3/23/2019 2 Comments (at the bottom of this reflection.)
Today's question:
Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?"
From John 10:
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
Reflection from Melissa Nelson
Long ago I took a class in which one exercise was to claim something about yourself that seemed remarkable. It could be true or false. The class asked questions to determine whether they believed you or not. We didn’t know each other very well, so it was a fun challenge. The answers usually seemed convincing. And yet we would have liked them to prove the claim by showing it somehow.
The passage for today is an encounter with Jesus in which he’s saying in essence this same idea: The proof of who I say I am is in what I do.
It’s winter in Jerusalem during the feast of the dedication of the temple (Hanukkah). Jesus is walking through Solomon’s Porch when Jewish leaders engage him in a discussion. They want to know plainly if he is the Christ.
Jesus knows he is not the kind of Christ they are anticipating so he doesn’t answer directly. Instead, he points them to his works and declares that the works he does in his Father’s name are proof of who he is. But he says they don’t believe because they are not part of his flock. And then he goes on to say that He can give eternal life, because He and the Father are one. And that’s when they pick up rocks to stone him. Jesus looks back at this angry group and responds:
“I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these works do you stone me?”
It’s like Jesus pushes a pause button... for their sakes. He wants them to believe. Wait... think... look closely. If you can’t accept my words, let my works speak to you, they will show you who I am. Jesus knew that his many good works were proof of his Divine identity.
The word “good” in Greek points to the character of his works; they were of exceptional quality, morally outstanding, purely benevolent - healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, raising the dead — works that reveal the Divine. God in flesh was showing us His character. As His Father’s Son, everything Jesus did reflected the Father fully. It was a perfect, complete, and unified family resemblance.
Whether a follower of Jesus or someone still trying to figure it out, this question from Jesus is for us to pause over as well. I know that my heart and mind can too easily cast stones at him for the things I don’t like or don’t understand about Him - His words seem confusing or too difficult; bad things happen; He hasn’t answered my prayers yet. His ways can be so hard to accept. The stones of accusations are many.
And yet ... His many good works are all around. He invites us to look. I love to be outside where the book of Nature reveals God’s handiwork to me. There are skies with clouds and sunsets that are so exquisite that I know I’ve seen God. The sheer variety of living things reveals a creative power beyond our imagination. Our daughter has even shown me the beauty of bugs. The complexity and intricate functioning of the human body is truly a miraculous marvel. There’s the record of Scripture, how accurately it’s been preserved, how God had 40 different people over 1500 years write about Him and His plan to save us... and the power it works in us when we read it. How beautiful and good it is to see the changed lives of people who have come to know Him. It also does me well to first remember and then give thanks and praise for the ways He’s been present and at work in my own life. In fact, I trust He would call each of us His good work.
Lent is a time we can use to push our own pause button and look again at his many good works ... to see His Divine attributes... to give thanks for Who He is ... and to reflect on the stones in our hearts... and perhaps, by God’s grace, to loosen our grip and let them drop at the foot of the Cross, where His ultimate good work on our behalf required his very life... His perfect Divine life... so that we could live.
The passage for today is an encounter with Jesus in which he’s saying in essence this same idea: The proof of who I say I am is in what I do.
It’s winter in Jerusalem during the feast of the dedication of the temple (Hanukkah). Jesus is walking through Solomon’s Porch when Jewish leaders engage him in a discussion. They want to know plainly if he is the Christ.
Jesus knows he is not the kind of Christ they are anticipating so he doesn’t answer directly. Instead, he points them to his works and declares that the works he does in his Father’s name are proof of who he is. But he says they don’t believe because they are not part of his flock. And then he goes on to say that He can give eternal life, because He and the Father are one. And that’s when they pick up rocks to stone him. Jesus looks back at this angry group and responds:
“I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these works do you stone me?”
It’s like Jesus pushes a pause button... for their sakes. He wants them to believe. Wait... think... look closely. If you can’t accept my words, let my works speak to you, they will show you who I am. Jesus knew that his many good works were proof of his Divine identity.
The word “good” in Greek points to the character of his works; they were of exceptional quality, morally outstanding, purely benevolent - healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, raising the dead — works that reveal the Divine. God in flesh was showing us His character. As His Father’s Son, everything Jesus did reflected the Father fully. It was a perfect, complete, and unified family resemblance.
Whether a follower of Jesus or someone still trying to figure it out, this question from Jesus is for us to pause over as well. I know that my heart and mind can too easily cast stones at him for the things I don’t like or don’t understand about Him - His words seem confusing or too difficult; bad things happen; He hasn’t answered my prayers yet. His ways can be so hard to accept. The stones of accusations are many.
And yet ... His many good works are all around. He invites us to look. I love to be outside where the book of Nature reveals God’s handiwork to me. There are skies with clouds and sunsets that are so exquisite that I know I’ve seen God. The sheer variety of living things reveals a creative power beyond our imagination. Our daughter has even shown me the beauty of bugs. The complexity and intricate functioning of the human body is truly a miraculous marvel. There’s the record of Scripture, how accurately it’s been preserved, how God had 40 different people over 1500 years write about Him and His plan to save us... and the power it works in us when we read it. How beautiful and good it is to see the changed lives of people who have come to know Him. It also does me well to first remember and then give thanks and praise for the ways He’s been present and at work in my own life. In fact, I trust He would call each of us His good work.
Lent is a time we can use to push our own pause button and look again at his many good works ... to see His Divine attributes... to give thanks for Who He is ... and to reflect on the stones in our hearts... and perhaps, by God’s grace, to loosen our grip and let them drop at the foot of the Cross, where His ultimate good work on our behalf required his very life... His perfect Divine life... so that we could live.
Comments
Irene Taylor
Sat, Mar 23, 2019 at 12:21 pm
Amen! Thank you for sharing this powerful message with us. What a wonderful Saturday morning gift from God!
Sat, Mar 23, 2019 at 12:21 pm
Amen! Thank you for sharing this powerful message with us. What a wonderful Saturday morning gift from God!
MaryLouise Shakespeare/Muench
Sat, Mar 23, 2019 at 2:57 pm
Thank you for this clear and useful devotion for today. I enjoyed it. I took away lots to think about. I am glad to be able to use my own pause button to slow down and give thanks to our Lord.
Sat, Mar 23, 2019 at 2:57 pm
Thank you for this clear and useful devotion for today. I enjoyed it. I took away lots to think about. I am glad to be able to use my own pause button to slow down and give thanks to our Lord.
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About Today's Author
Melissa Nelson lives with her husband, Philip, and grown daughter, Emily, in Chicago. Their son, Eric, lives and works in California.
She enjoys jigsaw puzzles, walking with her husband at the Arboretum, sewing, reading, and summers at home and at a family cottage in Wisconsin."
She enjoys jigsaw puzzles, walking with her husband at the Arboretum, sewing, reading, and summers at home and at a family cottage in Wisconsin."
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