Lent Devotional Day 11

Day 11
Saturday, March 4


John 5:19-47

19 Jesus responded to the Jewish leaders, “I assure you that the Son can’t do anything by himself except what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. 20 The Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he does. He will show him greater works than these so that you will marvel. 21 As the Father raises the dead and gives life, so too does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. 22 The Father doesn’t judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son 23 so that everyone will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him.
24 “I assure you that whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and won’t come under judgment but has passed from death into life.

25 “I assure you that the time is coming—and is here!—when the dead will hear the voice of God’s Son, and those who hear it will live.26 Just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.27 He gives the Son authority to judge, because he is the Human One.[a] 28 Don’t be surprised by this, because the time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice. 29 Those who did good things will come out into the resurrection of life, and those who did wicked things into the resurrection of judgment. 30 I can’t do anything by myself. Whatever I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just. I don’t seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.

31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony isn’t true. 32 There is someone else who testifies about me, and I know his testimony about me is true. 33 You sent a delegation to John, and he testified to the truth.34 Although I don’t accept human testimony, I say these things so that you can be saved.35 John was a burning and shining lamp, and, at least for a while, you were willing to celebrate in his light.

36 “I have a witness greater than John’s testimony. The Father has given me works to do so that I might complete them. These works I do testify about me that the Father sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me testifies about me. You have never even heard his voice or seen his form, 38 and you don’t have his word dwelling with you because you don’t believe the one whom he has sent. 39 Examine the scriptures, since you think that in them you have eternal life. They also testify about me, 40 yet you don’t want to come to me so that you can have life.

41 “I don’t accept praise from people, 42 but I know you, that you don’t have God’s love in you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t receive me. If others come in their own name, you receive them. 44 How can you believe when you receive praise from each other but don’t seek the praise that comes from the only God?

45 “Don’t think that I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, the one in whom your hope rests. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me, because Moses wrote about me. 47 If you don’t believe the writings of Moses, how will you believe my words?”


Reflection

I’m not gonna lie. The idea of Jesus is hard for me. God as our ultimate Creator, Sustainer and overall guide to life feels easy to gasp. Having the Holy Spirit’s voice inside my head telling me to leave the door unlocked so I don’t lock my keys inside, or to reach out to that friend I’ve been missing is a comfort.

I can really relate to the doubt that must have been going through the minds of those who met Jesus in real life. In today’s world, we have so many lies and half-truths to sort through to be confident in what is clearly genuine. 

41 “I don’t accept praise from people, 42 but I know you, that you don’t have God’s love in you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t receive me. If others come in their own name, you receive them. 44 How can you believe when you receive praise from each other but don’t seek the praise that comes from the only God?

I know that there are people who have come in and out of my life that I should have embraced. Maybe I actively pushed them away, or maybe it was just a general drifting apart. I also know I have focused on people who I should not have. I trusted that what they were telling me was the truth and that they had my best interests at heart. 

When I imagine Jesus now, I know that he would ask questions, not sit and be quiet. He would go and do the hard jobs, not ask someone else to go instead. He would have a deep empathy for those who are hurting. 

As cheesy as it sounds, I imagine those silly little WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?) bracelets when I’m not sure of what the right thing to do is. But now, I have a much better understanding of what Jesus really would do.
 

Prayer

Creator God, thank you for sending us Jesus as a person who we can relate to. We know that life and all its decisions can be hard, but his example gives us a better understanding of who you are and who we are called to be. Amen.

By Maggie Lohmeyer