anitasanecdotes

Jeremiah 27 and 28 tell that Babylon is being used as a servant of God to bring the people of Israel and Judah into captivity. Jeremiah is to share this message with the leaders, prophets and priests. They are told not to fight Babylon. If they go with the Babylonians they will be spared. If they fight they will die.

Later the prophet Hananiah says that Babylon will fall within two years and that the vessels from the temple will be restored. God tells Jeremiah that Hananiah has not been sent by Him. Jeremiah tells Hananiah that because he has made the people trust in a lie he will die. Later that year Hananiah dies.

John 11 gives an account of the raising of Lazarus. In this account Jesus is aware that he will raise Lazarus from the dead as soon as he heard that Lazarus was sick.  That is the reason he delayed going to Bethany.  Jesus knew that God would use this event for His glory.

Mary and Martha were both upset that Jesus hadn’t come earlier. They knew that He could have healed Lazarus, but now he was dead. Jesus asked them if they believed in Him. They both said yes. He told them to keep having faith.

After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead the religious leaders felt even more threatened. They knew that if Jesus lived their status quo would be destroyed. They felt it was necessary for this one man to die so that the nation as they knew it could survive. Jesus stayed out of their sight.

Jeremiah 25 and 26 spell out the specifics of what is going to take place if the people do not turn from their evil ways. Jeremiah is commanded to tell the leaders what God has told him.

The priests and prophets want to have Jeremiah killed. The officials, though, recognize that Jeremiah is speaking for the Lord. They recall other times prophets spoke against the leadership and were not killed. Jeremiah is spared.

In John 10 Jesus says that he is the one who will bring people into the kingdom using the metaphor of sheep and the sheepfold. Others may try but only Jesus is the one who can do it. This is a clear statement that it is only through Christ that we can be saved.

The religious leaders are angered by Jesus’ statements with equate him with God. They refuse to believe that he is the one whom God has called to be the Messiah. They continue to want proof. When Jesus confronts them they try to have him arrested but he gets away.

Jeremiah 23 and 24 speak against the prophets and priests of Israel and Judah because they have led the people astray, allowing them to commit sinful acts against their covenant with God. They will be punished by death. The kings also will be judged harshly for leading the people astray. They all are called the shepherds of the people. They were given the responsibility for taking care of God’s people and they fell down on the job.

God does speak now of the outcome for those who will be taken into bondage in Babylon. God will restore them to the Promised Land and they will again become his people. There are strong references to Jesus in this passage.

John 9 is a story about the nature of sin. The blind man was considered sinful because he was blind. When he could see then he was no longer to be considered sinful. Jesus healed him on the Sabbath, which according to the Pharisees, was a sin. Therefore they would not accept the blind man’s redemption because it was done by a “sinful man.” Jesus pointed out that, in fact, the Pharisees were the blind ones. They were unable to see who Jesus really was. They were unable to believe that God was doing a new thing. When the blind man spoke to the Pharisees he said, “I don’t know if he is a sinner or not, I only know that I was blind and now I see.”

Even though we may struggle with believing in who Jesus is we must acknowledge that once we were dead in our sins and now we are free. If we fail to acknowledge what Jesus has done for us we will remain as blind as the Pharisees.

Jeremiah 21 and 22 are words given to Jeremiah by God to give to the kings of Judah. They are not hopeful words of consolation, rather they are words of judgment. The kings are used to hearing good words from their prophets. I am certain they did not take these words from Jeremiah well. They have not obeyed the Lord and will receive punishment for their actions. Jeremiah is given the difficult task of telling them.

Psalm 117 is only two verses long but what wonderful words of praise are contained there.

Psalm 118 is clearly a psalm meant for worship with its repeated phrases. It is a psalm telling of Gods goodness and love. This psalm is often recited on Palm Sunday. The last third of the psalm contain clear references to Jesus and more specifically his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The words “save us” are “Hosanna” in Hebrew.

In Jeremiah 19 and 20 God gives Jeremiah instructions to confront the elders and priests. After Jeremiah does this he is attacked and put into stocks. Later he is released but he continues to tell them of their fate as well as the fate of the people of Judah and Israel.

Jeremiah is given courage to stand up to their derision and speak the difficult words God has for the people.

John 8 finds Jesus in the temple. A woman who has been caught in adultery is presented to him. The scribes and Pharisees ask what should be done with her. They are testing him to see if he will follow the law. Jesus confronts them saying that whoever is without sin should begin stoning her (the punishment for adultery). He begins to write on the ground. Everyone leaves without punishing her. Jesus does not condemn her and tells her not to sin again.

Jesus speaks with the Pharisees about who he is. He tells them that He has been sent by the Father in heaven to free them from their sins. They believe that they have been saved by their heritage, being children of Abraham. Jesus tells them that heritage alone will not save them. If they were true descendants of Abraham they would recognize who he is. The Pharisees are not moved by this argument and try to argue with him. They become angry, trying to attack him but Jesus leaves.

In Jeremiah 17 and 18 God states that while those who have sinned will be punished, those who remain faithful will continue to be blessed. He tells Jeremiah that if he remains faithful God will reward his faithfulness. Jeremiah pledges to remain a faithful servant.

God shows Jeremiah a potter who is remaking a spoiled pot. God promises that if the people turn from evil God will not continue to bring disaster upon them. God always holds out the promise of forgiveness if the people recognize their sin.

Jeremiah does not understand God’s mercy. He sees that the people are against him and wants God to deal with them while He is still angry. We, too, have trouble understanding God’s willingness to forgive when we have so much trouble forgiving those who have hurt us. We would much rather that God show His wrath than offer forgiveness.

In John 7 Jesus is getting mixed reviews form the people. Some are enthralled by him others are upset by him. Some believe him to be the Messiah others believe him to be an agent of the devil. To this day, Jesus is seen differently by people. Some know him to be the Son of God while others think he is merely a man. Some do not even believe he ever existed. But Jesus knows that it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can know him. It is only by the Spirit that we can believe. It is only by the Spirit that our hearts will ever be open to understand who Jesus really is.

Jeremiah 15 and 16 contain conversations between Jeremiah and the Lord. God says that Jeremiah should not plead the cause for Judah and Israel. His mind is made up. They will pay for their bad decisions.

Jeremiah points out that he is suffering because of the words the Lord has given him to say. It is not easy to tell others that they are going the wrong way. The prophet sets himself up for ridicule and mistreatment.

God understands Jeremiah’s pain but encourages him to continue on. They may fight against him but in the end Jeremiah will prevail. God tells Jeremiah to keep himself separate from the people. They will be banished from their land and God does not want him to be included with them. The people need to learn that God is in charge and has the power to discipline His people.

Psalm 116  is a song of love and praise to God who has saved the writer from harm.

In Jeremiah 13 and 14 God is taking away the wealth of Judah and Israel. Other nations are taking over. They are in the middle of a drought and famine. God tells them this is a result of their turning away from Him. It is only when they give glory to God that He will make things right again.

The other prophets are telling the people lies. God tells Jeremiah to reveal the lies for what they are. Both they and those who believe them will be thrown out of Jerusalem. He is waiting to hear them come to God with contrite hearts, admitting their sin and asking for God’s mercy.

John 6 begins with the feeding of the 5,000. The people are impressed with His abilities and want to make Him king, but he leaves before they do.

The disciples take a boat into the sea. A storm comes up and tosses the boat about. The disciples see Jesus walking on the water. He tells them not to be afraid.

The people come to where Jesus is. They want to do the things of God. Jesus tells them they must have the bread of life. Jesus is the bread of life which has come down from heaven. Some know that Jesus is Joseph’s son and wonder what he means that he has come from heaven. Jesus understands that they will not come to Him unless the Father draws them to Him. Only if they partake of His body and blood will they have life. These are very difficult words to understand.

Jeremiah 11 and 12 continues God’s claims against Israel and Judah. He reminds them again of the covenant He made with them in the wilderness. He reminds them that they have not kept the commandments.

Jeremiah pleads with God regarding the people. God responds that if the people turn back to Him he will have compassion on them again. But if they continue on the path they are walking He will destroy their heritage.

We can see how much God loves His people and how hurt He is by their sin. He is trying every means available to Him to get them to turn from their wickedness. He knows though that they will most likely continue on the same path. Even though they have been warned of the consequences they march on to their own destruction.

John 5 begins with a story about a lame man who waits at a pool to be healed. The tradition says that when God stirs up the water, the first person to get into the pool will be healed. For 38 years the man has waited by the pool but has been unable to get into it in time to be healed. Jesus asks him if he wants to be made well. The man explains his situation. Jesus heals the man on the spot.  The man tells others that Jesus healed him. The religious leaders came after Jesus because he did this on the Sabbath, a day of rest. Jesus says that His Father is still working, so He is still working even though it is the Sabbath. This makes the leaders angry since Jesus is equating Himself with God.

Jesus responds by openly claiming to the God’s Son. He explains that God has given Him the power over life and death. Those who believe in Him will live. He is quite direct with them that they should believe in Him if they believed in Moses since the law points to Jesus. The scriptures testify on His behalf. They should be able to see who Jesus is  because of what they already know.

In Jeremiah 9 and 10 God continues to lament the necessity of punishing the people of Israel and Judah, “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: I will now refine and test them, for what else can I do with my sinful people?” They have been duplicitous in their dealings with others and with God. Jerusalem will be destroyed. The people will be scattered.  God is hoping that this punishment will bring the people back into a relationship with Him. God warns the nations not to corrupt His people even further.

God also bears the punishment for the people’s sin. He is no longer in communication with His children and this brings him much pain.

John 4 contains an encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. She is at the well getting water when Jesus approaches her and asks her for a drink. Men do not approach women like this and Jews never approach Samaritans so she is startled.

During their conversation Jesus reveals her life of sin and offers her forgiveness. While early in the conversation she tries to hide her iniquities, she readily accepts his gift of new life through forgiveness. She brought others to see Jesus because of what he had done for her. Many Samaritans believed because of her testimony.

After Jesus left Samaria he encountered a roman official who asked him to come and heal his son. Jesus told him that his son is healed. When the man arrived home he found out that the boy started improving at the same time Jesus said he was healed. He and his household became believers.

Jesus meets these two people for whom he wasn’t sent. He came for the Jews and yet others heard and believed. We might think that Jesus couldn’t have come for us, either because of what we have done or because of who we are and yet He offers us forgiveness and new life.