The Good Old Days

A Series on the “I Am” statements of Jesus
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
John 6:22-59

[Moses encountered God at the burning bush where the Lord gave His name as “I Am”. Jesus used that same name for himself, thus claiming to BE God. In this series, we’re looking at the “I Am” statements of Jesus to learn about him and about God.]

  

The good old days... Back when they knew how to build a solid house out of oak instead of pine and pressed wood. Back when they knew how to build a car out of metal instead of preformed plastic. Those were the good old days.

 

After Jesus fed the 5000, the disingenuous Jews followed him across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. In the synagogue, they pretended to be interested in what Jesus had to say, finally asking him for him a sign. A sign like the good old days when their ancestors ate manna for forty years while wandering in the wilderness.

 

They didn’t care anything about a sign, or the good old days. They just wanted to get their bellies fed. However, Jesus must have learned some fishing tricks from his disciples. Because it’s at this point that he hooked the Jews by talking about “bread from heaven that gives life”. They bit hard, asking to receive this bread every day!

 

³⁵ Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.  NLT

 

He followed this statement by ramping up his rhetoric with this highly inflammatory comment.

 

⁴⁸ Yes, I am the bread of life! ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. ⁵⁰ Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”         NLT

 

Generally speaking, the Jews were an impoverished people, oppressed by the Romans. They lived day to day, barely making ends meet. Jesus promised them bread from heaven so they would never be hungry; never be thirsty. Not only that, but the bread would bring them eternal life!

 

Wow! I want that bread! Don’t you? The Bread of Life.

 

I go through my daily routine without worrying about food or housing or clothing. All my basic needs are met. I have no idea what it’s like to need something so badly that it hurts. But the Jews did, and they had the Bread of Life standing right there in front of them... so do you, and so do I.

 

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”  NIV

 

Just like the Jews, I get sidetracked by all those things that I think I have to have; that I think I need. When all I really need, is to believe in him… the Bread of Life.  It’s way better than the good old days.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

 

 

Here I Am

A Series on the “I Am” statements of Jesus
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Exodus 3:1-15

[Moses encountered God at the burning bush where the Lord gave His name as “I Am”. Jesus used that same name for himself, thus claiming to BE God. In this series, we’re going to look at the “I Am” statements of Jesus to learn about him and about God.]

 

Twenty years ago, I used to run a basketball league for inner city youth. 

During a game, when the ball went out of bounds, my head referee would always say, “Here I am”. It was his way of saying, “Give me the ball”. It was reassuring for me to hear those words because I knew that Chip would faithfully keep control of the game.

 

Prior to this passage in Exodus, the Hebrew people had been enslaved to the Egyptians and had cried out to God for His help. He heard their cries and appeared before Moses in the burning bush. It was here that God laid out His plan to rescue the Israelites.

 

At first God’s plan sounded really good to Moses. But then, God made a sudden, unexpected turn when He told Moses that Moses was to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, not God. Immediately, Moses began to make excuses, but the Lord reassured him with this promise.

 

¹² And God said, “I will be with you.       NIV

 

However, it didn’t satisfy Moses’ fear of returning to Egypt where he had fled as a criminal. So, he asked the Lord, what if the Israelites ask for your name.

 

¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”    NIV

 

My NIV study bible said the following about these two verses.

 

“In verse 12, the Hebrew word translated “I will be with you” is the same as the one translated “I am” in verse 14.”

 

In verse 14, “I am who I am” is the name by which God wished to be known and worshiped in Israel - the name that expressed his character as the dependable and faithful God who desires the full trust of his people.”

 

God is always faithful! You can’t say that about anybody else… even Chip. The Lord promised Moses that He would be with him. The Lord makes this same promise to you and to me.

 

Therefore, listen for His words as He calls out to you saying, “Here I am”. Then put the ball in His hands… and trust the Lord.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

The Best Day of the Year

A Series on Lent: Peter’s Journey
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
John 21:1-23 

[Lent is a time of reflection. During Lent, we will be looking at Peter’s Journey to learn how his reflections on his own life, his culture, his religion and his savior changed his life forever.]

  

This story takes place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples seem to be lost without Jesus. Not knowing what else to do, they decided to go back to work fishing.

 

All of them had deserted Jesus in his time of need, but Peter had been the worst. He didn’t just turn his back on Jesus, he denied him three times, just like Jesus had said he would. The brash, impulsive leader of the disciples was a failure.

 

He had failed not just in private, but in public. He had disappointed and hurt those who he loved the most. For all his bravado, Peter had been afraid to take a stand; to do what was right; to be loyal to his friend and his Lord. It was no doubt the worst day of his life.

 

How could he look the other disciples in the eye? How could he begin to follow the path that Jesus had set before them? How could he lead the disciples again with a blot of sin staining him like this? He was defined by his failure.

 

It was here on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, that the disciples saw Jesus for the third time following his resurrection. It was here that Jesus called Peter to follow him like he had before.

 

The scene was filled with profound emotions that bubbled to the surface. While yet on the boat, Peter wrapped his tunic around him, jumped into the water and waded 100 yards to the shore. He couldn’t wait for the boat!

 

When he approached Jesus, he may have wanted to fall to his knees, begging him to forgive him. But he didn’t, because he was Peter. Instead, Jesus challenged him three times. The same number of times that Peter had denied him.

 

He challenged him to feed his sheep and to love him. To love him enough to be the leader and to be the person that God had created him to be.

 

¹⁷ The third time he (Jesus) said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.          NIV

 

Like Peter, our Lord Jesus challenges us to be the person we have been created to be; to love him completely; to fulfill God’s will in our life; to overcome our failures; to be reinstated daily.

 

When denying Jesus, I’d like to think that I would have done better than Peter. But I wouldn’t have. I would have failed just as shamefully as he did.

 

My pastor often makes the statement, “Easter is the best day of the year”! I tend to agree with him.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

 

Debt!

A Series on Lent: Peter’s Journey
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Mt 18:21-35

[Lent is a time of reflection. During Lent, we will be looking at Peter’s Journey to learn how his reflections on his own life, his culture, his religion and his savior changed his life forever.]

  

You go into debt to buy your home, buy your car, send your children to college, remodel your home, or when you go on a once in a lifetime vacation. At one time or another, my wife and I have been indebted in all of these examples. But I don’t ever remember anyone forgiving one of my debts.

 

Peter asked Jesus “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus proceeded to tell Peter a story about debt. Although the parable isn’t really about money, it’s a good metaphor that applies to Peter’s question. Here’s how Jesus responded.

 

²² “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!

²³ “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. ²⁴ In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. ²⁵ He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.    NLT

 

The practice of “debt slavery” was one that Peter would have been familiar with. Desperately poor people trying to work off their indebtedness to Gentile landowners often became “debt slaves”. In fact, most often they would fall further behind in debt just like the servant in the story.

 

Despite the unrealistic size of the servant’s debt, the king forgave him. Although this was an example of hyperbole, Peter would have understood. The point being that Peter had been forgiven much by God and because of that, he was expected to forgive others; no matter how many times.

 

We don’t know what prompted Peter to ask his question. It sounds like he may have been trying to find the path of least resistance. Or, earlier in Matthew 18, we read that the disciples had argued about who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Maybe Peter was holding a grudge towards someone he’d argued with.

 

Whatever the situation, like Peter, we have been forgiven our debt. A debt so big that there’s no way we could ever repay it. It’s millions! And yet, our heavenly Father did just that through the death and resurrection of His one and only son.

 

Just like Jesus taught his disciples to pray, now it’s our turn to forgive others as we have been forgiven.

 

¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matthew 6 NIV

 

But, like Peter, sometimes it’s not easy.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams

 

Gone to the Circus

A Series on Lent: Peter’s Journey
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Matthew 17:1-9

[Lent is a time of reflection. During Lent, we will be looking at Peter’s Journey to learn how his reflections on his own life, his culture, his religion and his savior changed his life forever.]

Have you ever gone to the circus? Even better, have you ever taken your kids or grandkids to the circus? Recently, my wife and I did just that. With great anticipation we took our three grandchildren to the Aladdin Shrine Circus.

 

I was expecting a three-ring circus with simultaneous acts in all three rings; elephants lumbering behind one another holding onto the tail of the one in front of them; a lion cage with a lion trainer cracking their whip and holding a chair to fend off the ferocious beasts... none of these happened!

 

The kids seemed excited when we picked them up. But as soon as we arrived, their focus was on getting an Icee that cost $15, or going down to the carnival area where each 30 second ride cost $5, or for $25 you could buy a plastic toy that lit up.

 

Afterwards, my daughter reassured me that, despite my unmet expectations, the kids would have great memories of the night. I’m not so sure. But I’m pretty sure that Jesus experienced heart breaking, unmet expectations.

 

Within a week of Peter’s bold statement that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus took Peter, James and John on a mountain to pray. No doubt Jesus needed this time of solitude, prayer and the support of his closest friends as he contemplated going to Jerusalem where he would “suffer many things, be killed and then raised to life”.

 

While praying, Jesus was miraculously transfigured. Then he was joined by Moses and Elijah where they discussed his impending mission. Meanwhile, Peter, James and John had fallen asleep. When they woke with a start to this amazing scene, Peter blurted out that he should build three shelters. Here’s what followed.

 

⁵ But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” ⁶ The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.          NLT

 

As they descended the mountain, Jesus instructed them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had been raised from the dead. The disciples didn’t understand what he meant by “raised from the dead”.

 

Apparently Peter, James and John missed everything during this once-in-a-lifetime mountain top experience. In fact, they might as well have gone to the circus.

 

Yet, according to my TPT Bible study notes, the Greek word used for transfigured is the same as is used in Romans 12:2 which speaks of being “transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Peter eventually experienced that transformation.

 

From one mountain where Jesus was transformed to another mountain where he was crucified, the contrast is startling. But through it all, Jesus remained steadfast and faithful to his Heavenly Father. This gives us eternal hope that we too can be transformed as he continues to be steadfast and faithful to us.

 

Copyright 2022 Joseph B Williams