Day 140: John 11:1-54

“‘Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.’ He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” - John 11:50-52 ESV

God's plan never seems to happen in a vacuum, insulated within a select group of people. When God starts to do something, He seems to involve everyone, even those against His plans and purposes.

It is mindblowing that the High Priest, a Jew with the maximum amount of power and influence during this particular year, is even prophesying about the rescue plan that is about to occur. Soon, this entire group of religious leaders will be on this High Priest's own property, trying to convict Jesus of crimes He didn't commit.

All of us have a decision to make. Will we be used by God willingly to advance his plans and purposes, or will we stubbornly resist (like Pharaoh) and still find ourselves in the middle of what God has wanted to do the entire time? To be sure, we all have a choice. We can decide to follow Jesus.

May we stay in the flow of His will both now and forever.

"John sensed that God was at work in the words of the high priest, in spite of himself. If any human words in history could be described as an ex cathedra statement (words coming from the throne or ‘seat’ and representing the mind of God), it was these words of Caiaphas, who John indicated ‘did not say this on his own’ (11:51). It was for the evangelist a prophetic act, but it was laced with irony because Caiaphas did not realize the vast import of his own words." - Borchert, G. L. (1996). John 1–11 (Vol. 25A, p. 365)

Day 139: John 10:22-42

"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." - John 10:28 ESV

We, as a culture, are obsessed with what others think of us.

Do they think I'm legit? Do they think I'm fat? Do they think I'm stylish? Do they think I'm boring? Then it shifts to a more serious tone: Do they think I'll be unsuccessful? Do they think I'm close-minded? Do they think I'm insane for believing Jesus rose from the dead? Do they think I'm a horrible person for believing the ENTIRE Bible?

What Jesus says in our reading today should set all of those fears to rest. Once He sets us into an eternal life reality (which began when we committed ourselves to follow Jesus and will culminate when we die and are raised imperishable), we are secure in every way. Though we may listen to the opinions of others, we know they are not our ultimate authority. Other people do not have the ability to snatch us out of Jesus' hand. It isn't their call.

Again, this is why it is vital to take our lead based on what Jesus says about us. He says we are forgiven (Romans 3:23-26). He says we are His treasured possession (1 Peter 2:9). We are the ones He wants to spend eternity with (John 17:3). I mean, that is saying something.

Take a deep breath.

Jesus has you in His hand.

"This verse does not say that it is impossible to run away—only that no one can come and take you away. This is a comparison of the power of God and the power of Satan or any other power opposing God. No one has the power to steal a person from the fold. One must be aware, however, that he can remove himself. Unless a person remains loyal to Christ and His teaching, he has no promise of care within the fold." - Foster, L. (1987). John: Unlocking the Scriptures for You (p. 117)

Day 138: John 10:1-21

"And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." - John 10:16 ESV

Every human being on earth was skillfully crafted by God and was made in His image. This means that all people are to be treated with dignity and respect, even those living lifestyles that are in opposition to biblical teaching. Just because they are other sheep currently does not mean that they will not someday enter through the gate and be saved.

Jesus is the trusted Shepherd. He proved this by His sacrificial death and powerful resurrection. He has set Himself apart from the fake shepherds.

Our passage for today makes us wonder who Jesus is targeting with his strong language. Many believe it is yet another way of Jesus' deconstruction of the Pharisees' religious system. They were frauds, and it wasn't even close. They were not going to protect the sheep when it came down to it.

We need to know today that Jesus is always motivated by protective love.  What a great message to bring to the other sheep we are working to reach. One Shepherd protects our one flock, and there is no one else that will fight for us like Him.

Eugene Peterson did a great job paraphrasing verse 10 of our reading to say that "A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of."

Day 137: John 9:1-41

“Jesus said, ‘For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”' - John 9:39 ESV

It isn't hard to become enamored with the miracle that Jesus performed on this man who had been born blind in our reading for today. I mean, in a matter of moments, this man was given a completely different life. He went from begging to boasting, not in himself but in a man he didn't even know.

As was Jesus' custom, His miracles were never about showing off. He wasn't insecure and didn't need affirmation from people (see John 2:25). This miracle was, of course, to help this man, but it was also about Jesus making a statement about what it really means to see.

Being religiously elite and esteemed apparently doesn't guarantee a 20/20 Kingdom-of-God-vision.

This (formerly) blind man started to truly see not after he washed off the mud. He started to see when he began to believe (trust) in who Jesus was.

Proverbs 26:12 sums up the state of the Pharisees:  “Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them.”

May we remain ready for Jesus to teach us the best way to live. There is no bottom to this kind of learning. It is a lifetime of drinking deeply.

"Jesus openly affirms that his ministry causes a judgment or a division among the people. Some believe and some don’t. Now he reveals the true significance of his claim to be the 'Light of the World.' He is the spiritual Light. Some gain sight (faith) because of him. Others end up with no spiritual sight (unbelief) because of him." - Bryant, B. H., & Krause, M. S. (1998). John (Jn 9:39)

Day 136: John 8:31-59

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" - John 8:31-32 ESV

Truth isn't constricting, as many in our world claim today. It doesn't make you narrow-minded to follow the narrow way of Jesus.

Truth is liberating; it sets us free from the enslavement of sin. It opens us up to become the person Jesus always intended for us to be, even before our births (see Psalm 139:16).

The best friends we have will not hesitate to tell us the truth. They know that lying to us will not help. Going the route of deception in the name of flattery leads us away from eternal life.

Jesus is your best friend. The truth He has to offer will confront all of our failures and let the light of His love (via His blood) do what it does best: cleanse (see 1 John 1:9).

Verse 44 of our reading today is one of the most revealing places in the Bible regarding our enemy, the devil. The "lie" originated with him (the nachash) in Genesis 3:4 when he told Eve, "You will not die."

The devil will always lie to us, but it will be in a way that parades as truth.

Choose freedom. Listen to Jesus.

"The way to freedom is set forth step by step. Before one is set free, he must know the truth. Before he will know the truth, he must be Jesus’ disciple. Before he can be Jesus’ disciple, he must hold to His teaching. Before he holds to His teaching, he must be a believer." - Foster, L. (1987). John: Unlocking the Scriptures for You (p. 100)

Day 135: John 21-30

“I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.” - John 8:24 ESV

The more days we accumulate on planet earth, the easier it can get to write people off that are currently making bad decisions. We think (as Jesus said) they are doomed to die in their sins, and so we move on to the next individual who may seem more open to the idea of faith in Jesus.

Can you remember a time in your life when you weren't open to the way of Jesus? Perhaps it was a tragedy or hypocrisy among Christians that drove you away. Aren't you glad you had people who didn't consider you a lost cause?

Even with the stubbornly bent-on-evil Pharisees, Jesus knew there was still an opportunity for them to repent (return to God). If anyone could have been given up on, it would have been these men. Yet, Jesus still holds out an invitation to them.

Beating hearts in our chests and breath in our lungs prove that there is still hope for us not to die in our sins.

What do you know, at the end of our reading, John records that "many believed in Him." (verse 30)

Jesus died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3) to prevent us from dying in them.

"Jesus teaches that his time with the Jews is brief, and that he will go back to where he came from, to God (13:3). They are prevented from following him because of their sin. ‘Sin’ is singular here (v. 21), because Jesus is speaking of the primary sin that disqualifies them, the sin of unbelief (v. 24)." - Bryant, B. H., & Krause, M. S. (1998). John (Jn 8:21–24)

Day 134: John 8:1-20

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”' - John 8:12 ESV

This is the second of seven "I am" statements John records in his Jesus biography. The first was in 6:35: "I am the bread of life."

This second "I am" statement being made within the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) backdrop is significant. At the end of each day during this feast, a great candle-lighting ceremony would take place in the evening. Light would flood the night sky. Jesus had a physical illustration happening as He declared Himself to be the light of the world.

It wouldn't have just been the candles that got the people's attention; it also would have reminded them of three key prophecies from the book of Isaiah (42:6, 49:6, 51:4) in which Israel is promised to be a "light for the nations."

Jesus is declaring Himself to be that light. Without our Savior, this world would be dark. Many would like to think Jesus is removable from culture. Yet, if we were able (which we are not) to remove Him, this would not be a place in which anyone would want to dwell; picture hell.

The Apostle Paul drove it home as he wrote: “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” - Colossians 1:13-14 ESV

Want your life to be flooded with light and hope for tomorrow? Follow Jesus, and He'll take care of the illumination.

"The pure light walks the earth; the darkness, received into the heart of Deity, is there swallowed up. Where, except in uncreated light, can the darkness be drowned?" - C.S. Lewis. Joyful Christian. (pg. 52)

Day 133: John 7:31-53

“Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, ‘Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?' They replied, ‘Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”' - John 7:50-52 ESV

"At this point Nicodemus did not declare his belief in Jesus, but he did speak up on a point of legal procedure, and so questioned his colleagues’ hasty judgments about Jesus.” - Kruse, C. G. (2003). John: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 195)

The story of Nicodemus has to be one of the most fascinating among all the characters in the four biographies of Jesus' life and ministry. He had hitched himself to a group that was the most vehemently opposed to everything Jesus did. His nightcap visit that he made to Jesus had clearly been something that he couldn't shake (see John 3:1-21).

The seed that Jesus planted about being born again started to take root. Also, the observation the Pharisees made in verse 48 about whether any of their group had "believed" in him is sort of answered in Nicodemus coming to Jesus' defense here.

The work that God did in Nicodemus' heart didn’t stop there. We will later see him joining Joseph of Arimathea in taking Jesus' bloodied body down from the cross, wrapping it in 75 pounds of spices, and laying it in Joseph's tomb (see John 19:38-41).

Are you frustrated with the slow progress of someone you're trying to tell about Jesus?

It may help you to think about the progression of Nicodemus. Once God goes to work in someone's heart, He is relentless in His desire to carry it to completion (see Philippians 1:6). Don’t give up just yet.

Day 132: John 7:1-30

“So his brothers said to him, ‘Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”' - John 7:3-4 ESV

It's almost as though Jesus' brothers were saying, “Jesus, if you want to scale this Messiah role, you've got to go live on Instagram with one of your top-notch miracles in Jerusalem at a well-attended feast. I mean, the water into wine was pretty miraculous, but how about the healing of a man born blind from birth? It is time to roll out your true IPO so that you can start to reap the benefits of the stock market. This doing-things-in-secret method is really getting you nowhere. Do you need representation? Because we would be willing to be your agents!"

Mark Moore's comments here are helpful:  "To make matters worse, Jesus missed the last Passover. So it’s been eighteen months since he last went to Jerusalem. Any ‘good’ Jew would now feel obligated to fulfill his religious duty to worship in the Holy city. The last time Jesus was there, however, the ruling council decided to kill him (Jn 5:18). It’s not a safe place for Jesus. And now his brothers are essentially saying, 'Put up, or shut up! If you can’t do it in Jerusalem, then you’re a fraud.'"  - Moore, M. E. (2011). The Chronological Life of Christ (p. 333)

What the world needed, though, was not a celebrity. What it needed was a Savior. The same is true today.

We crave celebrities while at the same time being starved for salvation. The popular among us can't give us what Jesus offers.

Jesus ends up going to the Feast of Booths anyway, but he goes in secret, midway through the festivities. He wasn't there to capitalize on His celebrity; He was there to make yet another announcement about the arrival of the Kingdom of God.

If Jesus had gone up to Jerusalem when His brothers did, chaos would have ensued, and a push for His death among the Jewish leaders. But Jesus' time to die had not yet come, and He would be doing things on His terms and in His time.

I love that Jesus was (and is) not an insulated celebrity. He is the One who lived in our skin and died to set us free.

Day 131: John 6:43-71

“After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”' - John 6:66-69 ESV

As Jesus finished his difficult-to-understand teaching on eating His flesh and drinking His blood, it was too much for many of those who had started to follow Him. It turns out that when the multiplication of bread ends up being an illustration of Jesus' eventual sacrifice for sins, it doesn't scale as well.

He wasn't a new Moses. He wasn't offering new manna. Jesus actually had something great in mind, which for the Jews seemed like an impossibility. Greater than Moses? I mean, come on.

By Jesus offering Himself on the cross for the sins of many and then raising on the third day, He was going to enact change that had never been seen before.

Yet, none of this crowd got that from His message on this particular day. Even the 12 were bewildered by it. But when Peter really thought about it, though he may not have understood, he was convinced that only Jesus was speaking eternal life. Peter just assumed, correctly, that it was over his head.

Is there something in the Bible that has you confused? Do you assume it is wrong, or do you work with the preconception that you just can't (yet) wrap your mind around it?

Know this today: Jesus can be trusted. He gave His life as proof and rose again to further solidify His love for you and the entire world.

"There are different ways a teaching can be hard. It may be hard to understand, or it may be difficult to accept even when understood. That these people did not fully understand Jesus is evident. There was more to it, however. They were reluctant to go in the direction He was leading. He said the flesh counts for nothing, but the Spirit gives life." - Foster, L. (1987). John: Unlocking the Scriptures for You (p. 80)