December 13, 2025
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Reading along with us in our Lenten readings from “The Life of Jesus”? Here’s today’s reading:
Advent 2025 – Day 13 in the Book: “The Life of Jesus“
The Year of Popularity
Read Sections 3.37 through 3.41 (pages 51-56)
This book is an account of Jesus’ life and teachings told through in chronological order from the four Gospels to create one continuous story.
*If you do not have a copy of the book please contact the church at (401)667-0775 and we can get you a copy.
John the Baptist was a great man and an important part of God’s plan. It is true that certain circumstances of life can cause us to wonder who God is and what He is doing. So one can only imagine the place that John was in to question who Jesus is. But Jesus assures John’s followers that he did right pointing people to Him as well as complimenting John for the man he was and what he dd. And as Jesus calls us to life with Him, the burden He gives us is light because He is the One who carries the majority of the load. And He is merciful to our sinfulness and is willing to accept people that others would reject because of the faith and love that they show Him. And the Jewish leaders were at a loss to explain who Jesus is and why He could do what He did. But how foolish for them to suggest that it was actually satan’s power that Jesus operated in. If it was Jesus was doing a lot of things to bring satan down and free people from the hold satan had on them. And that is why people followed Him, especially people that He had worked miracles for, and some of them being women as well.
Psalm 49; Jeremiah 26; The Life of Jesus 3.37-3.41
“But wisdom is shown to be right by those who accept it.”
There was a time I was watching a YouTube video with my martial arts instructor about a “martial arts expert” who was able to channel his “chi” to help him knock out his opponents. He would demonstrate this on his students by doing some weird movement and then the students would suddenly collapse. But this was shown to be nonsense when he tried it on a skeptical reporter and it didn’t work.
One of the excuses this “expert” made was that you have to believe in “chi” in order for it to work. My instructor’s comment on this was “I’m glad I rely on technique that works whether the other person believes it or not.”
Oh how true this is of God’s wisdom as well.
Advent 2025 – Day 13
Life of Jesus 3.37-3.41
Some great stuff in these sections. First, I love when Jesus calls out hypocrisy. He says “John eats too little and you don’t like it and I eat too much and you don’t like it”. He says “You cast out evil spirits with the power of God but when I do it it must be the power of Satan”. Scared and threatened people judge and typically use lies to do so. They try to explain away what they can’t understand or don’t like rather than trusting and believing what is right in front of them. We see this politically all the time!
Jesus’ explanation of the woman known to be a sinner is so perfect! It is easy to give when you have much. It is easy to trust when life is good. It is easy to believe when you aren’t feeling pain. Jesus knows this, He took human form to understannd it even further. Sacrifice is hard, trust is difficult when life is troubled. But He sees our hearts and knows. That is why He tells us to come to Him for rest, His way is easy and His burden light but we must first take on that yolk!
Advent days 13 and 14
“We played the flute for you and you did not dance; we sang a song for you and you did not cry.” People want you to respond in an expected way or how they are manipulating you to respond. How much that is going on right now in our world is manipulation to elicit an emotional response? The emotional response distracts from what is really going on. Focus on Christ and wisdom, truth will prevail.