Author: SFJ Bible

John 4

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria

4:1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.¹

7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.² The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.

31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.

Jesus Heals an Official’s Son

46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you³ see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants⁴ met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour⁵ the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

Footnotes

[1] 4:6 That is, about noon

[2] 4:14 Greek forever

[3] 4:48 The Greek for you is plural; twice in this verse

[4] 4:51 Or bondservants

[5] 4:52 That is, at 1 p.m.

(ESV)

John 2

The Wedding at Cana

2:1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.¹ 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers² and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,³ and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Jesus Knows What Is in Man

23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

Footnotes

[1] 2:6 Greek two or three measures (metrētas); a metrētēs was about 10 gallons or 35 liters

[2] 2:12 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters

[3] 2:20 Or This temple was built forty-six years ago

(ESV)

John 1

The Word Became Flesh

1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life,¹ and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own,² and his own people³ did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son⁴ from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.⁵ 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God,⁶ who is at the Father’s side,⁷ he has made him known.

The Testimony of John the Baptist

19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight⁸ the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Behold, the Lamb of God

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son⁹ of God.”

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.¹⁰ 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus¹¹ was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter¹²).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,¹³ you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Footnotes

[1] 1:4 Or was not any thing made. That which has been made was life in him

[2] 1:11 Greek to his own things; that is, to his own domain, or to his own people

[3] 1:11 People is implied in Greek

[4] 1:14 Or only One, or unique One

[5] 1:16 Or grace in place of grace

[6] 1:18 Or the only One, who is God; some manuscripts the only Son

[7] 1:18 Greek in the bosom of the Father

[8] 1:23 Or crying out, ‘In the wilderness make straight

[9] 1:34 Some manuscripts the Chosen One

[10] 1:39 That is, about 4 p.m.

[11] 1:40 Greek him

[12] 1:42 Cephas and Peter are from the word for rock in Aramaic and Greek, respectively

[13] 1:51 The Greek for you is plural; twice in this verse

(ESV)

John 3

You Must Be Born Again

3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus¹ by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again² he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.³ 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You⁴ must be born again.’ 8 The wind⁵ blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you⁶ do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.⁷ 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.⁸

For God So Loved the World

16 “For God so loved the world,⁹ that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”¹⁰

31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Footnotes

[1] 3:2 Greek him

[2] 3:3 Or from above; the Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both again and from above; also verse 7

[3] 3:6 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit

[4] 3:7 The Greek for you is plural here

[5] 3:8 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit

[6] 3:11 The Greek for you is plural here; also four times in verse 12

[7] 3:13 Some manuscripts add who is in heaven

[8] 3:15 Some interpreters hold that the quotation ends at verse 15

[9] 3:16 Or For this is how God loved the world

[10] 3:30 Some interpreters hold that the quotation continues through verse 36

(ESV)

Going Deeper

The Substitute (8-29-15)

**This is my 51^st and last Going deeper for this years reading plan.   If you have journeyed with me since last year’s National Run, it means you have successfully read through the entire New Testament.  260 chapters and 51 Going Deeper Bible studies.

I praise God for all the awesome feedback we have received from men and women around the world who are studying their Bible every day with us and who are growing every weekend through the Going Deeper studies.  I believe this year’s study emphasis has truly made us a better MC and more effective ministers of the Gospel.  In case you missed any or want to look back over our studies, you can find all of the 2014-2015 “Going Deeper” studies here at SFJbible.com or on our club website SFJMC.com under “Shepherd’s Studies”.

We are excited to be launching a brand new reading plan for this next year and I will announce it at our USA National Run on Saturday night,  The first reading will be on Monday September 7, 2015.    In the mean time, invite with your friends and family to sign up at SFJbible.com and they can join us as we start into a new year of studying God’s word together.

Grab your Bible, and let’s go deeper into Mark 14 & 15 :

Read: Mark 14:32-42

It says, “Jesus began to be greatly distressed and troubled.”    We must see that Jesus is fully man and fully God.

As fully man, he experienced the weight of the hardship before him just as you and I do. 

He had to be fully human so that he could be our substitute. 

It says in Luke’s gospel account that he was so intensely distressed that he sweat blood. 

I don’t know about you, but that is a heavy weight he is carrying.    I have sat with many people through their darkest hours and I have seen many reactions to the weight of this world’s hardships, but I am yet to see anyone sweat blood in his or her distress.

What does this tell us?  It tells us that Jesus understands what it means to have heavy burdens on your shoulders, to be in the midst of the storm, or to hurt at your core.    It tells us that nothing you experience is beyond what he has known or experienced. 

Jesus is not a God who is far off and doesn’t get you.  

He came. He bore the fullness of our struggle.

He understands.   Like Jesus is running to God the Father in prayer, we need to also see no higher priority in the middle of the storm than to get on our face and go to God the Father in prayer.  

Notice he doesn’t do this once.  He spends significant time in the garden in prayer with the Father and returns to find his crew sleeping each time.

What a perfect contrast for Jesus’ righteousness and our selfishness.

Peter, James, and John, his core three disciples, are so focused on the flesh that they are missing what God is doing.  They are disobedient to their Rabbi’s instruction.   They are lazy with their posture.     They are useless to do anything by their own power for what God is about to do.

Jesus finally says: It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Praise God that Jesus was all he needed to carry out our redemption.

If he trusted one ounce of it to us, we would have messed it up.

This is why our salvation is God’s work alone and not a synergistic work between God and us.  Because in our sin we are hopeless, powerless, not willing to participate.

We would rather sleep!  If left to ourselves, we would lay in our grave of sin and death forever.

Praise God for his election- for his pursuit of us when we were his enemies- for his substitutionary atonement.

Praise God for his amazing grace which sets us free to see and savor the true gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

We are not willing, but Jesus is!   

Mark 14: 35-36 “And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’”

Jesus is both fully God and fully man in this moment.

His flesh cries out in absolute honesty for a pass from what is about to come- that the cup of God’s perfect wrath would be satisfied another way.

But his righteousness is immediate and without pause.  He says, not my will but your will be done!

It is imperative we understand that Jesus willingly submits to being captured, to being falsely testified about, to being beaten, to being hung on a criminal’s cross and to dying.

He says in John 10:18 “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

I want us to see the beauty of Jesus’ submission.  This is the response man should have had in the Garden of Eden.  This is the response we should have but we don’t.

What makes us not submissive to God’s will- to God’s Commands? Idolatry = Self or something else above God.

Praise God for his substitutionary atonement that sets us free from our grip on our idols so that we can submit to his will and we can enjoy his supremacy!

Even in the face of great suffering like Jesus, we too can truly say God, your will be done- not mine.

-Please understand, in Christ alone this is possible.

Read: Mark 14:53-65–

A quick overview of the six trials of Jesus:

Religious

• Annas
  • A Religious Leader (former High Priest)
• Caiaphas
  • The High Priest
• The Sanhedrin
  • The Religious Supreme Court

 Civil

• Pilate
  • The Roman Governor In Jerusalem
• Herod
  • The King Of Judea
• Pilate
  • A Second Trial

The way these trials went down in the middle of the night was shady.   This makes sense because they have nothing on Jesus, but are so distraught at his teachings and influence on the people that they want him gone.

So they do what man does when we are blinded by our selfish agenda.  
We lie, we cheat, we steal, we take, we kill.

Why do they lie and give false witness?   For the same reason why you and I lie about anything- because something else is so important to them that they will do anything to have it.

Something is functioning in our lives as god, so we will lie to keep it or have it.

This can be a relationship thing (lie to your parent or spouse because you want to please them or not lose them).

This can be a physical thing (money is commonly something we lie to keep or to have more of).

This can be an identity thing (you are so concerned about how other people see you or talk about you, that you wear a mask to keep them or get them to like you).  That mask is a LIE!

This is all idolatry. It is elevating something to define your joy or identity that you lie to have it or keep it.

When God is our greatest joy- when He is who we worship- we don’t need to lie because we are clinging to other things to complete us, keep us, define us, complete us or make us happy.

Romans 1: 25  “…they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.”

Now, do you see the contrary response of Jesus?  He is the one facing the greatest consequence being the one standing on trial.   But instead of lies and false witness about himself, he is truthful in his witness!

By saying “I AM”, Jesus is claiming to be the Messiah- the promised royal Redeemer that they have been waiting for.

Now, you and I would easily lie to save our skin, but Jesus is most concerned with God’s will and so he speaks honestly knowing what it will produce.

We see a perfect example of how we (mankind) respond in our flesh in Peter’s denial of Christ.

Read: Mark 14:66-72

Peter is the only one we know of that risked getting close to the trial by standing in the courtyard with the cops.

This is a testimony to his love for Christ.  This was very risky.  It would be like the accomplice of a murder and while the trial for your buddy happens inside, you are sipping a venti coffee with the investigators just outside the courtroom doors.

But Peter’s faithfulness is short lived in the face of possible ridicule or persecution.

Unlike Christ who boldly proclaims his allegiance to God, Peter lies and claims to not even know Jesus.

We need to see the depth of our lostness, of our sickness, of our spiritual death in this.

Everything in Peter wants to be loyal and true to his master.  That is why he is there.

He is the first one to always tell Jesus “I got your back.  I will die for you.”   He wants to be faithful.  But his flesh- his depravity- leaves him enslaved to the fear of man- to the fear of persecution.

Like Peter, you and I can sit and tell God all day that we will be faithful!

But without Christ’s substituionary atonement, you cannot do it.

We are desperate for Jesus. Only Christ in and through you and me can produce true honesty in the face of ridicule or persecution- true faith in the face of suffering or death.

Read Mark 15:1-15

It is commonly said that you and I were standing there.  We would be the ones screaming out “Crucify him!”

By our sinful actions we have said this indirectly every day of our life as we are so blind in our sin that we actually think an innocent man is more deserving of death than I am.

Our selfishness will cause us to do just about anything to stay on top of our world.

That said, what I believe God wants us to see today is less of you and I being like those yelling “Crucify him!” and more like that of Barabbas.

We are the one who deserves death for our crimes against God.

We are the ones who should be in shackles in route to the cross.

We are the ones who do not deserve in the slightest to be released to the streets while an innocent man dies in our place.

Don’t miss this because it should change everything about us today and everyday.

Just as Jesus proclaimed to the Sanhedrin, “He is the Judge of the entire world…”,

but he is the one in shackles being judged.    Do you see it? This is our trial!

We are the ones that should be in the shackles being condemned for our sin and actual blasphemy, but he is our substitute.     Jesus Christ is worthy of all our praise forever.

Romans 5:8 “God demonstrates his love for us in this. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

The question today is:  Do you feel the weight of the amazing grace of God?

The substitutionary atonement of Jesus?

It’s like Barabbas must have felt that day.  He knew he was a murderer.  He knew he should not be walking the streets a free man.   Can you imagine the power of that freedom for him?

That is what you and I should feel everyday.   The good news washing over us, shaping every thought and decision we make, freeing us to enjoy God through Christ.

Now, here is the crossroad!

If Barabbas goes home that day back to his old life, murdering, he will never see or savor the life Christ gave him.     He will remain in spiritual death.

But, if that day he found his way to the cross and watched the innocent blood of Jesus spill out of his broken body and he suffered and died in his place- if God opened his eyes to the gospel and he responded in repentance of his sin and trusting in Jesus with his entire life- he will be forever, truly, forever changed!

He would be reconciled to God, set free from slavery of sin and commissioned to enjoy and live for the living God.

May we always see and savor and share the fullness of the freedom of Barabbas that the substitutionary atonement of Jesus gives us.   AMEN!

By His grace and for His glory,

-Shepherd

Soldiers for Jesus MC

National Chaplain