Posts from May 2023
Thirsty Soul
In Exodus 16-17, we read of the Israelites meeting their first challenges of life in the wilderness after Egypt. They grumble that there’s nothing to eat or drink, but God provides. Daily manna, the bread from heaven as Jesus calls it in John 6, and water from the rock. It’s not a glamorous existence, but it is enough. It is neither too much nor too little. This wilderness chapter of Israel’s story would last for 40 years before finally settling…
Close Enough to Eat Him
What are we supposed to actually do with Jesus? Yes, we sing, we pray, we read our Bibles, we try to follow his example, we profess our belief in him. But if we simply follow his example, is he anything more than just a good teacher? If we sing and pray to him, is he anything more than a magic genie that will hopefully grant us some wishes? And if we claim to believe in him, we’re still left asking…
Confronted by Such a Love
Turning water into wine at the Cana wedding is one of Jesus’ best known miracles. But once we look deeper into the story, water turned into wine is just one of the incredible things happening here in John 2. The wine running out isn’t simply an inconvenience for those who weren’t finished drinking. It’s a source of shame, a sign of inhospitality to not be able to fully provide for your guests. When Jesus intervenes, the miracle is not only…
Feasting on Jesus
When Jesus feeds 5,000 people with just a little bit of bread and a little bit of fish in John 6, the crowd doesn’t want to let Jesus out of their sight. At first, they want to make him king, so Jesus flees. But they persist. The next day, they finally happen upon Jesus again. “Rabbi! When did you come here?” they ask (a perfectly ironic question, asking not only when Jesus arrived at his current location, but also asking,…
Gravity
The Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. – John 5:19 It is not in Jesus’ nature to speak or act in a way that is contrary to the heart and will of God. It is only in his nature to speak and act in perfect accord with the heart and will of God. Jesus will say and do nothing except that which…