John 10:1-21 New Meanings Of Sheepfold, Flock, and Door

"This sermon grew out of our Lord's confrontation with Jewish leaders, following the excommunication of the beggar," my commentary said.  This parable about the shepherd and the sheep somewhat confused those hearing it.  My commentary said it's not like the parables recorded elsewhere.

"The false shepherds did not care for this man; instead, they mistreated him and threw him out.  But Jesus, the Shepherd, came to him and took him in ... The 'fold' is the nation of Israel.  The Gentiles are the 'other sheep' not of the fold of Israel ... Jesus followed the illustration with an application ... 'I am the door."  He is the Door of the sheepfold and makes it possible for the sheep to leave the fold (the religion of Judaism) and to enter His flock.  The Pharisees threw the beggar out of the synagogue, but Jesus led him out of Judaism and into the flock of God.  But the Shepherd does not stop with leading the sheep out; He also leads them in.  They become part of the 'one flock', which is His church.  He is the door of salvation."

Father, it's difficult to imagine those Jewish leaders throwing out a man obviously healed and only healed by Your power!  Thank You for the new flock!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

John 9 -- So Who's Really Blind?

"Only God knows why babies are born with handicaps, and only God can turn those handicaps into something that will bring good to the people and glory to His name," my commentary said about the man born blind to whom Jesus gave sight.  Jesus' disciples saw the man and asked Jesus, "Whose sin caused this man to be born blind -- his own sin, or his parents' sin?"  That's where the Pharisees' theology had gotten them as a nation!  Bad things happen solely because of sin, they believed, and they were in charge of discovering that sin!

After Jesus healed him, one would think they'd say, "No handicap? No sin!" but such was not the case.  This caused them even more concern because he was healed on the Sabbath!! After Creation, even God rested on the Sabbath, so they read that to mean God did no work ever on the Sabbath!  What idiots!  They conveniently allowed God to get painted into a corner by their wisdom, when God can do anything!

Now, they were ready to ban the man God had healed from their congregation for identifying his Healer per their own request!  His parents couldn't even enjoy their son's wholeness because they didn't want to be excommunicated.  They had to say, "He's a man.  Let him answer for himself!"  Such love.  And that was the messed up nation God had so richly blessed by sending His Son as our Savior!

Father, please show us when You see us getting as blind as those Pharisees.  Let us be more like the man born blind, thankful to You for loving us so!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

John 8:48-59 Now, About Abraham....

The Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes began personal attacks on Jesus.  They actually called Him a Samaritan, which was the grossest of insults, my commentary said.  Samaritans were thought of as half-breeds, and the "racist" cries from today were totally missing back then!

After again telling them unbelief in Him would result in spiritual death, He invited them to trust Him and again they missed the whole idea.  "Abraham was dead, yet he was a godly man, and the faithful prophets were also dead.  This kind of talk only convinced them the more that He had a demon," my commentary said.

Jesus claimed to be Lord over death, which was the same as claiming to be God.  God had bestowed that honor on Him.  "Abraham (whom they claimed as their father) saw Jesus' day coming and rejoiced!  Instead of rejoicing, they were revolting and trying to kill Him!"  

Jesus' statement in John 8:58 is, "Before Abraham came into being, I AM."  The Jewish leaders heard the "I Am" and knew He was again claiming to be God.  They cried "Blasphemy!" and wanted to kill Him.  Because it was not yet His time, Jesus was able to walk away, divinely protected."

"The most difficult people to win to the Savior are those who do not realize that they have a need.  They are under the condemnation of God yet they trust they religion to save them."

Father, it's so incredible that men who had studied Your Word letter-by-letter missed this!  Help me to hear all that You say and believe every word.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

John 8:31-47 If You Really Were....

"If you continue to obey My teaching, you are truly My followers," Jesus said.  He also spoke about spiritual freedom and bondage, "Whosoever keeps on practicing sin is the servant of sin."

When Jesus mentioned the Father, they said Abraham was their father, and He replied, "If you were really Abraham's children, you would do the things Abraham did ... but you are trying to kill Me.  Abraham did nothing like that."

That literal translation about "practicing sin" was mentioned in my commentary and stopping practicing sin is how we grow.  "When we obey His Word, we grow in spiritual knowledge, and as we grow in spiritual knowledge, we grow in freedom from sin.  Life leads to learning, and learning leads to liberty."  It happens over time as we obey.

I liked this:  "Nature is determined by birth, and birth is determined by paternity.  If God is your Father, then you share God's nature, but if Satan is your father, then you share his evil nature ... The worst bondage is the kind that the prisoner himself does not recognize.  He thinks he is free, yet he is really a slave."

Father, thank You for setting me free and for continuing to help me grow in freedom from sin.  As we heard yesterday from Frances Chan, it's who we are in the end that counts.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

John 8:12-30 What Was It Like For The Rest Of Us?

I can't imagine what it would have been like to be a normal, average Jew living in Jerusalem back when Jesus was ministering on earth.  You would have no way to assure yourself of salvation, you (like all of us today) would have a very conscious awareness of your own sinfulness despite trying to live a good life, and then you'd look and see the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes who appeared to lead such righteous lives and appeared so informed about Scripture.  If they called someone a sinner, that person surely had no hope, because they would be shunned by everyone else for fear that they too would be called out for associating with such a sinner.

Yet here was this nice teacher, Jess, who tugged at their hearts with the words He spoke, who said God wasn't out to punish but to love, and whom those same leaders abhorred.  What could you do???

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world.  The person who follows Me will never live in darkness, but will have the light that gives life ... I am not alone.  The Father who sent Me is with Me ... I am one of the witnesses who speak about Myself, and the Father who sent me is the other witness ... You people are from here below, but I am from above ... I don't belong to this world ... You will die in your sins if you don't believe I am He."

They'd watch as the leaders fumed at His alleged heresy.  They saw the hate welling up in their leaders, not the joy they'd expected when Messiah arrived.  

The questions are still the same today.  What do you do?

Help me to show others Your answers, Father.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

John 7:53-8:11 A Look From Another Perspective

A chapter or two back, the woman at the well had been amazed when Jesus told her that she was living with a man who wasn't her husband, and she'd told the people of that town that He'd told her everything she'd ever done!

Now, in a plot hatched by the Jewish leaders, they brought to Jesus a woman they'd caught in adultery, but according to Scripture, both the man and the woman were to be stoned.  How convenient that they didn't bring the man, too!

Their plan was, as my commentary described it, "to pin Jesus on the horns of a dilemma.  If He said, 'Yes, the woman must be stoned!' then what would happen to His reputation as 'the friend of publicans and sinners'?  The common people would no doubt have abandoned Him and would never have accepted His gracious message of forgiveness.  But if He said, 'No, the woman should not be stoned!' then He was openly breaking the law and subject to arrest ... Instead of passing judgment on the woman, Jesus passed judgment on the judges ... It was required by Jewish law that the accusers cast the first stones."  His answer to their question was, "Anyone here who has never sinned can throw the first stone at her."

God showed me a different perspective this morning on the next things that occurred -- from the viewpoint of the men accusing her, specifically in their minds.  Might a few of them have heard that story about what happened with the woman at the well? ... "He told me everything I'd ever done!"??? ... And might those words have been ringing in their ears? ... "Remember when you were 17 and ...."??  Instead of being unashamed at how they were treating this woman, perhaps they greatly feared, as He looked them in the eyes, that He did know everything they'd ever done and wouldn't hesitate to stop them in mid-throw to remind them publicly of their own sin, which would destroy their self-righteous public image.  I can just hear them thinking, "This is not worth it.  I can never risk anyone finding out about that!"  And those eyes would have surely gotten the message across.

Of course, by not casting the stones, they were being publicly humiliated, "outed" for their sin, because all of those normal people watching would understand there was something inside they were hiding.  They'd been ruined as much as the woman had by this plot.  And most likely, they received a double dose of guilt thinking about the guy they'd "let go" who was the other party in this.  They'd done what they hoped to try Jesus for!!

Father, one other thing in my commentary really got to me:  "For Jesus to forgive this woman meant that He had to one day die for her sins."  And my sins, too.  I stood condemned, and Your Son said, "I'll take on his sins!"  He paid the price for my sins.  I can never forget that!  Thank You for Your grace, Father!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

John 7:37-52 One Other Man Stands Out

The people identified Jesus with Galilee, not Bethlehem where He'd been born, and the leaders said the Messianic prophesies pointed to Messiah coming from Bethlehem.  They also said that no disciple in Scripture came from Galilee, conveniently missing Jonah, who Jesus said was a picture of Himself, my commentary said.

Nicodemus chastised the leaders for not giving Jesus a fair trial before pronouncing Him guilty.  "They refused to admit that Nicodemus was right in asking for a fair trial, but the only way they could answer him was by means of ridicule.  This is an ancient debate trick:  when you cannot answer the argument, attack the speaker."  Sounds like they'd fit right in today!

Father, I thank You for including Nicodemus in Your Word.  When I feel surrounded by dissension, remind me of what he did.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

John 7:11-36 Several Groups Debate Who Jesus Really Is

There were several debates going on about Jesus during this feast.  The first was between the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the scribes.  These groups functioned almost like political parties, and my commentary said, "These men differed theologically, but they agreed on one thing:  their opposition to Jesus Christ and their determination to get rid of Him."  They wanted their power and He threatened it greatly.

Another debate was happening among the people who'd traveled to Jerusalem for the feast.  They had no loyalty to or fear of the religious leaders, because they didn't live there, and they couldn't see why anyone would want to kill Jesus.

The Jews who lived in Jerusalem made up a third group of debaters.  They, out of fear, would usually side with the leaders, and they didn't want controversy and violence in their city.  

These groups debated Jesus' character -- whether He was a good man or a deceiver.  But after they heard Him teach openly in the temple, "the debate shifted to His doctrine," my commentary said.  They were amazed that this man taught as He did with no formal training at any of the approved rabbinical schools.  "Since He lacked this proper accreditation, His enemies said that His teachings were nothing but private opinions and not worth much."

I loved this in my commentary:  "The Jews depended on education and authorities and received their doctrine secondhand, but Jesus insisted that we experience the authority of truth personally.  The Jewish leaders were attempting to kill Jesus, yet at the same time they claimed to understand God's truth and obey it.  This proves that an enlightened and educated mind is no guarantee of a pure heart or a sanctified will.  Some of the world's worst criminals have been highly intelligent and well-educated people."

I, too, fell into that trap years ago, Father.  You watched as I let pride in intellect move me away from You, thinking I'd discovered real truth.  How thankful I am that You stayed beside me and lovingly drew me back to You!  Don't allow me to ever stray again.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

John 7:1-10 Jesus And His Brothers .....

It's not often that we hear much about Jesus' half-siblings, and it would seem that He was likely a bit older than all of them, probably due to the trip and stay in Egypt while avoiding Herod.  But they certainly don't treat him like they know His mission!

He'd just watched the bulk of His followers walk away, and now He hears that the Jewish leaders want to kill Him if He returns to Judea.  So what do his brothers tell Him?  "You should leave here and go to Judea! ... Show Yourself to the world."

They almost seem like they can't stand their older brother, who's had followers travelling with Him everywhere.  They seem to think He's not what His mother likely told them about Him.  That would surely be disheartening!  I remember in my own life how relatives thought I was crazy going on mission trips to Russia and Kazakhstan and spending my vacation times on youth group trips, and even going to Ukraine to adopt!  But I didn't let it concern me because I knew I was doing what God had directed me to do.

Father, keep my mind on You.  Direct my life and my travels.  I want to be part of what You're doing on this earth.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

John 6:25-71 Jesus Watches As The Unbelievers Walk

The Jews had been so cowed by the scribes and other leaders that they had a healthy fear of the "religious police" who would see to it that they didn't get to heaven if they believed anything other than what the scribes and Pharisees told them to believe!  Suddenly, Jesus is stepping over that line with the truth, to see who will follow.  That day He lost most of His disciples.

One of His big messages that day was that He had "come down from heaven".  He says it in verses 27, 29, 33, 38, 46, 50, 51, & 58!  He just pounds it into them.  That phrase amounted to calling Himself God, and the religious police would be all over that!  "HERESY!", they'd scream! (even though it was God Himself saying it.)  They were really stuck on their supposed understanding.  Instead of cowering, waiting for lightning or one of the leaders to strike Him, I'd hope I'd be instead asking, "What's it LIKE up there in Heaven?????"

He also called Himself the Bread of Life multiple times here.  They were stuck on Moses and seemed to want the free groceries more that eternal life.  They thought Moses produced the manna every night for 40 years, and these folks had no desire to work -- "Let's just sit and watch this show and get the free food!!"  Sounds familiar.

Jesus told them the manna only sustained life.  It didn't give it.  That manna wasn't produced by Moses, but by God.  And somewhat like that bread came down from heaven as a gift, God sent Jesus as the true bread of life from heaven, but at a tremendous cost to Himself.  Manna was only for the Jews, but Jesus was for the world.

Jesus also pushed them beyond their belief when He told them they'd need to consume Him, the Bread of Life.  They knew the prohibitions on eating human flesh and drinking blood, and this really turned them off as well as making them more afraid that the religious police were about to come knocking.  But He was talking about spiritual, not physical life.  The truths in the Word had sustained Him during that wilderness temptation, and He wanted us to know that taking in those truths was essential -- more so than eating!

The biggest part of His crowd just couldn't stomach this.  The show just turned sour for them and the free food was gone, and so was their allegiance.  They walked.

Jesus turned to His 12 disciples and asked, "Do you want to leave, too?"  They stayed.

Father, I'm glad I chose to stay, too.  I look at our world today and at the insanity that so many people are calling truth, and I can't understand why they can't just as easily believe in You and Your Son.  They are blinded -- by their unbelief, their love of self, and their unwillingness to turn their lives over to Someone greater than themselves who loves them more that they will ever understand!  Instead, they turn their lives over to other humans just as sad, sick, and unbelieving as themselves.  Instead, they find happiness in .... hate??  There's the proof of who's side they're on.  Open the eyes of their hearts, Lord!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

John 6:1-21 The Making Of A Solution

Four solutions were proposed for the problem of how to get food for perhaps 12,000 people who were in the middle of nowhere with no stores nearby.

1)  Send the people away.  (Get rid of the problem).  But Jesus knew there'd be physical distress for many of them, and He cared.

2)  Raise enough money to buy food.  But the analysis showed it might take the equivalent of 200 days' wages to do that, and they had no time to wait and nowhere to work.

3)  Divide the little boy's small lunch, then maybe others would reveal their hidden stashes and perhaps many of the people could have a very small snack.

4)  Perform a miracle -- the true solution.

My commentary said, "The miracle took place in the hands of the Savior, not in the hands of the disciples.  He multiplied the food."

So what's the practical lesson?

"Whenever there is a need, give all that you have to Jesus and let Him do the rest.  Begin with what you have, but be sure that give it all to Him."

"This is a good lesson for us:  instead of complaining about what we do not have, we should give thanks to God for what we do have, and He will make it go further."

Amen, Father!  Help me to both remember this and do this.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford

John 5 -- The Beginning of the Persecution of Jesus

Wow!  This chapter is loaded!  The whole story about the healing of the crippled man at the pool at Bethzatha is to set up the leaders when Jesus heals on the Sabbath.  But, Jesus didn't touch him!  He only spoke and said, "Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk."  The first and last actions were really nothing, but picking up that mat amounted to carrying a burden on the Sabbath --  a sin that had its beginnings in Jewish traditions rather than Mosaic law.

They really had no basis to claim Jesus healed him, either.  In fact, the man couldn't identify Jesus until he was approached by Him later in the temple.  My commentary said, "They'd taken the Sabbath -- God's gift to man -- and had transformed it into a prison house of regulations and restrictions."

Almost like politics today, the leaders showed they had "an evil desire to kill Him.  They hated him without a cause.  They ignored the good deeds that He performed for the helpless and hopeless, and centered their attention on destroying Him," according to my commentary (which was published in 2007, not recently).

Jesus claimed to have power to raise the dead.  The leaders gave that power to God alone, so they considered that remark blasphemy.  He also claimed to be equal to God in His works, doing only what God would do, as well as being equal with God in executing judgment, and equal with Him in honor, since God had appointed Him Judge, my commentary added.

Jewish custom required two or three witnesses to prove something, so Jesus pointed to John the Baptist, His own miracles, and the Word of the Father that stated what Messiah would do, yet they tossed it all aside.

My commentary said, "The Jewish scribes sought to know the Word of God, but they did not know the God of the Word.  They counted the very letters of the text, but they missed the spiritual truths that the text contained."

Speaking of people who'd contacted him disagreeing with his interpretations of Scripture, Warren Wiersbe said, "It is unfortunate where our study of the Bible makes us arrogant and militant instead of humble and anxious to serve others, even those who disagree with us.  The mark of true Bible study is not knowledge that puffs up, but love that builds up."

"The leaders did not permit that Word to generate faith in their hearts ... There was also something wrong with their wills:  they could not trust in the Savior ... They had lack of love in their hearts ... They were religious and self-righteous, but they were not saved," my commentary concluded. 

Father, I cannot claim to know and understand even half of Your Word, but I trust You to show me what I don't understand and to lead me to know what Your will is. 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford