Caught in the Act
Caught in the Act
John 8:3-11
The scribes and the Pharisees bought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at here.”
This entire situation reeks of treachery among the scribes and the Pharisees. There was no man. According the Law of Moses, the man was to be executed as well. Most likely, the man was in on it and the Pharisees set up the whole scenario in order to catch the woman and use her to stump Jesus.
“...the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death,” Leviticus 10:10
“If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; thus, you shall purge the evil from Israel,” Deuteronomy 22:22.
I just thought I’d drop some inspiring and devotional gems on you this morning from our favorite devotional Bible books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Non-inspiring to be sure but they are truly part of the law of Moses and were to be followed. Read more
Now and Then
I'm at a Press Conference in Houston. The Houston mayor, Sylvester Turner, is to my immediate left, then Insperity CEO, Paul Sarvadi and my dear friend, JR Reale.
Now and Then
John 8:1,2
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them.
In the style of a rabbi, Jesus sat down to teach. The focus of the second half of His public ministry was to teach. He strategically performed certain miracles and made some appearances early in His ministry in order to establish His Deity; that He is God. But now He teaches.
There were many that received him with anticipation and interest. But that is different than believing Him with saving faith. Blessed are those who "hear and believe”.
What an absolutely unique time in the history of the world.
Jesus’ ministry was a brief 3 years in all of history. A time when the God of the universe, in the flesh, opened His mouth and taught. The listeners had no idea. I wish I could've been there (and known what I know now). Read more
Mixed Reviews
Mixed Reviews
John 7
But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret. So, the Jews were seeking him at the feast and were saying, ‘where is He?’ There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, ‘He is a good man’; others were saying, ‘No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.’ Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews.
Chapter 6 revealed some hard-hitting teaching from Jesus to His followers about the high calling of discipleship. Jesus got their attention with miracles and when they wanted more, He instead taught them hard truths. Jesus’ challenging words caused the following response:
Therefore, many of His disciples, when they heard this said, ‘This is a difficult statement, who can listen to it?’ Read more
I Am All You Need
Beri and her family are enjoying their time in Europe!
I Am All You Need
John 6:22-65
"Jesus answered them and said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal. Therefore, they said to Him, what shall we do so that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent,” verses 26-29.
Jesus slipped away from the crowds. The people pursued Jesus by boats to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. They had miraculously been fed and they wanted more. They wanted a king that would meet their needs. They wanted a king that would over-through the Romans. They thought they found such a leader in Jesus. But Jesus rebuked them for being consumed with their physical and earthly needs and missing His main message of eternal significance: you must believe. Read more
Hot Fudge Sundae
Hot Fudge Sundae
John 6:14-21
So when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.
Jesus showed His creative power (a sign of His Deity: "in the beginning God created...") by multiplying a few loathes and fishes to feed thousands. Verse 14 says as a result "when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, 'this is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.'"
But they interpreted Jesus incorrectly. Fueled by their physical needs and their weariness of being ruled by the Romans, they wanted a national leader. Read more
This is a Test
This is a Test
John 6.1-14
“A large crowd followed Him because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick...Therefore, Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread so that these may eat?’ This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.”
Back in chapter 5, Jesus ripped the Pharisees and religious leaders a new one. He wasn’t subtle. He didn’t use allegories or parables. He was straightforward and blunt about who He is and how they are foolishly ignorant and willfully defiant against the Messiah’s claim as the Son of God. Read more
Looking for love
Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places
John 5:39-47
"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life...Do not think that I will accuse you before he Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words.”
So close, yet so far
The Pharisees were religious, pious, devout and studious students of scripture. These are qualities today that we would consider noble. Those who exhibit them are placed on a pedestal as spiritual leaders. Read more
Let’s Be Clear
I’m going to wear this hat today to games 3 of the ALCS, Astros vs. Red Sox
Let’s Be Clear
John 5:18-46
“For this reason, therefore, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God...'You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life...but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.'”
I know that spending day after day in the book of John can seem tiresome to some of you. I understand. My posts are not always inspirational, whimsical and motivational. However, I go through entire Bible books to see the whole picture of God and not just the "inspirational" part of God. In this study of the gospel of John, we are using both our heart and mind to dwell upon all that Jesus is. We love who He is to us but also who He is in history and His monumental impact on the world. Do your best to hang with me as we seek Jesus and ALL that He is.
As we approach this section of the gospel, Jesus is not subtle about His claims any longer. He has officially established His claim as God and the Jewish leaders don't just want to hold Him back or simply silence Him. They want Him dead. Read more
This Is Jesus!
Hole 1 at Cordillera Ranch, Boerne, TX
This Is Jesus!
John 5:1-18
Jesus said to him, ‘Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.’ Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, ‘It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.’ But he answered them, ‘He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’
When reading the gospel narratives, it's interesting to me that there’s always a “big picture” theme that the immediate story fits into. These are not a random collection of stories. There is a continuing and consolidated purpose of the entire book. At the same time, these stories effect individual lives and there is meaning and personal application within each story accordingly.
The Big Picture
For example, the theme of John is to substantiate that Jesus is the Christ with an emphasis on that fact that He is the Son of God. Therefore, Jesus is God! John often uses the word "sign" to emphasize the evidence of his claims. John 4:54 says, "this is again a second sign that Jesus performed." Like a skilled attorney, John is making a case to validate Jesus as the Son of God. Why is this important? Read more