Category: Uncategorized

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Gospel: John 10: 31-42

The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?”
The Jews answered him,
“We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God.”
Jesus answered them,
“Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.

He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
“John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true.”
And many there began to believe in him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “You may be the only bible a person ever reads.”

Christians are the living witnesses of God’s power and mercy in this world – not only through our speech, but also through our actions.

This, of course, begs the question, “Is there enough evidence to convict us?”

It’d be a humbling exercise to ask a friend, neighbor, or colleague, to explain how they know we are God’s servants in this world.

But this is exactly what Christ asks of his contemporaries in today’s Gospel.

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Jesus is surrounded by men seeking to stone him. 

“I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” he asks them.

Throughout his ministry, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “Thus says the LORD: The eyes of the blind shall see, the ears of the deaf shall be opened, the lame shall leap like a stag, and the mute tongue shall sing for joy.”

His miraculous works were what set Jesus apart from the rest of his contemporaries, including John the Baptist. 

Whereas John could diagnose a situation, seeing the need for Israel to repent, Christ had the power to do something about it. He not only healed people’s bodies; he also healed their souls. 

As he says multiple times in the Gospels “Your sins are forgiven.”

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This is the case for Christ. He fulfilled his Father’s will in word and in deed. But that power has now been handed on to us through baptism. As the Lord says elsewhere, “Go and do likewise.”

So, if you were the only bible a person ever read, what evidence would there be to convict you?

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Image credits: (1) Ascension Press (2) Reformedish, WordPress (3) StockCake

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Gospel: John 8: 51-59

Jesus said to the Jews:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
So the Jews said to him,
“Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad.”
So the Jews said to him,
“You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Christ understands death differently from the Jews. From their perspective, Abraham and the prophets are dead; they are no longer physically alive on this earth. What they fail to consider is the life that is derived from being in God’s presence.

From Christ’s perspective, death is a comma, not a period. It’s simply the means through which humanity moves closer to God. For Christians, this life – eternal life – begins at baptism, when we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, which Christ claims is already in Him.

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This leads to the heart of the matter.

“Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?” the authorities ask Jesus. “Or the prophets, who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?”

Then the Lord delivers a real zinger.

“Before Abraham was, I am.”

Notice Christ speaks of Abraham in the past tense; he lived and died on this earth. But Christ speaks of himself in the present tense, I am. Meaning, he has always been alive and always will be.

Although the Lord takes on flesh through the womb of the Virgin Mary, he has always been alive because God’s Spirit is within him.

Or, better said, he is God.

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This is what drives the Jews mad. They believed in a single God who existed high in the heavens. As it’s written in the Book of Deuteronomy, “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!”

Thus, how could Christ make such a bold claim? As CS Lewis once said, “Christ is either a lunatic, a liar, or Lord.”

The Jews felt he was both a liar and a lunatic, so they begin devising a plan to put him to death, which would permanently remove him from the scene.

How grateful we are they were wrong.

As we will celebrate on Easter Sunday, Christ is alive! He always has been! But now, he is Risen!

Therefore, in his words, “Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.” Amen! 

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Image credits: (1) The Bible Effect (2) Christ Among the Doctors, Paolo Veronese (3) Christianity.com

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Daniel: 3: 14-20, 91-92, 95

King Nebuchadnezzar said:
“Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
that you will not serve my god,
or worship the golden statue that I set up?
Be ready now to fall down and worship the statue I had made,
whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet,
flute, lyre, harp, psaltery, bagpipe,
and all the other musical instruments;
otherwise, you shall be instantly cast into the white-hot furnace;
and who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar,
“There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you
in this matter.
If our God, whom we serve,
can save us from the white-hot furnace
and from your hands, O king, may he save us!
But even if he will not, know, O king,
that we will not serve your god
or worship the golden statue that you set up.”

King Nebuchadnezzar’s face became livid with utter rage
against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual
and had some of the strongest men in his army
bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
and cast them into the white-hot furnace.

Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles,
“Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?”
“Assuredly, O king,” they answered.
“But,” he replied, “I see four men unfettered and unhurt,
walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.”
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,
“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him;
they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies
rather than serve or worship any god
except their own God.”

The Word of the Lord.

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Our first reading from the Book of Daniel seems strange. Almost magical. Miraculous.

Three men are thrown into a white-hot furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar because they will not worship false idols. They will only worship the God of Israel.

“There is no need for us to defend ourselves,” they say. “If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace, may he save us!”

And he does.

As the flames rage, an angel appears, comforting the three men, who are seen walking amidst the flames. Because of their faithfulness, God delivers his servants from death, stunning the king and his servants.

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Sometimes life has a way of throwing all of us into the furnace. 

Not that literal, blazing hot oven these three men were once thrown into, but the figurative kind of furnace that burns away our faith, hope, or peace.

Think of those who wrestle with fear, anxiety, or mental illness. Others who feel like they’ve lost their path in life. Those who are worried about their health, their finances, their marriage, or their future.

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Remember the three men from our first reading. After firmly professing their faith, the Lord sent an angel to protect them. 

God does the same for us when tested; we shall never be overcome nor tried beyond our strength so long as we cling to Christ.

As Paul reminds us, “We can do all things – even walk through fire – through Christ who strengthens us.”

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Image credits: (1) (2) First Baptist Church, Thompson GA (3) Heartlight.org