Have you ever had times when you've read the Bible and thought to yourself, "Holy cow those people were dumb!"?
I had a few of those moments while reading today's chapters. But then I realized that when it comes to God, I can be a bit clueless myself.
One of the biggest problems I saw with the people in these chapters was their own expectations. They expected Jesus to fit their ideal timing, their visions of what the Messiah would "look" like, and meet their needs exactly as they asked.
Hmm...have you ever been in that same boat? I have.
But here's the thing about God--if He's going to defy anything, it's human expectation. If He's going to rebel against anything, it's injustice. And if He's going to absolutely hate anything, it's complacency. Jesus did not conform to the commands of people--and thank God for that!
Here's a few examples if you wanted to take a second look:
- Defying human expectations for "the perfect timing": After Jesus healed a lame man on the Sabbath, He said, ""My Father is working straight through, even on the Sabbath. So am I."
Love this! God doesn't have to wait to start working in our lives...but sometimes, He does delay miracles. He's God--He can do whatever He wants. That's the point of Jesus' message here. - Rebeling against injustice: When Jesus walked around, He forgave peoples' sins. And that really angered religious leaders--particularly because Jesus wasn't afraid to help people who they considered second class (prostitutes, Samaritans, women, tax collectors, children, etc.).
Here's what He said, "The Son gives life to anyone he chooses. Neither he nor the Father shuts anyone out. The Father handed all authority to judge over to the Son so that the Son will be honored equally with the Father. Anyone who dishonors the Son, dishonors the Father, for it was the Father's decision to put the Son in the place of honor..." - Hating complacency and hypocricy: There were plenty of people who liked the status quo of religious rules and regulations during Jesus' time. Maybe it was because they were profiting from it or because it gave them superior social status.
But Jesus called out hypocrites when He said, "You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want.
"I'm not interested in crowd approval. And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God's love, is not on your working agenda. I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. - Not conforming to the demands of people: When people saw Jesus multiply bread and fish, they were amazed...and basically asked him to do it again, saying, "Why don't you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what's going on? When we see what's up, we'll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do. Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the Scriptures: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
But Jesus replied, "The real significance of that Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from heaven but that my Father is right now offering you bread from heaven, the real bread. The Bread of God came down out of heaven and is giving life to the world."
The last one is perhaps my favorite example in this passage because it show God's heart--not to simply give us what we ask for. It's not because He's mean, but because He offers us so much more than what we ask or imagine. We don't always see His answers or the value of them. Our blindness doesn't mean that God's not there offering to free us from sin, heal our souls, and help us to run...and see...again.
Tomorrow: John 7-8
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