As you read these posts I encourage you to also read the page about The Journey. I write these to encurage meditation and prayer, and remind everyone that this isn’t a commentary on scripture. If you are looking for a good commentary I encourage you to find one, possibly the New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. I do write these posts to encourage meditation and reflection. Scriptures should bring us into a deeper relationship with God. I do believe they are inspired words written by inspired people filled with the Spirit of God. I will not say that scripture is the Word of God, because title I believe is reserved for Jesus as reveiled in the first chapter of God.
So why do we need the scripture? The Spirit of God works in all people, encouraging them to enter into a relationship with their creature and savior. The Spirit of God points us to the Word or knowledge of God. Christ professed that he reveils the Father and the works of the Father (or God). This is why He is the Word of God, but we need scripture because these words were written by people close to God, inspired by the Spirit of God to point people to the life, ministry, death, and resurection of Jesus.
These people were common people. People similar to each of us. They express what amazed them, inspired them, and the things that were foundational in their own journey to God. I encourage everyone to spend time just thinking about the scriptures that I use in my reflection. Sit with these scriptures, imagine being there, talking with the writer, and with those presented as the subjects.
Today let us reflect on John 6:1-15.
I know many people consider this story and focus on the bread and fish. I normally focus on this too, but for some reason I am drawn to Phillip. Jesus asked a question to him and he gave a quick answer. I find this as very intresting. Phillip was already thinking about the problem. He was considering how proceed, and what the options were. He was obviously at a place where he was out of options. His response that they couldn’t afford enough food if they worked the equivalent of 200 days. Wow, Phillip was really thinking about the situation. He did the calculation and was trying to see where he could meet a need.
We have situations that are similar every day. A few days ago I spoke about the homeless people sitting around the exits of my city. I started to count the amount of people this actually was and then considering the cost of feeding and housing all of them for a year. The cost was beyond words. But what happens if we were told or called to do it? What if Jesus looked at me and said give them a place to live, and feed them. What would I do? What would you do? What are the options available to us?
The answer to the problem was found in the basket of a young boy, five loaves and three fish. Enough food to maybe get a young person by for a day, yet Jesus said it was enough for possibly 10,000 people (5,000 men along with women and children.) A great problem was presented and all they had was enough for one person, but it was enough. I don’t care how the feeding happened it really doesn’t matter, what does matter is that the means was there before them. There was a call, a mission, and a response. Am I going to respond in faith and walk forward facing the unknown or will I say this is unabtainable? What about you when you face a problem will you shrink away or will you acknowlege that you with faith in God can accomplish the task?
Today I leave my prayer knowing that through Christ we can do all things.
Again I’m struck by this passage. I am profoundly irritated at teachers of the law for their lack of compassion. I don’t know if you have ever seen a person so down on their luck that they resort to “begging”, but I have seen several. Nearly every day this week I drove by 7 people with signs asking for assistance. (I feel bad right now because I didn’t give them anything.) But if I saw one of those people walking around carrying a mat, when I just say them in a wheel chair I don’t think I would be telling them to stop carrying your mat. In fact i’d probably ask what happened to the wheel chair.
We get jaded by following the rules. We expect everyone to do everything the same way as we do. The thing with rules is that everyone reads them differently. That is what is so awsome about Jesus here, He doesn’t care what people think about the rules he does what He knows is right. We know right from wrong, the Spirit of God speaks to our hearts and if we listen we will know just what to do. I know that this seems like some mystical fluff, but I do truley believe this. If The Father is always working, if Jesus is doing what His Father does, then the Spirit will always speak to us and direct us in our ministries. All we have to do is to put ourselves in a position to listen and act. We don’t have to worry about the rules totally, those are there to set general boundries in our lives. They basically boil down to Love God, and encourage humanity to do the same.
Jesus acted according to this rule. The religious leaders wanted to only follow the letter, not the purpose. How are we going to respond? He’s always working which means He is always working in an through you!