(John 8.1-20 continued)Jesus said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin throw the first stone at her." And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. Discernment (what Jesus did) as opposed to judgmentalism (what the leaders did) is risky. Discernment does not go by appearances; it … [Read more...] about Jesus hits the target.
Archives for August 2009
The real target
(John 8 continued.) So the religious leaders hurled a dart at Jesus: "Now what do you say?" The downfall of Jesus was the main target of the religious leaders, and if this woman got caught in the fray, well so be it...Their trap for Jesus was probably this: if Jesus answered that the woman should be let go, it would seem he did not have a high regard for the law of Moses. What … [Read more...] about The real target
A target
Have you ever felt judged? Even to the point that, if you tried to say anything in your defense, it would be useless? Perhaps the judgment had some semblance of validity, but the harshness of someone's negative assumptions about you, skewing the truth, gave no room to affirm what's positive. Perhaps you were simply an easy target to be judged in a bigger power game that had … [Read more...] about A target
Doubting revisited
All indications were that I was definitely not the only doubter in worship. Lots of people confirmed their doubts after worship.I don’t have any easy answers for those who struggle with doubts. But I’ll tell you what Jesus did with the doubting crowd at the religious festival. (John 7 still.) For seven days of the festival that he was attending, water was carried by priests in … [Read more...] about Doubting revisited
“Doubters” coffee table
When I stand in the pulpit (or wherever) tomorrow, I wonder how many people will be listening and struggling with doubts about what they believe. One person, 10 people, half the congregation, the whole gathering? Perhaps it depends on what kind of doubts. Actually, any doubts qualify...all the way from "Is there a God?" to "Does God really hear my prayer?" to "Did Jesus … [Read more...] about “Doubters” coffee table