I Am The Good Shepherd!!

The tenth chapter of John's Gospel begins with a warning. Jesus warned Jews about false shepherds. They are thieves and robbers. They abandon and abuse the sheep.They are greedy and illegitimate leaders.They claim revelation from God but do not give any evidence of truth. They are trying to lead people while avoiding the door. True leader enters by the door. In this chapter Jesus claimed that He is the door and the good shepherd. He saw the people like sheep, fainted and scattered abroad and without shepherd(Matt 9:36). Sheep usually get lost and prone to follow strangers. Without shepherd they are in danger. Shepherding is hard work. Shepherds  have unique relationship with the sheep. When sheep enters the sheepfold he would hold the rode low at the entrance and allow the sheep to pass under the rode. He make sure whether the sheep needs attention or not. In fact Jesus is the only door into the sheepfold(John 14:6; Act 4:12). Those who enter by Him  will be saved and find strength for present life. David said "the LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want(Ps 23:1). Jacob knew the Lord as the one who has been his shepherd all his life(Gen 48:15).Do you know Him as your shepherd?

Jesus said "I am  the Good shepherd who gives his life for the sheep". Christ gave His life as a voluntary act of sacrifice.He has the power to lay it down and take it back.  He enters the sheepfold  by the authorized gate.He came to do the will of the Father.  He knows sheep by their name.Good shepherd goes ahead of his sheep. He leads them to pastures. His fold includes both Jews and Gentiles.  Jesus warned Jews about religious leaders that they are hired people. They have no love for the sheep and run away in danger. But Jews  did not comprehend the story of shepherd and the sheep. They did not believe Christ because they were not His sheep. But His sheep hear His voice,  He knows them and they follow Him. Jesus said "I will give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one".This passage explains believer's eternal security and assurance of salvation. Security is the fact based on the work of God through Christ. Salvation is always by grace and not by work. We are saved to serve(Eph 2:8-10). Salvation is not initiated by us either. It is not man  reaching out to God but God reaching out to us(Rom 5:6-8). Also salvation is not an after thought of God, but His eternal plan to save us through Christ(1Pet 1:18020; 2Tim 1:9). Assurance is the confident realization that we have eternal life as we hear and follow the Lord in obedience. That gives as the assurance of salvation. Once a person is saved, he is saved forever. God the Father and God the Son are in agreement in believer's eternal security.

Jesus Claiming equality with the Father angered the Jews. They took stones to stone Jesus. They failed to recognize Him by His good work. He challenged them by saying "which of my good work deserve stoning?". They said "You have made yourself equal with God".Christ appealed them to consider His work and  believe Him. But they sought to arrest Him. Jesus escaped from them.  Yet many believed in Him. Do you know this Good Shepherd who loved you and gave Himself for you? Do you enjoy the eternal life that God provided through His Son Jesus Christ? Do you have the assurance of salvation?. May God help us.

I Was Blind Now I See!!

The entire ninth Chapter of the Gospel of John illustrates the claim of Jesus that "I am the light of the world"
This passage tells the story of a blind man whose sight was restored by Jesus Christ. Jesus while walking along saw a man born blind. He is always looking for people, Blind man never requested healing yet the Lord healed him. He knows our need and willing to restore us. Meanwhile the disciples asked Jesus a loaded question. Was the blindness a result of the man's sin or his parents' sin?There was a common belief among Jews that physical  sickness is the result of sin(Ex 20:5). Jesus replied that his blind is not because of some one's fault but an opportunity for God to display His power. In the case of Job, his friends thought that terrible things happened in his life because he offended God. They were wrong and God Himself settled the issue in Chapter 38 to 41. God some times allows sufferings in believers' life to wake us up(Heb 12:3-11).It show He loves us. He uses suffering to accomplish His purpose in our lives(Act 16, Phil 1:12). God saves some from suffering, some through suffering,and some out of suffering.

Jesus told the blind man "go and wash in the pool of Siloam".Perhaps He chose this method to test his faith and obedience.He responded immediately and was healed. Thus proved that He is the light of the world. He was healed on the Sabbath and making clay on Sabbath was illegal. This cause trouble for the healed man. There was confusion and skepticism about his healing. We should never assume that once we are saved  every thing  will be okay. He faced skepticism  from neighbours and religious leaders. They asked his opinion of Jesus. He responded that He is a prophet. Jews refused to admit that and asked his parents whether their son was born blind. Because they were afraid, they wanted their son to speak for himself. Jews wanted that the man would give glory to God and confess that Christ is a sinner. At that time with unshakable conviction the man responded "I know this , I was blind and now I can see!"Highly educated Pharisees could not keep up with the man who was healed. For him it was not an intellectual issue but a moral spiritual issue. In many ways, believers are like this formerly blind man Once were blinded by Satan to see the glorious light of the gospel (2 Cor 4:4). Bur Christ opened our eyes to see our real need  and we responded to Christ. Now we have a story to tell to the nations. We may not be scholars of scripture but like that blind man we can share with others"once I was blind but now I see".

The blind man was excommunicated from the synagogue. But Christ found him and began to meet his needs. He was ready to believe but needs some direction..He responded in faith and worshiped Christ. He started his journey with calling Jesus first a Man(9:11). Then a Prophet(9:17). Then Lord(9:38). Finally Son of Man  and worshiped Him. How is our journey of faith progressing? In contempt religious leaders asked Jesus "are we also blind?". Jesus said to them"if you were blind you would have no guilt, but now that you say, we see, so your guilt remains."Christ came to offer light but they chose to remain blind. They failed to understand that all they needed was Christ. Have you ever thanked Jesus for what He has done for you. Have you received sight by believing in Christ. Are we willing to suffer for our faith in Christ?Jesus promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. Will you come to Him to receive forgiveness,strength and comfort for this journey. May God help us!! 

Jesus Is The Light Of The World!!

The eight chapter of the Gospel of John begins with the story of the woman caught in the act of adultery. Jesus was teaching in the temple during the feast of tabernacle.  The Pharisees brought a woman to Christ who had been caught in adultery to trap Him in His answer. This was their brilliant plan to turn the people against Him. According to law adultery was punishable by death. So testing Jesus they asked "what do you say?" If Jesus let her go, He is guilty of breaking the law.  If He passes judgement, they could blame Him breaking the Roman law. Jesus challenged their conscience by saying "let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her". Then Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground. May be Jesus was writing the ten commandments or the sins of  those who brought the woman before Him. When the  accusers heard this, they all dropped their stones and walked away. The woman left alone before the perfect one and acknowledged Jesus as Lord. Jesus did not condemn her but in His mercy forgave her and said go and sin no more. Following this incident  Jesus made His second I Am statement:" I am the light of the world". He shines as the light in the world of darkness and sin. He who follows Him will not walk in sin but have the light of life.
Sin always brings condemnation but God in His mercy forgives our sins. We often focus on other's sin rather than our own sins. We are quick to find fault and slow to forgive. Unforgiving sins can eat away our conscience.There is plenty of forgiveness with Christ for those who come to Him.

Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of light and truth. He speaks truth and treats the same way He treated the woman.When we turn to Jesus the source of truth, we find no condemnation but grace and forgiveness. Religious leaders questioned Christ and refused to believe His claim. They were unteachable which is the greatest pitfalls in life. No one can question the validity of  Jesus claims because Father bore witness of Him. His resurrection and Ascension  prove that He is the Son of God(Rom1:3). The Word of God testifies of Him(John 5:37-39). His transforming power of life is another evidence of His deity.  Pharisees missed their last chance to turn to Him(8:21,22). Refusing to believe in Christ who died for our sin is the unpardonable sin. Confessing Christ  today is salvation and confessing Him at the white throne judgement seat is damnation(Phil 2: 11).So chose you today whom you will serve?

Only Jesus can give us freedom from sin. Religious heritage will not give us freedom.  The test of true faith and discipleship is abiding in His Word. Abide simple means to stay,obey,or continue in His Word. The closer we
live in obedience, we experience His presence and freedom from sin. Jesus came to bear witness of truth.(John 18:37).Truth is the reality of God.Jesus is the embodiment of truth and grace(John 1:14).Apart from Christ there is no spiritual freedom. He who practice sin is a slave of sin. Jews claimed that Abraham is their Father and they are free.Jesus said"before Abraham existed, I am".He was from eternity and was the great I AM. Also Jesus Said Abraham rejoiced to see My day. Abraham saw in the birth of Isaac the hope of mankind and the promise of the Savior(Gen 12:3). He saw the promise afar off(Heb 11:13). He saw the birth of Messiah in the miraculous birth of Isaac. And Calvary at mount Moriah.. At this point Jews attempted to kill Jesus, but He hid Himself and went out of the temple. Do you know this great Savior who loved us gave Himself for us? May God help us!!.

No one ever spoke like Jesus!!

Jesus understood rejection more than anybody else(John 1:11; 6:66; 7:34). Though He did all things well, only few followed Him. Many hated Him so He stayed in Galilee. In the seventh chapter of John's Gospel, we see the teaching of Jesus about His person. His teaching was remarkably simple. He used common everyday objects to illustrate eternal truth. His teaching was saturated with scripture and very personal. He taught from life's situations. In His teaching Jesus always challenges His listeners  to make a choice about His identity.

In this chapter we see that Jesus brothers did not accept Him. They advised Him to go to Jerusalem to perform mighty works to influence the crowd. There is a mockery in their voice as they advised Jesus. He came to His own and His own received Him not. Jesus said to His brother"My time has not yet come". He had no desire to gain popularity and influence people with His miracle. He did all things according to His Father's direction , timetable and for His glory.  Christians should always follow this example. Jesus told His brothers the same thing he told His mother He had no desire to please anyone but the Father.We should not seek man's approval while serving Christ.

Jesus taught openly at the temple. Those you heard were divided in their opinion of Jesus. Some thought He is   a wonderful man and others said He is a deceiver. Jewish leaders amazed at His teaching and said how does He know so much without formal education.. Because of the fear of expulsion  no one spoke favorably. Jesus told them that to understand His teaching one must have the desire to obey the will of God. This is a time less principle. Understanding is not a requirement for salvation but faith. Faith is not an intellectual issue but a moral issue.Jews found nothing wrong with circumcising on Sabbath yet accused Jesus for healing on Sabbath. Christ said it is illogical and stop judging on the surface. He emphasised that the spirit of the law is more important than the letter of law. They were amazed at his boldness and thought,  may be He is Messiah.  Jewish leaders wanted to arrest Jesus. But they could not arrest Him  because His hour of crucifixion has not yet come.

This chapter concludes with Jesus' claim that He is the source of living water(John 7:37-38). He is the source of everlasting life. Jesus made this statement on the last day feast. Thus He has shown the emptiness of  religious feast that failed to satisfy  people. One who believes in Christ not only be satisfied but also becomes  a channel of blessing to others. Here Jesus was referring to the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciple after His ascension. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit brings satisfaction and blessings. This  would not happen with casual commitment. Religious leaders wanted Jesus to be arrested. Officers were powerless to arrest Jesus because "No one ever spoke like Jesus"(7:46). Being one of the ruler Nicodemus defended Jesus  and requested a fair hearing. Instead of answering his legitimate request, his fellow rulers ignored him and said search the scripture and see for yourself that no prophet comes from Galilee. Thus they have shown their ignorance of the Scripture, since Jonah and Nahum came from Galilee.Are you ashamed of Jesus? Let us ask ourselves, how committed we are confessing Christ to others.  May God help us!!