March 11, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in our Lenten readings from “The Life of Jesus”? Here’s today’s reading:
Day 1 in the Book: “The Life of Jesus“
The Year of Growing Opposition
Read Sections 4.33 through 4.36 (pages 95-98)
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.
I imagine trying to explain eternal life in Christ to these Jews must have been difficult. Such a step in faith to believe you can have new life and eternal life based on the actions Jesus would take while He was on earth. The Jews felt like they already had the way, their law was their way and they were so closed to anything else.
Even when faced with Him healing a man blind from birth they scrambled for reasons why this couldn’t be God…it was on the Sabbath, the man must have been evil. Similar to us even today it’s hard to relinquish control and accept that God is in control of all and we must trust and obey.
Day 1
4.33-4.36
Galatians 5. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. We are no more entangled by rules, regulations or special conditions for being saved. The biggest opposition to Gods Grace: legalism. If I get a wiff of it, I’m gonna run. Or at least confront it. Galatians 6. To carry each others burdens. The law of Christ. Great picture of the church. We are not independent and in no need of help from others. Too many Christians are home on Sundays with their curtains closed. Because of legalism, too many Christians putting themselves above others pointing fingers. That’s pride as Paul writes about with his own hands. Verses 12-15.
Jesus heals the blind man. He wasn`t born blind because of his sin or his parent`s sin. there was a belief that if someone was blind, crippled, diseased, sick, etc. it was because of sin. Jesus was correcting that here in this passage. Jesus said that this man was born blind for God to be glorified. Jesus didn`t always heal people the same way. He used different means to accomplish what he was trying to do. In this case he prepared mud , put it on the blind man`s eyes, and then told him to wash in the Siloam pool. This means that the blind man had to step out in faith and believe Jesus. It says that he followed these instructions and came back to Jesus. I wonder if the blind man had help in getting to that pool. If so maybe others also stepped out in faith. It doesn`t say but something to consider. It is also amazing how the Pharisees refused to believe even when this man was healed. It even came to the point where this man that was healed was teaching the Pharisees . They were too entrenched in the letter of the law and not willing to see what was in front of them .They were blind to the truth. As a result, they kicked the healed man out of the synagogue.
John chapter 8 Jesus confronts the Pharisees. Their father is the devil. If you had the same father as I. You would understand what I’m saying. Then they claim Abraham was their father. Jesus states. Abraham rejoiced at seeing my day and was glad. Before Abraham was born. “I Am “
Lent 2023 Day 1
Day 1
Day 1 4-33-36
John Chapter 8 the healing of the blind man is one of my favorite of Jesus’ healing stories, because the man is so adamant about what Jesus did for Him. The leaders’ reaction reminds me of our world today…..don’t believe your own eyes. We want you to live in denial of your own experiences…knowledge….of the truth. The blind man sees, but the leaders do not see.
God sent Jesus to us because he loves us. And Satan is a liar, who is always against the truth. We are wise to discern when he is speaking lies to us and to resist it so he will flee from us. The Jews could not handle the truth when Jesus spoke to them directly and with authority so much so that they tried to kill him. These are how people behave when they can’t handle the truth, they put their hands over their ears and refuse to listen. How can the Pharisees be so blind as to make an issue out of someone being healed on the Sabbath? It reveals how hard their hearts were for the people compared to the love and compassion Jesus had for them. I love the whole interchange between the healed man and the Pharisees … “I don’t know if he is a sinner, but I do know this: I was blind and now I can see.” He did not shrink back when they cross examine and shout insults at him. He stands his ground and says..”This man must be from God”. A good example for all of us when we are being ridiculed by others for our faith in Jesus.
Lent day 1
How bold Jesus is to tell the religious leaders of His day that they are children of the devil. But when you know the truth and are convinced about what it is and are perfect in behavior and motivation, you are then very bold about it. Jesus knew that He was from God and He was connected to His Father and was following His will, so those who opposed Him must be operating from the influence of the great adversary of God, satan. But the religious leaders were convinced they had the truth and so they would not listen and opposed Jesus at every turn. But it is one thing for Jesus to say this or that about Himself, it is another for Him to do something that shows who He is. And what better way to show you are the light of the world than by healing a blind man. And how telling that Jesus says he was born blind so that Jesus could perform this miracle. Not only did that confront the current thought that all tragedy and abnormality was caused by sin, but it also shows that God sometimes causes and allows bad things so He can solve them. It just reenforces that all of life is under His sovereign hand and orchestration.
But even in the presence of this absolutely amazing miracle, the Jewish leaders can’t accept who He is. So they do everything in their power to discredit what Jesus has done. They say he is not the same man, wasn’t born blind, that Jesus healed on the sabbath, they call in the parents and even use ousting from the synagogue to question this miracle and distract people from seeing the reality of who Jesus is expressed through this healing. And I agree, Amy, you just got to love the healed man who keeps coming back to the reality, that you can say whatever you want about Jesus, but the proof is in the pudding. You can know He is from God because He has done something only God can do. And when Jesus then says He is God, well then we believe that too.