Believing 5

John6:63

There are so many illusions that can fool the eye.  Magicians who perform on stage or on television are masters at fooling people into thinking they see something that is not real.  We can try to trust our own eyes and think that we should only believe what we see, but there are times when seeing is still not believing because it shouldn’t be.

Today’s passage is part of a response from Jesus after teaching a group of followers.  Many could not accept his teaching and fell away.  Others tried to remain faithful but were confused and had doubts.  What does Jesus say about the Spirit?  What does he say about the flesh – mortality?  What does the teaching of Jesus do for us?

One of the biggest hurdles that people have with the teachings of Jesus is that they look at them from an earthly perspective, a human point of view.  We try to make sense of what is being said by thinking of them with our limited ability to reason.

The things that Jesus taught were frequently of a higher nature than what most people are able to comprehend.  Not everything that Jesus said can be taken literally or converted into something concrete so that it might be understood.  We must expand our thinking to accept a more spiritual meaning behind what Jesus taught.

Jesus came to earth to express compassion on people in very real and tangible ways.  He healed the sick.  He drove out demons.  He fed the hungry.

But much of what he did was also an indication, a shadow, of much greater truths.  The healing he offered not only restored the physical bodies of many but was also meant to show that the presence of God’s love could heal even our mental and spiritual failings.  The life that Jesus spoke of was a spiritual life, an everlasting life, an eternal connection to the Almighty God.

The things of mortality, the things of the flesh and of humanity are on a much lower level than what Jesus was talking about.  And so we must see that the words of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus were the spirit of God’s love moving us to draw nearer to the loving embrace of the Trinity.

We may not be able to see the physical form of God, the Father, or Jesus or the Holy Spirit.  But when we believe, when we accept that Christ died and rose again for our eternal salvation, to give us the love of God, then we will see in our hearts that God is real.  We will see through the Spirit that God is with us and loves us, and then their will be no doubt in our faith.

DAILY CHALLENGE:  What will help you see God in your heart?

Believing 3

Acts5:27-32

If you have ever been to the doctor and had your reflexes tested you know what it is like to do something over which you have no control.  When the doctor taps your knee with the mallet your leg jerks.  If you have ever tried to stop a yawn, control your hiccups, or stop breathing for a long time you are familiar with uncontrollable actions.

Such is the case with the followers of Jesus after the resurrection.  What had the ruling religious leaders told the disciples NOT to do?  What did they do?  What reason is given in verse 29?  What reason is given in verse 32?

The Sanhedrin mentioned in this passage is like a high court of the Jewish religion.  These were religious leaders and teachers who convened and had authority over the people the same way a court of law would today.  They wanted the apostles, the disciples and other believers, to stop talking about Jesus and all that he had taught.  They were getting people all riled up.

But the apostles were not able to obey this command.  It is also probably true that they did not want to obey the command, but in his response Peter declares that what they were doing was no longer under their control.  God had moved them to preach and teach and there was no way to stop it.

Peter points out that many of them were witness to the crucifixion and resurrection.  They had known Jesus.  They had heard him teach.  They had seen him after he rose from the dead.  This was reason enough for them to be preaching about Jesus.

But he also includes others who were teaching about Jesus.  Even those who had not known Jesus in the same way the disciples did were filled with the Holy Spirit.  With the presence of the Holy Spirit they were convicted of the truth about Christ and were also moved to preach about him.  They believed even though they had not seen.

Yet in their belief they were able to see the holiness of Jesus.  They had not witnessed with their eyes.  They had seen Christ in their hearts with the aid of the Spirit.

We are unable to be witnesses to the bodily form of Jesus.  We have not seen Christ.  Yet we should believe in him.  We should know that he is Lord and Savior.  And in this knowing, in this believing, we can see Christ in our hearts.

And with the vision of Jesus in our hearts, a vision that comes from belief, we also will be compelled to share the good news of the resurrection.  We will not be able to control ourselves if we truly have faith.

DAILY CHALLENGE:  What will help you believe in Jesus?