Gifts of Love

It was just six days until Jesus would face his worst trial. The emotional stress was nearly unbearable. He turned to his best friends, Martha, Lazarus, and Mary (John 12:1).

Each of his friends ministered to him the best way they knew how. Martha enjoyed cooking and serving, so she prepared him a meal. Lazarus knew he needed someone to talk to so he joined him reclining at the table. And Mary brought her favorite, expensive perfume and washed his feet with it then dried them with her hair (John 12:1-3).

Jesus accepted each gift graciously in the manner it was intended, as expressions of love.

What gift would you like to offer him today?

Accepting Our Responsibility

Often we read in John the words, "Therefore they sought to take him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come" (John6:30). These scriptures indicate God's divine intervention to protect Jesus until his appointed crucifixion.

But there are also verses that speak of a decision by Jesus to avoid those who sought to kill him (John 7:1; 8:59; 10:39; 11:53-54). Jesus was aware of the plot to kill him so he took appropriate steps to hide himself from them.

We both trust God and do what we need to do to protect ourselves. If we are doing what we need to do and are still harmed, then we can receive it from the Father's hand for his glory and our testing of faith.

The Cost

It is more difficult for some of us to understand the pressure by the religious leaders to reject Jesus. The man whom Jesus healed was thrown out of the synagogue. That did not mean he could not attend church on the one day. It meant he could never again enter the house of worship. That meant no more animal sacrifices which in turn meant no forgiveness of sin. It meant eternal damnation, or so they thought.

It was not small sacrifice to become a follower of Jesus.

After the resurrection of Lazarus the pressure increased to the point that all were held accountable to report it if they so much as saw Jesus (John 11:57).

Christians in other countries now face the same persecution. Becoming a believer means losing family, friends and in some cases, life. Let’s pray for God to encourage them today.

Completed Jews?

I recently had a discussion with someone about whether we are Jews as Christians. Since all of the Old Testament came through the Jews, and since Jesus and his disciples were Jews by nature, I argued that Christians are actually completed Jews. But through our discussion and scriptures I realized I was wrong. We are a completely new people.

John wrote, “But that he would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad” (John 11:52). Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). He also wrote, “…Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Ephesians 2:15). Peter writes, “…Who were once not a people but are now the people of God” (1 Peter 2:10).

Though in this world we are descended from Jews, Germans, Americans, Swedes, etc, as believers we are a new people. We are the people of God.