I knew a man in Ft. Lauderdale who was helping Jews from Russia immigrate to the USA. I asked him about the greatest challenge in helping these people assimilate into their new country. He said they had been fed many lies and misinformation about life in the US, not the least of which was that the Americans suffered from the lack of food as much as the Russians. He said one trip to the supermarket dispelled that notion.
Much of the controversy that surrounded Jesus was based on misunderstandings about the nature of God, God’s relationship to the world, God’s purpose for humankind and God’s vision of community. Many people, especially the religious leaders would not accept Jesus as the Messiah because Jesus did not fit into their expectations of the Messiah and because Jesus’ vision of God, the world, the nature of humanity, and their neighbors was so different than their preconceived notions.
A Christian is a person who has become aware that the world has told them a pack of lies about God, the world, themselves and their neighbors. A Christian learns that God, in Christ Jesus, is telling them the truth.
So, what is your understanding of the nature of God? What is your understanding of the world? What is your understanding of your place in the world? Who are your neighbors? And, you know this how?
What word or phrase in these verses
attracts your attention?
Reflect on that word or phrase.
What insights come to you?
How does this passage touch your life today?
16-Mar-12 John 7:37-53
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