Alan W. Harris's Blog, page 5

22 – Identifying the Christ

Winters in Judea could be cold, dark, and dreary, but one of the bright and happy events for the Jews during this time of the year was the eight-day Feast of Dedication. It usually happened in late November or December, depending on how it fell on the Jewish calendar. The Feast of Dedication commemorated the rededication of the temple after the Jews regained their freedom in 129 B.C. from Greek conquerors who had desecrated the temple of God in Jerusalem.
As was His custom, Jesus stood in the temple court each day and taught the people who had come for the celebration. The Jewish leaders, in their continued attempt to condemn Him, always sent their spies to listen to Jesus. Fed up with their inability to catch Him uttering false teachings, the chief priests and Pharisees confronted Jesus as He and His disciples were walking across Solomon’s Porch at the end of the day.
“How long are you going to keep us in suspense?” one of the leaders barked at Him. “If you are the Christ, then just tell us plainly!”
“I’ve already told you,” Jesus answered, “but you won’t believe.”
“When have you told us?” the Pharisee shot back.
“The works that I do in My Father’s name bear witness of who I am,” Jesus returned. “But there is a very good reason why you don’t believe. You are not My sheep.”
At this point Jesus turned and looked at His disciples. “My sheep hear My voice. I know them, and I know their hearts. Because they are My sheep, they follow Me.
“Is that so?” one of the leaders answered sarcastically as he glared at the small band of disciples. “And what do they get out of it…wandering all over the place, listening to your crazy teachings while their businesses and their families suffer?”
“I give eternal life to them,” the Teacher returned, “and they shall never perish. And don’t try to discourage them because no one shall snatch them out of my hand. They are secure with Me. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is the greatest, and no one can snatch them out of His hand either.”
“How can that be?” the Pharisee shot back.
“It can be,” Jesus answered confidently, “because the Father and I are the same.”
“Okay, that’s it!” one of the leaders called to the others. “Get some stones! We’re getting rid of this blasphemer right now!”
Jesus looked at the man and calmly asked, “I’ve shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?”
“WHAT?” the Pharisee exclaimed. “We aren’t stoning you for a good work! You just blasphemed!”
“Did I?” Jesus asked innocently.
“Yes, you did! You’re making yourself out to be God when you’re just a man!”
“Hmmm,” Jesus responded. “Let me ask you something. Doesn’t it say in your Law in the book of Psalms, ‘I said, you are gods?’”
“Is that really in the Psalms?” John asked Judas, who was standing near him.
“Yes,” Judas chuckled. “Asaph wrote it.”
“If the writer called them gods to whom the word of God came,” Jesus continued, “(and you know that all scripture is true), how can you say to the One Who the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You’re blaspheming,’ when all I said is that I’m the Son of God?”
“Don’t listen to him, Elias!” one of the Pharisees called to the leader. “He’s just trying to confuse you!”
“Okay,” Jesus returned, “I’ll make it simple. If I don’t do the works of My Father, then don’t believe Me; but if you see God’s works happening through Me, then even if you don’t believe Me, believe the works. Stop and consider what you’re actually seeing. God is working through Me. You need to understand that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father.”
Turning to the other religious leaders, Elias announced, “You’re right! He’s just trying to confuse us with all of his babbling! Let’s end this now! Hand me a stone.”
Grabbing the offered rock, Elias and the others turned to attack their enemy, but Jesus and his disciples were gone.
“WHAT? HE WAS RIGHT HERE! WHERE DID HE GO? FIND HIM!”
“They don’t see us!” John whispered excitedly to the others as Jesus led them through the crowd and out of the temple.
“Yeah,” Andrew answered. “It’s just like before. The Teacher took away their light.”
“I love it when He does stuff like this!” John returned.

With the tension being so high in Jerusalem, Jesus decided to leave before the end of the feast. He led His followers across the Jordan River to a place where John the Baptizer had first preached and stayed there for a few days. When the people in the surrounding villages heard that Jesus was there, they came out to hear Him teach.
“You know,” one of the men listening said to his neighbor, “It’s just like when John was here preaching.”
“I know what you mean,” the friend returned. “I really miss John, but he said that someone greater than him was coming.”
“I was here when John pointed to Jesus and said that He was the coming one,” the first man agreed. “And you know what? The whole time John preached, he never performed a single miraculous sign, yet everything he said about this man was true.”
“I believe in Him,” the friend returned confidently.
“So do I!”
“He’s the Christ!” said a man nearby, who had overheard the conversation.
“Lord, the people just want to see You perform a sign,” Rock said when Jesus had finished His teaching. “They need to know that You are from God.”
Jesus looked into His disciples eyes and said, “Rock…I am the sign.”

By Alan W. Harris
(Inspired by John 10: 22-42)

(* Psalm 82:6)

21 – The Man Born Blind (part 2)

The man born blind cried out, “Lord, I believe! I believe in You!” As he proclaimed his faith, he fell on his knees and worshipped the One who had healed him.
Looking around, Jesus saw several Pharisees were standing nearby, listening carefully to all that He said. Speaking loudly so that the religious leaders as well as His disciples could hear, Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment to take place, so that those who haven’t been seeing may see and that those who think they see may realize their blindness.”
“Hey, Teacher!” one of the Pharisees said with a laugh. “You aren’t saying that we’re blind too, are you…because we’re looking right at you.”
“That’s your problem,” Jesus returned. “If you recognized your blindness, you could come to Me and escape your wickedness, but because you say, ‘We see,’ you remain stuck in your sinful state.”
“How dare you?” one of the Pharisees shot back. “We are Pharisees, men of God! We are God’s flock!”
“I’m telling you the truth—the absolute truth,” Jesus answered confidently, “God’s sheep enter His sheepfold by the door, the same way a shepherd would enter. Anyone who tries to climb in some other way is a thief and a robber. But the doorkeeper opens the door for the shepherd, and he calls his sheep by name. The sheep hear his voice, and the shepherd leads them out. Do you know why the sheep follow the shepherd? It’s because they know his voice. If a stranger calls to the sheep, they’ll run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
“Do you have any idea what he’s saying?” one of the Pharisees asked his companion.
“No, I don’t!” the other answered. “He said we are blind even though we’re looking at him, and then he’s discussing sheepfolds and doors and shepherds. I think he’s crazy.”
“Hey, Teacher,” the first called out, “what are you talking about?”
“Okay,” Jesus answered, “I’ll explain it for you. I’m telling you the truth—the absolute truth. I am the door of the sheep.”
The Pharisees stared at Him with a look of stunned confusion on their faces.
“All who came before Me were thieves and robbers,” Jesus continued, “but the sheep did not hear them. As I said, I am the door. If you want to be saved, you have to enter through Me. My sheep find pasture, water, and rest only through Me. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I came to give My sheep the most wonderful and amazing life possible, an abundant life that lasts forever!”
“So you’re a door,” the first Pharisee said with a sarcastic smile.
“I am also the good shepherd,” Jesus returned, smiling back.
“The good shepherd?”
“Yes,” Jesus answered. “The good shepherd loves the sheep so much that He is willing to give His life for them. There are some who want to lead the sheep who claim to be shepherds but are not. They are only there to get something for themselves. As soon as they see the wolf coming, these hirelings run off, leaving the sheep to be attacked and scattered. The hireling runs off because he isn’t concerned for the sheep but only for himself. The good shepherd won’t do that, and the sheep know it. I know who My sheep are, and they know Me, just like the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I am the good shepherd, and I am willing to lay down My life for the sheep.”
“I see. So are these your sheep?” the Pharisee asked mockingly, pointing to the disciples. “I mean, it’s a pretty pathetic looking flock.” The other Pharisees laughed.
“They are My sheep,” Jesus answered, smiling at his disciples, “and I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also. Even though they are not of this fold, they are still My sheep, and they will hear My voice. They will come and be one flock, and they will have one shepherd.
“This is why the Father loves Me—because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.”
“There he goes again, talkin’ crazy,” one of the Pharisees said.
“No one takes my life from Me,” Jesus said firmly, looking straight into the eyes of the Pharisee. “No one! I have the authority to lay it down when I want to, and I have the authority to take it back up again. This commandment I received directly from My Father!”
“Let’s…uh…let’s get out of here,” the first Pharisee said observing the determined look in the Teacher’s eyes. “This guy’s crazy.”
“Or demon possessed,” added another. “Why keep listening to him?”
“These are not the words of someone with a demon.”
“Hanan, what is it with you?” the first Pharisee asked accusingly of the religious leader who defended Jesus.
Hanan turned to face the speaker. “He opened the eyes of a man born blind, for goodness sake! A demon can’t do that, can he?”
Huffing their disapproval the other Pharisees turned and pushed away from the small crowd. With a sigh Hanan turned and looked at Jesus. The Teacher smiled and nodded approvingly at the honest-hearted religious leader.

By Alan W. Harris
(Inspired by John 9:38-10:21)

20 – The Man Born Blind

“Wow! Can you believe that?” John said to the other disciples as they followed Jesus out of the temple and down toward the lower city of Jerusalem. “The Pharisees had those guys so worked up they were going to kill Jesus. They even came running in with stones to do it, but they couldn’t see us! They ran right by us and couldn’t see us!”
“Yeah,” agreed Phillip. “It was like they were blind.”
“Speaking of being blind,” Nathaniel added, “look at this guy.” He said this in reference to a beggar sitting on the side of the street near them.
“I can’t read the sign around his neck,” Matthew called from the back of the group. “What does it say?”
“It says, ‘I was born blind. Please give,’” Andrew answered.
“Born blind!” Matthew called back. “That’s awful! Teacher, was he born blind because of his parents’ sins or some sin that God knew he was going to commit?”
Jesus had stopped in front of the seated beggar and looked compassionately at him. “It was neither the man’s sin nor his parents’ that caused this. The blindness has been given to him so that the works of God could be revealed in him.
“The Father has sent Me to do His works, and I only have a certain amount of time to accomplish them. One day I will be taken from you, but while I am here, I am the light of the world. The Father wants Me to give our friend here some of that light.”
Jesus knelt down to be closer to the blind man. “Hello, my friend, I am Jesus of Nazareth. Do you know who I am?”
“I have heard of you,” the beggar returned. “It is said that you are a miracle worker.”
“My Father in heaven has a gift for you.” After saying these words, Jesus spit on the ground. With his finger He worked the spit into the dirt until He had formed a small amount of clay.
“Don’t be afraid,” Jesus said to the blind man. “I’m going to touch your eyes with this clay I’ve made.” Very gently the Son of God smeared the mud across the man’s useless eyes.
The beggar immediately pulled back and, sensing the grainy, wet dirt on his face, tried to wipe it off with the back of his hand.
“I have done my part,” Jesus told him. “Now you must do your part. I want you to go to the pool of Siloam. It isn’t far away.”
“I know where it is,” the blind beggar said eagerly as he grabbed his staff and pushed himself to his feet.
“Go to Siloam,” Jesus continued, “and wash your face in the pool, and you will receive your gift.”
Immediately the man hurried down the street, tapping his staff in front of him to find his way. He traveled urgently along the busy street for several minutes, finally stopping when he bumped into a couple of men who were talking in front of him.
“Hey!” one of them snapped but then noticed the man’s blindness.
“I’m sorry, sir” the blind man returned, “but can you tell me, is Siloam near?”
“It’s right here. To your left.”
Without a response the beggar hurried past the men. He had been there before and remembered the stone steps that led down to the water, so he pushed the tip of his staff in front of him until he felt it drop off the first step. Eagerly the man tossed his staff aside, dropped to his knees, and crawled down the steps until his hand touched the cool water. Cupping up two handfuls, he quickly rubbed his face with the water. Then, to be sure, he plunged his head into the water, using his hands to wash away the dried mud. When he could feel no more clay, he pulled his head out of the water.
Instantly the most amazing sensation occurred. Indescribable light made itself visible to him. Where black nothingness had been, suddenly there were colors! There were images of things that up until this moment he had only known by the touch of his fingers! He was stunned beyond words. He looked at his hands and wiggled his fingers. He looked at the water in the large pool. He looked at the blue sky and gasped at the birds and the white fluffy clouds. He looked at the people all around him, who were oblivious to the fact that one of the most amazing miracles ever had happened right there beside them. Just at that moment he spotted an ant crawling along the step beside him, and he began to cry at the wonder of it all.
He was unaware of how long he sat there looking at everything around him in amazement, but finally he felt the overwhelming urge to tell his friends and family the wonderful news. Springing to his feet, he hurried to his home, taking the twists and turns he had memorized for years. On the way he pointed out the sign around his neck to all he met, declaring that he had been given his sight.
As he drew closer to his own neighborhood, he heard a voice he recognized, although the face was new. “You are Asa!” he said excitedly as he studied his friend’s face for the first time.
His companion stared at the beggar and said, “You look like Ephraim, but he’s blind.”
“I AM Ephraim, Asa!” the man shot back excitedly. “It’s really me!”
“Ephraim, what happened?” Asa asked in wonder. “How can you see?”
“The Teacher Jesus came to me as I was begging, and He healed me!”
“But you were BORN blind!”
“I know!” Ephraim laughed. “It’s impossible! But He healed me anyway!”
The excitement soon spread to those nearby, and a crowd formed around the man, all eager to hear about the amazing thing that had happened.
“Where is the one who healed you?” someone asked as he finished retelling the story.
“I don’t know,” was his honest answer.
Suddenly his friend Asa grabbed his shoulder. “This is an astonishing miracle, Ephraim! No one has ever heard of anything like this before! You must tell the religious leaders what has happened!” Without waiting for an answer, Asa escorted his friend to the synagogue. Many in the crowd followed.
Expecting the Pharisees to be excited to hear the news of God’s great power in his life, Ephraim eagerly told his story.
“The Galilean teacher did this TODAY?” one of the religious leaders shouted angrily. “It’s the Sabbath! How dare he heal on the Sabbath? We know this man! He is a charlatan who has done nothing but cause trouble! He shows no regard for the Law of Moses or the teaching of the elders. That is why we have decided that anyone who supports this false teacher will be thrown out of the synagogue…PERMANENTLY! Now, tell us exactly what the teacher did.”
At the hearing of these words, many of the others quickly exited the synagogue, leaving Ephraim alone before the angry Pharisees.
“Well, uh,” Ephraim began nervously. “I was begging in the lower city when Jesus approached me. He told me His name, and then He said God had a gift for me. He made some clay from the dirt on the ground and wiped it on my eyes. Then He told me to wash in Siloam. I did, and now I can see.”
“So not only did this Galilean heal you on the Sabbath,” one of the Pharisees charged, “but he also worked on the Sabbath to make the clay! This teacher is not from God because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath!”
“But how can a sinner perform such signs?” another of the religious leaders asked.
“Now don’t you start again, Hanan! One who is truly from God keeps the Sabbath!”
“But he has these powers,” Hanan persisted.
Then turning to the healed beggar, Hanan asked, “What do you say about this teacher since he opened your eyes?”
“He is a prophet,” Ephraim announced confidently.
“That’s ridiculous!” the first Pharisee shot back. “How do we even know that this man was born blind in the first place? Somebody get his family in here! We need to ask them some questions.”
“I will get them, sir!” Asa answered quickly from near the door and rushed out of the building.
Within a few minutes Ephraim’s parents were hustled unceremoniously into the tense meeting. Ephraim noticed that his “friend” Asa didn’t bother to stick around. His parents were obviously intimidated by the situation.
The Pharisees saw this too and confronted the parents harshly. “Is this your son who you say was born blind?”
Both parents nodded humbly.
“Then how does he now see?” the Pharisee demanded.
The father gathered his courage to answer the question. “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind, but we don’t know how he got his sight.” Asa had informed Ephraim’s parents of the Pharisees’ threat to throw anyone out of the synagogue who supported Jesus. Fearful of the anger of the religious leaders, Ephraim’s father announced, “Our son is old enough to speak for himself. Ask him.”
There was some confusion among the religious leaders as to what to do next, so they ordered everyone out while they had a private consultation. When they had decided on a plan of action, the Pharisees ordered the former beggar to return. As soon as he did so, one of the leaders, expecting Ephraim to be as intimidated as his parents, announced, “Give glory to God for your healing because we know that this Galilean teacher is a sinner.”
Disgusted at their hypocrisy, Ephraim answered confidently, “Whether He’s a sinner or not, I don’t know, but the one thing I do know is that I was blind, then I met Jesus, and now I see.”
Angry and frustrated, the Pharisees demanded, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
“I told you already,” Ephraim shot back, “and you wouldn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become His disciples too, do you?”
“You are his disciple!” the leader of the Pharisees spat angrily. “We are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we don’t know where he’s from!”
“Well, that’s an amazing thing,” Ephraim returned, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You don’t know where He’s from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God doesn’t hear sinners. It’s only those who are God-fearing and who do His will that God will hear. In all of history, no one has ever opened the eyes of a person born blind until today. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
Leaping to his feet, the leader of the Pharisees furiously pointed at the former beggar and snapped, “Y…y…you were born the vilest of sinners, and would you try to teach us? Get out of this synagogue, and don’t you ever come back!”
When word got to Jesus that they had thrown the fellow He had healed out of the synagogue, He went to find him. Walking up to the man, Jesus said, “I heard that you got attacked by the Pharisees when you stood for the truth. I want to ask you a question. Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
The voice sounded familiar to Ephraim, but he had never seen the face before, so he asked, “Sir, who is this Son of Man that I may believe in Him?”
“He is the one who is speaking to you,” Jesus answered as He placed his hand on Ephraim’s shoulder.
“IT’S YOU!” Ephraim gasped remembering where he had heard the voice before.
With a big smile Jesus answered, “Not only have you heard the voice of the Son of Man, but now you have seen Him with your own eyes.”
“Lord, I believe in You!” Ephraim confessed as he knelt and worshiped his Lord.
[To be continued.]

By Alan W. Harris
(Inspired by John 9: 1-38)

19 – Are you in the Light or the Darkness

After Jesus rescued the adulterous woman and sent her on her way, He returned to the steps in Solomon’s Porch. This was in the area known as the Treasury, which was also called the Court of Women.
As the Master sat, preparing to continue His instruction, someone in the crowd called out, “Teacher, why do the religious leaders want to kill you?” As soon as the man said it, his companion beside him gave him a warning jab with his elbow. Looking around, the speaker was dismayed to see that several Pharisees had returned to listen to what the Galilean troublemaker said to the crowd.
Jesus, aware of the presence of his enemies, answered the man with a clear voice that carried to all who were there. “The reason these men want to kill Me is because they do not know Me or My Father. They live their lives in the darkness and cannot see the truth, even when it is right in front of their faces. Even though I came to shine the light of truth into the darkness, there is little hope for these men because they love the darkness. They want to kill Me because I am the light of the world. The person who follows Me will not walk in the darkness of the world and the lies of the enemy. Instead, My followers will live in the light that brightly shines from My life in them.”
The listening Pharisees had heard enough and called out to the Teacher, “All of this stuff you’re saying about yourself can’t be taken seriously because you’re just witnessing about yourself! If what you’re saying is true, then where are your other witnesses?”
Jesus stopped and turned to face the gloating Pharisees. “Even if I am My own witness, My words are still true because I know where I came from and where I am going. But since you live in the darkness, you don’t know anything about Me.
“You’re standing over there judging Me, not by the truth, but based on what your darkened hearts think. I’m not judging you or anyone else. If I were to judge you, My judgment would be true because I would not be alone in it. I and the One Who sent Me would be judging together.
“As far as My witnesses are concerned, your own law says that the testimony of two men is true. I bear witness of Myself, and the Father Who sent Me also bears witness of Me.”
“What are you talking about?” the Pharisee yelled back. “Where is your father?”
“It’s like I said,” Jesus returned. “Because you are in the darkness, you are blind to the truth.”
“What truth?” the angry Pharisee shot back.
“The truth about Me and My Father. Because of your blindness, you don’t know who I am, nor do you know who My Father is. If you were in the light, you would not only know Me, but you would know My Father also.”
The more the religious leaders listened to the Teacher’s words, the more their hatred of Him grew, but their fear of the crowd kept them from trying to seize Jesus.
“I will go away,” Jesus called out, “and you will look for Me. Not only will you not find Me, but you will die in your sin. Because you choose to dwell in the darkness, you cannot come where I am going.”
“He keeps saying that,” one of the Pharisees said to his companion. “What’s he going to do, kill himself?”
“You can’t understand My words because you are in the darkness while I am the light; you are from below, while I am from above; you are of this world while I am not of this world. That’s why I said that you would die in your sins. Because unless you believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.”
“Wait! What did he say?” one of the Pharisees asked with a shocked look on his face. “Surely he didn’t call himself I AM. That’s God’s name!”
In response the other religious leader called out to Jesus, “What are you saying about yourself? Who are you?”
“I’m saying the same things I have always said,” Jesus returned, “but you can’t understand. I have many things to say about you and much to judge you for, but it’s not time for that yet. It’s the Father’s words that I came to speak, and His words are true. Whatever I hear from Him, I am speaking to the world.”
“Does any of that make sense to you?” one Pharisee asked the other.
“No, it doesn’t,” the other snapped. “I think he’s crazy.”
“There is coming a day,” Jesus said, “when you will lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM and that I do nothing on My own initiative. Everything I say is coming from the Father. I don’t worry about what you may do to Me because I am not alone. My Father is continually with Me, and I always do what is pleasing to Him.”
“Heh, heh,” laughed a man standing close to the Pharisees, “I guess he told you guys a thing or two!”
“You mean you’re supporting this crazy man?” one of the religious leaders asked.
“Yes, I am,” the man shot back, “and not only do I support Him, I believe in Him.”
“Yeah, me too!” said another man nearby. Several others echoed the same words.
“There you go!” the first man sneered back. “So go stuff THAT in your phylactery! Heh, heh, heh!”
Jesus, aware that some in the crowd had expressed faith in Him, spoke to them. “If any of you are interested in being My disciples, you must live your lives according to My words. Only then will you know the truth and be set truly free.”
“What do you mean ‘be set free’?” the man who had argued with the Pharisees called out. “We ain’t slaves! We’re Abraham’s children!”
“I’m telling you the truth—the absolute truth,” Jesus called back. “Everyone who continues in his sin is enslaved to sin, and slaves to sin will not inherit the Father’s blessings. But if the Father’s Son makes you free, you shall be absolutely free.”
“And I’m tellin’ YOU,” the man shot back angrily, “we ain’t slaves!
“Who does that guy think he is, callin’ us slaves?” snapped the man to his friends. “We ain’t slaves to nobody!”
Then turning to Jesus, he called out again, “You better watch yer mouth, Teacher! You keep sayin’ junk like that, an’ we’ll let the Pharisees have you! We ain’t slaves! We’re Abraham’s children!”
“I know you are Abraham’s children,” Jesus returned, “and yet you seek to kill me because you can’t receive My word. I speak the words My Father has given Me, and you do the things your father tells you.”
“Abraham is our father,” the man shot back belligerently.
“You tell him, Saul!” a friend nearby encouraged him.
“If you are Abraham’s children, then do the deeds of Abraham,” Jesus quickly replied. “But as it is, you’re seeking to kill Me simply because I told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham never did anything like that. You’re doing the deeds of your father.”
“We weren’t born illegitimate!” Saul roared back. “We have one Father, and that’s God!”
“If God were your Father,” Jesus returned, “then you would love Me because I came from God. I didn’t come here on My own initiative; God sent Me. You don’t understand what I’m saying because you live in the darkness. You can’t hear My words, and you can’t see who I am. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and there’s no truth in him. Because he’s a liar, it is his nature to lie, and you as his children accept what he says. I told you the truth, but you won’t believe Me.
“Because you are consumed with the darkness, you think I’m evil, but none of you convicts Me of sin. If I speak the truth, why won’t you believe Me? He who is of God hears the words that God speaks. The reason you don’t hear them is because you are not of God.”
By now the Pharisees had joined forces with Saul and his friends. “Well, everybody,” one of the Pharisees called out, “I think that proves it. This guy is a Samaritan and has a demon!” Much derisive laughter followed this insult.
“I don’t have a demon,” Jesus returned, defending the Holy Spirit, “but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. I’m not seeking My own glory. God will take care of all that. I’m telling you the truth—the absolute truth: if anyone comes to the light and hears My words, they will never see death.”
“Now we know you have a demon,” Saul roared back with a laugh. “Abraham and the prophets died. Are you better than all of them? Who do you think you are?”
“This is not going well,” Judas whispered to John, who was standing beside him.
“It means nothing if I say things to glorify Myself,” Jesus answered. “When it’s time for Me to be glorified, My Father, the One you call your God, will do it. But how can He be your God when you don’t know Him? I know Him. In fact, if I said I didn’t know Him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know Him, and I keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and when he saw it, he was glad.”
“You aren’t even fifty years old yet,” Saul shot back, “and you say you’ve seen Abraham?”
“Uh oh,” Judas hissed anxiously.
“I’m telling you the truth—the absolute truth,” Jesus said confidently. “Before Abraham was born, I AM.”
“Did you hear him?” one of the Pharisees yelled. “He did it again! He used God’s name for himself!”
“GET STONES!” Saul yelled to those around him. “WE’LL DRAG HIM FROM THE TEMPLE AND KILL HIM OUTSIDE!”
Many in the crowd rushed to find rocks to throw.
“Master, we’ve got to run!” Rock urged when he realized what was about to happen.
“Follow me,” Jesus said calmly and began to walk casually through the large group of people.
“Teacher, we need to run! The men who want to kill You are coming back with stones!”
Jesus actually stopped when he heard John’s anxious cry. He turned to His disciples even as the angry mob of murders rushed towards them. “Don’t be afraid, My friends,” Jesus said with a smile. “My time has not yet come.”
As He said these words, the rock throwers rushed past them to the steps where Jesus had been sitting. “Where is he?” they yelled anxiously. “Where did he go?”
“Teacher, they ran right by us, and now they are looking straight at us, but they don’t see us!” Matthew said what they all were thinking.
“Why can’t they see us, Lord?” Thomas asked.
“Because they are in the darkness,” Jesus answered. “As I said, I am the light of the world. For a brief time My Father gave them enough light to see Me and hear the words He gave Me to say, but they love the darkness too much to receive them. Now, because they rejected God’s words, the light has been taken from them, and we are hidden. And I say to each of you, do not reject the light that God brings to you, otherwise He may hide it from you as well. Come, let’s be going.”
By Alan W. Harris
(Inspired by John 8:12-59)

18 – Undeserved Mercy

“Wake up, friends. My Father has work for Me to do.”
With a yawn and a stretch, Rock pushed himself up from the ground where he and the others had been sleeping in the Gethsemane garden. He gave rough shakes to John and Andrew, who were snoring beside him. “Hey!” he called loudly to the others. “Get up! The Teacher wants to go.”
“But it’s still dark!” John complained.
“It’ll be light soon,” Jesus answered with a chuckle. “It’s almost time for the morning sacrifice.”
As John’s foggy mind cleared, he realized the implications of what his Master had said. “Are we not going back to Galilee, now that the feast is over?”
The rest of the disciples stopped to hear the answer to John’s question.
“Not yet,” the Lord answered. “There is more work to do here in Jerusalem.”
“But, Master,” Rock pleaded, “the longer You stay here, the more dangerous it will get. All the religious leaders need is time to get their plans started back up, and they will try to kill you!”
The vigorous nods from the others showed their eager agreement with Rock’s words.
“My dear friends,” Jesus returned with a calming smile, “don’t you realize that the safest place you can be is doing the will of the Father? Besides, My time has not yet come.” Still smiling, Jesus began hurriedly walking out of the garden and down the hill toward Jerusalem.
The eastern sky glowed red as the Teacher and His followers joined the many others who had arrived to pray in the temple as the morning sacrifice was offered. A lot of the crowd who had come to Jerusalem for the feast were preparing to leave for their homes, but quite a number chose to stay a few more days to enjoy the temple and the activities associated with it. Many of that group remained in the hope of experiencing more of the words and the miracles of Jesus. After the prayers for the burnt offering were finished, the people saw the Teacher from Nazareth leave the altar court and enter Solomon’s Porch. As one they hurried to follow.
Finding his usual spot on the steps near the center of the large portico, Jesus sat and taught those who quickly gathered around Him. Jesus told them about the holiness of God and the vileness of breaking God’s commands. “The Laws of God are not about rule keeping,” Jesus said, “but about teaching you what the Father is like.” Once again He urged His listeners to humble themselves before the Father in Heaven and turn from their sinfulness. He told them that it was not God’s will that any of them perish but that they should all repent. There were more stories about the goodness of God. He said that God was like a father who had two sons, one obedient but stubborn and hard hearted, and the other wild and rebellious. When Jesus finished, everyone was amazed at how the father was able to express his deep, compassionate love for both of them. Not a few in the crowd searched their own hearts to determine which of the sons that they were like.
Shortly after Jesus began speaking, Rock noticed a group of Pharisees standing in the back of the crowd watching. After several minutes of listening, they quickly left, but that only made Rock more nervous.
Everything went smoothly until the middle of the afternoon. The angry yelling of men and a woman’s cries of anguish interrupted the Teacher’s lesson. A group of passionate scribes and Pharisees shoved their way through the crowd until they stood before Jesus. A sobbing woman wearing only a blanket was shoved roughly at the feet of the Teacher.
Jesus quickly stepped down and stood in front of the woman and the men. The look on the Teacher’s face was enough to discourage anyone from abusing the woman any further.
“TEACHER,” one of the Pharisees said loudly enough for all in the crowd to hear, “THIS WOMAN HAS BEEN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY—IN THE VERY ACT! NOW, IN THE LAW OF MOSES WE ARE COMMANDED TO STONE SUCH WOMEN. WHAT DO YOU SAY?”
“Why is he yelling so loudly?” John whispered to Judas, who was beside him.
“Look up there,” Judas answered and pointed to the north wall of the temple. As John observed, he saw a number of Roman soldiers leaning over the top of the wall and listening carefully to all that was happening below. Years ago the Romans had built the Fortress Antonia against the north wall of the temple and made it tall enough that they could easily keep a watchful eye on all that happened there. Even as he gazed at the soldiers above them, John saw a centurion join the soldiers.
“Who cares if the Romans are watching?” John asked.
“Maybe your Galilean brain can’t recognize it,” Judas teased, “but this is a trap.”
“A trap?”
“Yes,” Judas answered. “The scribes and Pharisees are trying to force the Teacher to either break the Law of Moses by not condemning the woman, or break the Roman law by calling for her death.”
“Oh, yeah,” John returned as he finally understood. “I forgot. Only the Romans can order someone’s execution. We need to warn the Master!”
“Calm down, young one. I’m sure Jesus saw through their plot before we did.”
“But He’s not answering them,” John shot back. “It’s like He’s not even paying attention to them! He’s stooped down and is drawing or writing something on the ground. What’s he doing that for?”
“How should I know?” Judas snapped. “Keep quiet and watch!”
“WELL, WHAT’S IT GOING TO BE, TEACHER?” the Pharisee called loudly. “WE’RE ALL WAITING FOR YOUR ANSWER! IS SHE TO BE STONED, OR ARE YOU GOING TO BREAK THE LAW OF MOSES?” More of the gang of angry religious leaders shouted at Jesus to make His choice.
Finally the Lord straightened up. He looked first at the terrified woman on the ground and then into the eyes of the angry mob. “Whichever one of you who has no sin in his life can be the first to throw a stone at her.” After speaking, Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground again.
Until now all eyes had been on Jesus, but after hearing the Lord’s words, the religious leaders suddenly felt that every eye in the large crowd was staring at them. Whatever disdain the crowd may have felt against the adulterous woman had now been transferred to them, and the pressure was more than they were prepared to face. The older and wiser among them were the quickest to feel the accusations of the Teacher’s words and were the first to turn and leave. A brief moment later even the younger hot-heads realized that they had lost the battle and followed their elders.
After they were gone, Jesus stood back up and looked at the woman still cowering on the floor. “Where are your accusers?” the Teacher asked. “Is there no one here to condemn you?”
“No, sir,” she replied softly, pulling the blanket more tightly around her.
Reaching down, Jesus extended His hand and helped her to her feet. “Then I’m not going to condemn you either. You may go, but from now on give up your life of sin.”
She humbly nodded her understanding and, for the briefest of moments, looked into the eyes of the One who saved her. Later she had difficulty describing what she had seen in those eyes—compassion, tenderness, and something else—perhaps a deep concern. Could she dare call it love for her? Maybe, but regardless, she was touched by it. Whatever this Teacher was calling people to, she wanted it.

By Alan W. Harris

Inspired by (John 8: 1-11)

17 – Jesus: Is He Who You Think He Is?

When Jesus finished speaking on the last day of the Feast of Booths, He led his followers through the crowd who had gathered in the temple to listen. The disciples nervously shifted their eyes back and forth, expecting the ambush that never came.
“We may actually make it out of here alive!” James said to Rock as they followed their Master out of the temple.
“Maybe,” Rock returned. “Some guards showed up over an hour ago and were listening. I thought sure they would stop the Teacher and arrest us all, but they never did.”
“I guess Jesus’s idea to arrive late messed up the rulers’ plans to capture Him,” James said.
“We’ll see,” the skeptical Rock answered. “We aren’t safely out of here and back in Galilee yet, and you know those snakes will try everything they can to destroy the Master.”
As Jesus and His disciples made their way through the multitude, there was much animated discussion going on all around them.
“This man has got to be the great prophet Moses said was coming,” one said.
“Are you kidding me?” another answered. “Jesus is the Christ!”
“That can’t be,” someone else shot back. “This guy’s from Galilee. The Christ isn’t coming from Galilee. The scripture says the Christ will be David’s descendent and will come from Bethlehem.”
“He’s a fraud!” another called out. “Just look at him. He’s no Christ.”
People in the crowd quickly took sides as more arguments erupted. Some even wanted to seize Jesus, but no one did. Even those sent by the religious leaders turned and left.
When the guards returned empty handed to the chief priests, Caiaphas demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him?”
The temple soldiers looked at each other. Finally the officer in charge made a sheepish face and said, “We’ve never heard anyone speak like this man does.”
The gathering of religious leaders exploded with anger at these words. “Have all of you decided to become his followers as well?” a Pharisee screamed. “Not one of the rulers or the Pharisees has believed in this crazy teacher, have they?”
“But a lot of the people think he’s the Christ,” the officer said defensively.
“So you’re going to trust this cursed mob?” Caiaphas shot back. “Who are they to determine who the Christ is? They have no idea what the Law says!”
“Let’s not be so quick to judge, brothers.” The words were spoken by the teacher Nicodemus. His mind had been churning with questions about Jesus since he had made the secret trip at night to talk to the Teacher. “Our Law tells us not to judge a man unless we first give him a hearing and find out the truth about what he is doing.”
“Are you from Galilee as well?” an angry, red-faced Caiaphas shot back. “You’re supposed to know so much! Why don’t you start using some of that great learning? Search the scriptures and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee!”
That effectively ended the meeting. As everyone was leaving, Joseph of Arimathea saw his friend Nicodemus rush out. Afraid that the chief priest’s angry rebuke had upset him, Joseph hurried to follow. Try as he might, Joseph was unable to catch his friend, but it was clear that Nicodemus was headed to his house in the upper city.
“The master just ran upstairs to his study,” the servant said as he opened the door for Joseph.
A rapid climb up the stairs revealed a fascinating scene. Nicodemus was frantically grabbing scrolls and sheets of parchment from shelves, looking at them, then flinging them back.
“What are you doing?”
“That thing that Caiaphas said,” Nicodemus shot back, “it’s not right! I know it’s not right! I remember reading something about that in the book of the prophet Isaiah. I just have to find my notes!” More papers and scrolls were grabbed and tossed back until finally the scholar’s eyes landed on the sought-for parchment. “HERE! IT’S HERE! Listen to this, Joseph! It’s from Isaiah! There will be no gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
“Okay, that’s obviously talking about the area of Galilee,” Joseph answered, “but it says nothing about a prophet.”
“Let me finish reading it to you!” Nicodemus returned excitedly. “It goes on to say this: The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. You will multiply the nation, You will increase their gladness; they will be glad in Your presence…
“What do you think that means?” Nicodemus asked his friend.
“That God’s going to shine a great light on the people of Galilee,” Joseph returned thoughtfully.
“I don’t believe Isaiah meant an actual light,” Nicodemus added. “Most likely he’s referring to a great enlightenment that God will bring to that area.”
“A REVELATION!” Joseph agreed excitedly.
“Exactly!” the scholar agreed. “And isn’t that what Jesus has said about Himself? On a number of occasions He has said that He has come from the Father in heaven to give us God’s words and to show us what His heavenly Father is like.”
“Isaiah is telling us that something wonderful from God is coming out of Galilee!” Joseph announced with conviction.
“And it looks to me,” Nicodemus added, “that the something could be Jesus!”
“Are you going to share this information with Caiaphas?”
Nicodemus thought on this question for several long moments. Finally he said, “I think it’s clear that the chief priests have made up their minds about Jesus. There’s nothing in this passage that will change their opinions. We shall keep this information to ourselves for the time being and only share it with those we know who have honest hearts. I still have a lot of questions about the Teacher.”
“Yeah, me too,” Joseph agreed, “like, if He’s really the Messiah, then why isn’t He acting like one?”
Nicodemus thought on this for a moment and then said, “You know, my friend, maybe He is, and we are the ones who have the wrong idea of how the Messiah is supposed to be.”
The End

By Alan W. Harris
(Inspired by John 7:40-53)

16 – The Feast of Booths

When Jesus and His followers returned to Capernaum from their short teaching trip, only a few people remained in town. The majority of the population had left to travel to Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths.
“So we aren’t going to the feast, Teacher?” Matthew asked what they were all wondering.
“Actually we are going,” Jesus returned. “I just didn’t want anyone to know we’re going.
“My friends, things have changed, and we are going to have to do things differently from now on. Our enemies have become more focused in their plans to destroy Me, but I cannot let them succeed until My time has fully come. Get whatever we need to take with us. We will leave for Jerusalem tomorrow morning.”

“I’ve never seen it like this before!” Aaron of Bethphage said to his brother-in-law Tobias as they entered the temple in Jerusalem. “The Pharisees are harassing everyone.”
“I know!” Tobias agreed. “They’re all looking for the teacher Jesus.”
“They want to kill him,” Aaron said confidently. “I’ve heard them talking. It’s not just the Pharisees either. The chief priests and all the Sadducees are in on it as well.”
“The guy heals people, casts out demons, and teaches people about God,” Tobias shot back. “He’s a good man. They should leave him alone.”
“No, he’s not a good man!” said a man standing nearby that neither of them knew. “Jesus is a liar, and he’s leading the people astray. I’ve heard that he even claims to be the Son of God! That’s blasphemy!”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” a different man growled loudly. “Jesus healed a lot of people in my town! He’s a good man, an’ I’ll punch anyone in the face who says otherwise!”
With a glance at each other, Aaron and Tobias slipped away from the argument.

After two days of searching for Jesus at the feast and not finding Him, the religious leaders finally concluded that the controversial teacher must have decided not to come. All of the people they had enlisted to help capture and kill Jesus were told to stand down and go enjoy the feast. The very next day, a man with his prayer shawl on his head wove his way through the crowd of worshipers at the temple. Arriving at some steps near the center of Solomon’s Porch, the man pulled off the shawl.
“Look, it’s Jesus, the teacher from Galilee!” a voice nearby cried out, and the multitude drew near.
In a loud, clear voice, Jesus began to speak to the people. He told them a story about a rich man who was not rich toward God and the terrible consequences he faced. Jesus told them how much the Father cares for them and that they should trust in Him and not worry about things. “If you’re going to seek after something,” He said, “then seek after God’s reign in your life. That’s the most important thing. If you do that, then God will take care of everything else.”
When it was reported to the religious leaders that Jesus was in the temple speaking to the people, they were stunned and sent two of their number to see if the report was true. The spies couldn’t get close to Jesus because of the crowd, but they could see Him and could clearly hear His words. After listening to the Teacher for several minutes, one of the Pharisees asked his companion, “He’s from some podunk place in Galilee, right?”
“Right,” came the answer.
“And he’s never been educated, right?”
“Right.”
“Well, listen to his reasoning, his stories, his message….How did he get all this learning?”
As soon as the Pharisee asked this of his companion, Jesus called out, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”
The Pharisees were dumbfounded. “There’s no way he could have heard me ask that,” the first one said. “We’re too far away!”
“He shouldn’t have been able to,” the second answered, “but He’s looking straight at us.”
“If you’re ready to do God’s will,” Jesus called over the crowd, “then you will know if My teaching comes from Me or the One who sent Me. He who speaks his own words seeks his own glory. But I came speaking My Father’s words. I am doing this for God’s glory, not Mine. My motives are righteous, and you can trust these words.”
“He is talking to us, Isaac!” the second Pharisee exclaimed. “He has not taken his eyes off us.”
“He’s creepy!” Isaac answered in almost a whisper. “No wonder the leaders want to kill him.”
“Did not Moses give you the law?” Jesus called again, still looking over the large multitude and at the two Pharisees in the distance. “But instead of keeping the Law, you are planning on breaking it by trying to kill me.”
Even though the Teacher stood some distance away, it became obvious to the people around them that Jesus was looking at the Pharisees as He spoke, and many had turned to stare at the two. That was too much for Isaac, and he screamed back, “You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?”
“I did one miracle, and all of you were amazed,” Jesus continued, “but because I did it on a Sabbath, you are ready to kill me.
“Circumcision came through Abraham, and Moses wrote about it in the Law. He said that you are to circumcise a boy on the eighth day. But what happens if that day falls on a Sabbath? You break your Sabbath rules by circumcising him anyway so that the Law of Moses won’t be broken.”
“What’s he getting at?” the irritated and embarrassed Isaac snarled at his friend.
“If a child receives circumcision on the Sabbath to keep from breaking the Law, why are you mad at Me because I made a person completely well on the Sabbath?”
“He got you there, Pharisee!” a man standing beside the two said with a chuckle, and many around them began to laugh.
Jesus called once again over the noise of the crowd. “Do not judge based on the way it appears to you, but look at a situation through God’s eyes so that your judgment will be based on righteousness.”
“Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?” Aaron of Bethphage said to his brother-in-law Tobias, who happened to be standing near the Pharisees. “And look, He’s standing right there in front of everybody teaching publicly, but the religious leaders aren’t saying anything to Him. The rulers don’t know that He’s the Christ, do they?”
Isaac the Pharisee overheard Aaron’s words and snapped back an uninvited response. “This man can’t be the Christ because we know where he’s from. The Christ will be a man of mystery. No one will know where he is from.”
Suddenly Jesus’ voice rang out over the noise of the crowd. “So you think you know Me and know where I’m from.”
“He’s looking at us again,” Isaac’s companion said.
“I have not come of myself,” Jesus called. “My Father is the One Who sent Me, and He can only speak the truth. But you don’t know Him. I know Him because I am from Him. He sent Me to speak His words to you.”
“ENOUGH OF THIS!” Isaac shouted back over the crowd. “SOMEONE SEIZE THAT MAN!”
In response to this, all Aaron heard was chuckles from the crowd. “Seize Him yourself, Pharisee!” someone called back.
“So what do you think about Jesus, Tobias?” Aaron asked his brother-in-law.
“When the Christ comes,” Tobias answered, “will He perform more signs and teach more truth than this man has? I don’t think so.”
Again Isaac heard the nearby conversation. Infuriated, he decided to take matters into his own hands. “Come on!” he ordered his companion. Rushing back to the religious leaders who sent them, the two Pharisees quickly went to the chief priests to get them to arrest the offensive teacher. Because the rulers didn’t think Jesus was coming to the feast, they had already disbanded those they had recruited to capture the teacher and were now having a hard time gathering a force to do it. After most of two days, the desperate religious leaders finally had to resort to only sending a few temple guards to apprehend Jesus. As all of this was taking place, the miracle working preacher from Nazareth continued to speak each day in the temple.
Jesus taught the people regarding the kingdom using stories about catching fish, harvesting crops, planting mustard seeds, and shepherding sheep to make His points. He told them how much God loved them and the wonderful life the Father wanted to give them, if they would give up their lives of sin and believe in the One the Father had sent.
“For a little while longer I am with you,” Jesus said to the crowd, knowing that the rulers were renewing their plans to kill Him. “Then I go to Him Who sent Me. My enemies will seek Me, but they will not find Me. Where I am going they cannot come.”
Some of the Pharisees who were in the crowd listening to Him were bothered by this statement. “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him?” one said. “He’s not going to the cities across the Jordan to teach the Greeks, is he?”
“That sounds like the kind of Messiah he would be…a Greek lover,” another shot back hatefully.
On the last day of the feast, as Jesus told them once again of the beautiful life He came to give them, he cried out loudly, “If anyone is thirsty for that wonderful life, let them come to Me and drink all they want! He who believes in Me, as the Scripture says, From his inner most being shall flow rivers of living water.
When Jesus finished His message, he gathered His disciples. They began to make their way through the crowd, and surprisingly, no one tried to stop them.
“Teacher,” John asked as he walked beside Jesus, “is the living water you spoke about today the same living water that You said You talked about with the Samaritan woman?”
“It is,” Jesus returned. “The living water that the Father will give to all who believe in Me is His life-giving Spirit. Just think of it! The very Spirit of God will be a constant source of life and peace for the one who trusts in Me!”
“Well, I trust in you, Teacher!” John returned enthusiastically. “When do I get the Spirit of God?”
“The Father has not sent the Spirit yet,” Jesus answered, “but He will after I am glorified. And when the Spirit comes to you, He will cause you to remember all My words, He will explain God’s word to you, He will empower your prayers, and He will give you all you need to live a life that fully pleases the Father. He will do that for ALL who believe in Me…and it will be wonderful!”

By Alan W. Harris
(Inspired by John 7:9-39)

15 – The Best Life

“Hey, Rock,” James called to his fishing partner and fellow disciple, “a fellow just dropped off a message to us from Martha of Bethany in Judea.”
“How are they?” Rock returned, remembering the pleasant times with their family.
“I guess she, Mary, and Lazarus are all fine,” James continued looking at the scrap of leather on which the note was written. “Martha sends news from Judea, and it’s not good. The chief priests and the Pharisees have joined together against the Teacher. Martha says that people are saying that the religious leaders are more determined than ever to kill Jesus.”
“I guess that means we won’t be going back to Judea anytime soon,” Rock said with a sigh. “That’s frustrating because Judea is where the power is. Until the Teacher is free to teach in Jerusalem, our movement will never become what it needs to be.”
“The risks are too great to go there now,” James added. “I personally am glad Jesus has decided to stay here in Galilee for the time being.”
“At least here the people still listen to Him,” Rock agreed.
“And nobody’s trying to kill Him,” James said, “or us!”
For weeks on end Jesus seemed to be content to travel to the small towns and villages in the north. The Teacher led His followers all around the Sea of Galilee, healing the sick, casting out demons, and sharing the message of the coming Kingdom of God with all who would listen.

One day in the fall, visitors came to Rock’s door. “Welcome, friends!” Rock’s wife said excitedly when she recognized her guests. Before her stood Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his four brothers.
“Hava!”(*) Mary said as she hugged her friend. “It is so good to see you again! My sons and I are on our way to Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths and wanted to ask if we could stay with you for the night.”
“You know you don’t need to ask!” Hava answered genuinely. “The Teacher’s family is always welcome here.”
Near sunset Jesus and his disciples returned to the house from a day of ministering in a nearby community and greeted His family. After the meal most of the evening was spent with Jesus answering the many questions His mother asked about His work. Mary was extremely interested in what God was doing through her Son and couldn’t hear enough. Jesus’s brothers didn’t seem to share in their mother’s enthusiasm.
The next morning, instead of preparing to travel to Jerusalem with the others, Jesus told His disciples of His plans to visit a village just north of Capernaum and teach there. Normally on a ministry day, Jesus would leave early, but today He waited until His family was ready to leave for Jerusalem so that He could say goodbye to them.
As Mary was saying her farewells to Peter’s family, Jesus’s brothers approached Him. “Brother,” James said as he walked up, “Why aren’t you and your disciples traveling with us to the feast? Mother was counting on you coming with us.”
“It’s not time,” Jesus answered.
“What do you mean, ‘it’s not time?’” Simon, Jesus’s youngest brother, asked in frustration. “Of course it’s time! If we leave today, we should get there, build us a booth, and get settled in just before everything starts.”
“You really should be with your family during the feast, Jesus,” Joses added.
“Listen, Brother,” the strongly opinionated James said again, “you’re really not doing yourself any favors hanging around up here in Galilee. Rock said you’re going north to preach after we leave. You’re never going to reach large numbers of people until you go to Judea. You need to take all this miracle working stuff you do and go where the big crowds are.”
“Exactly!” agreed Judas, Mary’s third son. “Get out there and show the world what you can do!” As he said this, a large grin spread across Judas’s face, and he swatted his younger brother Simon in the chest in an effort to get him to agree with him. In response, Simon scowled and pushed Judas back.
“I know that it’s time for you to go to the feast,” Jesus answered, “but it’s not time for Me. From your perspective, it’s always the right time for you to do what you want, but that’s not the life that I’m living. My Father in heaven has His plans for Me, and I’m doing what He wants, not what I want or what you want. Each of you directs your own life. The Father in heaven directs Mine.”
“I’m just sayin’,” James pressed, “that if you want disciples, then you need to go where the people are. The crowd at the Feast of Booths would be the perfect opportunity to show yourself in a public way.”
“The reason I have not gone back to Jerusalem is that there are a lot of people in Judea who hate Me and want to kill Me,” Jesus answered, “but it’s not time for that yet.”
“Yet?” Joses asked with a confused look. “What do you mean yet?”
“You don’t understand what I’m saying because you don’t look at this the way I do. The world doesn’t hate you,” Jesus returned. “It hates Me because I tell those in the world how evil they are. That’s why they want to kill Me. They aren’t interested in the wonderful life God offers them. The Father sent Me to tell them the truth, the truth about the highest and best life. But to experience the wonderful life that the Father wants to give, you must follow God’s will. It’s a life full of blessings, grace, and eternal purpose, and it lasts forever. I have come to offer the world that truth, but it is up to each one to decide what to do with it. I cannot let those who want to destroy Me accomplish their work until the Father accomplishes His.
“Yes, it’s time for all of you to take Mother and go up to the feast. I’m not going yet. Like I said, I’m following a different plan than you are, and My time has not yet fully come.”
Annoyed at Jesus’s response, James directed his brothers to gather their things and their mother and start on the journey.
As Jesus’s family was walking away, young John slid beside Jesus. “Is everything okay, Teacher?”
Jesus smiled at His friend and answered, “My brothers can’t see it. They are stuck in lives of their own making, but My Father wants them to have so much more. I came to show the world the life that I want My brothers to experience, but they don’t believe in Me…yet.”

By Alan W. Harris
(Inspired by John 7:1-9)

*Neither the Bible nor secular history tells us the name of Peter’s wife. Hava is the name the author chose to use.

14 – The Difficult Choice That We All Must Make

“Has anybody seen him?”
“I saw him last evening when he told us to go home and then went up into the hills to pray.”
“Maybe we should have gone home,” one of the militia members said as he stretched in the cool morning air. “I’m gettin’ hungry again.”
“We just need to find the Teacher,” the one who seemed to be taking change announced. “He fed us once; he’ll do it again.”
“He ain’t here!” a voice shouted from the top of the hill where Jesus had gone to pray.
“His disciples ain’t here either, Amos,” another of the soldiers observed.
“The Teacher up an’ sent them back to Capernaum last evening by theirselves,” the leader answered. “But Jesus didn’t go with them.”
“Maybe he slipped off during the night and joined them.”
“You’re probably right,” Amos agreed. “Sooner or later a teacher would join back up with his disciples. Let’s head to Capernaum. See if some of you fellows can get them fishin’ boats’ attention. We’ll get them to take us back across the sea.”
Between the small crowd of fishing boats and those who had to make the long walk back around the north end of the sea, the army of hungry men found their way to Capernaum. They eventually found Jesus and His disciples on their way to the synagogue.
“TEACHER! TEACHER!” several of them yelled when they caught sight of him. Jesus turned to face them as they ran up. “When did you get here?”
Jesus looked suspiciously at the mass of eager, grinning faces. Finally He said, “I’m telling you the truth—the absolute truth, it’s not because of the signs that you’re seeking Me, but because I fed you. Don’t waste your time working for food which perishes. There is food which endures to eternal life. That’s the food that God the Father sent Me here to give you.”
“That’s what we want, Master!” Amos nodded at the others. “You feed us, an’ we’ll do the work. Just show us the works God wants us to do, and we’re your men!” As he said this, he tapped the handle of the sword in his belt.
“You don’t get it,” Jesus returned. “Believing in Him Whom the Father has sent—THAT is the work God wants you to be doing!”
“Well, alright!” Amos agreed. “We’ll believe in you. Won’t we, men? Just give us a sign. Perform some miracle, and we’ll believe. So…what’re you gonna do? You know, our fathers ate manna in the wilderness.”
“Yeah,” another agreed, “the Scripture says He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. And we are all hungry…again.”
“You’re still talking about food that doesn’t last,” Jesus argued. “I’m telling you the truth—the absolute truth: it wasn’t Moses who gave you the REAL bread. My Father in heaven is giving you the TRUE bread from heaven.”
“What’s the difference?” Amos asked with a confused look.
“The real bread of God,” the Teacher answered, “which comes down out of heaven actually gives life to the world.”
“That sounds good enough for us,” Amos returned, the grin back on his face as he licked his lips. “We’ll take THAT bread.”
Jesus looked at them and slowly shook his head. “I AM the bread of life! He who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. How can you be My followers since you have even seen Me and yet you don’t believe?”
“We’re here, ain’t we?” Amos shot back, getting annoyed.
“You didn’t come for Me,” Jesus returned. “You came for food. All that the Father gives Me shall come to ME, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out, because I have come down from heaven not to do My own will but the will of Him Who sent Me. You’re here to get Me to do your will. You’re not even interested in the Father’s will.”
“So what is the Father’s will?” Amos asked.
“The will of Him Who sent me is that, of all the Father has given Me, I lose nothing but will raise it up on the last day.”
“What are you talking about?” Amos shot back.
“Here it is,” Jesus returned confidently, “this is the will of My Father: that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life; and I myself shall raise him up on the last day.” As Jesus finished these words, He turned and led His disciples into the synagogue.
“What in the world is he saying, Amos?” one of the militia asked.
“That’s crazy,” said another. “What does he mean, ‘I am the bread that came down out of heaven?’”
“Yeah, an’ I’m still hungry!” cried another.
“He didn’t come down out of heaven,” someone added. “We know this guy! He’s just the carpenter from Nazareth. I know his parents!”
“Come on, fellows,” Amos said as he started for the synagogue. “Let’s find out what he’s trying to prove.”
Jesus, as a visiting Teacher, had been invited to speak at the synagogue, but He had hardly taken His seat in front when some of the irritated militia troops pushed their way in. Jairus, one of the rulers of the Capernaum synagogue, tried to quiet the unruly crowd.
Finally Jesus’s strong voice carried over the noise. “Don’t grumble among yourselves about who you think I am! Not one of you can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws you. But if God does draw you to Me, I will raise you up on the last day.”
“Why would God draw us to you?” one of them called out. “You ain’t no real king! You’re just a carpenter!”
“Because it is written in the prophets,” Jesus answered, “And they shall all be taught of God. That means that everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.”
“But why you?” someone asked skeptically.
“Because no one has seen the Father except the One who came from Him. When the Father draws people, He draws them to the One Who has seen Him and knows Him.
“You think you know Me, and you think you know what the King will be like, but I’m telling you the truth—the absolute truth: it’s not what you think you know about Me that brings you life. It is the one who believes in Who I Am that has eternal life!”
“So who are you?” Amos shot back.
“I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE! You men are still looking for food! You say you want manna. Well, your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died. I am a different bread that has come down from heaven, so that one may eat of this bread and not die, and the bread also that I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh!”
“WHAT? How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” someone shouted. More grumbling and arguing broke out.
With a grimace Judas leaned over and whispered, “Rock, even you have to admit this sounds crazy.”
“I’M TELLING YOU THE TRUTH—THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH,” Jesus shouted to get their attention, “UNLESS YOU EAT THE FLESH OF THE SON OF MAN AND DRINK HIS BLOOD, YOU HAVE NO LIFE IN YOURSELVES.” Jesus was looking at His disciples as He said this and clearly intended the message for them.
“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day!” Jesus could clearly see the confused looks on the faces of all of His followers, so He added for emphasis, “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.”
Realizing He was bringing His disciples to a crisis of faith, Jesus spoke directly to them, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me; he also shall live BECAUSE of Me.”
Looking out at the rest of the crowd in the synagogue, Jesus patted his chest and said, “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died, he who eats THIS bread shall live forever!”
“That’s it!” announced Amos loudly as he stood up to leave. “I’ve heard enough of this man’s crazy talk. Let’s go home!” Most everyone seemed to take that as signal that the meeting was over because the synagogue began to empty.
As Jesus finished talking with some of the Jewish leaders, Eliezer walked up to the twelve. “I’m sorry, Rock,” Eliezer began, “but many of my friends and I are going back home.”
“But you’re disciples,” John, who was standing nearby, said. “Aren’t you going to follow the Teacher anymore?”
“I’m sorry, young one,” Eliezer answered, turning to John. “The Teacher has power, and I guess He’s from God, but these sayings of His are just too hard. My friends and I can’t seem to make sense out of His teachings.”
“Do My teachings cause you to stumble?” Jesus, Who had just joined them, said in response to Eliezer’s words. “What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending back to the Father? Would you believe My teachings then?”
“Teacher,” Eliezer began, trying to find his words, “You can do some amazing things, and maybe God did send you. But we came looking for the Messiah, a king, an’ to be honest, you don’t act like that.”
“You’re trying to make sense of Me in your fleshly thinking, Eliezer,” Jesus returned. “The flesh profits nothing. It is the Spirit Who gives life. The words that I have spoken to you, as hard as they may be to hear, are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe,” Jesus said, glancing at Judas.
It was a sad exodus as they watched Eliezer and others of their number leave. In the end the only ones left were Jesus and the twelve.
“That’s why I said that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father,” the Teacher added.
The discouragement among the twelve was palpable as they watched everyone disappear in the distance.
This was the moment Jesus had been waiting for. “Do you also want to go away?”
The silence was deafening as everyone realized that Jesus was forcing them to make a choice. In the last two days the disciples had seen Jesus do two amazing miracles, but they had also been very disappointed at how Jesus chose to respond to the army and with His choice of words in the synagogue.
Finally Rock spoke up. “Lord, to whom shall we go? Only You have the words of eternal life. We have believed, and by now we have come to actually know that You are the Holy One of God.”
As the Teacher looked around at His followers, He saw most of them giving nods of agreement. “Did I not choose the twelve of you, and yet even one of you is a devil?”
As Jesus walked away, He led eleven committed but confused disciples in His wake. One was not confused or committed. Judas knew exactly who Jesus meant.

By Alan W. Harris
(Inspired by John 6:22-71)

13 – A Stunning Misunderstanding

There was a great deal of excitement at Rock’s home in Bethany near Capernaum. The pairs of disciples that Jesus had sent out over a week before were returning with amazing reports.
“You won’t believe it!” John exclaimed when he and James walked in the door and saw all of their companions already there. “James and I cast out demons, and a whole bunch of sick people were healed when we anointed them with oil!”
“What do you mean we won’t believe it?” Thomas the Twin returned with a laugh. “What do you think the rest of us were doing?”
“But how was your message received?” Jesus asked.
“It worked just like you said it would, Teacher,” James answered. “When we entered the towns, we first found the sick and demon possessed and healed them.”
“It was so awesome!” John added enthusiastically.
“After the people saw that we had power to heal, they were ready to listen to what we had to say,” James added.
“We used a few of your stories, Teacher,” John said, “and taught them that they should repent. A lot of people listened to us. And they really seemed excited to hear about Your kingdom coming.”
The rest of the disciples whole heartedly agreed with the brothers’ assessment.
“We even had groups of men follow us back here,” Matthew added. “Teacher, they’re saying that You are the One everyone’s been looking for. They think something exciting is about to happen, and they don’t want to miss it.”
All of the joy and excitement in the room was suddenly cut short by a voice at the door. “John’s dead!” The speaker was Eliezer, a former disciple of the Baptizer’s who was now following Jesus. “I just received word. Herod had John beheaded in prison.”
Immediately a heavy cloud of sorrow descended on the room. Tears flowed from more than a few men, many of whom had been John’s disciples first. The weight of this terrible news was just being dealt with when another man stuck his head in the door.
“Hey, which one of you guys is Jesus? I’ve got a one-hundred-man militia just coming into town, and we need to know where you want us.”
On hearing this, Jesus stood up. “Rock, is your boat ready to sail?”
“Yes, Teacher, we always keep it ready.”
“Good,” Jesus returned. “Everyone head to Rock’s boat. We’re leaving now.”
“But what about my men?” the stranger asked again. Jesus walked past him without answering.
Five minutes later Jesus and the twelve were pushing the slightly overloaded fishing boat away from the shore, to the annoyance of a growing crowd of people on the beach.
“Where are we going, Teacher?” Philip asked as they moved further away from the land.
“We need some time alone,” Jesus answered. “Rock, let’s sail across the top of the Sea of Galilee to the other side.”
“But there’s nothing over there, Teacher,” Rock returned.
“That’s exactly why we’re going there.”
The breeze was against them, so Rock, Andrew, James, and John had to tack the boat repeatedly to make headway. A trip that, with a nice breeze from behind, would have normally taken twenty minutes, wound up taking nearly two hours, but the peaceful quietness was a blessing to each of their heavy hearts.
“Uh oh!” Rock said from his place at the tiller. He was looking at the approaching shore. “Look at that!”
“What in the world?” Andrew exclaimed. “Why are all those people there?”
“And look off to the left,” Simon said as he pointed to the north shore of the sea. “There’s got to be several thousand more running along the bank to join them.”
“It’s those militia groups!” Nathaniel observed. “We’re definitely not going to be alone.”
“What do you want to do, Teacher?” Rock asked. “Should we turn around and sail back across to the west side?”
Jesus stood up and leaned against the mast as he studied the men on the shore, eagerly waiting for them. “Just look at them,” Jesus said with compassion. “They don’t know what to do, so they ran all the way around the north end of the sea because they are desperate for a leader.”
“To me they look like a bunch of rude people who are trying to push themselves on You,” Little James said with disgust.
“To me they look like sheep without a shepherd,” Jesus returned. “We’ll land here. I want to speak to them.”
Stepping out of the boat, Jesus led His disciples through the huge crowd of men and climbed part way up the steep hillside. Seating Himself on one of the large rocks, Jesus began to teach. At first the crowd was restless. They were ready for action. They had come to fight to bring in God’s kingdom and kick out the Romans, but Jesus was talking about meekness, gentleness, forgiveness, and peace making. He told them stories about lost sheep, lost coins, and lost boys. He told a story about a foolish king who went to wage war without first counting the cost. Jesus spoke to them the entire day, and by the late afternoon, the men had lost their zeal to fight and were fascinated with Jesus’s lessons.
“It’s getting late, Teacher,” Philip spoke up. “You should send the people away to buy food. They’ve got to be hungry.”
“You’re right,” Jesus answered. “You give them something to eat.”
“What?” Philip returned, dumbfounded.
“What do you think, Philip?” Jesus asked. “Where are we to buy bread so that all of them can eat?”
“Teacher, it’s not a matter of where to buy the bread; it’s how to buy it. We only have about two hundred denarii in the money box, and that wouldn’t purchase enough bread for everyone to just get a taste.” When Philip said that, everyone turned and look at Judas, who in response clutched the money box tighter.
“How much food do you have?” Jesus asked. “Look and see.”
After several minutes Andrew came walking up with a young man. “Teacher, there’s a lad here with five barley loaves and two opsaria*, but what is that among so many?”
With a smile at the lad, Jesus took the bread and fish and announced, “Have the militias get together in their groups of fifties and hundreds and sit down on the grass.
“Rock, we’re going to need some large baskets,” Jesus added.
Twelve carryall hampers were emptied and borrowed from militia members. As soon as Rock and the others set these before Jesus, the Teacher lifted the barley loaves to heaven and began thanking God for them. He then pronounced a blessing of abundance over the bread and immediately began tearing off pieces and dropping them into the baskets.
It didn’t seem to Rock that more than a few pieces had been tossed into the first basket when he saw bread chunks appear at the top. “Whoa! This one’s full!” Rock called and quickly replaced the full basket with an empty one. “John, take this basket of bread and start passing it out.”
No sooner had John left than the next basket was full. As James hefted the load of bread, he exclaimed, “There’s way more than five small loaves here!”
“You better get busy, partner; the next basket is almost full,” Rock laughed.
There was no hiding that a major miracle was taking place. Jesus stood in front of everyone breaking chunks of bread into the baskets, but the more He broke off, the more there was to break.
As John returned with his empty basket, Jesus called to him, “Let’s have those two opsaria, John.” Once again the Teacher thanked His Father for the provision and then pronounced a blessing on the fish. Suddenly broken pieces of fish began to fall from the Teacher’s hands and into John’s basket.
When everyone saw the abundance of food and realized where it came from, a party atmosphere broke out. They ate until they could eat no more.
“Don’t waste any of it!” Jesus cried out. “Gather all the remaining pieces!” As the large baskets were filled with the leftovers, the excitement of the crowd grew.
“Do you have any doubts that this is the King of Israel?” Nathaniel called loudly to the mass of men.
“Nathaniel is right!” Simon the Zealot shouted. “Jesus just fed a five-thousand-man army** with five small barley loaves and a couple of opsaria! What more do you want from a king?”
Quickly a chant was started. “CROWN HIM! CROWN HIM…” The disciples eagerly added their voices to the shouting.
“ROCK!” Jesus’ voice pierced the den.
“Yes, Teacher,” the big fisherman returned enthusiastically.
“GET ALL OF OUR PEOPLE LOADED IN YOUR BOAT AND LEAVE.”
“But, Teacher,” Rock returned, “You have Your army!”
“TAKE ALL OF OUR PEOPLE AND LEAVE NOW! I WILL MEET YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SEA!”
“What about all these men?”
“I WILL DISMISS THEM!” Jesus returned firmly. “YOU AND THE OTHERS ARE TO LEAVE NOW!”
Obediently Rock began gathering the other confused disciples and pushed them toward the boat.
“But why, Rock?” Simon the Zealot pleaded. “The army in here! This is the time! Why must we leave?”
“For once I agree with the assassin,” Judas spoke up. “We have to take advantage of all this enthusiasm!”
“All I know is the Teacher ordered all of us to get in the boat and meet Him on the other side,” Rock shot back angrily. “I don’t understand it! That’s not what I want, but it’s the Teacher’s orders, so I’m leaving. And all of you are supposed to come with me. Help me push off. We’re going!”
As Jesus’s angry and disappointed followers rowed away from the shore, the Teacher began addressing the passionate militiamen. He told them about the love of the Father. He challenged them to love their enemies and to forgive others as their Heavenly Father forgave them. He thanked them for spending the day with Him, but He told them it was getting late, and He ordered them to return to their homes. Jesus then announced that He was going up into the hills to pray, and having said that, He walked off.

The bad attitudes of the disciples were not improved by the fact that they were forced to row into the teeth of a strong headwind. As strong arms grew tired, they swapped out rowers. Night fell, and angrily the disciples labored on through the wind and the waves.
It was nearly three in the morning when Judas, who had been rowing for the last two hours, got fed up. “I DON’T GET IT, ROCK!” the irritated disciple snapped. “WHY WOULD THE TEACHER MIRACULOUSLY FEED THIS HUGE ARMY AND THEN NOT USE IT? WE SHOULD BE MAKING PLANS AND ORGANIZING AN ATTACK ON THE ROMANS, BUT INSTEAD WE’RE ROWING THIS REDICULOUS BOAT! WE’VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR HOURS, WE’RE GETTING NO WHERE, AND I’M FED UP WITH IT!”
“Do you want to get out and walk?” Rock growled back from where he sat holding the tiller.
“Uh…Rock, look!” The words were spoken by John, whose wide eyes were clearly visible in the darkness. He was pointing into the sea behind them. Turning, Rock stared in amazement at a radiant figure walking toward them on the rolling sea.
“WHAT IS IT?” Matthew cried out. He was in the furthest end of the boat and struggled to look over the others.
“IT’S A BEING!”
“IT’S A GHOST!”
“IT’S A PERSON!”
“IT’S JUST ME!” a familiar voice called back. “DON’T BE AFRAID!”
“It’s the Teacher!” John exclaimed. “He’s walking on the water!”
“He’s going to walk right past us!” Thomas called with concern. “He knows we’re upset with Him!”
“Well, He’s not walking past me!” Rock announced as he stood up in the boat.
“LORD,” Rock called across the waves, “IF IT’S REALLY YOU, COMMAND ME TO COME TO YOU ON THE WATER!”
“COME!”
With cautious excitement Rock slid his legs over the side and was amazed that, when his feet touched the water, the surface was solid. A wide grin spread across the rough fisherman’s face as he stepped eagerly toward his master. Rock had only taken a few steps when he was far enough away from the boat that it no longer blocked the wind. Suddenly the fierce breeze hit him firmly in the back, staggering him. Rock turned and saw how far he was from the violently rocking boat as another blast of wind and spray hit him in the face. It was at that moment that he began to sink. “SAVE ME, LORD!” he cried and stretched out his hands to the Teacher.
Jesus quickly grabbed him and lifted him up.
When they were both in the boat, Jesus said to the embarrassed Rock, “Why did you doubt?” As He said this, He looked around at the rest of them. They had all doubted Him. In less than twelve hours, He had worked two miracles that only God could do, and yet when His plans went against theirs, they doubted and hardened their hearts. It was clear that Jesus wasn’t the Lord that they expected. The question was if they would they accept Him as the Lord that He is. But Jesus knew this was the challenge they needed to face, and things would happen this next day that would force them to choose.

By Alan W. Harris
(Inspired by John 6:1-21 and Matthew 14:1-33)

*Opsaria is the Greek word for sardine-size fish that are caught in abundance in the Sea of Galilee. The small fish are pickled in brine and used as a condiment.

** In Matthew 14:21 it says “and there were about five thousand men who ate, aside from women and children.” The greek word for aside can also be translated without. It is my belief based on the events that occurred that there were no women or little children there. It makes more since that this was a five thousand man army ready for a king.