Every Day with Jesus

The prophet Hosea was a living metaphor. The Lord called him to marry an adulterous woman, Gomer, who eventually became a sex worker. Hosea was grieved by her betrayals but took her back into his home, buying her out of slavery. He longed for her wholehearted devotion, just as the Lord longed for the pure worship of His people, who had turned to the false gods of Baal. 

Whereas in Isaiah chapters 5 and 17 the Lord wanted to destroy His vineyard, here we see a different picture. He will rescue His vines, tending them gently; He’ll water and guard them continually. We understand that His anger was for purification and the removal of idols: ‘the full fruit of the removal of his sin’ (v.9). The altars to the false gods will be smashed and the Asherah poles that broug...

The saying ‘Don’t shoot the messenger’ resonates because people often take out their frustration on the one who delivers a strong message. And Isaiah had more hard words for God’s people. Though they spent their money on the finest plants and imported vines, at the harvest they would only reap rot and pain. No longer could God tolerate their infidelity and hardness of heart. 

We waited and waited in the queue for the loo at the museum, and only when getting to the front did we realise that we’d all been waiting for one stall! Although the other six stalls were empty, no one had bothered to check whether or not they were free. A somewhat similar situation could have occurred with the Israelites and the Arameans, but of course on a much bigger scale. 

When the prophet Isaiah shared a story about a vineyard, God’s people would have been familiar with the effort required to plant a fruitful one – the need to choose the location, to clear the stones and stack them into protective walls, to plant the prized vines. As the Israelites engaged with his story, they would have felt shocked to hear that they were the vine that produced the bad grapes. And...

The Great Vine at Hampton Court Palace catches one’s attention, not least because of how big it is – it’s the oldest and largest vine in the world. Although it was planted in 1768, it still bears fruit – about 250 to 300 kilos a year. 

Today many people move not only from city to city, but often from country to country. Some people set down their roots easily, making friends and finding community, but others may struggle to make connections. They might form strong bonds to those from their country-of-origin in order to stave off feelings of dislocation. 

Whether we’re keen gardeners or those who allow weeds to flourish more than vegetables and flowers, we can all benefit from delving into the theme of God as our Gardener and Harvester. Scripture gives us rich examples along this line, some of which we’ll explore over the next fortnight. 

In Derbyshire there is a village called Eyam, made famous after the Black Death of 1665 and 1666. To protect those outside the village, Eyam was cut off: no one inside could leave, and no one outside could go in. Before vaccines, masks and lateral flow tests, this was the only protection. Outsiders would leave food around the boundaries for residents to collect. 

If someone was to write the word ‘chair’ on a piece of paper in front of you, and then ask you not to think about a chair, you will immediately have the picture of a chair in your head. This helps us understand why Jesus responds to the lies of the enemy as He does. 

Maybe you are the kind of person who always thinks of a smart reply once a conversation is over?! Plenty of people find themselves unable to know what to say when criticised or challenged, and it’s only later that the right words come to them. 

It was a glorious moment when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at His baptism and He heard those words from His Father: ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’ (Matt. 3:17). But His being led by the Spirit does not lead to an easy life, and Jesus soon after finds Himself in the wilderness, where He is tempted by the devil. 

Rulers give ruling a bad name! Most people see the word ‘ruler’ and can think of leaders who rule poorly, especially in parts of the world where the rulers more concerned with keeping power than serving their people. 

There has been plenty of controversy concerning the first chapter of Genesis, normally surrounding whether God created the universe in six days or whether days are indicative of a longer span of time or whether this is simply a poetic device to describe God as Creator over and against other alternative ways of understanding creation. 

Look around your room you will no doubt see various appliances that are designed to make our lives function more smoothly. The purpose of the gadget is clear and, although when new you may require some instruction in how to operate it, very quickly you get into the habit. If there are other human beings in your house, what are they there for?! 

Status changes can make us feel very different about life. You may recall your first days as a parent or in a new role in a company or perhaps serving in a local church. You are the same person as you always have been, but now your role or label means that certain things are expected of you, and you expect certain things of yourself. 

At the start of chapter 9, Jesus gives the disciples power and authority to drive out demons, to cure diseases and to proclaim the kingdom of God. Things have been going very well. But when they go to a Samaritan village, things are not so smooth – the disciples are not welcomed. James and John, nicknamed ‘sons of Thunder’, ask Jesus if He wishes them to call fire down from heaven to destroy the v...

Some Christians use a plan for reading through the Scriptures in a year (the New Testament and Psalms twice and the Old Testament once). This method was devised by the Scottish pastor Robert Murray McCheyne, who ministered largely in Dundee, Scotland. 

Thinking about the human ability to terminate life in the womb has made today’s passage especially poignant. Of course, there are difficult questions surrounding medical ethics. These debates require careful thought and pastoral understanding. 

We can be utterly secure in knowing God’s presence with us. We can be at one with the psalmist when he talks of God being near, watching over and caring for us. And then something happens and it’s as if a storm cloud has gathered over us and is showering its ugly contents! 

In the early years of childhood, there is considerable comfort received by a child who knows their parent is watching over them. Indeed, the child will often make sure that the parent is watching something they are proud of, such as kicking a football, playing a game, or dancing. 

Doing the right thing can become a habit not always appreciated by others. The young man who refused to defile himself with the king’s food is now an experienced civil servant within the king’s palace, possibly in his early eighties! Indeed, by chapter 6 verse 3 we find the king plans to set him over the whole kingdom. 

It would seem that Daniel was a first-class honours kind of guy. For this reason, he had been deported from Israel and taken thousands of miles away to Babylon to serve in the king’s palace for a three-year training course. 

The New Testament really does have some astonishing verses, and this one is right up there with the best. The writer to the Hebrews is contrasting the sacrifice of Jesus with the sacrifices prescribed within the old covenant. 

There are definitely two kinds of Christian. There are those who have a very high trust in the sovereignty of God and His work in their lives. There are those who have a strong sense of responsibility to do things to please God.