camp the likes of which I would not wish on anybody else. Did I gain a great deal? Yes! Would I want to endure that again? Are you kidding? I CRAWLED out of that training program. But the experience was vitally important, for God knew that I would face worse things later on in my career.

Dying to yourself is never pleasant or easy. Most people would rather do anything than have to go through that experience. But if we are only willing to serve Jesus when things are pleasant or easy, very little will ever be accomplished. Think of people in places where Christianity is banned and Christians may be slaughtered-northern Nigeria, North Korea, some of the Muslim countries. An old saying tells us that “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.” A faith that is not worth dying for is not much of a faith.

May God help us, so that we are willing to do whatever it takes to spread the good news of God’s redeeming love and grace in Christ Jesus!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You, being willing to die to our own interests and even willing to die physically if necessary. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.