What Are We Choosing To Recognize?

 

And I had written it down upon a sticky note in my office just a couple months ago.  In the middle of a challenging year I would say it:

“The devil is really recognizable right now.”

And it’s true.
It doesn’t take long to see him in the interwoven workings of our world.
And while he’s certainly not gaining ground and will not have the final word, he is evident and his work among his people IS obvious.

Take a look at the word “recognize”. It means this = "to identify as something or someone previously seen, known; to perceive as existing or true; to acknowledge, appreciate, or grant."

So let’s think about this for a minute.

The devil is really recognizable.
We can see him sneaking around every corner.
And catching a glimpse of him might mean that we are irrationally focused on the wrong thing.
Like me deciding it would be a good idea to get on social media last night during an election debate. And my heart broke for all I saw.
The devil was surely recognizable in the hearts of God’s people.

The devil is recognizable.
But I was looking at the wrong things - instead of fixing my gaze on Christ.
He was recognizable… I indeed identified with someone who had been previously "seen and known" in my own life… my life before Jesus. I was unknowingly perceiving him as "true." Maybe by recognizing him above the things that matter more, I was "acknowledging" him, and, dare I say, according to it's definition, "appreciating" him??? And perhaps I was inadvertently "granting" him control over my mind, even if only temporary.

According to the word’s definition, it’s precisely what I was doing.

The devil is really recognizable right now… but he doesn’t need to be what I see.
I can choose to see Jesus in all things.
I can CHOOSE to see Jesus in all things.
I can choose to SEE Jesus in all things.
I can choose to see JESUS in all things.
I can choose to see Jesus in ALL things.

And maybe it has to be on repeat until my heart understands.

You too?

Job 34:4 says this, “So let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.”

Don't Miss God In All Things

 

God, in His kindness, always knows just what we need at just the time we need it.
Ahh yes, “kindness.”
It’s a word I’ve been using to describe Him more and more.
He is… so kind.

I would see it in print just yesterday.  A morning filled with study and preparation for an event later that day.  And in true Wendy-fashion I would wait to see what God would have me to speak specifically about.  After learning the hard way, I now concede to His divine leading.  He knows what’s best for “such a time as this.”

And I would read all about it.
There in the text it was clear.
John 8:12-30.
Hard lessons for the Pharisees to learn.
Hard lessons now even for me.  And the Pharisee I see within from time to time.

Jesus lays out the challenge: "I am the light of the world.  Follow Me.”  (vs 12)
And He gives them what’s to be the results of obedience… “You won’t have to walk in darkness”, which translated from Aramaic means, you will, “never be driven by darkness.”  Ahh.. because it’s one thing to walk in darkness, and a whole ‘nother thing to be driven by it.  

And they were.
Like us at times.
Driven by the darkness.

It has been said that there’s a certain species of fish who live in the northern region of the United States who live in dark caverns.  For generations these fish have adopted to their dark environment so well that generations later their offspring are actually born without eyes.  Empty sockets where no eyeball ever formed is what remains now for the fish who’s ancestors sense of sight was never utilized.

A sad reality for this generation of fish who must learn to live without vision.
The neglected perception of sight now influences as entire population of underground life.

The sin of the Pharisees was that they couldn’t see.
Four times they fire back at Jesus with what they hope to be justification for their misaligned faculty.
“You are making those claims about yourself, such testimony is invalid.”  (vs 13)
“Where is Your Father?”  (vs 19)
“What does He mean, is He going to commit suicide?”  (vs 22)
“Who are you?”  (vs 25)

And each time Jesus warns that the result of their sin.. their unbelief… their failure to “see”… would be His departure from them and the promise that they, “could not go” where He was going.  (vs 21)

And then I read it in the Message version.
And something in my heart breaks.
“Then He went over the same ground again.  ‘I’m leaving and you are going to look for Me, but you’re missing God in this and are headed for a dead end.’”  (vs 21)

I would read it just moments before a friend would write me to share her aching heart and a situation she’s facing that feels too overwhelming and far too difficult to bear any longer.
And I would pray for her.
And in my spirit I would hear it loudly.
And would repeat the words to her… that which came from Him directly… “You don’t need to reconcile what’s going on…. you just need to see God in all things.”

Ahh yes.
Lest we be like the Pharisees after all.

And maybe that’s the problem… the hard truth we don’t want to admit.
Our sin isn’t that we don’t understand what’s happening… the sin is that we aren’t choosing to see Him in all things.

In a pandemic year - God is still here.
He’s never left.
In a year filled with hate and riots and outrage - God is still here.
In an election year that’s seemingly ripping our country in half - God is still here.

And we don’t need to reconcile what’s happening.
We don’t need more information to cloud truth.
We don’t need more opinions to contend with.
We don’t need more arguments to prove we’re right.
We need Jesus.
And we need to be able to SEE Him in ALL things.

All things.
Every day.

Jesus says it, “You are from below, I am from above.  You belong to this world; I do not.”  (vs 23)

And in the hope reminder He finally leaves with them in verse 29, “And the One who sent Me is with Me - He has not deserted Me”, many heard Him, and believed Him for the very first time.

Because hope cultivates hope.
And who couldn’t use a little more of that?

God help us.
Help our focus remain steadfastly upon You.
Restore our vision, God.

Oh how much it matters!!!

Jesus Did Well... So Must We

 

One of the things I have been working hard on in my own life is living by the example set forth by Jesus, Himself.

It’s easy to read scripture and be “inspired” by what Jesus taught.  It’s one thing to be stimulated by words in print, but it’s an entirely different thing to be stirred by action to look more like the Son of God.

One thing that has been on repeat for me when I closely examine the character of Jesus, is the fact that He looked into the face of evil and He did well.  He kept His gaze on the Father without retiring prematurely, and without succumbing to the corruption of His day.

In the very presence of betrayal, rejection, intimidation, and ultimate elimination, Jesus never steered off course; never removed His eyes from the assignment; never stopped seeing from divine perspective.

There are several practical examples in scripture:
His beloved Peter, upon Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, cuts off the ear of one of the high priests servants.  Seeing this, Jesus rebukes Peter and heals the man with the severed ear by restoring the body part entirely.  (Luke 22:49-51)

When Jesus was on His way to heal the body of a little girl who was ill, the mourners present at the time of His arrival mocked Him and laughed at Him.  He was apparently too late, as the 12-year-old had died.  But Jesus resurrects her despite the challenges presented from the onlookers.  (Mark 5:21-43)

When Jesus was preparing to heal a paralyzed man, the teachers of religious law said to themselves that it was “blasphemy”, desperately grasping at straws to bring a charge against Him that would stick.  Jesus knew their thoughts, and He healed the man anyway.  (Luke 5:17-26)

He was moved with compassion for people who needed a healing touch.
He was aroused to act in ways that demonstrated the heart of His Father regardless of public opinion or commonplace criticism.

He knew why He came.
Secure in His calling, He looked in the face of evil and He did well.
He made the choice to live with limited ability, and committed Himself to doing only that which He saw the Father do, and saying only that which He heard the Father say.

And so can we?
In the face of evil - live like Jesus?
In the face of betrayal - forgive like Jesus?
In the face of rejection - hold steadfast to the call like Jesus?
In the face of intimidation - keep God in full view like Jesus?
In the face of elimination - praise Him for that which He has done like Jesus?

Jesus looked in the face of evil and He did well.
So must we.

Jesus - help us!

Our Mistake: Mismanaged Mindsets

Matthew 16:23 contains hard words to read.

Jesus and His band of students had just finished a deep conversation.  Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  And their response was honest, “Well some say You’re John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”  (vss 13-14)

But in true Jesus form, He pressed further.
“But who do you say I am?”  (vs 15)

My dear, over-zealous and yet highly relatable buddy, Peter, responds this way, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  (vs 16)

Ahh yes… Peter wins the prize.  You can almost hear the applause from the crowd in resounding approval.

Jesus was pleased too.  He calls him “blessed” (vs 17), and confirms His calling by telling him this, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build My church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”  (vs 18).  He goes on, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.”  (vs 19)

It’s powerful reassurance.
It’s compelling authority.
It’s a high call from The Most High Himself.

And scripture tells us that from that point on, Jesus began sharing the news with His students, “plainly” and “often” how necessary it was for Him to go to Jerusalem, and that He would, indeed, “suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law.”  (vs 21).  He said as clearly as He could that He would, “be killed, but on the third day be raised from the dead.”  (vs 21)

But Peter, having just received His personal commission for greatness in Kingdom work, was having NONE of it.  Scripture tells us that he, “took Jesus aside and began to reprimand Him for saying such things."  He says straightaway, “This will never happen to You.”  (vs 22)

To this Jesus says something that is hard to read.  He says this, “Get away from Me, Satan!  You are a dangerous trap to Me.  You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”  (vs 23)

Mark’s Gospel includes something else in the narrative not seen here.  Mark 8:33 says this, “Jesus turned around and looked at His disciples then reprimanded Peter.”  
It was as if He was aware of the temptation the ALL had to think this way, so He chooses in this moment to address them in a “blanketed” manner.

I can see both sides of the story here.
Peter, just having received the highest honor given by Christ Himself, now is seen in complete alignment with the temper, Satan.
Strength immediately turned weakness.
A fair warning to us that large calling doesn’t negate punishment for ill behavior.

And what was his “sin” actually?
He loved Jesus.
He was not only an appointed disciple, but he was, too, in the inner circle of Jesus’ small group.
He had witnessed miracles.
He’d been at His side through all of His kingdom business.
And so defending His honor seemed appropriate.
Preserving His dignity seemed like the right thing to do.

But it wasn’t.

Jesus had work to do.. an assignment to fulfill… and Peter’s disapproval served as a delay in that mission.

His sin is spelled out for us in verse 23, “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Oh yeah.  This.

Isaiah 26:3 says this, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You.”

We will gain peace when we trust in Him and fixate our thoughts solely on Him.

This is huge for us!
Could it be that our sin lies in the fact that our minds are set on earthly things and that we measure the current conditions of our world, and any “hope” we have for the future by human reasoning and not by divine standards?

Romans 8:5 says this, “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.”
Colossians 3:2 says, “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.”

Peter’s sin was that he set his mind of earthy things.  He was consumed with temporal concepts, and maintained narrow understanding due to misaligned focus.

Our thoughts must be fixed upon Jesus.  On heavenly perspectives.  On divine solutions.  On kingdom possibilities.

We risk a life of sin and separation when we fasten our eyesight on all what’s wrong… on all that is unfair, corrupt, and wicked.

Our mistake is a mismanaged mind.

Time to readjust our vision to the One who knows, and still is working all things out.
ALL things.

God of Second Chances

 

Jeremiah 6.
It’s a pretty amazing chapter filled with all kinds of great insight. I feel it’s especially important to make note of chapters like this one at times like we’re facing now, as a nation.

It’s a warning from the Lord, brought to the people of Jerusalem by the prophet, Jeremiah. In fact, in my bible, this portion of scripture is entitled, “Jerusalem’s Last Warning.”

This warning was specifically for God’s people to arouse and find shelter for the coming destruction that was upon them for their sin.

It’s the same call I feel in my spirit that is on His people in the world today.

At this point in history, the people of Jerusalem were living corrupt lives, particularly by their indulgences in worldly pleasures, their indolence (laziness), and their inability to live with any urgency or fear and reverence of the Lord.

My commentary says this, “It is folly to waste time when we have eternal salvation to work out, and the enemies of salvation to fight against.”

There was work to be done for the betterment of their souls, and people were ignoring all warning signs. They had become numb to God’s goodness, insensible to their idleness, and careless and secure in their troubled condition.

And yet even in this we see God’s loving and gracious kindness emerge.

The God of mercy is ever patient, and long-suffering even for the sinner.


We see it in verse 8… He tells us what the Lord says, “Listen to this warning, Jerusalem, or I will turn from you in disgust.”

There’s hope in that one single line!

Even when there’s plenty of reasons to leave the nations in their mess, God is still good.
He says it in verse 19, “It is the fruit of their own schemes, because their refuse to listen to Me. They have rejected My Word.”

But even so - we serve a MERCIFUL God!

And so again, even when there’s plenty of reasons to leave us in our mess, God, in His sweet mercy, relentlessly pursues us and is faithfully earnest with us. He chases us. His desire for us is wholeness and righteousness through repentance and reformation.

He wants our hearts.
He gives us second chances again and again and again.
To make things right.
To choose the better way.

He is a good, good, GOOD Father!

Amen??


My Brothers

 

John 20:17.
Jesus has just resurrected and He’s appeared to Mary Magdalene who was at the burial site of Jesus crying.

Side note: one of my ALL TIME favorite verses in the ENTIRE bible is verse 16 when Jesus says her name, “Mary”, and she turned to Him and cried out, “Rabboni!" (which is Hebrew for “Teacher.”) Oh I picture myself to be like Mary one day when I see Him face to face!!

Upon her recognizing Him, He says to her in verse 17, “Don’t cling to Me. For I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go and find My brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and Your Father, to My God and Your God.'"

Oh boy!
There’s SO MUCH HERE to SEE friends!!

But the part I want to show you today is this. “… go and find My brothers.”

Notice the choice words of our Savior!
He had called them friends, students, disciples… but here He chose to call them, “brothers.”

And this is significant!

In the original King James text, the word for “brothers” is “brethren.” And it means this = "a fellow Christian, closely united, one who resembles another in manners, kinsman by blood.”

Our Messiah… THE Messiah… chose to use a word that signified a closely united bond. He sent Mary to go find the ones to whom hearing this would encourage the souls of these sorrowing servants.

He calls them brothers.
He puts Himself in a category with them.
The like-minded ones.
The ones who shared in similar mannerisms.
The ones who resembled the chosen Son.

He calls them brothers.
The ones who had forsaken Him at His death.
The ones who had failed to see Him as He really was.

Brothers… a relationship that cannot be broken no matter what.

This is beyond precious!
And it should encourage us beyond measure today!

He calls them brothers.
He calls us His siblings too.
Forever united.
Bound together by blood.
An abiding relationship!

Amen!!

He Noticed!

 

Matthew 12. Verses 1-14 tell a very interesting story about a discussion between Jesus and some Pharisees regarding the Sabbath.

It would appear that Jesus’ disciples were hungry, and were breaking off some heads of grain and eating them, when the Pharisees began criticizing their actions. “Look, Your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting the grain on the Sabbath”, they told Jesus in verse 2.

Jesus explains to them that David did that same thing when he and his men were hungry. He follows up in that rebuttal by saying this famous line, “If you knew the meaning of this scripture, ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices’ (vs 7), which is a direct quote from Hosea 6:6.

But then Jesus follows up with something even greater than this.

Take a look at verse 9-10. It says this, “Then Jesus went over to their synagogue, where He noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, ‘Does the law permit a person to work by healing on the Sabbath? (They were hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against Him.)”

And of course, if you know the rest of the story, He tells them yes, and then goes over to the man with the withered hand and says, “Hold out your hand.” (vs 13).

Jesus proceeds to heal the hand to complete and total restoration.

And of course in and of itself it’s a beautiful story.

Another miracle.

A work only Jesus could do.

But there’s something I want you to see if you didn’t already in the text.

Verse 10. “… he noticed a man with a deformed hand.”

Jesus NOTICED it.

This tells us something.

The man wasn’t complaining to Jesus.

The man wasn’t asking for healing.

The man might not have even remembered the deformity.

And nowhere in the text does it tell us that He requested a miracle.

But instead it says this - Jesus NOTICED it.

It wasn’t a huge deal.

It was a deformity.

It likely caused him zero pain.

And it would have been considered a minor affliction opposed to other ailments suffered by humankind.

But it was a deformity.

And it mattered to Jesus.

And isn’t it just like our Messiah to see what even we might’ve overlooked?

Or accepted?

He was noticed by Jesus.

His deficiency was well noted and recognized.

He was acknowledged.

Jesus sees details.

He perceives the seemingly insignificant.

It’s like I told a friend yesterday - He is always MOVED with compassion for His people. He is not only ABLE… He is WILLING.

And this is great news!

Sometimes He’s healing what you don’t even recognize as broken.

And that’s the awesome truth about the awesome God we serve!!!

He’s here.

He sees.

He knows.

He notices.

And He is healing… even that which you didn’t know needed healing!

Hyper-Victorious!

 

Some days we need reminding.
Because some days are hard.
And lonely.
And challenging.

But can I remind you this morning… that OVERWHELMING VICTORY is ours through Christ, who loved us??

Take a look at it in The Passion Translation, “Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything!”

The Greek word meaning, “more than conqueror” is the word hupernikao and it’s expanded definition means this = “hyper-victory, and insinuates a victory that cannot be described in one word.  It’s meaning is “beyond, exceeding, and overwhelming.”

How about that?
SUCH a victory is reserved for the Jesus-people that there’s not even a word in the human language that contains within it the fullness of explanation!

THAT is the victory that you and I have in Christ Jesus!

We are hyper-victorious!

And so maybe today’s the day we begin thinking differently based on the knowledge of this truth.  Maybe today’s the day we begin declaring differently based on the realization of this revelation!
Speaking opposite of what we see in the natural.
Speaking with eyes that insist on Kingdom realities.
Proclaiming divine solutions for seemingly impossible challenges.

Today I will breathe life into dry bones.
When what I see is ugly… I will boldly declare that I see beauty as through the eyes of Jesus.
When what I see is hurtful… I will boldly declare that I see helpful as through the eyes of Jesus.
When what I see is sickness… I will boldly declare that I see healing as thorough the eyes of Jesus.
When what I see is struggle… I will boldly declare that I see restoration as through the eyes of Jesus.

Speaking opposite of circumstance doesn’t make me negligent of reality… it demonstrates what world I demand to live most conscious of.  It puts me in the practice of a proactive mindset that sees Kingdom solutions to carnal logic.  It elevates my thinking and gives me the strength to, “knock down strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” (2 Cor 10:4)

Every time I determine to focus on the suffering rather than the Savior, I am believing a lie and partnering with the spirit of darkness.

And today it ends.
Today I determine to declare the overwhelming victory in my life.
Today I resolve to fixate not on living reactionary to the work of the enemy, but to live like Jesus… in complete response to the Father.

You too?

It is I. Stop Fearing.

 

I have no real authority to make this claim, nor do I have an argument within me to debate the reasons I feel this is true… but I’m gonna say it here… in a safe place in this community.

I don’t think all of what we are seeing happening in our world today is from the enemy.

Now - I don’t mean the “result” of what we are seeing played out, and note that I do cautiously use the words, not “all of what we are seeing” in my comment. But I simply think that often times we give the enemy FAR more creative content credit than he deserves.

He’s crafty. And Cunning. And manipulative.
He is, as Isaiah prophesies it in chapter 21 of the book that bears his name, “the betrayer betraying, the destroyer destroying.” (Is 21:2)
But he's really not that smart. And doesn't have that much authority and control.

An honest read of the bible and the hard stories that come to us from the prophets long ago, and we are compelled to think differently about a world where the consequences from sin are real.

Either way - the Lord is getting our attention.
And if there are some who think this isn’t true, they have been living under a rock for most all of 2020. <3

I was reading in Matthew 14 the other day. The story of Jesus walking on the water.
And in the Kenneth Wuest translation Jesus says these words to the terrified disciples who thought He was a ghost, “Be having courage. It is I. Stop fearing.”

And I heard it in my spirit.
This still small voice.
“It is I. Stop fearing.”

I get VERY easily startled.
Seriously. It’s bad.
I can be in the same house with my hubby - in the next room as him actually - and be so deep in thought that if I don’t hear him when he comes into the room, I get “freaked out” a bit.
And he laughs.
He thinks it’s funny.
I do not.
And in true Trevor-fashion he says, “Well who in the world did you think it was!”, when I share with him how badly he scared me.

And yet could that be how we are?
A little jumpy at all we see happening around us.
I can hear us saying it.
“Oh my goodness - more outbreaks - I’m scared!”
“My kids can’t go back to tradition school - I’m so frightened for them.”
“I’m so afraid of how this election is going to do down.”

We are filled with panic and fear and anxiousness.

You know scripture says this in 1 Peter 4:12, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

“It is I. Stop fearing.”

And so we look for Jesus.
Look for Jesus in the mess.
Because He’s there.
And there.
And here.

Look!
It’s HIM!
We need not be afraid.
He still has the whole world in His hands.

We are still protected. Still loved. Still provided for in ways we can’t even image.
And yes - EVEN from the “invisible enemy.”

Satan doesn’t get credit for everything, after all.

Some food to think on?

Show Me Me! Show Me You!

 

I was reading this morning in 1 Corinthians. My study was on chapter 9, verse 26 that says this, “So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.” (NLT)

I love it in other versions, too - “Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.” (NIV) “That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches.” (GNT) And how about this one, “I don’t know abut you, but I’m running for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone all about it and then missing out myself.” (Message)

Such a good word!

And my commentary focuses a lot on the examination of self in this portion of scripture.

I’ve run across things like, concentrating on the prize that awaits us, preparing for the reward for obedience, and maintaining energy like that of a strong athlete - one who conditions himself for the race.

And the truth is that all of this takes a great deal of self-examination.

By this I mean taking a good look at ourselves and asking the hard questions like: Do I possess the strength of a committed athlete or is there lukewarmness inside me that needs to be cast out? Do I have selfish tendencies? Am I lazy? How is my anxiety level - and am I relying on Jesus for full strength?

Ahh - these questions are SO necessary for us to ask - and ask ourselves regularly.

There is great wisdom in self-examination.

Lam 3:40 says, “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”

Gal 6:4, “Each one should test their own actions…”

2 Cor 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves…”

Self scrutiny is necessary and wise and is, indeed, part of our Christian responsibilities.

But let us not forget that when we are asking, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” (Ps 139:23), we must not leave out, too, the begging for God to show us Himself. Ahh - lest we forget why the examination of self is so important!

We see the illustration Moses gave us when he asked, in Exodus 33:18, "Now show me Your glory.” We need to ask, like the Psalmist did in Psalm 68:28, “Summon Your power, God; show us Your strength, our God, as You have done before.”

Otherwise the self-examination… the self-conditioning… is all in vain.

We must ask for an inspection of self through the lens of Jesus.

Because when we focus solely on the work that needs to be done within us, and not on the love and grace of Christ, we miss the purpose He intended for us and the prize that awaits us for the character alterations we determine to make that cause us to look more like the Savior.

Yes - we must examine our ways closely and routinely - asking ourselves the hard questions that prove the fruit of our lives - but we must not do so with forgetting that the end goal is seeing Him, knowing Him, and worshipping Him.

As my commentary says, “the love of Christ and grace of Christ are stronger than our corruptions.”

And that - should be good news to our souls this morning! <3

“Show me myself, Lord!”

“Show me You, Lord!”

“I can’t afford to have a thought in my head about me that is not overshadowed by the thought You have in Your head about me, God! And when I see You, I correctly see the Me You’re making me to be!”

To Make Known The Father

 

The exchange between one particular disciple and Jesus found in John, chapter 14, is a bit discouraging. And yet, at the same time, has some undertones in it that resemble me from time to time.

Philip had been with Jesus since the very beginning.

In fact, some scholars speculate that he was first a disciple of John the Baptist.

The calling of Philip by Jesus can be found in John 1:43, with the simple words, “Follow Me.”

In leaving it all behind, Philip answered the call to be with the Master.

It is understood that he was likely among the disciples who were with Jesus at the wedding feast in Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle of turning water into wine.

Philip can also be attributed to having great interest in recruiting others into this mission field, calling Nathanael to be a part of the band of brothers in John 1:46, replying to the skepticism of Nathanael who had just asked, “Can anything good from Nazareth.” Philip responds, “Come and see for yourself.”

In this exchange, it would seem as though Philip were saying, “YES! Something good CAN come from Nazareth… and I can’t WAIT to show you! Come with me and SEE FOR YOURSELF!”

Such confidence he possessed at the time.

And all of this assurance before the experience of any divine revelation, or miracle working power displayed before his eyes!

And yet a skip to the end of the book and we see it.

Perhaps a bit of doubt creeping in.

A setback of sorts for the disciple who had, “been with Jesus” all along.

We read it in his words. John 14:8.

“Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied.”

“Show us.”

Wait… but hadn’t he been privy to the Father all along?

In fact, that is the response of our Jesus in that moment.

“Have I not been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am?” You can sense the discouragement and sadness in His tone here. He continues, “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show Him to you?” (John 14:9)

And this, sadly, wasn’t the first time they had heard these words of Jesus.

In fact, He had been repeating this mission to them since day one.

And yet they still didn’t see it.

They didn’t understand that by seeing Jesus - they were seeing the Father.

And the word, Father, here is different than we might be thinking.

The Greek word used here is Patera, and it means male parent, or leader.

"Father" here is used to describe the divine nature of God as A father and not distinctly as in God the Father of the Trinity.

Ahh… and this makes it more personal in my opinion.

Not as THE Father, but as A father.

To possess paternal characteristics.

To be a protector.

To be a leader.

To be the head of an established family line.

To be a defender.

All the things we think of when we think of “father”, Philip was asking to see in Jesus.

And Jesus’ response was simple, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen Him.”

He goes on to say this, “The words I speak are not My own words, but My Father who lives in Me does His work through Me.” (verse 10). And then this, “Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.” (verse 11a). Oh and then the final words directed at Philips heart, “Or at least believe because of the work you have seen Me do.” (verse 11b)

Oh Philip.

You can see Jesus’ slight transfer of verbs here.

First it’s, "know" Me.

Then it’s, "see" Me.

Now it’s, "believe."

And if all else fails… can you remember what I’ve done?

The mission of Jesus was not complicated.

It was this: to reveal the Father.

To demonstrate His goodness in the earth.

To make Him fully known through His life this side of His eternal home.

So it must be mine too.

To reveal Jesus.

To demonstrate His goodness.

To make Him fully known.

And if they can’t believe based on what I say, can they remember, with one glance at my life… my character.. my patterned representation of Him… all He has done and be convinced of His great love for them!?

Could my main objective… shouldn’t my main objective be… to make known the Father to those who don’t yet know or see or believe?

What Reality Am I Most Aware Of?

 

The very familiar story of the woman with the, "issue of blood", can be found in Matthew 9, and in Luke 8.

But there is something a bit different… something I like a bit better in Mark’s account of the same story (Mark 5).

Take a look at it here, in the NLT, (verses 25-29) “A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind Him through the crowd and touched His robe. For she thought to herself, ‘If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed.’  Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.”

It’s interesting because Mark is not known as the most “elaborate” of narrators among the other 3 Gospel writers. And yet here we see something included that doesn’t exist in the narration of Matthew and Luke. Mark adds, “She had heard about Jesus”, and what Luke left out is her thoughts - “She thought to herself, ‘If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed.’”

She had heard about Jesus - and she thought to herself - "I need to get near Him. I know that by what I have heard - nearness saves. Closeness brings a divine solution."

And it’s interesting that Mark includes one more thing we don’t see at all in the other Gospels. It’s in verse 31 and it says that the disciples respond to Jesus and say this, “Look at the crowd pressing around You. How can You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’”

The disciples didn’t get it.

They still didn’t know the great Man they served beside.

And what He was capable of.

Really. Who did they think they were talking about by saying those words, “How can You even ask!?”

If they had really understood the One they served… followed… had close communion with… then they would have known that “anything is possible to those who believe.” (Mk 9:23)

I think we need to examine the woman - briefly mentioned, and only by 3 Gospel writers - a little closer.

Maybe the we have a lot to learn from the one who knew what was possible with the God of impossibilities.

The woman with the blood issue was aware of a reality that nobody else in the crowd was aware of - including HIS OWN STUDENTS.

She was aware of the power that rested in His garment. She understood, long before it was by popular opinion that “shadows” heal (Acts 5:15) and “sweatbands” cure (Acts 19:12).

She was aware of a greater reality that included healing, acceptance and grace. She apprehended a greater truth that included salvation in addition to physical restoration.

How are we doing with staying more aware of Kingdom realities than we are of earthly impressions?

Do we look out into the world with vision only to see what’s wrong… or do we dare pursue a greater reality where Jesus takes center stage and where Kingdom realities supersede any ugly the enemy would love to distract us with?

The attention we give to the unpleasantness that surrounds us, cannot be bigger than our constant awareness of God’s goodness.

Will we choose to SEE the way this woman with blood chose to see??