Safe Haven

 After his relatives went to the feast, Jesus also decided to go. He wanted to observe it, but he didn't want to be the focus of all the attention. You can see it in the way people were talking about Jesus, that he would have been the focus. Also, there may be a mystery in the Father's plan, which meant that he had to go to the feast slightly later than he might have otherwise. Whatever Jesus hoped to avoid by not announcing himself came to pass anyway, when he taught in the temple. His opponents had to wonder where he got his knowledge, because they knew he wasn't trained like they were. Even though Jesus's knowledge is special and supernatural, we should take this as a lesson, that none of us has to be a trained expert to have knowledge of God. And our knowledge is meant to serve the love of God. Jesus grounds what he is saying in the fact that he was sent by the Father. His opponents wanted to get him on a technicality of breaking the Sabbath. Jesus appeals to the sp...

 One of the reasons to prefer the translation "Judeans" in verse 1--besides guarding against anti-Semitic attitudes--is that it better gets across who Jesus's opponents were. The main groups that were his opponents were the Pharisees, a group devoted to strict observance of the Torah (the law of Moses), and the Sadducees, who were picked by the foreign power of Rome to manage the worship of the temple. As a rule, they weren't particularly religious or observant; it's a bit like today, when we read about some country that has a state church. Most people realize that the people long since abandoned those convictions. In defense of the Pharisees, all the tragedy of the Old Testament--especially the sacking of Jerusalem in 586 BC, and the takeovers by foreign powers--convinced many people that it had all come about because people had not observed the Law closely enough. But again, even the receiving of the Law had at the heart of it God redeeming his people from slave...

 There were two parts of what Jesus had just said that were offensive: first, he invited people to eat his flesh and drink his blood, which would be a violation of the law of Moses in several respects. Second, Jesus talks about God the Father in a way that no one would do. It sounds like blasphemy, to call God your own father. He knew they were offended, on both counts. He essentially asked them, "Do you want me to leave?" Then he says the Holy Spirit is empowering everything that he is saying. Even if the idea of Jesus being God is a bridge too far, people have enough information from the Old Testament Scriptures to know that the Spirit of God can be trusted. Nobody could quite have known that He would be given to all kinds of people, but Jesus is saying, "If you don't believe me, believe Him, and the works that He does." And again, Jesus says that everything that is happening is according to the Father's will. We cannot believe anything concerning the Fath...

 As Providence would have it, I know a lot of university professors. I admire them. I've often wanted to be a university professor. My life path perhaps makes that somewhat unlikely at this juncture, but I wanted to tell you why I felt so privileged to be among those who attended and completed university education. I have also completed graduate work, so I am doubly lucky. I can't write anything like this without lamenting the fact that the purpose--and the very existence--of colleges and universities is in doubt. I do not intend to go too much into that, but it makes me sad when I think about it. What a noble profession, to be a teacher! It's not a surprise to me that so many aspiring teachers have big dreams about making a difference, because even if reality invades to show them that it's more difficult than they thought, the heart of teaching at any and every level, is the sharing of truth, and wisdom. If that doesn't inspire you, you shouldn't even think abo...

 You know, there are things that we might disagree with, but if we hear good arguments in favor of a certain position, we can at least say, "That argument makes some sense, or is defensible." I would not say that I love to catalog bad arguments on my own side, but that is mainly because I don't know what "side" I'm on, anyway. One of the bad arguments for the death penalty is this, and it's not even an argument: "Some people I don't like, and who probably don't even believe in objective truth, are opposed to the death penalty. Therefore, I am in favor." What sort of intemperate mental gesture inspires someone to ask me if I believe in objective truth, at the mere mention of the fact that I oppose the death penalty? Yes, I believe in objective truth; that's why I oppose the death penalty. I am tempted to say that entire sectors of ideological camps operate according to these intemperate mental gestures, as if I must be some sort of p...

 The leadership was stunned by what Jesus had just previously said: he's going to give himself as bread for the life of the world. But it is more than just the oddity of what he said. We'll see as we go along here that what Jesus says is downright shocking and offensive to the hearers in this culture. He starts off with, "Truly, truly…" to indicate that he's going to teach something new with authority. And then he tells us that we have to eat his flesh, and drink his blood. The children of Israel were commanded not to eat any meat that contained the blood of an animal. Human cannibalism is even worse. Jesus knows exactly how offensive this sounds to the people who heard him. Not only does he say it, but he doubles down, so to speak. I think we have to deal with the question of whether Jesus is speaking figuratively. In a sense it's obvious that he is, but we should not think that belief in Jesus is somehow opposed to eating his flesh, and drinking his blood. T...

 This first statement made by Jesus in this section sounds crazy. If any other person said this, we would think they had lost their mind. The opponents of Jesus then say basically, "We know who you are, and we know who your family is. You didn't come from anywhere special." In fact, Jesus is saying that he became incarnate by the Virgin Mary, and became man. We should remember that Jesus did not become God, but he is God, and became man. Here in verse 44, Jesus is letting us know about a great mystery: no one can believe in Jesus unless God the Father draws him or her, and makes it possible. Some people throughout history have made the mistake of thinking that we can do things in our own power to earn God's favor. The truth is, though, that we wouldn't have God's favor unless he gave it to us. Grace is God's favor, but also his presence and power in our lives. Grace makes it possible for us to be sons and daughters of God. Jesus ends this verse by saying t...

 "Signs" for St. John are miracles that point to deeper spiritual truths. Jesus is saying, "You're not thinking spiritually; you came to find me because I fed you." They know about food which perishes. In fact, they needed the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, because they don't have enough food in the first place. Jesus describes himself as the "Son of Man." It's actually Jesus's favorite way to describe himself. What does it mean? Well, we have to go back to the prophet Daniel in the Old Testament. In Daniel 7:9-14, there is one to whom glory and dominion are given, over all the people of the earth, and his kingdom will not be destroyed. And this Son of Man receives it from the Ancient of Days, who is the Father. This prophecy was hundreds of years old, in the time of Jesus. I don't know about you, but it seems to me like it's in the wrong half of the Bible! This is one of the clearest prophecies about the Messiah that you...

 The crowds followed Jesus back across the sea, when they didn't find him on their side. Jesus wants to purify their reasons for seeking him, but it is good that they are seeking him. Maybe you think that you don't have the best reasons for seeking Jesus, but if you are reading this, you are seeking him, and Jesus will work with that.

 The disciples waited for nightfall, and they tried to go back across the sea. They see Jesus walking on the water, and are terrified. "It is I; do not be afraid" is a perfectly good translation of the first half of that Greek sentence combination. But you can also translate the "it is I" as, "I am." So the whole thing would read, "I am; do not be afraid." As we will see later, "I am" is one of the ways that Jesus claims to be God, and to have existed before he was born as a man. Some of the "I am" statements are more obvious, and it could be argued that this is not one of them, but grammatically, it could be. Meanwhile, Jesus does another miracle by bringing them close to the shore, immediately after their conversation with him. I also think that these events are probably the same ones recorded in Matthew 14:22-33 and Mark 6:45-53. We should not worry, if we notice that the same biblical story is told differently in two or mo...

 After the conversation about authority in chapter 5, Jesus went across to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. The whole crowd tried to follow of course, because they had seen him heal many people. In fact, many people were already on that side of the water. Jesus asked Philip how they intended to feed all these people, knowing that they had no human means to do it. It was a test, and it's not clear whether Philip passed or failed. In any case, Jesus decides to do something. We should not miss the fact that all this took place around the time of the Passover. In addition to the Passover lamb, the people ate unleavened bread and bitter herbs, to commemorate their deliverance from Egypt. Also in the background is God's provision of the manna from heaven, when Israel was wandering in the desert. We should not understand these verses to mean that Jesus was simply really efficient in dividing up the bread and the fish. He actually multiplied the bread...

 Jesus says he does nothing on his own authority, but judges according to what he hears from the Father. What's interesting about that is that Jesus has plenty of authority. Yet even here, we see him submitting to the will of the Father. Jesus is also subtly reminding people that the law given to Moses said that a witness's testimony was only valid when backed up by two or three witnesses. Therefore, Jesus calls John the Baptist in his own defense, and he also says the Father bears witness to the truth of who he is, and what he is doing. He says John the Baptist's witness would otherwise not be good enough, because John is just a man, but Jesus knows that many of the people respect John the Baptist. Also, Jesus says the works that he is doing bear witness to the truth of who he is. Basically Jesus sees himself as the one who was sent by the Father. He goes on to say that his opponents do not love the Father, because they do not believe Jesus, whom the Father has sent. Then ...

 The "truly, truly…" indicates that Jesus is about to say something new, as a revealer of God's plan. He's telling us that the relationship between fathers and sons which we understand is an analogy to his relationship with the Father. Many sons imitate their fathers, and if the man is good, the son will be good as well. Jesus says that the Father loves him, showing and telling him everything. Verse 23 seems to teach that we should worship Jesus, in the same way that we worship the Father. (St. John uses the word "honor.") Trusting that the Father has sent His Son Jesus grants us eternal life. Verse 23 also closes off the option of worshiping the Father, but refusing to worship the Son. Jesus teaches us about the resurrection from the dead at the end of time. If you break the word "resurrection" down, it means something like, "the rising to life again." "Hearing" in the Old Testament Scriptures meant something more than simple h...

 Apparently, it was believed that an angel would stir the waters. This poor man couldn't get in fast enough. This seems a bit out of the ordinary, to believe that putting yourself in a pool of water could provide healing, but it is not unheard of. In any case, Jesus cuts the red tape, so to speak. It is doubtful that the opponents of Jesus had a real objection to what Jesus had done here on the Sabbath. Instead, they probably are running out of seemingly reasonable explanations for how Jesus is healing people. Also, anyone who says that the rules the people have been living under don't matter so much is going to challenge the authority of those who hold authority based on those rules. It is prohibited in the law of Moses to do work on the Sabbath. On the other hand, a miracle of healing is not an ordinary work. Also, God would have authority to dispense with the laws as He sees fit. That is why the identity of Jesus is so important. If Jesus is God in the flesh, then he can alt...

 This official in Capernaum probably had tried everything else. Maybe he had heard that Jesus was a healer. How difficult it must have been, to watch your own child get sick, and come nearly to the point of death. Jesus expresses disappointment at a lack of faith that he has seen in general. The context for this is Matthew 16:4, and Mark 8:38. In those places, people were witnesses to a miracle, and still asked Jesus to prove himself. Maybe Jesus thought that this official wouldn't believe, either. On the other hand, we have the believing centurion in Matthew 5:5-13. That man knew that Jesus had the power to do anything, and Jesus praised him for his faith. This official must have been somewhere in between the faithless, and the Roman centurion, because Jesus told him to go, and he went. There is some faith there, to take Jesus at his word. Faith is supernatural, but it is also simple. At any moment, you and I have the opportunity to take Jesus at his word, to trust Him. In this wa...

 Jesus went back to Galilee from there. When he had said that no honor would come to a prophet from his own country, we can understand this. A lot of times, nobody wants to hear supposed wisdom from a kid they watched grow up. "You think you know so much? I remember when you couldn't feed yourself!" In this case, Jesus's popularity grew from things he did outside Galilee, so some people must have forgotten that they didn't like him.

 The disciples wanted to know why Jesus was talking to the Samaritan woman, but they didn't ask. Meanwhile, she went and told everyone in the town how Jesus knew everything she ever did. He had to be a prophet, at the very least. The disciples hadn't seen Jesus eat for a while, so they pressed him about it. Jesus used it as a way to talk about doing the Father's will, and accomplishing the mission for which he was sent. Jesus doesn't see enemies when he looks at sinners; he sees opportunity. To Jesus, we are all beloved children of the Father, who have happened to run away. Isn't it wonderful to think that no matter how unworthy we think we are, Jesus sees who we are supposed to be? That is what it means to call Jesus our Savior and friend. Jesus reminds the disciples that none of the good things that will happen are because of them, but they will see God's work in their ministry. When we share our faith, the same is true for us. He stayed in Samaria, in the tow...

 Jesus knew that the Pharisees could make trouble, the closer he was to Jerusalem, so he withdrew to a smaller place. As it says, he had to pass through Samaria. The Samaritans were viewed as half-breeds and heretics. This is why the woman was surprised when Jesus began to talk to her. It was about noon. Jesus knows when someone is ready to receive Him, and he is drawing her out, as someone would draw the water out of the well. Sometimes when Jesus gets close, we don't necessarily run away, but we would rather talk about something else. The woman deflects Jesus, or tries to, a couple of different times. Whatever we are ashamed of is the thing that Jesus needs to take away from us. This woman has had five husbands, and probably it was unlawful, otherwise she wouldn't feel bad about it. Jesus knows why she's here in the middle of the day; she's been ostracized by everyone in her community. What does it mean when it says, "living water"? It could mean simply movi...

 This particular situation might be confusing: two unique people, who seem to have truth from God are both preaching and baptizing. John the Baptist notices that people seem to be more drawn to Jesus. John's disciples notice, too. John the Baptist reminds them and us that he is not the Messiah, but that he was given the task of proclaiming His coming. He uses the analogy of a wedding. In our terms, John the Baptist is saying that he is the best man. The best man's job is to celebrate his friend, the groom, and to do whatever he can to help the guests celebrate and enjoy the wedding. Our culture isn't much different than theirs in this. The best man is usually the closest friend that the man getting married has in the world. Any solid best man will be thrilled for his buddy, and once it's over, his job is done. That's exactly what John the Baptist is saying. There is a fair amount of discussion about whether verses 31 through 36 is still John the Baptist talking, or ...

 The mystery to end them all is this: Jesus came into the world to die for us, because He loves us. The Father sent the Son to us, because He loves us. The Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit, because He loves us. There is a mystery in the word "believe." What does it mean to believe? It can't be just knowing and acknowledging something to be true. We know of people who know many things to be true, but they choose to do something opposite of what they know to be true. But think about a time that you heard someone say to someone else, "I believe in you." A person who says this has complete trust in that person. They are not saying, "I acknowledge the reality that you exist." They are saying that they trust such a person with something or someone that is very important to them. Believing in Jesus is a total trust that changes how we understand our entire lives. We can trust Jesus with everything that we are. It's a lot like a baseball team that s...