Day 5 – John 5

back in the parking lot to send this last email for the night. I will try to send one tomorrow but may miss a day since we will be at the Huntsville space center most of the day

SCRIPTURE ~ John 5

KEY VERSES ~ 18 For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. 19 Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

OBSERVATIONS ~ This is one of those chapters which is very, very different from other Gospel chapters. We hear of an early miracle, then the chapter turns to a very spiritual, somewhat mystical nature. The healing has an appealing verse in number 6, when Jesus asked, “Do you want to get well?” A question all of us need to answer. When we want to lose weight, quit smoking, drinking, doing something which is harmful, do we really want to be made well? Will we make the sacrifice necessary or continue as is, cursing our own lack of willpower and more importantly, God’s potential power in our lives?

Secondly, verses 18-19 remind me of the reason why Christ died. He was not what the Jews wanted. He was a nonconformist, a radical who changed the world. He broke the rules which people hold onto which work to hinder, rather than free. Think about healing someone, is it better to heal someone than let them wallow in pain? Just one day sooner of healing is worth it, but not to the Pharisees? And Jesus does whatever the Father does, because of verse 19. Jesus can do nothing by Himself, He can only do whatever He sees the Father doing.

APPLICATION ~ I ask myself two questions - - 1. What is it I need healing from? How can my life change for the better if I would only (and maybe even dramatically) allow God to take over?

2. How much am I willing to give of myself, even when others look at me as a nonconformist, radical, rule breaker for Jesus? What does that mean for me and the church? How far do I push the radical message of Jesus? Most Christians don’t really catch how radical Jesus was. He was an extremist, and He made most people He had contact with feel uncomfortable, especially the elite.

PRAYER ~ God, open my eyes to be able to see the world the way you see the world. Help me to learn Your world and see where you are at work and how I can be part of that. Help me to look for it today in both the big and the small. Forgive me for those times when I live like it is up to me to change the world. It is You, O Lord, who will change the world. May I be a part of bringing change and transformation to the world. Bring into my every second consciousness that you are "always at work . . . even to this very day." Amen