Monthly Archives: June 2020

Reading through John’s Gospel, I see people coming to faith in Jesus by several stages.
Andrew, in chapter one, is curious after John the Baptist points to Jesus and declares, “Behold the Lamb of God!” So Andrew goes and seeks Jesus out. After spending a day with him, he is convinced that Jesus is the Messiah and goes and finds Peter. It takes longer for Peter but eventually he makes the declaration, “You are the Christ, the son of the Living God!” It is a process of awakening faith.

One day Jesus and his band of disciples are travelling through Samaria, and Jesus stops to rest by a well, and strikes up a conversation with a woman who is drawing water. Intrigued, she wonders who he is. At first she simply says, “You are a Jew, I am a Samaritan.” That is the extent of her knowledge.
Then Jesus reveals that he is the Giver of Living Water. This sounds promising! Further conversation demonstrates that he also knows details about her life. Hmmm. “I can see you are a prophet”, is her deduction. They continue to talk , and she says thoughtfully, “I know that the Messiah is coming, and he will explain everything to us.”
Jesus must have known that she was now ready for a big step forward in her understanding of him. He uttered the amazing words, “I who speak to you am he.”

The disciples come back and interrupt, but she has heard enough, and runs back to the village to tell everyone that a man who could be the Messiah is waiting by the well. They stream out, and after two days of teaching, the verdict is, “This man is the Saviour of the World.” She has gone in one day from simply seeing him as a “Jew”, through Giver of Living water, a prophet, Messiah and finally Saviour of the world.

Similarly, the man born blind, in chapter 9, goes through a journey of discovery. Jesus spreads some mud on the man’s eyes, and tells him to wash in the pool of Siloam. He does, and comes back seeing! When questioned, all he knows is that “the man they call Jesus” did it. Badgered by the authorities to explain, “what have you got to say about him?”, he replies, “ He must be a prophet”. They continue interrogate him, until at last he says, “One thing I know: once I was blind, but now I see!” They are infuriated, and hurl insults at him, but
he refuses to be cowed into denial. In fact the more they persist, the clearer he gets! The more they shout that “this man cannot be from God”, the more he is convinced. “Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God,
he could do nothing!”

Then he meets Jesus a second time, this time with his eyes open. Jesus reveals himself as the “Son of man”, and the once blind beggar prostrates himself in worship. “Lord, I believe.”

Many people have vaguely heard of Jesus: “a Jew”, or “a man called Jesus.” Some begin to realise he is more than that: he was a special man, “a prophet”. But then something happens, and another piece of the jigsaw falls into place. He is “a man who told me about
everything I have ever done”; or “He opened my eyes!” Something supernatural occurs which brings dawning wonder. Could it be? Is he really…? Then: he is from God! He is the Messiah! He is the Saviour of the world! “Lord, I believe!”

These people in John’s Gospel went through a process of discovery until they came to a place of faith. For 2 of them this process took place all on one day. For most people it takes a bit longer. They don’t realise that Jesus is gently drawing them. He excites their curiosity: he is more than just “a man”. Some will stop right there. Some seed was sown, but it fell into stony ground, or got choked by weeds. Others will concede, “He was a prophet”.

Are they ready for that momentous moment when the truth dawns, “He is from God! He is the Saviour of the world!” The only response after that is worship. “Lord, I believe”.

Who have you been praying for? God hears and has been patiently pursuing. We don’t know where they are on their journey, but he does. Keep praying until full light dawns.

People who blame

It had been a demanding few days. Jesus had gone up to Jerusalem for the feast of tabernacles and had been teaching in the temple courts. His teaching had been forthright and uncompromising, exposing the hardness of the hearts of the self-righteous Jews. 

The main issue was that of Sabbath breaking. Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees were enraged. Jesus told them, “ The One who sent me is true. You do not know Him, but I know Him because I am from him and He sent me”. This made the Pharisees so angry they tried to arrest him, but he evaded them.

Now they came, striding into the court, prayer shawls and tassels billowing around them, a bunch of men intent on catching him out. They stood in front of him and parted to reveal a figure they had dragged along. She was cowering with shame, hiding her face, looking at the ground, sobbing quietly.
Triumphantly the leader declared, “This woman has been caught in bed with someone else’s husband! According to Moses, she should be stoned! What do you say, Jesus?”

The others with him nodded sagely. Aha! Now we’ve got him! He cant get out of this one! The Law is unequivocal: he must comply with it!

There was utter silence. Jesus bent down and doodled in the dust with his finger. He wasn’t in a hurry. He wasn’t panicked or flummoxed. He wasn’t embarrassed. He just waited. 

What was he doing? What was he writing? I think he was listening, not to the confusion around him, but to the voice of his Father.  “By myself I do nothing. I judge only as I hear, and my judgement is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” (John5v30)

That was the way Jesus lived. He and the Father were in complete agreement.

The woman had sinned. She deserved the penalty. There were no extenuating circumstances. The Law had spoken, it was an open and shut case. She must die. Moses’ finger pointed at her uncompromisingly, while Jesus’ finger wrote in the dust

The accusers began badgering him to give them an answer. Slowly he straightened up. Their belligerent voices died away and again there was silence. He looked at the woman, hunched over, abject in her shame. He looked at her agitated accusers. 

“Alright”, he said, “ If any of you is without sin, he can throw the first stone.” He crouched down again and resumed scribbling in the dust.  They all looked at each other, shocked, and then dropped their eyes, embarrassed, confused.  Who was blameless enough to be the executioner?
The oldest turned his grey head  and walked away. One by one, they all trickled out from the court. A couple of the younger more hot-headed ones, stayed longer, frowning, thinking. Then shrugging their shoulders, they too left.

Jesus stood up again and looked at the  courtyard, empty except for the woman , huddled in her veil, ashamed, scared. “Does no-one condemn you?” He asked.
“No-one Sir,” she replied in wonderment.
“Neither do I”, Jesus said. “Now go and leave your life of sin.”

Was Jesus condoning her adultery? Was he turning a blind eye? Did he consider that for some people he would make an exception?
“Its OK, I understand, your husband is old, he was away, your friend turned up, you just couldn’t help falling in love….these things happen.”

No. He called sin what it is. He didn’t dilute it. He saved her from its penalty and power. A few weeks later he himself would lay his life down to atone for her sin. The Law would be satisfied.
“For the Father did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.” (Ch3v17)

I love this story: I love the drama. I love the tension as the Pharisees set their trap. I love Jesus’ refusal to be ruffled or drawn into an argument. I love it when he gives his unanswerable reply. I love his wisdom and I love seeing those proud men walk away baffled and  frustrated.

 In these days of tension, anger, and injustice, leading to riots and violence, how much we need Jesus’ calm authority and wisdom. He didn’t respond to anger with anger; he didn’t enter into debate; he didn’t accuse  and condemn. He confronted his hearers with the truth about themselves;  and in the light of that to not be judgmental and critical about the failings of others. But at the same time, not to pretend the sin didn’t happen.
 Only Jesus can do that. But we can learn from him.

They are widening the road leading into our small town from the motorway. The town is growing: new neighbourhoods are springing up out of surrounding fields like a rash. Consequently, more traffic pours through causing congestion and easier access is demanded. So, trees are uprooted, hedgerows torn out, grass verges steamrollered, bumps and hillocks smoothed and tarmac laid. And lo! A highway!

It’s an altogether different thing from a country lane. Personally, I like an obscure footpath. A signpost with a yellow arrow on it by a style woos me irresistibly, as it disappears through trees and brambles. “Where am I going?” It whispers to me. “Come and explore!” So I clamber over the style, usually into a muddy puddle, and wander happily down the winding, crooked track into the green dappled
shade. Eventually, it may emerge at the edge of a meadow, obliging one to climb another style, to swish through tall buttercups or
swaying drifts of white marguerites. On the horizon, the Downs stretch blue in the distance, shadows cast by the folds and
hollows. Yes, country rambles are to be enjoyed and savoured, but they are not really going anywhere. They definitely have their place,
but if you are intent on going from A to B, you would find a direct route.

This is what Isaiah was talking about, and John the Baptist. “Prepare the way of the Lord!” John shouted. The people were aroused out of centuries of slumber. “ We are alright! We have the Law, we are circumcised, we are the chosen!” But suddenly, John is in their face.
“Wake up! There is One coming. In fact, he stands among you, although you do not recognise him. Make way!”

After centuries of silence, a new day is dawning. It is time for the Lamb of God to be revealed. He has come to take away the sin of the
world. The Good news must be proclaimed, voices must be lifted up. Don’t get too comfortable! A Highway must be built.

What does that entail? There are mountains that must be brought low: Ideologies, injustices, godless legislation which sanctions the
slaughter of unborn children, heedless greed which countenances the traffic of little girls across the sea, and the smuggling of death by
drugs, and the brutality of sweatshops turning out cheap garments by poverty-stricken labourers, and lofty pronouncements by arrogant men uncaring of the havoc caused by their actions.

Holes must be filled in: people are dying from lack of knowledge, lack of medicine, lack of water, lack of food, lack of hope.

But actually these radical changes won’t happen until there is a realisation that hearts must be changed; and hearts won’t be
changed until they know they need a Saviour. A voice says, “Cry out!” Whose voice? Those whose job it is, like John the Baptist, to represent Jesus. The ones who have recognised that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away our sin, redeems us and puts a new heart within us. The Church.

In Paul’s day, they were known as people of The Way, a community who lived a different lifestyle. When they had been baptised, they
asked John the Baptist, “What shall we do?” He answered, “If you have two coats, give one to someone who
needs one”. To the tax collectors: “ Don’t collect more than the required amount”. To the soldiers: “Don’t extort money, or accuse people falsely, and be content with your pay”.
In other words, be willing to change your way of life! Later, as the groups of believers became established into churches, that is how
they were known: followers of the Way, who walked as Jesus walked. People who walked in darkness have seen a great light, and
become light in the Lord. Isaiah’s prophecy pointing forward to John the Baptist continued:

“All flesh is as grass”. It withers. People come and go, they are frail, mortal. But “The word of the Lord stands forever.” So the Word of
the Lord must be proclaimed, by word and deed, with clarity, direction, boldness. Get up on to a high mountain and announce,
“Here is your God!”

There is nothing wrong with footpaths and country rambles. They are good for health, for rest, for breathing! But they are not to be an end in themselves: our purpose here is to make Jesus known. Let’snot forget that. Enjoy the rambles, but at the same time, build a highway! The King is coming!

I remember Pentecost Sunday in 1953. We called it Whit Sunday in
those days, the commemoration of the Holy Spirit coming upon the
early church.
It was a hot day at the end of May, and I was taken along with my
sisters to Crusaders, a sort of Bible club for children. I remember
sitting on a bench in a small hall crammed with a bunch of kids.
Probably the leader, Mrs Tilsley-Green , a lovely Irish lady, talked
about the Day of Pentecost. I don’t remember. But I do remember
that she ended her talk by reading a poem. It was about a boy who
was confronted with a decision: to follow Jesus or not? He chose not.

A few years later, another opportunity presented itself, and again he
declined. Then as a young man, and at intervals all through his life ,
he had further opportunities to become a Christian, but kept
hardening his heart, until eventually, the last time came. Now he was
on his deathbed. Even there, he knew he had the possibility of
surrendering to Jesus. The poem finished: “Again the Spirit called:
but turning on his pillow, he died.” Having hardened his heart for the
last time.
Wow! Drama! Tragedy! A collective gasp from the listening children!
Today it might be called manipulation of tender children’s
sensitivities; or at least rather bizarre evangelistic methods. But as
Mrs Green explained that we didn’t have to wait all our lives to
become Christians, we could be saved NOW, something was
happening in my seven year old heart. It was pounding as she led us
in a simple prayer. I knew he was calling my name, and without
hesitation, I gladly responded. “Yes! I want to follow Jesus! Please
forgive my sin. Thank you for dying for me! Please come into my
heart!”
He came. He stayed. He has never left. He has loved me, led me,
provided for me, forgiven me countless times, equipped me,
challenged me, always there, always faithful. I remember suddenly
being engulfed in happiness, and after the prayer running forward
and flinging my arms around Mrs Green’s waist and shouting, “Jesus
has come into my heart!”
My father came to collect us, and I told him too, and my mother
when we got home. The next day at school, I told my friends, and
insisted on singing a hymn to the class when it was time to go home!
I was probably a pain in the neck!

My walk with God fluctuated through my teens, but I never doubted
that I belonged to Jesus. I was born again: I could not be un-born
again! My joy and excitement that day was equalled some thirteen
years later when I experienced not only new birth but Pentecost. It
took that long for me to hear, understand and receive the baptism in
the Holy Spirit. This was a controversial subject in the sixties, with
rumours flying around about heresy and tongues being from the
Devil. Yet I could not get away from the feeling that my Christian
experience was lacking and there must be something else.

By now, I was at Bible College in London, and the baptism in the
Spirit was the subject of some lively discussions. A student called
Terry Virgo arrived at the start of my second year who seemed to be
happy, at rest, a fervent Bible lover and an effective Gospel preacher.
Eventually I noted that he would pray with people and they would
testify that he had laid hands on them to be filled with the Holy
Spirit.

That summer he led an evangelistic team to three towns on the
Sussex coast. I was on that team, and one wet Sunday, I had an
opportunity at last to clear up my questions.It was important to me
to get a coherent answer from Scripture that was satisfying
theologically, as well as leading into an experience.
Terry took me through the Acts of the Apostles, patiently showing
me how the early church received the Spirit. Then to John ch 7, and
ending with Luke ch11. “If you then, being evil know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?”
The penny dropped. The Father wanted me to receive the Holy Spirit,
an authentic gift from Him! “Faith comes by hearing the word of
God”.That day, I asked and received.

This brought an explosion of joy, greater intimacy with the Father,
and gifts of the Spirit. We went on to discover others who were
entering this (to us) new dynamic, and the ever-increasing
excitement of being part of a community of spirit filled believers,
who loved to worship with joyful abandon, walk in love with one
another, and reach out with loving hands to a broken world: all
triggered by being born again, and filled with the Spirit.

I am more grateful than I can say that I heard him call my name that
Whit Sunday sixty-seven years ago. “Except you become as a little
child you cannot see the kingdom of Heaven.” Salvation can be
received by little children, or at any age. So can the baptism in the
Spirit. Jesus is the doorway into a new life, eternal life, that grows
more and more until perfect day.