Continuing our journey through the gospel of John together

1 “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.

13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me–15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father–and I lay down my life for the sheep.16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life–only to take it up again.

18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
19 At these words the Jews were again divided.

20 Many of them said, “He is demon?possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”

21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

This is a stunning passage.  Jesus is using a ‘figure of speech’ here – maybe we need to too sometimes?

Jesus shares about how his sheep don’t recognize the voice of others and don’t follow them in turn – yet how often do we find ourselves tuning into plenty of voices other than Jesus?  what does that say about us?

You can get ‘hired help’ and plenty of other replacements and alternatives – but what can possibly compare to Christ himself?  The creator and provider of all life?

“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also.” – Again Jesus is speaking of the outsider.

“Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” – Another great example of Jesus complementing his words with his deeds, and vice-versa.  What can we learn from his example here?

Continuing our journey through the gospel of John

1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.

2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 
6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.

7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”

9 Some claimed that he was. 
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” 
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 

10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded. 

11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. 
“I don’t know,” he said.

Jesus saw a blind man as he walked.  How many blind, destitute, and lonely people to we come across every day, but have failed to even notice?

“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me” – notice how he says ‘we’ must do the work, and the level of sacred urgency that ought to be in our lives.

Why go through the theatrics of spitting on mud?  Walking to the pool?

Imagine encountering God and being so transformed people debate whether it is still really you?

Why didn’t Jesus tell him where he was after?  Could there be a wider understanding of what it means to encounter Jesus and follow him here?

While I can reproduce the salsa experience from last sunday for those of you who missed it – Here’s a few additional thoughts on the talk this past sunday.

There’s not much we do more frequently in life while awake than eat. Is there we can redeem our times of eating and see how God may be speaking to us through our food? Maybe rather than saying grace before meals, we could see grace within our meals?

The dining table helps bring people together as equals.  All in need of food, all with the capacity to enjoy and taste God’s goodness and providence.

Most of Jesus’ parables were spoken in the presence of a food and also often about food.

If the whole earth is filled with his glory – maybe our food expresses flavors of the gospel as well?  Think about the cilantro – the smell the colors – it’s all so unnecessary to digestion and nutrition – but why might our ever-creative God have done that with our food?

Everything (good) we eat was once alive.  Our food in many ways ‘dies’ so that we can live.

We can see the truth of Christ’s death, bringing us life, everywhere.

Death is not only a reality of life, it is the fuel for life.

Jesus once said that unless a kernel of wheat falls from the ground, it remains a single seed.  But if it dies… life is multiplied when we die to ourselves, our ambitions, our selfisness…

Jesus also said that we are to we deny ourselves (ie. die to ourselves), pick up our cross and follow him

Another statement Jesus repeated was that those who lose their lives (ie. die to ourselves again) will find our lives.

Death to ourselves, death for the sake of Christ, death on behalf of others, leads to life…

Here is a link to the trailer of food inc that I had mentioned – and how the way we eat today disconnects us from life, death, and how our universe functions.

Here’s an article I wrote about on ‘hoping for the death of your child‘ regarding the story of the two babies I closed with.

BTW – The jalapenos were burning under my nails for the next day.  Another reason why I love spicy food.  Ever have an experience eating food and you can’t recall whether you ate it or not?  Jalapenos provide me with a tangible experience to the food I ate – through the heat and my sweat – i’m reminded of the meal I just ate.  What if we lived more memorable and impactful lives – like the Jalapeno?

Continuing through our reflections on the Gospel of John

45 Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?” 

46 “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards declared. 
47 “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted.48 “Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him?

49 No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law–there is a curse on them.” 
50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked,

51 “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?” 

52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

Here we see a glimpse of some ‘insider’ conversation as those in power debated the implications of Jesus.

Whenever we come across something foreign, or something that threatens our status quo, it’s easy to quickly make judgments before seeking to understand first.

We can also see how Nicodemus begins tuning into who Jesus might be as he makes an attempt to listen more to what Christ has to say first.

Are there people in your life (who all bear the image of Christ) you haven’t given enough of a chance to yet?

Are there ways you see God in the unseen? How can we live more in tune and rhythm with the Creator of the Universe?

Continuing our online exploration of the gospel of John

25 At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Christ?

27 But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” 
28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him,

29 but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.” 
30 At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.

31 Still, many in the crowd put their faith in him. They said, “When the Christ comes, will he do more miraculous signs than this man?” 

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. 
33 Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the one who sent me.

34 You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” 
35 The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?

36 What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?” 
37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. 

40 On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” 

41 Others said, “He is the Christ.” 
Still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?42 Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?”43 Thus the people were divided because of Jesus.

44 Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

This passage is loaded with tension.

There are questions of who Christ is.

There are men who want to seize by force, yet it seems something divine disables them.

There is faith and doubt.

There is a continuous play on words, re-framing of how people view things.

What do you do with a Christ like this?  One loaded with questions, metaphors, and mysteries?  It’s easy to sign a statement of beliefs, but what about believing in a living, breathing moving target like Jesus?

What does it mean to believe in Christ?  What does it mean for him to be our Christ?

Continuing our journey through the gospel of John

14 Not until halfway through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach.

15 The Jews were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?”
16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me.17 If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.18 He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.

19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

20 “You are demon?possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”
21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all astonished.22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath.23 Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath?

24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”

We often break one law for another.  It’s easy to criticize others.  It’s easy to stand back and make judgments on how others live life, do ministry, seek god, express themselves, etc.

We often judge people by their actions, yet long for them to judge us by our intentions – rather than the other way around.

It takes much more time to understand another person’s story.  It’s much more difficult to love them regardless of how much you disagree.

But if we could sum up the scriptures to a word, would ‘love’ not be one of them?  Are there ways we as a community could practice unconditionally loving one another and celebrate our differences?

This is a clip from Tim Keller’s talk entitled “Creation & Creativity” given at the 2010 Entrepreneurship Initiative (Ei) Forum. The Ei Forum is the foremost gathering of investors and entrepreneurs committed to building a movement of innovative, gospel-centered, culture-renewing institutions and ventures.