Free daily Bible notes

John 9:35-41: There are none so blind…

³⁵Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”³⁶“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”³⁷Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”³⁸Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.³⁹Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”⁴⁰Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”⁴¹Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. NIV

Jesus comes to the persecuted with encouragement (35): This poor man had been ‘thrown out’ (excommunicated) because, unlike his cowardly parents, he dared to stand up for Jesus. Jesus came to him and spoke to him. As I read this passage I was forcibly reminded of my solemn responsibility and great privilege to remember in prayer all who have been thrown out; those who suffer oppression for their Christian faith (Hebrews 13:3). Jesus will come to them again and again in many ways, including in the prayers of His people.
Jesus comes to the seeker with revelation (35-38): It is fascinating to witness, throughout this ninth chapter, the gradual opening of the man’s eyes to the truth of who Jesus is – right up to the point of worship. The blind man came to Jesus because Jesus came to him in the first place (1). He was a seeker because Jesus sought him. The initiative was with Christ, and whatever the Lord commences He sees through to culmination; He leads that process across the finish line. (Philippians 1:6). ”Suddenly the picture comes into complete focus for him, and he believes – one of many individuals, throughout John’s story, who make the final step which John wants every reader of his book to make (20.31).” Tom Wright: ‘John for everyone’, p.145.
Jesus comes to the religious leaders with rebuke (39 – 41): Knowledge equals privilege, and accountability comes with it. There is an irony in these words because in one sense the Pharisees were not blind. They had the Old Testament and they taught it to others. They had spiritual knowledge. They had God’s Book. But they refused to let it lead them to Jesus (5:37-40). Tom Wright says that the Pharisees are ”sticking to their principles at the cost of the evidence…Not only are they wrong, but they have constructed a system in which they will never see that they are wrong. It is one thing to be genuinely mistaken, and to be open to new evidence, new arguments, new insights. It is another to create a closed world, like a sealed room, into which no light, no fresh air, can come from outside. That condition, in fact, is not far removed from that which Paul describes in the first chapter of Romans (1.32). There are some people who not only do the wrong thing but adjust their vision of the moral universe so that they can label evil as ‘good’ and good as ‘evil’. Once that has happened, such people have effectively struck a deal not only with evil but with death itself. They have turned away from the life-giving God and locked themselves into a way of thinking and living which systematically excludes him – and, with him, the prospect and possibility of rescue” (p.146).

January 3, 2020 0

John 9:24-34: Simple courage.

²⁴A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”²⁵He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”²⁶Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”²⁷He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”²⁸Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! ²⁹We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”³⁰The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. ³²Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.³³If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”³⁴To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out. NIV

The blind man’s parents passed the ball to him. Once he found it at his feet, he did not lack ideas for what to do with it. He showed considerable pluck, and took the clerics on – even toying with them it seems (27). They had no good arguments against his healing or against his words, so they did what people often do in such circumstances. They picked up mud and threw it. I pray that faced with hostile people, I will not hide, but stand up for Jesus, and offer my testimony. They may wipe their secularised boots all over it, but let them hear it.

Within this passage you can read the famous statement of (25): ”One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” This is the story of every Christian. Through the telling of this story we too are gradually being brought to see Jesus, who is ”the light” (5; see also 1:4,5). He is opening our blind eyes.

PRAYER: Lord, I know I can all too easily play the coward. So please give me the courage I will always need to stand up for you.

January 2, 2020 0

John 9:13-23: The cost of discipleship.

¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. ¹⁴Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. ¹⁵Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.¹⁷Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”The man replied, “He is a prophet.”¹⁸They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. ¹⁹“Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”²⁰“We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. ²¹But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” ²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders,who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. ²³That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” NIV

Religious people can become so concerned about the meticulous observance of their self – made rules that they don’t care about people. Instead of rejoicing over a remarkable healing of a man with congenital blindness, the Pharisees pursed their lips, shook their heads, and got very angry with Jesus for doing this miracle on the Sabbath. With Jesus, there was a pattern of such happenings (see e.g. Chapter 5).He would not allow His compassion to be tied up by their rules. Jesus knew that at the heart of the Sabbath there lies God’s heart for saving people. He was clear in His thinking that it was a day for doing good to others. But religion stinks!

The healed man’s parents make a fascinating case study. They were not as supportive of their son as you might expect them to be. To be excommunicated from the synagogue would mean not only loss of status within the Jewish community but loss of many other privileges. They were probably fearful for their livelihoods, and even their lives. There is a cost involved in discipleship. Jesus urged people to count that cost before embarking on a course to follow Him. This pair took out their ready reckoners and decided it just wasn’t worth it. They couldn’t afford it. They were hardly lovingly supportive of their son. They pushed him to the front where he could take the flak and not them. Christianity costs!

Revelation is often progressive. It takes time. By the end of the chapter, this wonderfully healed man will come to a fuller understanding of who Christ is (35-38). But even here he is on his way (17b). It’s a beginning. His spiritual eyes are gradually opened.Let’s be patient. Give people time. Above all, give God time. ”When surrounded by fear and anger, the only way through is to glimpse whatever we can see of Jesus, and to follow him out of the dark and into the light.” Tom Wright: ‘John for everyone’, p.139. Jesus enlightens!

PRAYER: Lord God, I pray that no threat or fear will ever make me disloyal to you.

January 1, 2020 0

John 7:25-31: ”Immortal until…”

^“25At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, ‘Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? ²⁶Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? ²⁷But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.’²⁸Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, ‘Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, ²⁹but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.’³⁰At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. ³¹Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, ‘When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?’ NIV

Someone said, ”I am immortal until all God’s will for me is accomplished.”

”At this they tried to size him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come” (30).

Jesus’ ”hour” (or ”time”) is a repeated theme in the fourth gospel. We have seen previously how He had opponents who wanted to kill Him (1, 7, 10, 11, 13, 19), and the people of Jerusalem were aware of the threat hanging over Him (25, 26). The fact of the matter is that, no, they hadn’t changed their minds about the Messiahship of Jesus. They hadn’t become kinder, softer and gentler in their approach. They had not modified their attitudes. But the Divine Hand was restraining them. Jesus could not die before the clock struck the appointed hour. There was a date written into the diary, and it could not be brought forward (or put back). It wasn’t that they didn’t try. They obviously did. But they were not permitted to succeed. Many people wanted to do away with Him, but nobody could.

This should encourage us I believe. Here are some key lessons:

There is a time to die, just as there is a time to be born (Ecclesiastes 3:2)
You can’t die before God’s appointed time.
No amount of persecution or opposition can change this. This should help our perspective as we have to navigate increasingly (it would seem) dangerous waters in our contemporary world.
No amount of animosity can prevent ”many” from believing (31). Although there was a widespread atmosphere of scepticism (as well as hostility – verse 27), there was nevertheless a great turning to Jesus. (It seems there was a prevalent Jewish belief at the time that, when the Messiah arrived, no one would know where He came from. But in fact His birthplace was foretold in the book of Micah 5:2-4. However, they didn’t truly appreciate His Heavenly origins.)

So, take heart, whatever is going on in your world. You are immortal until all God’s will for you is accomplished…and then you will find you live for ever anyway.

”The church is the only society on earth that doesn’t lose a single member by death. They just transfer to another branch!” David Pawson.

Prayer: Lord God, it gives me comfort and strength to know that my life is in your Hands.

December 17, 2019 0

John 6:60-71: How to empty your church.

^“60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’⁶¹Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you? ⁶²Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! ⁶³The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life. ⁶⁴Yet there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. ⁶⁵He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.’⁶⁶From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.⁶⁷‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve.⁶⁸Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’⁷⁰Then Jesus replied, ‘Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!’ ⁷¹(He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)” NIV

A while ago I saw an extract on the news, of an interview with the then England football manager, Sam Allerdyce. He explained that he had developed a certain toughness through the years and gave every impression of a man relishing the challenge. He said with a smile, ”Bring it on boys!”

Leadership is tough, and it is an art to be able to have the hide of an elephant and yet retain the heart of a child. It’s a delicate balance to be able to combine softness and strength. A lot of us are not made of the sort of stuff that smilingly says, ”Bring it on.” We’d avoid it if we could.

But as a preacher you must be prepared to speak the ‘hard’ truth (60). You don’t have to be hard in your manner; but you must not put the hard truths of the gospel in a blender and mush them up.

As a leader you have to be prepared to face grumbling and offence (61). You won’t always be understood and you can’t always be popular.

In John 6, Jesus preached a message that emptied the church – well, almost. At the end of it He only had twelve left in His congregation. (Actually, He knew it was just eleven: verses 70, 71). But was He a success in God’s eyes? Of course He was! We can be too obsessed with growing numbers. The black and white stats don’t tell the whole story.

Methodist missionary to India, E. Stanley Jones tells this story:

”A Brahman came to me confidentially one day and said, ”Your addresses have been very much enjoyed, but there is one thing I would suggest. If you will preach Christ as a way, all right, but say that there may be other ways as well. If you do this, India will be at your feet.” I replied, thanking my brother for his concern, but said: ”I am not looking for popularity, and it is not a question what I should say. It is a question of what are the facts. They have the final word.” I should be glad, more than glad, if I could say that there are others who are saving men, but I know of only One to whom I dare actually apply the term ”Saviour.” But I do dare apply it to Christ unreservedly and without qualification.” ‘The Christ of the Indian Road’, pp.48, 49.

As faithfully as you may preach the good news, the anointing of the Spirit bringing a life-giving word is no guarantee of belief (62, 63). As we saw previously, the mystery of God’s Sovereign grace is at work in every conversion (65). And there were those who believed, few though they were in number. They were not perfect. They included in their ranks Peter, with all his flaws. But he was ever big-hearted Peter; quick to say the right thing on this occasion. Does he not speak for us all? (68, 69). As E. Stanley Jones observed, there is no one like Jesus.

Prayer: Toughen me up Lord to always do and say the right thing; the required thing, in any given circumstance. But please, also, keep my heart so soft towards you, and to every person I meet.

December 12, 2019 0

John 6:35-51: The word of a Gentleman.

^“35Then 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. ³⁶But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰For 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.’⁴¹At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ ⁴²They said, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I came down from heaven”?’⁴³‘Stop grumbling among yourselves,’ Jesus answered. ⁴⁴‘No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵It is written in the Prophets: “They will all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.⁴⁸I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.⁵⁰But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die.⁵¹I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live for ever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’ NIV

David Livingstone was battling with doubt and loneliness in the jungles of central Africa. Then he came across (37). He wrote in his journal, ”That is the word of a Gentleman of the most strict and sacred honour. He would never break His Word.”

Although it is true, as we saw yesterday, that Jesus fully satisfies (35), not everyone will believe (36). (By the way, there is the idea of eating with enjoyment in verses 50, 51. It is both delightful and satisfying to feed on all that Jesus is.) But we should not be surprised at any lack of response we experience. Jesus met with negativity and rejection. Again, as we observed yesterday, people can be so wilfully blind and obtuse (41, 42).

The mystery of the sovereignty of God is at work in every conversion (37, 38, 44, 45). We come to Jesus and believe in Him. This is our choice. But the deeper truth is that we only make this movement towards Christ because of the Father’s drawing power.

All who come to Jesus find Him to be ‘the bread of life’ (48) who gives life. ‘Eternal life’ (47) is a new quality of life: the life of heaven begun here on earth. But it is also quantity of life; never-ending life; resurrection life (39, 40, 44, 50, 51). It is the best life available and the longest life imaginable

Jesus reveals God (46). He is ‘the window into God’ (Michael Green). He shows us what God is like in terms of a human life.

And He is also the redeemer.He gave His life for our life (51).

”Jesus lays great emphasis on his resurrection as completing his work for those who come to him. It is not enough to impart eternal life. That would bless the spirit, but leave the body untouched. And he cannot rest until the whole of our complex nature shares in the emancipation and fullness of his salvation. A transfigured manhood and a glorified body must be the crown of his service to his own. By his mighty power, he will raise them up in the likeness of his glory, that they may share his royal and exalted state. Nothing less will satisfy him, or undo the ruin that sin has introduced. Let us feed on Christ, by meditation on his words and by communion with himself, of which the sacred Feast of the Lord’s Table is a perpetual reminder.” F.B. Meyer: ‘ Devotional Commentary’, p.463.

December 10, 2019 0

John 6:14-21: OFTEN.

John 6:14-21: OFTEN

^“14After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ ¹⁵Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.¹⁶When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. ¹⁸A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. ¹⁹When they had rowed about three or four miles,they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. ²⁰But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’ ²¹Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.”NIV

”But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 4:16).

What you decide to do ‘often’ is important to you. It is a priority.

In a time of pressure, demand, and possibly dangerous temptation, Jesus again withdrew to a solitary place (15b). This is also instructive for us. Like Jesus, we need to build into our lives a pattern of withdrawal in order to advance. This is not about escapism or laziness. We go away from people and noise, only temporarily, in order to come back in power, and do the will of God. As someone observed, ”You need to learn that if you’re going to minister effectively to people, you can’t always be with people.”

Time away from the pressure and clamour of the crowd will help you to regain composure and perspective.

Jesus, in God’s time, descended the mountain and walked on the lake to save His terrified followers (16-21).

Do you have a solitary place you can go to on a regular basis? Matthew Henry has commented that we are never less alone than when we are thus alone – alone with the Father. Jesus is our example. Like Him, we go to the ‘lonely places’ in order to pray. That is not just to make requests, but it is to enjoy communion. It is not simply about ‘asking of’ but ‘being with’ – and it is recreating.

We don’t go away from people to run from reality.

We do it to recharge.

We do it to refuel.

And we return powered up for more effective service – to do things we could not do without being with the Father.

Always remember that when we are ‘willing’ to receive Jesus into our situations, just as He is (21), that’s when miracles happen.

It also strikes me that Jesus here models the ability to say ‘No’ to other people’s agendas for your life.’God made you and has a wonderful plan for your life.’ But somebody quipped, ‘God made you, and other people have a wonderful plan for your life!!’ You need a strong sense of what the Father wants of you, and then you can feel secure in that to turn opportunities down that don’t fit, however enticing they may be.

December 5, 2019 0

John 6:1-13: ‘…how far will they go…?’

John 6:1-13:

“Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), ²and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing those who were ill. ³Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. ⁴The Jewish Passover Festival was near.⁵When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming towards him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ ⁶He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.⁷Philip answered him, ‘It would take more than half a year’s wages^[a] to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’⁸Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’¹⁰Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). ¹¹Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.¹²When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ ¹³So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.” NIV

Andrew’s response to this food shortage was, perhaps, a little better than Philip’s (7, 9). At least it had a speck of faith in it. But not a lot. He could not imagine what use so small a picnic lunch could be:

”Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (9). He repeats the word ‘SMALL’. It is underlined in our thinking by repetition.

We face the challenge of smallness in a world that is in love with the big, the bold and the brassy.

Our thinking is often similar:

”I’m such a small person – small in my own estimation – what great thing could I ever do?”

”My gifts seem so small and unspectacular, how could I be of help?”

”My financial contribution to this project is trivial compared to the sums certain people can donate? Does it really count for anything?”

”Our church is so small. We’re not a mega-church. We don’t have all the bells and whistles, the technological wizardry possessed by the church down the road. What’s the point of our existence? Do we have any meaningful role to play?”

The problem is, we tend to equate the word ‘small’ with another word – ‘insignificant’. At least, many of us do. But God doesn’t. Remember David (and Goliath!! Remember him?)

And this story shows that little becomes much when you place it in the mighty Hands of Jesus.

It was said of Hudson Taylor (I think) that he was ‘a man small enough for God to use.’ On one occasion he was being introduced at a meeting, and the convener gave him such a big build up, saying what a great man he was etc, etc. Hudson came to the platform and declared, ‘I am just the small servant of an illustrious Master.’

And look what God did with that one small life! Hudson Taylor placed his perceived smallness into the mighty Hands of God and see what happened. There was a multiplying effect and countless numbers of people were affected for good. Many were converted; many were called into Christian service. The nation of China was powerfully impacted.

It’s not about how small you are, but how big Jesus is. And Jesus already has ‘in mind’ what to do with little old you (6). So fear not.

”Christ often tests us to see what we shall say and do in the presence of overwhelming difficulty, but he always knows the way out…The world is to be fed by the cooperation of Christ and his Church.” F.B. Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary’, p.462.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I place my life afresh into you Hands today. Please make me more than I ever thought I could be.

December 4, 2019 0

John 5:30-38: Prove it!

John 5:30-38

³⁰By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.³¹‘If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. ³²There is another who testifies in my favour, and I know that his testimony about me is true.³³‘You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. ³⁴Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. ³⁵John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.³⁶‘I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish – the very works that I am doing – testify that the Father has sent me. ³⁷And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, ³⁸nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.NIV

John 5:16-46 is a theologically BIG section of the New Testament. It’s clear message is that’s Jesus is God. He is equal with God, and He is God.

But how do we know the claim is true? How can it be proved?

Jesus, as it were, calls witnesses to the dock to testify on His behalf:

There is the Father Himself (32,37). At His baptism, His Father publicly owned Him as His ‘beloved Son’ (Matthew 3:17).

There are the works the Father gave Christ to accomplish (36). These works include the healing, the raising, the judgment, as we have seen (16-29).

There is the testimony of John the Baptist (33-35). There may be in (35) the idea that John ‘burned up’. His witness to Jesus was costly. He was a martyr.

Tomorrow we will hear a fourth witness bringing evidence to the court room, I.e. God’s Word (37-47).

But I finish today’s thought with a musing of F.B. Meyer. He said that Jesus clung to God’s will as to a handrail all the way down the staircase to Calvary (30). As he writes, God’s will is goodwill.

Prayer: Lord show me your will and help me delight to do it.

December 2, 2019 0

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