Day 18 (Tuesday, March 26, 2019)

Read

John 9:35-41


35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

Reflect

As John’s Gospel progresses he increasingly pushes us towards making a decision about Jesus. In chapter 9 four conversations unfold following the healing of the blind beggar. The final one (9:36-37) is possibly the most beautiful in the whole of the Gospel. The man who had been ejected from the synagogue by the religious leaders, was now sought out by Jesus. ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ Jesus asked. The man’s response was candid: ‘Who is he that I may believe?’

‘You have seen him,’ Jesus said. ‘The one who is speaking to you is he.’

We can only begin to imagine the awesome implications of what Jesus said that day. And the man responded: ‘Lord, I believe.’ John tells us that he worshiped Jesus as though he were God. There are few mountain peaks higher than this in John’s Gospel. The man had progressed from the first conversation where he called Jesus, the man (9:11), to the second where he spoke of Jesus as a prophet (9:17), to the third where he could say, This man must be from God (9:33). Now he worshiped him as Lord.

It’s a picture of the road many of us travel as our understanding of Jesus is awakened. We come to agree that Jesus was a man – he did live; then we see that he’s more than a man – he’s a prophet; then, that he’s much more than a prophet – he must be from God. He is God. He is my Lord.

Prayer

Almighty God, you wonderfully created men and women in your own image and have now more wonderfully rescued and restored them. Grant us, we pray, that as your Son our Lord Jesus Christ was made in our likeness, so may we share his divine nature; we ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (1978 AAPB, Second Sunday after Christmas – adapted)

Daily Reading Plan

Read John 9:24-41

Day 17 (Monday, March 25, 2019)

Read

John 9:1-7


1 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.

Reflect

A blind man begging on the side of the road was a familiar sight in ancient Palestine. But this man wasn’t blind because of the dusty roads and disease-laden air. He had been born blind. In answer to the disciples’ question about who was to blame, Jesus responded by pointing to the purpose of this man’s blindness; it was so that God’s power through Jesus to give sight to the blind might be revealed. Here and elsewhere Jesus implies that physical blindness is an outcome of living in a fallen world.

Jesus’ stunning miracle is told simply. It is another occasion when he didn’t look for any expression of faith: he just took the initiative and acted. When the man obeyed Jesus’ instructions, he came back seeing. Imagine how this narrative would be reported today. ‘How did you feel?’ would be the question. But John wants us to focus on Jesus’ action, not the man’s feelings.

 As the chapter unfolds, it becomes increasingly apparent that the man had not only been physically blind, he was also spiritually blind. In a conversation with the neighbors (9:8-12) immediately following his healing we get the sense that when he’d gone home everyone was talking at once – some saying it was the blind beggar while others were saying it couldn’t be. ‘How can you see?’ was their question when he affirmed that he was the former blind beggar. His response is simple and direct: ‘The man Jesus healed me.’ It’s a moving, straightforward testimony, one that we who call ourselves God’s people might emulate.

Prayer

Merciful Lord, let your glory shine upon your Church; so that, enlightened by the teaching of your blessed apostle and evangelist Saint John, we may walk in the light of your truth and come at last to the splendor of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, St. John the Evangelist)

Daily Reading Plan

Read John 9:1-23

SUNDAY 3 – Song of Mary (Luke 1:46-55)

Read

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord: my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant: from this day all generations will call me blessed; 
the Almighty has done great things for me: and holy is his name.

He has mercy on|those who fear him: in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm:
he has scattered the proud in their conceit. 


He has cast down the mighty from their thrones: and has lifted up the lowly. 


He has filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel: for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers:
to Abraham and his children forever.

Glory to God: Father Son and Holy Spirit;
As in the beginning so now: and forever Amen.

Day 16 (Saturday, March 23, 2019)

Read

John 8:31-32


31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Reflect

In a world where we expect to get everything now, the idea of perseverance seems foreign. Yet this is the key to what Jesus is saying in these verses. He understood human nature. He knew how many people were attracted to him because of the miracles he performed or the unexpected words he uttered (so, John 8:30). But he also knew about human fickleness and how easily we shift our attention from one celebrity to another. It’s one thing to be infatuated with someone, but quite another to form a long-term relationship. And yet this is what Jesus wants: he wants us to form a relationship with him that holds firm through tough times as well as good times.

Notice that he wants us to continue in his word. We’ve already seen Jesus’ insistence on our need to know the truth – about who God is and what he expects of his followers. This truth is not just ‘head knowledge’. It is a knowledge that awakens, drives and frames our relationship with God, impacting our mind, conscience, will and heart. So, as with any relationship, we need to work at knowing God better – in this case through his special self-revelation in the Bible. Furthermore, as with any relationship, we need to persevere with it, even when things don’t seem to be going our way. Jesus is not asking us to join him in a one hundred yards sprint, but in the marathon of life. The extraordinary thing is that when we do this he frees us from our bondage to self-interest and sin and opens our lives up increasingly to enjoy life as we were meant to live.

Prayer

Almighty God, give us grace so that we may cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came amongst us in great humility: so that on the last day, when he comes again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP, Advent – adapted)

Daily Reading Plan

Read John 8:31-59

Day 15 (Friday, March 22, 2019)

Read

John 8:12


12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Reflect

Urban dwellers don’t think too much about light and darkness these days: we can have light 24/7. But it’s different in the country away from the city lights on a dark night. Darkness is blindness. When Jesus said, “I am the light of the world…” he was still in the temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. Another feature of that festival was the lighting of four huge elevated bowls filled with oil. The light they gave was spectacular, symbolizing the day of God’s Messiah.

Once again Jesus’ words “I am…” were a claim to be one with God who had revealed his name to Moses as “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). As the light of the world Jesus was inviting everyone to come to the true light that uniquely shines from God. “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life,” he said.

Light is a metaphor for truth and morality. Jesus later tells us that he is committed to truth and is himself the truth (John 14:6). He also calls on his followers to live in the light of his truth – we can’t have true relationships unless they are framed in truth. Because we live in an age of relativism and tolerance we easily lose the impact of his imagery. We don’t readily comprehend the moral darkness of life around us, let alone in our own lives. Jesus’ words here prompt us to repent of the darkness in our lives – our failure to love God and to love one another as he has loved us.

Prayer

Lord, we pray, absolve your people from their offences; so that through your bountiful goodness we may be set free from the chains of those sins which in our frailty we have committed: grant this, heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen. (BCP, Trinity 24)

Daily Reading Plan

Read John 8:1-30