The G4 PROJECT - Day 6

descent

Reading: John 3:22-36

Soundtrack: American Boychoir – HYMN

Jesus’ disciples are baptizing people who have come to them sensing their urgent need to repent of their sins. 

John the baptizer and his disciples are doing the same – carrying on the task, the assignment that has been given them by God.

On the heels of a ‘discussion’ (possibly an argument) with someone over ritual purification, John’s disciples throw this out to him:

“John, the guy you pointed out – the guy you gave testimony about – well more people are going to him and his disciples to be baptized”

John’s humility is so beautiful – it reminds me of Moses, who the Bible says was the most humble man on the face of the earth during his time.

So humble was Moses, that when God offered to wipe out the Israelites and make a new nation from Moses, Moses replies to God that this would make the other nations declare Him a weak god unable to do as He promised.

That’s humility.

John displays similar humility here.

He tells them that a person can only do what he has received from heaven.

God has gifted each of His children with certain gifts and abilities.  We can certainly develop our skills, and walk through doors He opens for us – but we should not be longing for or looking for a ‘greater audience’ or a ‘bigger platform’.  If God has that in store for us, He will direct our paths.

John’s famous statement follows – “He (Christ Jesus) must increase and I must decrease”.

While John was talking about the specific ministry of baptizing, he also was speaking  in general about Christ’s rise to prominence in the land.  Once again He tells his disciples that Jesus is the Son of God, come down form heaven and that Jesus speaks the very words of God.  Further he says tat whoever receives what Jesus has to say and believes in him will have eternal life, but those who reject Him will not.

The longer we walk with Christ, the more we submit our hearts to him in prayer and worship, the more I think we see John’s attitude as not merely noble – but as the only reasonable posture.

Christ is all.  He is before all things.  He created all things.  In Him all things hold together.  He is God incarnate. In Him is redemption – the forgiveness of sin.

How could a follower of His ever assume to tightly grasp at pride, or prominence over God Himself?

Let the humble descent begin.  Laying down pride and puffed up notions of ‘rights’.  Hold loosely the tasks you think define your identity. Be glad and rejoice as a child and one called to serve the only true King – the humble King.

The G4 Project - Day 5

The Light speaks at night

READING: John 3:1-21

SOUNDTRACK: the blissful quiet of a house before all are awake

It is the dark of night and he steals away, unnoticed by his peers. He comes in the dark of night.   Perhaps he does not want anyone to know what he is doing.  He is afraid of their sneers and judgment.  He has a burning, nagging question that just won’t go away. He wants to know if Jesus is the One.

His name is Nicodemus.  He is a member of the Jewish ruling council.

Finding Jesus, he begins with either honesty or flattery – not sure which. 

“Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

Jesus cuts to the chase.  And answers a question not yet verbally articulated by Nicodemus: What does God require for salvation?

His answer – now common verbage to us – was staggeringly perplexing to Nicodemus. So please indulge my attempt to paraphrase their interaction:

J: “Here it is plain and simple – if anyone wants to enter God’s kingdom, he has to be born all over again”

N: “Huh?  How does an old man like me be born a second time? How’s that even possible – I mean, people are born once.  There’s no biological way that can happen!”

J: “It’s true.  Unless you are born physically and spiritually – you’ll never see the Kingdom.  Flesh gives birth to the physical – but it takes Spirit to give birth spiritually.  You have yet to be born spiritually.  Look, this shouldn’t surprise you.  God’s Spirit moves wherever and however He chooses.  Just like the natural wind you can see the effects, but you don’t know were it came from or where it’s heading next.  Same thing is true of everyone who has been born spiritually – you see the effects of this spiritual wind.”

N:  “Huh?  I still don’t get it”

J:  “Seriously?  You’re one of the big wigs – one of the main teachers of all of Israel!  I’m telling you things I know - what I've seen firsthand, but you still won't accept my eyewitness account.  If you don’t get what I mean about earthly stuff – how are you going to understand heavenly stuff?  No human has ever been to heaven, except the One who came from heaven - the One who is talking to you about these matters.  And just like how Moses put a bronze snake on a stick in the desert so the people could be healed of the venom of the snake… remember that?  They could do nothing but trust that what God said would happen and that by simply believing they would be healed.  In a similar fashion, the Son of Man is going to be raised up (on a cross) – and all who put their trust in Him to be healed of their sin will have eternal life.”

“See God has such an immeasurable love that He sent His one and only unique Son, that everyone who places their trust in him exclusively won’t perish in the afterlife, but have everlasting, eternal life.  God wasn’t sending His Son into the world to pronounce judgment on it, but to save it through Him.  Whoever believes in the Son  does not need to fear condemnation, but Whoever rejects the Son is already condemned, because that person chooses not to trust in God’s way of salvation – His unique Son.  Here’s the judgment – God sent Light into the world to showcase God’s heart and character, to bring forgiveness, but people reject Him because they would rather wallow in their own darkness because the dark deeds have seduced their hearts.”

“Everyone who rejoices in their rejection of God won’t come to the Light, because His radiance clearly shows the ugliness of that rejection; they are afraid that this God-rejecting, self-exalting attitude will be seen for what it is – a distorted hollow sham. But whoever loves God’s truth and tries to walk in that Light gladly walks toward the Light so that people will see it is not them who are good – but the One they follow is working in them.”

You and I have the same need Nicodemus had - we need to know how to be rescued from our sins.


We have been bitten by the fangs of the Serpent and the venom of sin is killing us.  We need to look to Him who was lifted up and believe that His sacrifice will heal us.  Not our efforts.  


And we, like Nicodemus, need to be.. born all over again - a spiritual birth through Christ.

Powerful words spoken between two men in the darkness of night.  Powerful words, spoken by the Light. 

And now a poem from Longfellow.  See the connection?

THE SOUND OF THE SEA

The sea awoke at midnight from its sleep,

  And round the pebbly beaches far and wide

  I heard the first wave of the rising tide

  Rush onward with uninterrupted sweep;

A voice out of the silence of the deep,

  A sound mysteriously multiplied

  As of a cataract from the mountain's side,

  Or roar of winds upon a wooded steep.

So comes to us at times, from the unknown

  And inaccessible solitudes of being,

  The rushing of the sea-tides of the soul;

And inspirations, that we deem our own,

  Are some divine foreshadowing and foreseeing

  Of things beyond our reason or control.

The G4 PROJECT - Day 4

Wedding, Water, Wine

Jesus was invited to a wedding in Cana, along with his disciples and family.

While they are there the wine runs out.  This would have been a major embarrassment to the family.

Jesus’ mother makes a implied request of Jesus – “they have no wine (please do something)”

Jesus, noting the separation between them as He has moved into adulthood says, “Woman, what does this have to do with me?  My hour is not yet come.”

He is saying, “the hour of my revealing isn’t yet, the time when I bring reconciliation at the cross is yet a ways off.”

He knows that once the limelight is on Him that in essence the clock is ticking down to the Hill of the Skull.  I will freely admit I don’t totally get how that works with God’s sovereignty… but there it is.

Mary, in good Jewish mother form, ignores his reply and says to the servants, “do whatever he tells you.”  Again the implication that He will do something.

This is such a curious interaction and one completely unique as Jesus is both fully divine and fully human.  And it sounds like Mary is telling her son (who is also the Son of God) what to do.  Curious.

Jesus has the servants fill six stone water jars to the brim with water.

I’ve heard and read several different interpretations on this:

-       the 6 jars represent the 6 days of creation, 6 being the number of man and Jesus was coming to bring to completion the plan of God

-       the 6 jars represent the ‘fullness’ of the Old Covenant and Jesus is indicating that a new covenant is starting by filling them to the brim showing that the OT has served its purpose and is ‘done’.

-       The water remained water in the jars, but only those who tasted it after Jesus instructions received wine.

The thing that I don’t get is the ‘why’?  To help the new couple save face?  Perhaps.  Why does the master of the banquet indicate that most people “bring out the good wine first and then later when the guests are drunk brings out the cheap wine, but you saved the best wine until now!”  Wine was a staple in their culture and was to them a sign of joy and God’s blessing.  But drunkenness was specifically against the law.  So who exactly tasted this miraculous new wine?  Just a few?  Did the entire party partake?

Surely Jesus wasn’t advocating or making it possible for drunkenness to occur.

The text indicates this was the first of His miracles.

There is much I don’t get here.  But one thing is clear – Jesus, while remaining faithful to not dishonor God, was not afraid to be at a party; that He blessed a wedding celebration and that even from His very first miracle He knew He was headed to the cross.