You gotta be kiddin'!

...and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat." John 5:10

Unbelievable! In yesterday's post I shared a story of a man who was healed by Jesus. Problem was, this healing took place on the Sabbath and the religious folks had a bit of a problem with the man who had been healed because he was "carrying his mat." Amazing! An invalid suffering for 38 years with a debilitating condition is cured, healed and walking around....and the religious people are troubled because he is carrying his mat! You gotta be kiddin'! What somewhat compounds the issue is that the man turns on Jesus and blames him....."the man who made me well" made me do it. Funny thing, the man didn't even know who had healed him. In any case, this is one of many stories in the gospels where the Jews / Pharisees / religious folks were trying to trap Jesus. What a perfect picture they are of religion without relationship.....or externally driven religion as compared to internally driven relationship with the Lord. Lord, the absurdity of this is so easy to spot in this story.....please make it as revealing in my life. Are you willing to pray this prayer as well?

That's not the question....

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. John 5:6-9

This is a very interesting exchange of words. Jesus asked the invalid if he wanted to get well. This sounds like a yes or no question. But, notice how the man answers Jesus. The response reveals that the invalid had a certain pre-conception of what it would take to make him better. But, Jesus had another completely different idea. In essence, Jesus shatters the pre-conceived. What issues cause invalidity in my life and am I willing to release my pre-conceptions on how I might be healed? What might he command of me in these areas of my life? I realize this may take a little extra thought on our part to answer these questions, but it just may prove beneficial.....do you (really) want to get well? Make sure you listen to the actual question Jesus is asking you right now.

No fish? Hmm....

"Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered. He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. John 21:5-6

You might want to check out the entire story of the miraculous catch of fish in John 21:1-14. It's a great story. The guys out on the Sea of Galilee weren't catching a thing. Along comes a man (Jesus) standing on the shoreline telling them to try their nets on the other side of the boat. What do you know?....so many fish they were unable to haul the net in. While I am sure there is some great theological lesson here, I prefer the simpler interpretation; i.e. if we find ourselves spinning our proverbial wheels and getting nowhere, maybe we should stop, look to the shoreline, and listen for Jesus' simple instructions. Although we may try to complicate the matter, we simply cannot go wrong by listening to Jesus. Try it today....actually, not just listening, but being obedient to Him. Enjoy the increase!

What a bummer....

Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. [....] Unless I see....I will not believe it. John 20:24-25

There is always one who misses it; In this case, big time. Jesus, on the Sunday evening of his resurrection, decides to visit the disciples. Guess who wasn't there? --Thomas, a.k.a. "doubting Thomas." Poor guy....wonder what he was doing? In any case, he simply wasn't going to take the disciple's word....he was probably pegged as a gullible easy target by the other guys (disciples) and wasn't about to fall for this one. Actually, I do not know if he was gullible or not....that's not in the Bible; I just made that up. But, for whatever reason, Thomas had the type of personality that simply had to "see" to "believe." I don't really blame him. I would probably find it hard to believe also; that is, without actually seeing Jesus. A little later in the passage (vv.26-29) we find Thomas confronted with the resurrected Lord....and Thomas says, "My Lord and My God!" What would it take for you to be able to say "My Lord and My God!"? Maybe you have already said it, great.... but, if you haven't said it yet, what would it take? Seriously.

Left wondering....

Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb [....] and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. Luke 24:12

I am sorry, but you just have to love Peter. He had spent three years with Jesus...he was on the "inside"....one of the 12 who walked, talked, and ate with Jesus. How could he be "wondering?" I just find that amusing. I mean, come on, Jesus had told him what was going to happen; he had laid out the grand plan. He should have known. The women who had gone to the tomb even told the disciples what had happened. But, the verse just before the one quoted above says, "But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense." That's funny also, but I'll save that for another day (just like us male folk). Anyhow, I have to give it to Peter-- he did get up and run to the tomb. Props for that. But, again, what was wrong with Peter...."wondering" what had happened? Let me bring the point home: I "wonder" a lot....more than I should. When I see something "work together for the glory of God", I wonder how that happened. When it appears that God has healed, I wonder what physical processes actually took place. You with me? Lord, today, bring clarity, courage and conviction to my (our?) beliefs.

Somewhere in between....

....and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark.... John 19:42b and 20:1a

Of all the days of Holy Week, Saturday is the most awkward. We've just remembered the painful crucifixion and have laid Jesus in the tomb. While Sunday is coming, we are stuck somewhere in between. Our sins have been atoned, but we can't celebrate the resurrection, power and freedom yet. We know the rest of the story....we know we are going to celebrate on Sunday, but it simply isn't here yet. We are stuck somewhere in between death and real life. You know, this may be a fitting analogy or picture of my faith; stuck somewhere in between. Maybe this is what the Apostle Paul was talking about in 2 Timothy 3:5, "Having a form of godliness but denying its power." Lord, in my faith, help me to take it all the way through to Sunday. Anyone else need to pray that prayer?

Look around.....

Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. [.....] Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:32, 43

FYI: This post makes no sense without the context of this week's other posts.

Jesus was loving the outcast, the sinner, even to the very end of his life on earth. Take a thinking pause....this is an amazing truth. In any case, I have talked about "enemies" and "those in our front row" this past week, now I turn our attention to the outcast and/or sinner. All three of these typologies of persons are vastly different. The "enemy" is the one who opposes everything we do....in this case, we are instructed to not repay evil for evil and to actually love this person. Our "front row" folks represent people with whom we allow to have positions of major influence in our life. We have to be extremely careful whom we allow to take up these strategic positions. Now we turn our attention to the outcast / sinner. Don't you find it wonderfully strange that Jesus continaully hung out with the "wrong" crowd?....like the lepers, the woman at the well, etc. Jesus flat out loved them....the sort of person it was extremely unpopular to be with, the sort of person with whom his "religious" contemporaries found troubling. Even to the end of his physical life on earth, he was speaking life and hope directly into a criminal's life....Hanging on a cross....offering hope, "today, you will be with me in paradise." Wow! Looking around my life, with whom am I loving and offering hope? Do they look anything like the type of folks that Jesus contintually ministered to? If not, should they? ....just a thought worthy of reflection.