I was reading in John today about the man born blind. The discussion was about who was responsible for his blindness, specifically who had sinned, his parents or him. For some reason the reading today made me wonder about other examples when the blind received their sight. I've done some keyword searches using BibleGateway.com . Without doing a lot of study, I believe that Jesus is the only one recorded in the Bible who restored sight to the blind. Other prophets returned people back to life.  Other prophets multiplied meager rations to feed people. Other prophets brought healing and addressed suffering of the poor and widowed. If I am right about no others restoring sight to the blind, why isn't this a huge red flag to the religious establishment of Jesus' day?  They might not have been surprised by the healing, restoring life, feeding thousands but why weren't they impressed by restoration of sight? Since others hadn't done this in the past, you would think tha...

Luke 24:27 NLT Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. This is part of the post-resurrection story. Jesus walks with the men to Emmaus. They don't recognize him until later. They walk the journey from Jerusalem to Emmaus.  They are downcast and obviously sad.  Jesus, who they did not recognize, knows of their sadness and begins telling them the "rest of the story", one that they probably already knew but didn't associate with their present circumstances. He explained Jesus death and resurrection, using scripture as points of reference, confirming that the scripture that they'd always been taught was indeed relevant and being fulfilled in their time and place. When Jesus was explaining scripture to these two men, there was no "Old Testament" or "New Testament", only scripture. Much scripture that they knew had probably been passed to them ora...

I was asked to do the Easter sunrise service meditation.  Here it is, complete with scripture. We had a powerpoint slide show with this on a big screen (done by Deanna Etienne).  Try to picture appropriate scenes where they come to mind.  I read this very slowly - took 6 - 7 minutes so it was SLOW and reflective! John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 1 John 4 9-10, 19 : This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 19 We love because he first loved us. Wonderful God, we praise you and ask that you guide our thoughts. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our heart s be pleasing in your sight, O LORD.  Amen. Please join me by reflecting on the significance and eve...

A couple of things I've learned this week: 1) I haven't spent time thinking about the humanness of Jesus and what that means. 2) I have been asking for God's will - but attaching some strings. Let me explain. Jesus was human. He bled when his skin was cut. He sometimes got dust in his eyes like everyone else if the wind was blowing a lot. He got angry. He got hungry. He doubted (think of the Garden, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me...." Jesus says twice in Matthew 26 ). My normal focus on Jesus is that of being supernatural. - able to resist Satan even after 40 days without food and water in Matthew 4 - or able to pray for his killers while hanging on the cross in Luke . I put Jesus on a pedestal, and rightfully so, but I miss the rest of the story by only looking at the divinity of Jesus. We don't know how much Jesus kept himself from knowing. (As God, He knows everything but on at least on occasion Jesus said he didn't kn...

In the last day or two, I read a couple of devotionals that make me wonder. One is : The Sanctuary for Lent 2011   By Robert V. Dodd / Abingdon Press Small enough to carry in your pocket or mail to every member of the congregation, this booklet of daily devotions will enrich your experience of Lent and help you and the members of your church grow closer to God. Every devotion includes a suggested scripture reading and a closing prayer. A reading is provided for every day and Sunday in Lent and for Easter Sunday. Without actually saying it, Lent 2011 posed the question: "am I implementing what I learn in scripture, or am I learning the content of the Bible just for the knowledge?" Since the comments hit me, I have to meditate and pray about this. I can name examples where I have taken lessons learned and made them part of who I am. I wonder if I'm doing enough. I wonder what lessons I've learned but have not implemented. Perhaps the answer lies in th...

Do you know that Joseph didn't say anything?  Look at the Biblical account.  It's in the first chapter of Matthew and in Luke 1 and 2.  He doesn't say anything.  An angel appears to him and says something like "go ahead and marry Mary and raise God's child". So Joseph does.   After the visit from the wise men, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and says "go to Egypt and take Mary and Jesus with you".... and Joseph does. He never protests.  He never asks for an explanation. He just obeys. He does as instructed by an angel - in a dream. There are two lessons I take from this (after a Bible Study lesson this week).  One is that Joseph must have known scripture and prophesy.  Many of the Old Testament Prophets predicted the coming messiah. Isaiah 9:6 tells of a baby being born who will be Prince of Peace. Isaiah 7:14 says the baby will be born of a virgin.  Hosea begins chapter 1 with the passage " out of Egypt I called my son ". Mica...

Luke 7:36-39   Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner." I thought of something when I read this passage.  Why was the " woman who had lived a sinful life " in the Pharisee's house? Was she there to "set-up" Jesus?  Did the Pharisee have her there so that he could see how Jesus would react? I don't know. It doesn't really make any difference today. The...

We tend to shirk our duties spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Most offer excuses like I don't know what to say.   That may be true, especially if we don't know much of Jesus' message.  That comes from Bible study and scripture reading. But we can be assured that if we try to spread the news, at that very moment, we will know what to say, with or without a great deal of Bible study and reading. Here's how I know.  Jesus says as recorded in Luke 12:12, " for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."   Notice the timing. " at that time ", not before time. Also notice how you will know... "The Holy spirit will teach you ."  There is no better teacher of the Bible.  You can rest assured that the Holy Spirit will get the message right, perfect for the listener, and you can't mess it up, unless you  let your ego get in the way and try to take over the message.  When the time is right, when you let the Holy Sp...

I heard a brief bit of a sermon on the radio today. It was about the trial of Jesus. I don't remember ever hearing a sermon of the crucifixion discussed this time of year. I didn't hear enough of the sermon to know which Gospel he used.  I don't know how he came up with what he said and I can't confirm it but it still made me think of something I'd never contemplated.  So I wanted to share it. Jesus was before Pilate. He was there before a man who didn't REALLY want to put Jesus to death, or have anything to do with him. Reading the text even makes it sound like Pilate wanted to let Jesus go. He offered to let someone go free.  He offered a choice between Jesus and Barabbas. We don't know enough of the story to know how Barabbas' name came up. We don't know if Pilate suggested Barabbas or if the crowd came up with Barabbas' name on their own (with the help of the Jewish religious rulers perhaps) as the one to release. This is an interesting i...

Luke 8 :40 "Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him." I wondered if Jesus had been in this community before. Perhaps on an earlier visit they did not welcome Him.  But since He'd done some healings and other wonderful things, NOW they welcomed Him. Or maybe they weren't prepared for a previous visit. Maybe they hadn't been expecting Him so there was no one to welcome Him. But THIS visit they were expecting Him, so they were ready and able to welcome Him. We should always be ready to welcome Jesus. We should expect Him in all kinds of situations and circumstances.  We should look for Him in the faces of others to expect to see His image, at least a glimpse of it.  We should look for Him in the places of pain and grief so that we can see and spread hope.  We should expect to see Jesus everywhere we go and everywhere we look.  We should expect to see Him so we can welcome Him, at all times, in all places, in all circumstance...

Luke 7:22 So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. I read this as part of the Bible Study we are doing. The study is on Miracles and their purpose. In this case, the miracles are for pointing to Jesus as God's chosen who we should listen to and respect. When I read this the last phrase stuck out.  Remember those exercises in grade school where we were supposed to pick the object or thing that didn't fit with the rest of the list?  Well, this last phrase struck me as something that didn't fit with the rest. The blind seeing, the lame walking, healings, deaf hearing, and the dead living are without a doubt miracles.  But what about good news being preached to the poor?  How does that fit with the rest?  My only original guess is that it is one of the prophesy ...

Luke 17:11-17 tells the story of ten lepers who were healed. Jesus healed all of them.  He said, "Go....." And as they went, they were cleansed.  Did He heal them because they went when He told them to? Did He heal them because they obeyed?  Did He heal them simply because He was merciful?  We don't know. There isn't enough information for that...but there is enough information! Then one of the healed lepers, a Samaritan, came and fell at Jesus' feet.  He praised Jesus.  He thanked Jesus.  He was overwhelmed with gratitude. This is the attitude we should have when any of our needs are met, when any of our prayers are answered. Where are the others? Jesus asked that very question. Verse 17 says Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? That is all of the story that we have. That's it. There isn't enough information to know what happened with the others....but there is enough information! Here are my questions.  Did ...

Romans 14:11 ....'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,    'every knee will bow before me;       every tongue will confess to God. I'm still thinking about the Trinity. ( See previous posts if you are interested: Jesus, Son of God - Trinity and Jesus and the Holy Spirit) I think the "problem" if Jesus is NOT God is whether we worship and praise Him or not.  If Jesus is not God, we'd be worshiping more than one God, something that God strongly disapproves. I had this verse...at least part of it... in my head to get rid of this dilemma. I was thinking that Jesus said, "every knee will bow before me", but he didn't.  God did in the Old Testament. Jesus himself said he was the Messiah or the Christ, or rather confirmed it when others said it.  (See John 4:24-26 , Matthew 16:15 , Mark 8:29 , and Luke 9:20 )  But those terms Christ and Messiah mean anointed one. Jesus said in John 14:6 " I am the way and the truth and th...

Luke 7:37-38, 44-46: When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.... Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.  At church on Sunday, this was part of the passage that the pastor used for his sermon.  One part of this passage stuck with me.  I don't even remember if the pastor touched on this idea.  Perhaps that's why it stuck with me. Let me tell you what I though...

Luke 10:21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit , said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. Luke 9 starts with Jesus sending out the twelve disciples, in twos, to preach the gospel and to heal.  This chapter ends, after much success by the disciples, with Jesus warning them of the cost of following Jesus.  Chapter 10 begins with Jesus c hoosing and sending another 72 "others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go..." (I don't remember ever noticing this group of 72!)  Verse 17 " The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."     Jesus told them in verse 20 "....However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in hea...

Luke 6:38 NIV " Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." One problem with familiar passages is that we seldom really hear it each time it's read. I know this passage.  I know the preceding verse about not condemning or judging or I will be judged. I know that when I give, no matter how much or how little, I get that in return.  It is just a fact.  Maybe not today or tomorrow, but it always come back.  This passage tells us to expect exactly that.  When we give, it will be given back to us.  When we give, a " good measure, pressed down, shaken together and RUNNING OVER will be poured into your lap ." The amount we give, not matter what we give, is given back to us. This does not say that only the good that we give is returned to us in this generous portion. It just says when we give we will receive it back. ...

For I know how many are your offenses and how great are your sins. ( Amos 5:12 ) How dreadful.  God is fully aware of all our offenses.  He knows how many and when and what they are.  He also knows how great they are.  We do not know the extent of our sins.  We don't know enough t understand what is offensive and sinful but God does. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)   Thank God he is gracious and merciful.  Despite knowing all our offenses and the greatness of our sins, it is his good pleasure to give us the kingdom.  What will we do today in appreciation for that?  It is a love that demands a response.  Do SOMETHING to say thank you to the Father. It is by our actions that we can reflect our true appreciation for his grace and mercy.  We sin and continue to sin.  Oftentimes we even know when we are doing it.  God knows this and even expects it.  ...

Luke 12:2 (NIV) There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. Luke 12:2 (ESV) Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Today, in the period of so much scientific knowledge and so many archeological finds and technological breakthroughs, many people want to explain stories of the Bible.  They look for "reasonable" explanations of the events recorded there.  I saw a video several years ago where they'd set up a simulation of the parting of the Red Sea.  In the video, they determined that there was a logical scientific reason for the Red Sea to part for the Israelites to cross to get away from the Roman soldiers. I couldn't find that video but found an article about finding the location for Sodom and Gomorrah complete with sulfur pellets! While science looks for answers and "learned" people search for explanations to explain the Bible in an attempt to discredit it or...

There are a lot of unnamed people in the Bible.  Many of them are key to some aspect of the Bible story. For example, Genesis 4:17 says "Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch."  I'd say that the mother of all the descendants of half the population was a key person.  There is a servant girl in the story of Naaman. (See 2 Kings 5 )  In the New Testament, there is the person who supplied the colt that Jesus rode when entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and another who supplied the "upper room" for what came to be known as the Last Supper was also unnamed.  In one case I can easily think of, the person isn't even mentioned. Luke 2:7 - "and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Christmas programs all over the world portray the innkeeper as turning awa...

Jesus was home, in his hometown. He was with people he'd grown up with, in the town where he learned his trade (carpentry), where people knew him. He was where he felt that comfortable it's-good-to-be-home feeling. He brought with him those with whom he'd been traveling, preaching and teaching, those with whom he'd been spending most of his time, eating with, and healing with -  His disciples. He was with all the people he loved the most.  His friends, his family, and his disciples. But Mark said in chapter 6 verse 5  " And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them." Can you imagine how Jesus hurt from this? He loved these people. He wanted healing for them.  He wanted them to accept God's greatest gift. He wanted so much for them. But he was unable to do any " mighty work there ".  Why was Jesus unable to do any "might work" there? Was he powerless there, like Superman arou...