“What Do You See?” (John 9:1-7) - Seven Signs of Christ VI -

What Do You See?

Who sees a young lady? And who sees an old lady? Who sees both? Yes, both are there! In many cases there are different but equally valid ways to see a situation. But in some cases there is the right perspective. For instance, in 1 Samuel 17 when Goliath came against the Israelites, the soldiers all saw him and thought, "He's so big we can never kill him!" But David saw the same giant and thought, "He's so big I can't miss!" Faith perspective. God’s perspective.

What Do You See in the Blind Man?

One day Jesus and his saw him and asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” Their question obviously reflects the assumption that suffering could be traced to sin, which was a common perspective in ancient Judaism. Jesus answered, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here (MSG). This happened so the power of God could be seen in him (NLT).” Jesus makes clear that suffering is not always a direct result of a person’s sin (ex. Luke 13:1-3a; 2 Cor 12:7; Gal 4:13). In his mysterious and wise providence God sometimes allows us to go through hardship and suffering so that we can experience God’s mercy and power in our lives. The disciples saw the man and said, “He is blind. He must have done something terribly wrong.” Jesus saw the man and said, “He is blind, so that God’s work might be revealed in him!”

disciples were walking down the street. And there was a man blind from birth, begging for money. The disciples

What Do You See in Jesus?

Jesus said this and healed the blind man. He spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and rubbed the mud over the blind man’s eyes. This reminds us of God’s creative activity when he formed the man from the dust of the ground (Gen 2:7). And now the Creator Jesus is re-creating. Jesus said, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam.” So the man went and washed and saw! After this, the whole town was buzzing. Finally, the people in town took the man to the Pharisees because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had healed the man. The Pharisees saw the man and said, “Obviously, this man Jesus can’t be from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” At that time there were 39 classes of work forbidden on the Sabbath in the Jewish religious tradition (Mishnah, Shabbat 7.2). So what Jesus did – to make mud with his saliva – fell under one of the forbidden works according to their tradition. Unfortunately, they failed to see the man had been blind and could now see. They failed to see the sign. All they saw was that Jesus was working on the Sabbath. And they were offended. They saw Jesus and said, “This man Jesus is a Sabbath breaker. He is a sinner (24). He is less than the prophet Moses (28). He is nothing. He is from Galilee. No prophet ever comes from there!” (cf. 29; 7:52). But the blind man saw Jesus and said, “He is a prophet (17). He is a healer who does only what God can do (32). And he is a liberator who set me free from darkness (25).”

It’s a Process

It’s interesting to see how titles that are used to refer to Jesus change in this story. At first, after the man was healed, the people around him asked, “Who healed you? What happened?” The man told them, “A man named Jesus healed me” (11). He called Jesus a “man.” Then, he was brought to the Jewish religious leaders. They asked, “What do you say about Jesus?” He said, “He is a prophet” (17). The man called Jesus a “prophet.” But they didn’t believe it. They called his parents and asked questions. And then, they called the man back a second time and said, “Give glory to God, not to Jesus, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” And the man said, “I don’t know whether he is a sinner. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind, but now I see!... He must be more than just a prophet, greater than Moses, the One sent from God” (25-33). The man called Jesus the Chosen One from God (cf. Isa 42:1). Eventually, he was excommunicated. After this, Jesus found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have seen him and he is speaking to you.” The man said, “Lord, I believe (38).” And he worshiped Jesus. Do you see? It’s a process. This man calls Jesus a man, then a prophet, then the one sent from God, and then the Lord, the Son of God. His faith grows with use. His eyes are open not just once, but again and again.

Some of us in this room have a dramatic conversion. Some have rather gradual conversion. But whether it is dramatic or gradual, it is a process. There was a man who was a slave trader. During the voyage home, the ship was caught in a horrendous storm. He took this as a warning sign from God. He repented and had a radical conversion. But he did not radically change his ways at once. His total reformation was more gradual. He did begin to read the Bible and to see his slaves with a more sympathetic view. But he continued to make the voyages as the captain of slave vessels for a while. In fact, it took 34 years for him to publicly renounce his former slaving profession. In his old age, he made a pubic statement to end the slave trade practice. He shared his story by writing hymns. One of them was this: “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.[1]

The First Step

It’s a process. It’s such a long journey to clearly see Jesus, to rightly believe in Jesus. But the first step is the most important, because it will initiate the direction we have chosen. The first step to open our eyes is to know and confess, “I am blind.” Then, Jesus can come and heal us. In today’s scripture Jesus said to the man, “People don’t see will see. People who pretend to see will be exposed as blind.” Some Pharisees overheard this and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” Jesus replied, “If you were really blind, you would be blameless. But since you claim you can see everything so well, you’re accountable for every fault and failure” (39-41, MSG). There is a time for everything. There is a time to believe. There is a time to renounce our pretense. The night is coming. While it is day, we must repent and believe. Now is really the right time! Today is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2). Let us come to the light and believe in the light (John 12:36), and we will know one thing for sure: “I was blind, but now I see.” Amen.

---

[1] “John Newton: Reformed Slave Trader,’ Christianity Today, http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/pastorsandpreachers/john-newton.html

“Greater than Moses” (John 6:16-21) - Seven Signs of Christ V -

Stuck in the Middle?
Have you felt stuck in the middle, lonely, afraid? In today’s scripture the disciples were exactly in that situation: It was evening. They were in a boat. They were out on the Sea of Galilee and about half way across the lake. It grew dark. Jesus was not with them. The wind blowing against them and the sea became rough. Imagine this situation. You keep rowing painfully, but actually you don’t make headway. You don’t know what to do. You are stuck in the middle in your journey – scary, dark, and alone. Have you been in that situation? Or are you in that place today? You have good news. You are not the only one. The disciples have been there and delivered by our merciful Savior.

Many in Christian history have seen a spiritual reality in the disciples’ predicament. In other words, many suggest that these physical details – loneliness, darkness, and danger – also apply to the spiritual condition of those who are not in Christ or who are not walking with Christ as they should. The disciples without Jesus are toiling in the dark, frustrated, and tired. It is possible for those who believe in Jesus, at times, to be without him. So if you feel as if you are drifting alone on a lonely, dark and dangerous sea, the first thing you have to do is to examine yourselves whether you are walking closely with Christ. In 2 Corinthians 13:5 Paul exhorts us in this way: “Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it” (MSG). Let us be honest and examine ourselves: “Am I walking closely with Christ today?”

Jesus Sees!
Jesus knows where you are in your pilgrim journey. Jesus sees your pain and struggles. Today’s story is written in three different gospels – Matthew, Mark and John. In Mark 6:48 Mark says, “And he (Jesus) saw that they (the disciples) were making headway painfully…” At that time Jesus was on the mountain by himself to pray, and the disciples had already rowed about three or four miles. And it was dark stormy night. So when the Bible says Jesus saw the disciples struggle, it is supernatural, divine knowledge. In Psalm 139 David praises God’s intimate knowledge of his people: “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You discern my thoughts from afar… For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made… Your eyes saw my unformed substance…” You may think, “Nobody knows what I’m goring through, nobody feels the pain I’m experiencing.” Maybe there’s been a death in the family, a divorce, maybe we have health issues, and we feel very isolated and lonely. We start to think, “Nobody feels the pain.” But Jesus knows! He sees your pain. He understands your struggles.

Jesus Comes!
And Jesus not only sees, but he cares! He comes to you! Mark 6:48 says, “And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night (3-6 am) he came to them, walking on the sea…” (ESV). Normally, we often focus on the miracle of Jesus walking on the water – how he comes to them. But actually, in this story much more important miracle is that Jesus comes to them. He gives his disciples the miracle of his presence when they thought there is no way he could be here. Who could have thought in the boat that Jesus could come to them at that very moment? Nobody! But Jesus did come to them. So what is the point of the story? Here Jesus is saying to us, “I will walk on water to be with you. I will walk on water to get to you. I will go through whatever issues and situations to get to you. I will get to you.” Jesus did not come into the world to give us an easy life, but an eternal life – to be with him, to walk with him, and to commune with him. He did not promise to deliver us from the sufferings of this present age, but he did promise to be with us. Jesus comes to us in a time of need, even when everybody else has walked out.

Greater Than Moses 
The thing is we don’t often recognize Jesus even though he is so near to us. When Jesus was coming near to the disciples, they didn’t even think that was Jesus. Instead, they were terrified and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear (Matt 14:26). But Jesus said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid” (John 6:20). The clause “It is I” is from the original Greek ego eimi which literally means “I AM.” This expression reminds us of God’s divine name in Exodus 3:14. When Moses asked God’s name, God said to him, “I AM WHO I AM.” Jesus’ I am statement reveals his divinity – God in the flesh. Jesus did not just walk on water to impress his disciples, but there was an important message in it. At that time, people considered Moses their hero, the greatest prophet ever. Under the leadership of Moses, the Israelites passed through the sea on dry land and ate manna in the wilderness. But now, Jesus is the One who is greater than Moses. He personally walks on the sea as if he were walking on the dry land without waiting until God departs the sea. He provides bread from heaven, the better and true bread which gives people eternal life. These two miracles show that Jesus is greater than Moses and he is the Messiah, the Son of God.

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus 
Jesus, greater than Moses, the Son of God, comes to you. In Matthew’s version of this story, by faith Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water as long as he fixed his eyes on Jesus. But when he turned his eyes and saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink. So what do you see? Do you see giant wind and waves? Or do you see Jesus who created them?

I would like to share a story of one man who fixed his eyes on Jesus in the middle of the storms of life. Nick Vujicic was born in 1982 in Melbourne, Australia, without arms and legs. His early days were difficult. In schools some of his friends made fun of him and called him, “freak” or “alien.” Throughout his childhood he struggled with depression and loneliness. He even tried to commit suicide when he was 10. He only focused on being “different” and “what he doesn’t have.” He just saw a life without limbs – a limited or no life at all. But at age 15, he surrendered his life to Jesus who came to him. By that time he blamed God for his pain. One day he read John 9. He read how Jesus said that the blind man was born that way so that the works of God would be revealed through him. He prayed to God “God, if you had a plan for that man I certainly believe that you have one for me.” Since that day, he fixed his eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of the faith. He totally let go of the ‘needing to know the plan’ and began to trust Jesus one day at a time. He began to be thankful for “what he has.” He has two toes on his left foot. By using them, he enjoys fishing, painting, and swimming. So far, he has been traveling more than 24 countries to share his story and the good news of Jesus Christ with millions. Nick says, “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!”[1]

Take Jesus into the Boat!
Probably Nick prayed hundreds times to be healed. The miracle of healing. It didn’t happen the way he wished. Instead, Jesus came to him to be with him, to suffer with him, to heal his wounded heart, and to give him the purpose of life. Today’s story, Jesus walking on water, is not a story about stopping storms or getting people out of storms. We have been and will have storms of life – sufferings, trials, diseases, loss, and death – in our pilgrim journey. This is a story about taking Jesus into the boat. All of us in this room have our own issues – our family issues, our church issues, and our health issues. Jesus sees us and our issues. And he cares about us and comes to us. He will walk on water to be with us. He is greater than Moses. He is greater than storms. He is greater than our issues. He is able to help us, deliver us, sustain us, and guide us. When the disciples took Jesus into the boat, the Bible says, “immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going” (21). So let us trust Jesus. And take him into our boat with joy, and together with Jesus we will safely arrive at our final destination. Amen.

[1] Nick Vujicic, Life without Limbs, https://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/

“Giving Bread, Being Bread” (John 6:1-15) - Seven Signs of Christ IV -

“We Preach Christ Crucified”

There is one story that I always keep in mind as I prepare the message. This story is about one church in England. At first, the slogan of this church on the front door was always "We Preach Christ Crucified." But after many years, this sign changed to "We Preach Christ." They still preached Christ, but not necessarily Christ “Crucified.” They started focusing more on Jesus' moral life, his teaching and his philosophy than on his death and resurrection. And some people had left the church. A few years later, the church changed its sign once again. It became "We Preach." From that time on, the church started preaching any topics from politics, ethics to all kinds of social issues. Then more people had left the church. And eventually, the church had to close down. I had a chance to do some street evangelism with other Thai Christians in Thailand when I was an exchange student there. I was kind of surprised by two things. First of all, I was surprised that people were very receptive. They listened attentively. Several of them followed sinner’s prayer and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But then, I was also surprised that they didn’t want to make any change in their lives. They said, “Buddhism is a good thing. It teaches me how to live and gives me peace of mind. And now I found that Jesus is good too. He gives me freedom and blessing. To me, they are all good and compatible. I will keep them both!” What do you think? When you say, “I believe in Jesus,” what does it mean by that?

Jesus, Giver of Bread

Today’s passage, the story of Jesus feeding the 5000, is quite famous and written in all four gospels. In particular, both Matthew and Mark observed that Jesus did heal people, teach them, and feed them because he “was moved with compassion for them” (Matt 14:14; Mark 6:34). In other words, Jesus cares about us. He cares about our health. He cares about our food. He cares about our needs. He took the five loaves and the two fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves and gave them to the people. They were all well fed and satisfied – and even 12 baskets of leftovers! After they saw this great miracle, all of sudden they remembered manna and Moses’ messianic prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:15, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him!” (cf. Acts 7:37, 52) The people began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world!” (14). It looks like finally they understood who Jesus is. It looks like finally they came to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. But unfortunately, that’s not the case. In the following verse, verse 13, they made an attempt to take Jesus by force. They came to kidnap him, to promote him as their king, and to make him serve their agenda and their needs by force. They acknowledged, “Jesus, be our King, our Prophet, the Giver of bread!” But Jesus was not pleased with this. He knew they neither saw nor believed who He really is. Jesus said to them, “You want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs” (26, NLT).

Jesus, Bread of Life

Jesus fed the people because he did care about their needs. There is no doubt about that, but this miracle is called the sign (semeion) that points to something much greater. There is a much more important purpose why Jesus fed the 5000. By this miraculous sign, Jesus wanted to teach his people the following truth: He did not come into the world just to give bread, but to be bread. The people were still excited about the miracle performed by Jesus the day before and asked him, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!” (34) And Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not hunger. He who believes in me will never thirst” (35). Then, they began to grumble about him and said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” You see, there is a huge difference between “giving bread” and “being bread.” The people were glad to believe Jesus as the one who gives bread. They were willing to make him king because he was useful. They would enjoy bread from him. They were much more interested in the product of the miracle than the person of the miracle. They didn’t want to believe that Jesus is the bread of life. Yes, they were seeking Jesus. But they were seeking Jesus as useful, not us precious. They were seeking Jesus as useful for the bread, the money, the health, the prosperity. But in John 6, Jesus plainly proclaims the main purpose why he came to the world: He did not come into the world to give bread, but to be bread.

Jesus, Bread to Eat

So Jesus clearly said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you!” (52) What does it mean to eat Jesus’ flesh and drink his blood? Of course, Jesus was not proposing religious cannibalism. Instead, what he was saying here is intimacy – believer’s union with Christ. In verse 56 Jesus said, “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” – intimate union with Christ! To eat Jesus’ flesh and drink his blood means to have an intimate union with him. It is to know him intimately.

J.C. Ryle, pastor of Church of England in 19^th century, had awakened many preachers and Christians. At that time, many people believed if they were baptized and members of the church, they would be saved and go to heaven when they died. But J.C. Ryle, in his sermon Christ Is All, said, “Let us understand that Christ will be all in heaven… What a sweet and glorious home heaven will be to those who have loved the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity!... But alas, how little fit for heaven are many who talk of "going to heaven" when they die, while they manifestly have no saving faith, and no real acquaintance with Christ. You give Christ no honour here. You have no communion with Him. You do not love Him. Alas! what could you do in heaven? It would be no place for you. Its joys would be no joys for you. Its happiness would be a happiness into which you could not enter. Its employments would be a weariness and a burden to your heart. Oh, repent and change before it be too late!”[1] Ryle concludes that the surest way to prepare for heaven is to begin a real, personal relationship with Christ. Jesus said, in verse 54, “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Let us go back to our first question: When you say “I believe in Jesus,” what does it mean by that? To believe in Jesus is to commune with Jesus. It is to eat Jesus’ body and drink his blood everyday. It is to abide in him, and he in me every moment. In today’s passage the people began to realize that to believe in Jesus, to commune with Jesus requires a deep profound change in their lives. They began to realize that it doesn’t work to follow Jesus without making any change. And they said, “This is a hard saying. Who can listen to it?” (60) Then they turned back and no longer followed Jesus. It was all too much for them to take in.

Come and Eat!

But thankfully, today’s story is a story with a happy ending. Jesus’ disciples remained faithful. Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” And Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (67-69). They chose to believe, commune, eat, drink, and follow Jesus.

We know God through Jesus. We know Jesus through His word. Peter said, “You have the words of eternal life.” And Jesus himself said, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (63b). We know and commune with Jesus through his word. Let us come and eat his word. There are good devotional books – upperroom and disciplines. There are lots of good sermons out there. But most of all, take up his word and listen to his word firsthand. Listen to Jesus at his feet. Ask him questions. Talk to him. Have a conversation with him. Commune with him. And I am 100% sure you will fall in love with him. You will trust him more, obey him more, rejoice in him more, and love him more.

“Oh, how I love your word! I meditate on it all day long!” (Ps 119:97)

“How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Ps 119:103)

Let us come and eat! Let us eat Jesus and his word, the bread of heaven, and we will be truly satisfied – never hunger, never thirst, never die again – and have real and eternal life today. Amen.

---

[1] J.C. Ryle, “Christ Is All,” http://www.biblebb.com/files/ryle/christ_is_all.htm

“Healing With Purpose” (John 5:1-18) - Seven Signs of Christ III -

Seeing Christ in All of Scripture

All of Scripture is telling one story. It’s a story about Jesus and our need for Him. In John 5:39 Jesus says, “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me!” (MSG). Every single text of Scripture points to Christ. And it tells us how we may have eternal life in him and through him. In particular, Jesus Christ makes ultimate claims for himself in the Gospels. Nowhere is this more obvious than in John 5. Today’s passage reveals and proclaims Christ-exalting truth: Who Jesus is and how we should respond to this truth.

Jesus Is All-Knowing

So who is Jesus? First of all, Jesus is all-knowing. In today’s passage Jesus goes to Jerusalem from Galilee to meet one man. In verse 6 John uses the Greek particle gnous which refers to supernatural, divine knowledge. Jesus knew this man’s situation. He knew that he had been paralyzed for 38 years. He knew that he had already been there a long time. And more importantly, Jesus knew that the man had been there a long time without hope. He knew that his mind as much as his body was sick and paralyzed. The place where the man was lying down was called “Bethesda” in Aramaic, which means “house of mercy.” At that time this place was known as a healing sanctuary among people. But what an irony! In this healing place, there were a multitude of invalids who had never experienced healing. This man was one of them. Probably, at first the man came to Bethesda with hope. He was eager to be healed. He got up early in the morning and kept watching a pool. But, little by little he began to get used to his life in this place. He got used to a dull life. He got used to maintaining the status quo. He got used to making excuses and complaints. He said, “I am not healed because no one helps me.” In fact, deep down in his heart he already gave up being healed. He already accepted this powerless life as his fate. He even became confident that it would be impossible to be healed based on his 38 years of experience. And Jesus knew all this. That is why he asked the man, “Do you want to be healed?” (6) Jesus knows you and me (Ps. 139). Jesus is all-knowing.

Jesus Is Compassionate

Jesus is also compassionate. Have you ever thought why did Jesus choose to come and heal this particular man? There were many other invalids there, but this man is picked out by Jesus, and no reason is given for his choice. It looks like Jesus healed him not because he had great faith or he was a prayer warrior, but simply because his situation was so miserable for so long. It looks like the healing came from Jesus’ compassion, not the man’s faith or righteousness. You see, when Jesus asks “Do you want to get well?” He doesn’t say, “Yes”; rather, he makes excuses, complaints, and blames others. Basically, what he says is this: “I am not healed because no one helps me! I am miserable because no one cares for me!” But Jesus graciously ignores the man’s complaint and says, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk!” (8) This is grace! Let us think about the life of the man paralyzed in the first century. Consider the problem of personal hygiene. Paraplegics frequently do not have bowel and bladder control. If we consider this, we can easily imagine this man’s life: People moved him from place to place unless he crawled; most of his income came from begging or from the charity of friends and family; and if he did not have bladder or bowel control, his hygiene problem would have been enormous. People stayed away from him. No one wanted to be near to him. He was the lowest of the low. Probably his suffering and isolation was beyond measure. Jesus knew this. Jesus knew this man and his situation. And he was moved with compassion. He chose to meet this man and heal him. We are healed, we are forgiven, we are loved, we are saved because he is gracious and compassionate, not because we did something to earn his favor (cf. Ps 103:8-14; Eph 2:8-9).

Jesus Is Powerful

Jesus not only knows us and is +compassionate with us, but also he is powerful. He is able to save us. He is able to heal us. When Jesus said to the man, “Get up,” the Bible says “at once” the man was healed (9). Jesus’ powerful word heals the man. By his word he created the heavens and the earth. By his word he made something out of nothing. By his word he divided the Red Sea in two. By his word he struck down the enemy. By his word he gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that don’t yet exist (Rom 4:17). One time Jesus helped people all day and now he was so tired. So as soon as he got on the boat, he fell fast asleep. Then the great storm came. Jesus’ disciples cried out and woke him up. I love how the Jesus Storybook Bible describes this incident: “Jesus stood up and spoke to the storm. “Hush!” he said. That’s all. And the strangest thing happened… The wind and the waves recognized Jesus’ voice. They had heard it before, of course – it was the same voice that made them, in the very beginning. They listened to Jesus and they did what he said. Immediately the wind stopped. The water calmed down.”[1] Amen. Psalm 29:4 says, “The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic!” When Jesus speaks to us, our soul is revived.  

Jesus Is Equal with God

In verse 9 John purposely says that the day on which this healing took place was a Sabbath. Why is this important? Why did Jesus heal this man on Sabbath? It is because Jesus wanted to invite Jewish leaders and us to stop and think who he really is. When the religious leaders saw the man healed on Sabbath, they were mad and said, “It is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” Then later, they accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath. Jesus said to them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working” (17). Then they were seeking even more to kill him because they thought Jesus made himself equal with God (18). Actually, they saw his point: “Jesus is equal with God.” But they didn’t want to admit that truth. They were expectantly waiting for their Messiah a long time. And now here he is. They are supposed to celebrate their Christ. They are supposed to celebrate this healing with the man. But they are angry and mad. What are they mad at? Why are they so angry with Jesus? It is because of their spiritual sickness. Karl Barth tells us a story about people who live in a wilderness alongside a canal. The canal was there to bring them water and life, and it was with great effort and cost that the project was built for their place in time. Great sacrifices were made, and many died as the canal was cut through mountain and desert. But the great irony is that the canal has become dry, and while its walls still convey evidence of the coursing of water, there is nothing there that can give life to anyone. Nevertheless, the people continue to service it, to defend it, to name their children after its architects and engineers; but it is only an historic thing. A canal meant to convey something— water and life— now has become static, an end instead of a means. Something for the museum. People tell stories about it instead of drink from it. And no one has a memory of what water in the canal really looks like.[2]

Taste and See!

Empty canals! Empty religion! But the Bible says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good!” (Ps 34:8a) And Jesus also says, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 7:37-38). Jesus is all-knowing, compassionate, and powerful. And most importantly, Jesus is equal with God. Do you believe this? Come to Jesus and be healed! Come to Jesus and drink! Come to Jesus and taste and see the fountain of living water! Do not just tell stories about it but drink from it. Let rivers of living water be up to your ankles, your waist, your neck, and go over your head! Let this water fully control you, empower you, and revive you! And your life will flourish wherever this water flows! (Ezekiel 47:1-12) Amen.

---

[1] Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible (Zonderkidz: Grand Rapids, 2007), 241-42.

[2] Gary M. Burge, The NIV Application Commentary: John (Zondervan, 2000), 137.