“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
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The context of our verse lists a series of contrasting situations in life. For example we read of “a time to weep and a time to laugh” v. 4. All of us have found such situations in our journey through life. We have mourned the loss of a loved one and we recall funny things they did in the past to make us laugh. So there was a time to laugh with the lost loved one and there was a time to weep over the one who has left us.
As we read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life we read of two situations where He wept (Luke 19:41; John 11:35). The first situation that brought tears to Jesus’ eyes was when He crested the hill overlooking Jerusalem. As the city that rejected Him came into view He was overcome with emotion and burst into tears because the citizens of Jerusalem did not accept Him as their Messiah.
In the record of John, describing Jesus weeping, the action of our Lord is contrasted with the “wailing” of the sisters of the deceased Lazarus. They were loud in their weeping and Jesus was quiet as He shed tears in the presence of death.
Continue reading 'The Saviour For All Seasons'»
“From this time many of his disciples turned back
and no longer followed him.”
John 6:66 (NIV)
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During the years I worked in criminal court as a volunteer chaplain, I spoke to hundreds of prisoners. I found them to be a very polite lot of people and witnessed various displays of compassion this one or that one had on a fellow prisoner. I went to court on Wednesdays because prisoners from surrounding jails would be brought to a central court to appear before a judge. I visited in the morning before court convened and spoke through the bars to the various men in a central cell.
I well recall one tough repeat offender who spoke to me urgently one morning, asking that I find some way to help a young fellow who had been put in jail the night before for the first time. Several prisoners had brutally handled the 18 year old and he was terrified for his life.
Continue reading 'We Do Not Need Your Help'»
“Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.”
Isaiah 65:24 (NIV)
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I well recall an incident some years ago when I came upon an accident on a major highway in Toronto. I called 911, the emergency call number on our telephones, and someone answered fairly quickly. I explained the location on the highway, and the apparent injuries to the people involved in the collision.
The operator I spoke to told me to hold the line while they transferred me to the correct department for highway accidents. I was surprised that the emergency number would actually put me on hold. They were supposed to dispatch help quickly to the scene, especially as I had reported there were personal injuries involved.
After what seemed an eternity (probably only a couple of minutes), another person came on the line. I quickly told them the details of the accident and once again I was put on hold in order to be transferred to someone else to deal with the matter.
Continue reading 'When 911 Puts You On Hold'»
“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would
not have handed him over to you.”
John 18:30 (NIV)
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One of the most hurtful things that can happen to anyone is to be falsely accused of something you would never do or say. Once the gossiping people get started there is no way you can stop the false information from spreading around the world. An old proverb said, “A lie will go around the world before truth pulls its boots on.”
Initially the Jews did not wish to disclose their real reason for seeking the death of Jesus according to our verse today. They wanted Jesus to die for the capital offense of claiming to be God (John 5:18; 8:58-59). Jesus did indeed claim to be God because He is God, but the Jews denied His claim. However, if it was disclosed to Pilate that Jesus thought Himself to be God, Pilate would likely have thought Jesus simply a lunatic and dismissed Him as harmless.
Jesus was the sinless One Who was finally falsely accused of three things before Pilate the Roman governor in Judea. The first charge was a vague comment on Him perverting the people. The second charge was a lie and it was that Jesus told the people not to pay tax to Caesar (Matthew 22:15-22). The third charge against Jesus was that He claimed to be a king. Of the three the second and third would especially interest Pilate.
Continue reading 'Falsely accused'»
“I know my sheep…”
John 10:14
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Recently I was a guest at a banquet where about 60 people gathered for fine food and to learn about the Lord’s work in another country. As I stood around before the meal chatting with people a lady came up to me, used my name, and spoke to me as though I should have known her. I was unable to remember anything about her.
Have you ever had an experience like that? It can be embarrassing. For several days following the event I tried and tried to recall who the individual was. I still do not know who greeted me that night.
When we as Gentiles talk about “knowing” someone we usually mean we know their name, possibly where they live, what they do for a living, and maybe we know their spouse’s name. In other words, we know some basic facts about them. However, when a Jew of Jesus’ time spoke about “knowing” someone they meant much more. When they “knew” someone they meant that they had a relationship with the person.
So when Jesus said that He knows His sheep, He is saying that He is involved in their lives, that He works with them on a daily basis. Jesus meant that there is interaction between Himself and the sheep. Obviously this is a dynamic, living reality, and not merely head knowledge.
Continue reading 'Who Knows You?'»
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