Word in Five

Mary does a beautiful things. Costly, lavish, love filled worship of Jesus because she grasps who he is and what he has come to do. Jesus is going to die as the Passover Lamb. He speaks up for his people. Judas however is very angry. He hates what Mary has done. No one suspects Judas - he's still in charge of the money. May we guard our hearts and spot the warning signs of keeping up appearanc...

Unbelief is so ugly. The people didn't deny Lazarus had been raised. They only cared about their own interests. Beware of being so self-focused that you do anything to protect your own reputation. We need to walk with integrity. Jesus raised Lazarus with a loud voice. One day he will return and raise all the dead with a loud voice. Jesus didn't need his grave clothes because he was raised...

"If you had been here..." the grieving sisters both say to Jesus. He can handle our grief and whatever we pour out on him from our hearts. Jesus patiently and kindly meets with Martha. He shows just how compassionate our God is. He is moved by the effects of sin and how it brings grief and hopelessness. Jesus wants us to see that the resurrection is linked with him. He is the resurrectio...

Jesus had friends - he needed them because he recognised that we were made to live in community. He chose not to be there when Lazarus will ill - it might seem strange - but he did it for a reason. So that he would be glorified and the disciples would grow in faith. Death is temporary to Jesus. He delivers his people from it. He gets us and sympathises with us in all our weakness.

Unbelief in Jesus is so ugly. In contrast, Jesus is so beautiful. He tries to appeal to these people who should know better and are so unkind to him. May we be like Jesus in patience and kindness. And what life he gives us - total security in the double-lock grip of Jesus and the Father!

Jesus brings us into such a close relationship with him that he compares it to his own relationship with the Father! How secure is that! How well he knows us and how he is committed to growing our confidence in him. No wonder he talked about giving us life to the full! The end makes us think about how we will respond to Jesus - may it be thanks, trust, worship, following, telling others.

Jesus is so focused on his sheep. He knows us intimately. And the focus of the sheep? Listening to his voice! He gives us discernment to hear his voice. Let's pray that we will listen and follow after him. How he cares for us!

What we see when we look at Jesus is the ultimate eye test. The religious leaders with all their knowledge and education failed the eye test. They knew nothing of who God is. The blind man made them look foolish - he urged them to see, but they wouldn't. Jesus came looking for this blind man who had been thrown up and brought him right in.

We need to be given new eyes to see Jesus. It's another way of showing that we need to be born again. We should pray for eyes to see Jesus every time we open his word and when we come to worship. And we should use our testimonies - I was blind, but thanks to Jesus, I now see!

We need to be careful not to have a world view of suffering like the disciples. Our God is kind - all suffering is an opportunity for God's kind works to be displayed. Once again, John takes us back to Genesis to show us who Jesus is. As he created Adam from the dust he creates this man new eyes from the dust. May we have eyes to see Jesus and trust him more and more.

Jesus is the I AM who delivered the Israelites out of Egypt. Jesus walked with Abraham. Abraham knew him and looked forward to Jesus' coming. Jesus has been, is being and will be glorified by the Father in all the world. The I AM died to give us life forever.

Jesus sets us free. The devil makes out that following Jesus is slavery, but that is a lie from the father of lies. Sadly the religious leaders had totally misunderstood the Law of Moses and had failed to know God as Father. The Son came to brings us into God's family as children. Abraham knew this and welcomed Jesus (the Angel of the LORD) when I met him. These descendants of Abraham were so...

What a statement - Jesus is the light of the world. There is so much in these words. Sadly the religious leaders completely misunderstood the Bible, didn't understand the Trinity and therefore ran away from the Light. May we see that at the darkest hour of the cross, the Light shines the brightest because we see the heart of our Heavenly Father.

This account is a beautiful part of the Bible that shows the kindness of our God - come as you are to him. May we not fall into the trap of teaching that people need to clean themselves up before following Jesus. Come as you are - but none of us get to stay as we are.

Jesus is the great Healer of the nations. Come to him and be refreshed and be a refresher of others.

Jesus challenged the people and they responded with hostility. How we respond to Jesus' word reveals our hearts. May he be at the centre of church life in a way that honours God and is real and relevant.

What a big thing it was for Jesus to go to that festival. How it would have brought home to him the hugeness of what he was going to do!

Where else can we go Lord? You have the words of eternal life. O may we believe and tell others!

Jesus is going to raise his people up at the last day, when he returns. We must depend upon him for everything. There is no life without believing in Jesus. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.

Jesus is the Bread of life. He is the Passover Lamb who was lifted up on the cross for us. He saves his people securely. May we ask our heavenly Father to give us this day our daily bread. He will!

Jesus walks on the water. It's another link to Moses. Jesus is the One who brought order in Genesis 1 through his Word. He has come to defeat Satan, destroy his works and bring about the great end that God had planned all along. A perfect creation with no chaos or darkness.

Jesus cares for the whole person. Our bodies matter. Jesus fulfils the Passover. Listen to him as the Prophet - the Living Word himself.

The religious leaders didn't recognise Jesus because they failed to see that Moses knew him and trusted him. They failed to see that Moses wrote about the Jesus he knew. If we fail to see Jesus, we can't possibly know God as our Father. This is so serious!

Jesus makes it clear that he is equal with the Father. Jesus shows us that our God is a loving union of three. The Father works through the Son by the Holy Spirit. This has  a lot to teach us about what it means to be made in the image of God. Let’s hear Jesus’ voicenow and live. Everyone will hear his voice when he returns and be raised,either to life or condemnation – it all depends what we do w...

Jesus doesn't need the pool to heal the man. He restores give life as the Living Word. He always equips us to do what he calls us to do. Like Jesus we shouldn't assume we know what help someone is looking for. Jesus shows the man an even deeper need - that of his sins being forgiven.