God's Word for You (Thursday, Feb 18, 2010)
A Daily Devotion by Pastor Tim Smith
John 5:36-40
Jesus at Bethesda
A frustrated woman was afraid of her landlord. She was behind in her rent, and she had lost her job, and she just didn’t know how she was going to make ends meet. Her landlord mailed her a letter, and since she thought it was a reminder that her rent was overdue, she threw it away, pretending it never came. Another letter followed that one into the trash. And another. Finally, the landlord came in person and knocked, but she pretended she wasn’t home. But all this time the landlord had been trying to tell her that someone had paid her rent—he was just trying to give her an address so that she could write a thank-you note. Her pride and her fear were keeping the message from getting through—but she was also ignoring his words.
That was the problem the Jews were having with Jesus:
36 “I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. (NIV)
The Jewish leaders were constantly searching the Scriptures, but they consistently failed to recognize that Jesus fulfilled those very Scriptures. Failing to let Scripture mean what it says is a form of false doctrine. It would be like taking a verse like Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast,” and saying that it doesn’t mean we’re saved only by the grace of God.
But there are some who do.
Or it would be like taking a verse that talks about “day” and “night” and which then goes on to mention that “there was evening, and there was morning,” (Genesis 1:5), and saying that it must mean something other than the sun setting and the sun rising again as it does every day.
But there are some who do.
Or it would be like taking a verse like Mark 15:24, “And they crucified him,” and saying that Jesus was not crucified or put to death.
But there are some who do.
True Christians take the Bible as it is. When it presents history, we take it as history. When there is a vision or a revelation, we take it as a vision, with spiritual meaning. And when it happens to be written in poetry, we still take it as the truth; presented in artistic terms. But because a verse is more or less beautifully phrased does not make it more or less the true word of God.
By these Scriptures we have eternal life. We don’t have to search very far to find that out: Jesus himself tells us it is so.
Something Extra:
Psalm 37:8-11
ה (Heh)
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is heh, and it begins the command hereph, “Refrain,” “let it go.” If you have issues with anger and rage and their sister, fear, then learn to let it go. For the third time in this Psalm, David tells us not to fret. The more we focus on what sinners are doing, the more sin itself will grab hold of us. Keep your eyes on the cross of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness you have through him; let go of (hereph!) your anger. Treasure the gospel instead.
ו (Waw)
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace. (NIV)
The sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is waw (pronounced “vahv,” like the beginning of va-va-voom), and it’s the Hebrew word for “and.” Here, it begins a phrase translated “A little while” (literally “And yet, a little bit”). This assures us from our God that however long the wicked of the world have the upper hand, in eternity it won’t even be, as Isaiah said, “a drop in the bucket” (Isaiah 40:15). A little while, and the wicked will be gone, condemned, and we will enter into eternal life—and that’s “great peace” indeed.
Jesus quoted the Greek translation of verse 11 in his Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” The meek are believers who humbly trust in God. “Meek” and “weak” are not synonyms; and neither are “meek” and “bleak.” King David could easily be called meek because of his simple, childlike faith, but from the moment his stone touched Goliath’s forehead, no enemy ever mistook David for weak. The Apostle Paul was certainly meek in his faith and his unwavering trust in Jesus, but no one who has read even his final letter could ever confuse Paul with someone who suffers from bleak dejection: “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).
Pray for a simple, childlike faith; a faith that takes the Bible at face value; a faith that takes God’s promises as unshakable truth; a faith that doesn’t waver. A faith that is humble, yet certain; meek, yet brave. Pray for the faith God has already given to you, and pray that he strengthens it every day through his holy word.
Thy truth and grace, O Father, Most surely see and know
Both what is good and evil For mortal men below.
According to thy counsel Thou wilt Thy work pursue;
And what thy wisdom chooseth Thy might will always do. (The Lutheran Hymnal 520:3)
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul's Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. His wife, Kathryn, attended Chapel from 1987-1990 while studying Secondary Education (Theater and Math) at UW-Madison. Kathryn's father, John Meyer, was also the first man to serve as a Vicar at Chapel.
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