2013 New
Testament Challenge – Day 36 (Reflections on John 12-21)
Every year I participate in a
special effort called the New Testament Challenge
sponsored by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He encourages
Christians to spend the Christmas Fast, also known as Advent) reading the
entire New Testament as a preparation for Christmas. Each year I have done
this, it has been blessing to me and I pray this year will be no different. As
part of the New Testament Challenge, I endeavor to blog a bit about the reading
for that particular day. I may miss a few, but I pray for those who follow this
blog (NOW ALSO ON FACEBOOK) it will be a blessing.
I absolutely
LOVE the Gospel of John. It is filled with rich theology and speaks genuinely
of the love of God for us. It described how much God loves us in allowing (as I
mentioned yesterday) us to depart from Him, but it also shows how much His disciples
loved Him. They followed Him loyally until the time of His death on the Cross.
They even sat in fear after His death when they thought “all was lost” and that
He wasn’t the Messiah they had expected.
Is God EVER
what WE expect Him to be? Our expectations are filled with selfish desire. Our
understanding is most times limited to by how “truth” affects us. Of course truth,
if it is truth, is ultimately objective. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the way, the truth,
and the life.” (John 14.6)
Pilate asks, “What is truth?” (John
18.38) If Pilate had asked, “WHO is truth,” maybe he would have recognized
Jesus.
Saint John Chrysostom
said, “The
reason we comment on Scripture is not only for you to get to know Scripture but
for you to correct your behavior.” So, if we are to read the Gospel of
John, we must ask ourselves, “Do we know WHO the truth is?” Well….do you? Find an Orthodox Christian
Church and find out!
Until tomorrow…..The
truth is not relevant. It cannot be altered to suit your needs. You must alter
YOURSELF to suit the truth. The TRUTH is God.
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