Category: Jesus

A common question being asked these days is: “What’s your why?” In other words: ‘Know your purpose; figure out why you’re pursuing the things you’re pursuing…’ It’s a good question, but I think Jesus would phrase it this way: “Who’s your why?”

“When I asked the apostles if they were going to walk away from Me like most listeners did, do you remember My friend Peter’s response? ‘Where shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’ Though not perfect, Peter was beginning to realize something: ‘I am Truth.’ Do you remember Martha asking Me to tell her sister Mary to leave My presence to help in the kitchen? I replied: ‘Mary has chosen the better place to be… at My feet. Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things, but only One is needed.’ I wanted my friends to know: ‘I am Life.’ Do you remember Thomas asking: ‘Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the way?’ I answered: ‘I am the Way.’ Why don’t you let Me be your Why?”

Jesus became the all-consuming quest of Paul, who had been a merciless persecutor of God’s children. From a prison cell, he confessed that he had not fully attained his goal, but there is no doubt about his ‘Why.’ Try to read his words to the Philippians below as if you are seeing them for the first time… and notice his challenge to us.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ — yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection of the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

If there’s one thing I hope to inherit from my dad, it’s his gentleness. I often see his tenderness with his great-grandchildren. I’ve witnessed the gentle way he cared for his aging mother, who passed away in 2003 at the age of 103. Recently Kinsey’s family visited my parents and watched Peepaw rescue a distressed animal. A day-old calf was caught in some briars and separated from its mother on the opposite side of a shallow creek. Peepaw carefully untangled it, picked it up, and walked it across the stream to be re-united with its mother.

My dad turns 88 on March 19 and happily continues his gentle ways with people and animals. Our grandson Wilkes turns 6 two days later. We got to join family and friends this past Sunday for an early birthday celebration in the park.

Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd, One who knows His sheep by name and cares so much for each of them that He was willing to lay down His life. In my mind, I picture His gentleness most clearly as He welcomed children into His arms. You can tell a lot about a person by how they interact with kids. “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)

If you have not yet discovered ‘The Chosen’ video series about Jesus, find it online and watch it for free. Episode 3 is called ‘Jesus and the Children’ and shows the King of kings befriending a group of Hebrew kids. Don’t expect action-packed drama in this episode, but marvel at the gentleness, wisdom, and love displayed. Surely every parent wants their children to meet such a Man.

Jesus is gentle with adults too… The blind beggar, the woman caught in adultery, the teacher who came to Him at night, the woman at the well, the despised tax collector… all experienced One who could have judged, but instead showed tender mercy. And still today, Jesus welcomes all who will listen to His voice. There is no sweeter invitation…

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

“Oh to be independent! To not have anyone tell me what to do… to be myself… to be free!” From the first man and woman until now, the desire for independence has been a powerful force. But while true freedom is one of the greatest gifts of God, He knows we will only receive it as we live in dependence on Him.

This is the way Jesus lived and He calls us to trust Him. “Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (John 6:57) “I do nothing on My own but speak just what the Father has taught Me.” (John 8:28) “By Myself, I can do nothing…” (John 5:30)

Such dependence was not a burden for Jesus… it was life. And this “life was the light of all mankind.” (John 1:4) So He invites us to follow: ‘Come to Me… surrender your life and find it in Me. I am the true Vine who has the perfect Gardener. You are a branch who can only live by staying connected to Me. Depend on Me and you will thrive. Trust the Vine and the Gardener and you will bear fruit… lasting fruit that pleases the Father.’ (see John 15)

In the preface to his book ‘Abide in Christ,’ South African pastor Andrew Murray, who lived from 1828-1917, wrote:

I ask to be permitted to give one word of advice to my reader. It is this. It needs time to grow into Jesus the Vine: do not expect to abide in Him unless you will give Him that time. It is not enough to read God’s Word, or meditations as here offered, and when we think we have hold of the thoughts, and have asked God for His blessing, to go out in the hope that the blessing will abide. No, it needs day by day time with Jesus and with God… If we are to live through Jesus, we must feed on Him; we must thoroughly take in and assimilate that heavenly food the Father has given us in His life. Therefore, take time each day, ere you read, and while you read, and after you read, to put yourself in contact with the living Jesus, to yield yourself distinctly and consciously to His blessed influence; so will you give Him the opportunity of taking hold of you, of drawing you up and keeping you safe in His almighty life.

“I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure, because You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.” Psalm 16:7-11

‘Abide in Christ’ by Andrew Murray, ©1985, Barbour and Company, Inc., Westwood, N.J., p 7

From John 6 – after the miraculous feeding of the 5000:

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (51)

“I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in them. Just like the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (53-58)

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.” (27)

“For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (40)

From John 4 – the Samaritan woman:

“The Samaritan woman said to Him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman, how can You ask me for a drink?’ Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the Gift of God and Who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.’ The woman said, ‘Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?’” (9-11)

“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” (13-14)

“The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.’ Then Jesus declared, ‘I, the One speaking to you – I am He.’” (25-26)

“Just then His disciples returned and were surprised to see Him talking with a woman.” (27)

“The disciples urged Him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you know nothing about.’ Then the disciples said to each other, ‘Could someone have brought Him food?’ ‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of the Father who sent Me and to finish His work.’” (31-34)

From John 17 – the prayer of Jesus:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him. Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave me to do.” (1-4)

A few conclusions:

• Jesus knows Himself
• Jesus knows people
• Jesus knows that people need ‘real food’ and ‘real drink’
• Jesus is ‘food that endures to eternal life’
• Eternal life is knowing the Father and Son
• Jesus’ pleasure while on Earth was to do the will of the Father
• The will of the Father is that we have eternal life

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.’” John 6:35

My friend Steve Wolf, who manages this blog site and helps me tremendously, read my Journey last week and was reminded of Dayenu, a song/prayer from the Jewish Seder meal at Passover. The Hebrew word means ‘it would have sufficed’ and emphasizes the powerful significance of each one of God’s blessings, alone and apart from each of His other blessings.

If He had brought us out from Egypt,
and had not carried out judgments against them
it would have sufficed!

If He had carried out judgments against them,
and not against their idols
it would have sufficed!

If He had destroyed their idols,
and had not smitten their first-born
it would have sufficed!

If He had smitten their first-born,
and had not given us their wealth
it would have sufficed!

If He had given us their wealth,
and had not split the sea for us
it would have sufficed!

If He had split the sea for us,
and had not taken us through it on dry land
it would have sufficed!

If He had taken us through the sea on dry land,
and had not drowned our oppressors in it
it would have sufficed!

If He had drowned our oppressors in it,
and had not supplied our needs in the desert for forty years
it would have sufficed!

If He had supplied our needs in the desert for forty years,
and had not fed us the manna
it would have sufficed!

If He had fed us the manna,
and had not given us the Sabbath
it would have sufficed!

If He had given us the Sabbath,
and had not brought us before Mount Sinai
it would have sufficed!

If He had brought us before Mount Sinai,
and had not given us the Torah
it would have sufficed!

If He had given us the Torah,
and had not brought us into the land of Israel
it would have sufficed!

If He had brought us into the land of Israel,
and not built for us the Holy Temple
it would have sufficed!

Those who put their faith in Jesus as Messiah believe He is our Passover Lamb. He is our Manna from Heaven… the Bread of Life. He is the Lord of the Sabbath and the fulfillment of the Torah. And Jesus is the Cornerstone of the Temple not made with hands, which is His Body, of which we are a part. (see Scripture below)

I once wrote about a tiny license plate I saw on the back of an old bicycle in a small village in Benin, West Africa. I asked my brother the meaning of the French words: JESUS SEUL SUFFIT. Brian translated: JESUS ALONE IS SUFFICIENT. Indeed He is!

And the grace God gives in Christ is sufficient to carry us through every trial and sufficient to empower us to live for Him.

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Chief Cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’” II Corinthians 12:9

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (ESV) II Corinthians 9:8