Tag: quiet time with God

John 6:25-59 – All God Wants From Us

Read John 6:25-59

What a teaching those people received! The day before they had been fed bread and fish, and today they had been nourished by the Bread of Life himself. It appears from the reading that they had found Jesus on the other side of the lake, presumably in Capernaum, teaching in a synagogue. Although, intrigue turned to doubt for many who had come to find Jesus.

Jesus got the crowd riled up when he began explaining what it meant for him to be the bread of life. Can you imagine hearing those words the first time spoken! Even people today think it is gruesome and cannibalistic. But Jesus was not speaking literally, although later his words will be very meaningful during his last meal with his friends. This teaching is a good companion text to that sacramental meal. Continue reading “John 6:25-59 – All God Wants From Us”

John 6:1-24 – Time to Slip Away

Read John 6:1-24

What a miracle! Jesus multiplied the fish and barley loaves so that everyone was fed, with leftovers galore. The sheer number of people who experienced that miraculous feeding boggles the mind. This time, since the crowd recognized Jesus as the “prophet” they had been waiting for, Jesus had to slip away to avoid being crowned king. That was not his earthly mission.

Yes, Jesus is our King of kings, but his kingdom is not of this world. The people seeking him and following after him in those days had no idea about Jesus true mission as their Messiah. All the healings and signs and wonders had created the atmosphere of excitement and anticipation of being rescued from the oppressive Roman government ruling their land. That had to be so front of mind for them. Continue reading “John 6:1-24 – Time to Slip Away”

Mark 13:24-37 – Jesus is Coming!

Read Mark 13:24-37

As I reflect and write today, I muse that Advent is just around the corner. It strikes me that this is the perfect text for what Advent does for us today. It’s like God just “winked” at us with such profound words. We look to the skies and await Jesus’ return. Here, Jesus is telling us what to expect if we’re still here to witness it.

There’s that fig tree again! But now, we see an even deeper meaning in Jesus’ example just a few verses ago. Jesus saw the signs and knew what to expect of the tree. Jesus has explained the signs we can expect to see when his coming is near. But the fig tree didn’t produce fruit in time for Jesus, and sometimes the signs we see about his coming are just the beginning; the best (fruit) is yet to come. The difference ends in that I’m not going to curse the fact that I haven’t seen Jesus yet. Continue reading “Mark 13:24-37 – Jesus is Coming!”

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