“And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.” John 9:39 (Read John 9:1-41)

Could it be that your own opinions and beliefs are keeping you from knowing and trusting in Jesus as the promised Messiah and Savior of the world? Do you turn from Him and reject His mighty work as your Savior because He, somehow, doesn’t fit into your religious views and ideas?

When Jesus healed a man born blind, the blind man came to know and believe that Jesus was indeed the promised Christ and the Son of God spoken of in the Scriptures (cf. Ps. 2:7). But the Pharisees, even though it was indisputable that Jesus had opened the eyes of the blind (cf. Isa. 42:7), refused to believe in Him and had even agreed that anyone who came to believe in Jesus as the Messiah would be put out of the Jewish synagogue. Because Jesus had made clay and healed this man on the sabbath, they said He was not of God and called Him a sinner.

Thus, a man born blind was given sight — both physical and spiritual — and came to know and trust in Jesus as the Son of God and his Savior from sin. The Pharisees, on the other hand, though they could see with their eyes and knew of Jesus’ mighty working, refused to see and believe that Jesus is the Christ and the Savior of the world. Their own religious views and opinions blinded their eyes to the truth which was so clearly revealed to them. Thus, they forfeited the forgiveness and life Christ Jesus won for them.

But what about you? Do you let your own religious views and opinions keep you from coming to Christ Jesus in faith? Are you so convinced that God will accept you on the basis of your own religious works that you do not see your utter sinfulness and the salvation Christ Jesus freely won for you when He fulfilled all righteousness and then suffered and died on the cross for the sins of the world (cf. 1 John 1:7 – 2:2; 1 Tim. 1:15)? And if Jesus were to come to you today, would you reject Him if He did not observe your church traditions and teachings or worship in the same way as you?

The clear and unmistakable truth revealed to us in the Bible is this: We are all sinners and have come short of what God requires of us; Jesus is the Christ, true God and true man; He fulfilled all righteousness for us; He suffered and died on the cross to pay for the sins of all and rose again; In Christ Jesus and for His sake, God is gracious and merciful to sinners and freely offers and gives to all who believe His pardon, forgiveness and life everlasting.

When God graciously opens our eyes and brings us to know and believe these truths and we place our faith in Jesus, we have His pardon and forgiveness and everlasting life. When we shut our eyes to these truths and refuse to believe in Jesus, we die in our sins and will suffer the eternal torments of hell (cf. John 3:16,18,36; 8:24; Mark 16:15-16; 1 John 5:11-12).

Do you see Jesus for who He is and what He has done for you, or are your eyes blinded by your own views and opinions?

Open my eyes, O Lord, and let me see Jesus for who He is and trust in Him for forgiveness, life, and eternal salvation. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.” John 6:5-6 (Read v. 1-15)

Why does God test us in seemingly impossible situations? It’s certainly not because God doesn’t already have a plan in mind. And, it’s not to see what we’ll do, for God already knows that too.

So why does God test us? To teach us to trust Him in every situation! That’s why Jesus questioned Philip as to where they could buy bread to feed a multitude of more than five thousand who had followed Jesus to this remote spot along the Sea of Galilee.

Philip’s answer illustrated the situation’s seeming hopelessness: “Two hundred pennyworth [denarii] of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little” (John 6:7).

In another parable of Jesus, a denarius is used as a full day’s wage, so Philip’s answer is equivalent to saying that even 200 days’ wages would not be enough to feed this crowd, even a little.

When Andrew mentioned the lad with five barley loaves and two small fish, the disciples assumed this was nothing compared to the need, but Jesus had the men sit down. He gave thanks to God for the food He had provided. Then Jesus distributed the food to His disciples and His disciples to the people. All ate to the full, and they gathered up twelve baskets of leftovers.

In the book of Exodus, we see that God also fed the people of Israel in a seemingly impossible situation in the wilderness, providing mana in the mornings and quail in the evenings. But God also tested the people and taught them to trust by providing only enough manna for each day so that they might learn to trust in Him each day for their daily bread.

In Exodus 16:4-5, we read: “Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.“

God provided enough manna each day for His people and, on the sixth day, He provided enough for two days so they could rest on the Sabbath. Of course, some people did not trust in the LORD and gathered more than they needed for the day, and the leftover manna bred worms and stank. Some tried to gather on the Sabbath, but there was none (cf. Ex. 16:17-30).

So also, in the Lord’s Prayer, we pray: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11).

Jesus also teaches us the same when He tells us not to worry about what we will eat and drink or what we will wear in Matt. 6:25ff. After telling us to seek first His kingdom and righteousness (v. 33), He says, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (v. 34).

When we consider the feeding of the five thousand with only five barley loaves and two small fish, we certainly see a miracle and proof that Jesus is the almighty Son of God in human flesh. But we also learn that God would have us trust Him in seemingly impossible situations, give thanks for what He has provided, and rely upon Him to care for our every need (cf. Prov. 3:5ff.). We are to “be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let [our] requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6). We may find the situation impossible, but God already has a plan in mind!

We remember also that, as sinners, unable to measure up to the demands of God’s holy law, we all stand condemned. Our situation is impossible and hopeless.

But God provided a way for us to be saved. He sent His only Son into this world as a true man. Jesus kept God’s commandments for us, perfectly and without sin, and then He suffered our just punishment when He died on the cross for the sins of the world. Though all seemed hopeless, He rose again on the third day in triumph over sin, death, and the devil, and through faith in Him, we sinners are pardoned, forgiven, and given eternal life (cf. John 3:14-16).

Our situation was impossible, but God had a plan. He sent His Son Jesus to be our Savior!

Dear Lord Jesus, forgive us for failing to trust in Your power and willingness to help us in every situation. Teach us always to come to You and to trust in You for all our needs, both earthly and heavenly. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from King James Version of the Bible]

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” John 8:56-59

How could Abraham have seen Jesus’ day? The Jews asked this when Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” They said to Jesus, “Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?”

How could Abraham have seen Jesus’ day when Abraham lived about 2,000 years before Jesus was born? We go back to Genesis for the answer.

In Genesis 12:1-3, we learn that “the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

In Genesis 12:7, we read, “And the LORD appeared unto Abram …” And the LORD spoke or appeared to Abraham numerous times (cf. Gen. 13:14; 15:1ff.; 17:1ff.; 18:1ff.; 21:12ff., 22:1ff.).

In Genesis 18, the LORD appeared to Abraham, along with two of His angels, ate with him, and walked and talked with Abraham regarding the coming birth of Isaac and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Did Abraham see Jesus’ day and rejoice in it? Yes, if Jesus was and is the LORD God in human flesh and blood, if it was the eternal Son of God, the pre-incarnate Christ, who appeared and spoke with Abraham and gave Him the promises of God to send the Messiah and Savior, the promised Seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15) through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed!

And how did Jesus answer the doubts of His hearers? “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

Do you understand what Jesus was saying? His Jewish hearers did, and they took up stones to throw at Him. Jesus claimed to be the eternal Son of God, who appeared to Abraham and later to Moses. Jesus claimed to be the I AM of Exodus 3, Jehovah God Himself, who appeared to Moses at the burning bush and later to Moses and God’s people at Mt. Sinai.

In Exodus 3:13-15, we read: “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”

When Jesus spoke these words in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:4-6), those who came to arrest Him fell backward to the ground. Here, in John 8, when the Jews sought to stone Him to death, “Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”

So, who is Jesus? And are His words calling upon all to repent of their sins and place their faith in Him and His cross for pardon and forgiveness true? Most certainly! He is Jehovah God Himself, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the great I AM who appeared to Moses at the burning bush. He took on human flesh and blood and became true man, born of the Virgin Mary, that He might redeem us from sin and eternal damnation by His innocent sufferings and death in our stead and make it sure to us by His glorious resurrection!

Listen to His words, turn from your sinful ways and trust in Him and His cross for mercy, and rejoice in His promise to raise you up to life everlasting. His words are sure!

O merciful Savior, grant that I see You for who You are and trust in You for life and salvation. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” John 5:39-47

Do you believe the words of Jesus — that He is the only-begotten Son of God, come into this world a true man that He might fulfill God’s law for us and then suffer our condemnation and punishment by His death on the cross?

As Jesus’ words make clear, not all who claim to be God’s children and read and study the Scriptures understand the message of God’s Word. Not all see their utter sinfulness and failure to measure up to the demands of God’s holy law, and not all look to Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross in faith for mercy, forgiveness, and everlasting life.

Jesus’ hearers in John 5 read and studied the Scriptures — particularly the Torah, the writings of Moses — and thought they could please God and be acceptable in His sight by their keeping of God’s commandments. They failed to see that the commandments revealed their sinfulness and that the Scriptures pointed to the coming Messiah and Savior who would redeem them from their sins and iniquities by His innocent sufferings and death on the cross. Though the Old Testament Scriptures pointed them to Jesus the Messiah and to His atoning sacrifice as the only way to be acceptable in God’s eyes, they failed to see that Jesus was their Messiah and Savior — their only hope for salvation and partaking of the glories of God’s everlasting kingdom.

Instead of hearing God’s Word, they accepted men’s words and interpretations. Instead of seeking glory from God, they sought honor and glory from men and rejected the truth of God’s Word.

As Jesus said, He did not need to accuse them before God the Father; the very writings of Moses, which they read and studied and claimed as the basis for their beliefs, condemned them for their failure to keep God’s commandments and their refusal to look to Christ Jesus and His perfect sacrifice for pardon and forgiveness.

If Jesus’ hearers believed the writings of Moses, they would also believe Jesus’ words, repent of their sinful ways, and look to Jesus and His cross for mercy. Why? Because Moses wrote about Jesus and His coming.

Jesus is the Offspring of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15), Abraham’s Offspring through whom the nations of the world would be blessed (Gen. 12:3; 22:18), the substitute Lamb offered up in the place of God’s people foreshadowed by the ram offered up in the place of Isaac (Gen. 22:13-14), the perfect Lamb of God foreshadowed by the Passover Lamb and Israel’s sacrifices (Exo. 12:1ff.; John 1:29), the Prophet like unto Moses (Deut. 18:15-19).

And, of course, if we also include the Writings and Prophets of the Old Testament, we would know the place of Messiah’s birth, that Jesus is God Himself in human flesh and blood, that He would suffer and die and redeem us from all our sins, that He would rise again and establish an everlasting kingdom, that He would ascend into heaven, that He would come again in glory and be our judge, that the only way to be saved is to turn from our sins and look in faith to Messiah Jesus and His cross and place our hope and confidence in Him.

Do you believe Jesus’ words? Do you believe Him when He reveals your failure to keep God’s commandments? When he reveals the fact that you are a sinner and cannot stand in God’s judgment on the basis of your own life and works? Do you believe His words, as well as the testimony of Moses and all the prophets, that Jesus is God the Son and the Messiah and Savior? Do you believe that only through faith in Him and His atoning sacrifice on the cross can we sinners be pardoned by God and acceptable in His sight?

If you do not come to Jesus and believe His words, if you do not trust in Jesus as your Savior, the words of Moses and all the prophets condemn you.

In John 3:35-36, we read: “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

O gracious and merciful Father, we Thank You for the gift of the Son and for forgiveness and life through faith in His name. Grant that we hear and believe the witness of Your Word and the witness of the Son that we might repent of our sins and trust in Messiah Jesus, and so receive the everlasting joys of heaven. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.” John 8:51 (Read John 8:51-56)

Jesus’ words to His fellow Jews echo His words in John 5 and John 11. Jesus told the Jews in John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” In John 11:25-26, Jesus said to Martha when her brother Lazarus had died: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”

What does this mean? It means that the one who trusts in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and His Savior will not suffer eternal death and damnation. Though believers may die physical or temporal death and their bodies be placed in the grave, they will not die spiritually or eternally.

At death, God’s angels carry their souls into heaven to be with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On the Last Day, when Christ returns, He will bring their souls with Him, raise up their bodies as glorified heavenly bodies, and they will, according to both body and soul, dwell forever with the Lord Jesus.

St. Paul wrote to the Philippians: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you” (Phil. 1:21-24; cf. Luke 16:22-23; Rev. 6:9-11: 7:9-17).

To the Thessalonians, St. Paul wrote: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:13-17; cf. Phil. 3:20-21; 2 Cor. 5:1-9; 1 Cor. 15:1-58).

Jesus called upon His hearers — and He calls upon us today — to hear and believe His words, to believe He is the eternal Son of God who came into this world a true man to redeem us by His perfect atoning sacrifice, and to turn from our sinful ways and look to Him and His cross for pardon, forgiveness, and life eternal.

As Jesus said, those who keep His saying and look to Him for pardon and forgiveness will not see death — they won’t be condemned to eternal damnation in the fires of hell but have passed from death to life. At death, their souls will be carried by God’s angels into the presence of Abraham and all the saints who have looked to Christ for mercy, and on the Last Day, their bodies will be raised up as glorified and heavenly bodies and reunited with their souls, and they will dwell forever with the Lord!

Grant that I hear and believe Your words, dear Lord Jesus, so that I may share in Your victory over death and live in Your presence forevermore. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]