Gates

John 10 is all about sheep and shepherds.  Our society uses the term "sheep" as something negative.  In fact, the insult "You are just a bunch of sheep!" is an insult related to being dim-minded followers.  Jesus doesn't seem to share this aversion to the "sheep" analogy.  Why?

Many of us share a favorite psalm, Psalm 23.  "The Lord is my shepherd ..."  Psalm 23 begins by calling us sheep.  Jesus, in John 10, uses the term often.  "I am the good shepherd," Jesus says in John 10:11.  "I know my sheep, and my sheep know me," Jesus continues in John 10:14.  While our society uses the sheep analogy as a negative, Jesus uses it as an endearing term.  As usual, society is wrong and Jesus is right!

In John 10, Jesus calls Himself the gate.  "I am the gate for the sheep (John 10:7)," Jesus announces.  What does He mean by this?

1. Gates have the obvious function of permitting or restricting entry.  Jesus says he is the passage or entry into God's plan for us.  We enter eternal life, God's plan, purpose, and truth through Jesus.  He is "the way," not "a" way.  Many in our society have issues with this clear, direct, and concise statement.  But Jesus is never "wishy-washy" about this.  "No one comes to the Father, except through me (John 14:6)," Jesus states in John 14:6.  Jesus is THE gate.

2. Gates allow entry and egress.  Jesus is clearly the way into the Kingdom of God, but Jesus also allows His sheep to "lie down in green pastures and walk beside still waters (Psalm 23)."  Jesus gives His sheep freedom.  We sometimes use that freedom to stray from the shepherd or to wander into things that are not good for His sheep.  We have free will, even if we choose to use it unwisely.

3. Gates also protect.  There is one theory about a shepherd's gate that brings home the beauty of John 10.  When the sheep were grazing in remote areas, they were penned up using crude, improvised enclosures.  Rocks or wood were used to build the pen, and an opening was left to allow the sheep to come and go.  At night, the shepherd would actually lie across that opening, both blocking and protecting the sheep.

I love that 3rd point!  I remember a youth trip during which I was in charge of a bunch of teenage boys.  We had a lot of fun, but I knew these boys (one of them was named "critter").  In the La Quinta hotel, I decided to place my cot across the door of the room that night.  These boys weren't going to wander the hotel at night on my watch!  I was the "gate" of those little sheep!

How about you?  Is Jesus your gate?  Do you enter each day through Him?  Do you believe Jesus is the only way to the Father?  Do you pray, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep," as you lie down at night?  Try these things in your prayers and practices.  See if you become less opposed to the idea of being "the sheep of His pasture."  And see if the concept of following the Good Shepherd doesn't become a beautiful way of doing life!  AMEN

Reservoir or River?

In John 7, the plot to kill Jesus, and the hatred of the Pharisees continues in earnest.  Jesus is trying to be low-key, and the religious leaders are watching, listening, and searching for Him.  It is a dance that will end on Calvary (or a new thing that may begin on Calvary).

The context of John 7 is the Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot).  The event has (at least) dual meanings.  First, it is a harvest (or ingathering) celebration, observing the temporary housing of the farmer as he works and harvests the year's crops.  There is also an evangelical air to the celebration as there is dancing to represent the "feet" of the Torah, taking the Torah out onto the world.  This 2nd meaning ought to perk our interest as Christians because God desires His word to fill the whole world.  

At the Festival of Tabernacles, Jesus speaks a message of invitation to believe.  "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow within them (John 7:37-38)."  As I read this passage, one question came to mind.  Are we reservoirs or rivers ... and which are we CALLED to be?

Reservoirs are certainly useful and necessary.  They hold water so that our cities and towns have enough to supply our needs.  Without reservoirs, and proper water management, we might have water-related emergencies.  And we must have water to live.

But as Christians, I wonder if we make two mistakes.  One mistake is that we tend to hold in and hoard what we have been given.  Jesus gave us the "living water" of His truth, His Gospel, and His call to believe and follow.  But I wonder if we hold God's message inside ourselves and our church buildings like a reservoir?  The second mistake is that we go to the reservoir and drink a little water, but fail to carry any out with us.  When things become parched and dry, we come back to the reservoir, but what if we are too far away ... and what if there is drought in the world?

Maybe, and this is my theory, we are called to something different.  Jesus told a Samaritan woman (John 4) that the water He gives will be "a spring of water that never runs dry, welling up in eternal life (John 4:13-14)!"  Then, here in John 7, He tells us "rivers of living water" will flow within us!  When Jesus shares this information with the Samaritan woman she replies, "Give ME this living water!" because she wants the water for her needs.  She thinks, "Now I won't have to carry this water from the well, and I will have all I and my family need!"  And THAT is where we miss the analogy!

I think Jesus is trying to create rivers ... not reservoirs!  Each one of us could be a river.  Each one of us could water the dry ground, supply sustenance to a withering plant, life to a dying seed.  For the "living water" of God's Spirit isn't meant to be held in ... it is to be given out!  Isaiah 43:19 spells it out beautifully!  "Behold, I am doing a new thing.  Now it springs forth.  Do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert!"

Will you be a reservoir ... or a river?

What Do You See?

Life, and the world, isn't a petting zoo.  The paradox of beauty is out there to be experienced, but hopefully we can learn a bit of discernment from the animal kingdom.  I was playing golf one day, and as I went to hit a shot, one of those huge fox squirrels came up to my ball.  This thing was creepy!  It was big, unafraid, and I think it had a little smile on its face.  It was next to my ball, and it didn't seem to want to move.  I finally had to scoot it back with a golf club.  And the creepy thing just sat and watched.  I was happy to put some distance between me and that squirrel.  It was looking at me, not as a threat, but more like it would look at a meal.  Can I say again ... creepy!

We know the saying ... "all that glitters is not gold."  Paul reminds us that "all that is popular and possible, is not necessarily profitable (1 Corinthians 10:23)."  The Bible, and common thought, is full of references to seeing past beauty or ugliness and into the real nature of things.  Life is a paradox that calls us to become Biblically-discerning, and to process culture through a Biblical and Spiritual lens.  This is part of the toil of "working out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phillippians 2:12)."  Our faith walk requires effort and intentionality!

This paradox is played out in John 5.  Jesus is in Jerusalem for one of the Holy days, and it is the Sabbath.  Jesus, who Isaiah (53:2) describes as unattractive, is encountering an equally unattractive man who has been lame for 38 years.  They are at the pool of Bethesda, which means "house of kindness."  Jesus, with a word, tells the man to "pick up your mat and walk."  The man is healed, and here is where things get dicey.

One would think that this act would be applauded and embraced by everyone.  We have the miracle of healing, the sign of the Messiah, and a beautiful act of mercy.  Yet, the man is questioned by religious authorities and asked, "who did this illegal act of healing on the Sabbath?"  Jesus, ugly by the world's standards, performs this beautiful miracle, and the religious leaders, beautiful by the world's standards, stand in the way of the work of God.  It makes us all wonder, what is rightside-up here?

So Jesus, as is His custom, answers His critics harshly.  "You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life.  But the Scriptures point to me!  Yet you refuse to come to Me to receive this eternal life! (John 5:39-40)."

The religion and Scriptures followed by the Jews were beautiful in their place ... but they pointed to an unattractive, direct, and often harsh man named Jesus.  When we truly accept who Jesus is, it is culturally popular to reject His message, just as it was in 30 AD.  Culture calls us to follow the popular, the "exciting," the glitter and those things we find "cute."  To find the beauty in John 5, you must go deep ... deep into the infirmity of a lame man who can now walk ... deep into the Father who gives Jesus authority over illness and shame.  The beauty here is counter-cultural and definitely not safe.  But, like Jesus, it is good.

So ... what are you looking for in life today?  Are you seeking cute?  Are you seeking what is attractive by the standards of our society?  Are you looking for the living among the dead (Luke 24:5)?  Have we welcomed those who "come in their own name (John 5:42)" but rejected the one who comes in the Father's name?

When Life Deals You Lemons

The New Testament speaks extensively about fruit and growth. One of my favorite passages is in John, where Jesus encourages us to live and abide in Him, the true vine. He states, "I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener" (John 15:1). He continues, "Yes, I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who abide in Me and I in them will produce much fruit" (John 15:5). According to John, we are called to produce fruit, and the key to this fruitfulness lies in staying connected to the "true vine." 

Over the past few weeks, Lee and I have learned a valuable lesson about fruit. We have owned a house in Freeport for eight years, where we discovered two lemon trees in the backyard. One winter, one of the trees succumbed to exposure, leaving only the lemon tree next to the house. I mostly ignored it until about four years ago when I decided to harvest some fruit to make lemonade. After squeezing a bunch of lemons, adding sugar, and tasting the result, I was disappointed; it was the worst lemonade I had ever made! Despite my efforts, it was inedible. Fast forward to late January this year: Lee looked out to see that the tree was covered with fruit—more than we had ever seen! However, there was something unusual about the fruit; it wasn’t yellow but orange! We picked one of these "lemons" (which were really oranges) and tasted it. To our surprise, it was delicious! Last Sunday, the congregation in the first service enjoyed fresh-cut oranges for breakfast. The tree that had produced terrible lemons turned out to make wonderful oranges! 

From this experience, I learned several important lessons: 

1. **The obvious lesson**: Unripe oranges make terrible lemons. They are so bitter that they couldn't be salvaged. I think about how often people tell young folks, "You can be anything you want to be." That advice can be misleading. Instead of listening to cultural messages, what if we listened to our Creator? God made us, and we thrive when we remain close to the "true vine," Jesus. He understands our design and when we are at our best, living within the "sweet spot" of our purpose. This happens when we abide in Him and align our lives with His will. Be who and what you were created to be! That is where you will find happiness, fulfillment, and fruitfulness. 

2. **The second lesson**: Ripe, fresh oranges are wonderful fruit. As Psalm 139 states, "I was fearfully and wonderfully made." When God created that orange tree, He knew exactly what He was doing. 

3. **Finally**: Fruit is best when it is ripe. The oranges resembled lemons until they reached their peak ripeness. Many of us have faced trials, difficulties, and mistakes throughout our lives. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t experienced some major challenges. Satan often presents us with problems and suggests we rely on the wrong solutions to deal with them. The secret to transforming my faux lemons was to abide in the truth of their creation, design, and destiny. The fruit remained on the tree until it became exactly what it was meant to be. In a world that craves quick fixes, perhaps we should allow God to lead, teach, and help us grow into our best selves. In Matthew 11, Jesus invites us to "take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, and you will find rest for your souls." I love that word "rest," as it signifies completion or ripeness. This completion is part of a process of growing in Christ! 

"Abide in Me, and I in you, and you will produce much fruit!" This is Jesus' instruction in John 15. He is the true grapevine, and the Father is the gardener. Why should we do this? John 15:8 reminds us, "When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father.” When life feels sour, like a lemon, remember to abide in Jesus, and you might just discover you are an amazing orange!