Creative Space for Wanderers
Read The story of Lazarus being brought back to life spread like wildfire. Many believed in Jesus while others somehow saw a completely different message. There’s a lot going on here for us to wrestle with, much of which I can only pretend to understand because I don’t have any firsthand experience with the Sanhedrin, …
I’m incredibly thankful for many things, but most of all for a God who isn’t fair. I’m thankful for a Creator God that loves us so much that he allows us to choose right or wrong in our own eyes, who honors wise choices, disciplines poor decisions, and loves us completely in any case. I’m …
Read The imagery of Jesus weeping over the death of Lazarus has long been one of my favorite stories. Most of the time when I read this passage I walk away with the thoughts presented in the previous post. This time, however, I was challenged to take a different point of view by the NIV …
Read Once again John provides a detailed story that demonstrates the humanity of the immortal, the love of God so vast that it transcends time and strikes us in the deepest parts of our being. I titled this, Jesus Wept, because I think this is the point of the story beyond His ability to raise …
Read The second half of this chapter begins in the winter. It’s time for Hanukkah. By now we have learned that John’s style shows how Jesus used the setting as part of the teaching. It’s common for us to follow this example as we preach during Thanksgiving, Christmas, Independence Day, etc. The reason I bring …
Read The first part of chapter ten is somewhat like an epilogue to the story in chapter nine. Jesus is describing Himself as the good shepherd as a way of helping the Pharisees understand His actions. This time we read that “many” don’t understand while others are beginning to see what Jesus is saying. The …
Read: Before we move on to John 10 and beyond, I have to stop and reflect on the three-part series that attempts to look at chapter 9. The conclusion that John presents provides an imperative for our lives: we have been presented with the truth of Jesus, we can see with our eyes and hear …
Read: John wraps up the story of the man who is no longer blind by showing the care and compassion that Jesus had not only for the man in the story but for all mankind. The previous section concluded with the Pharisees kicking the man out of the synagogue. The shame that is associated with …
Continue reading “John: Blind from Birth Now Healed – Part 3”
Read: The first part of this chapter briefly captures the moment when Jesus healed this unnamed man who was blind from birth. The story now shifts focus to questions by the man’s neighbors, those that remember him as a beggar, his parents, and most significantly, the Jewish religious leaders. It’s amazing to hear how this …
Continue reading “John: Blind from Birth Now Healed – Part 2”
Read The story in this chapter is amazing! There are many subtle details that describe the story of a man who was blind from birth but now is completely restored at the hands of Jesus. As we read this narrative, consider this in both literal and figurative terms. We are blind without Jesus. This man …
Continue reading “John: Blind From Birth Now Healed – Part 1”