For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not

might see; and they which see might be made blind. (John 9:39)

This chapter is all about the differences and similarities between spiritual and physical blindness. It begins with Jesus restoring sight to a man who was born blind. And, obviously, it started a great debate brought on by those who refused to believe.

It is in answer to that unbelief that this entire chapter is written. So, let's talk about being blind from birth and reborn with sight. Like this man, the Bible says we ALL were born corrupted by spiritual blindness. And, our blindness continued until we experienced the rebirth of our spirits into the knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Prior to that rebirth, we could not begin to "see" the light of truth. When we first behold that light, we are overjoyed and overwhelmed by it. And, as we walk in the light (a daily choice) we gain new insight into the nature of God and His kingdom. The one who helps us do that is the Holy Ghost. Picture one of the duties of the Holy Ghost as supplying prescription eyeglasses for your spiritual heart.

That is what Jesus meant by His words in verse 39. His great light blinds those who refuse to believe in Him, until their blindness is made complete. And, His light illuminates great eternal truth for those who choose, by faith, to believe He is who He says He is. That tiny beginning faith, which we all demonstrated at the moment of our salvation, grows and grows until we are able to view all worldly circumstances with eternal sight. And, through those who will believe and choose to see the truth, Jesus IS now in the world. WE are His light in the world today (Verse 5). We are the ones to lead the blind away from the ditch (Matthew 15:14), even while the "leaders of the blind," seek to lead them into it.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

(John 8:36)

Do you still find yourself behaving in old destructive ways? Are you having trouble in relationships because you can't seem to get it right? Do you have a destructive habit that seems too strong for you to break free of? Something else bothering you, continually? Then today's reading probably contains the answer for you.

Look at verse 31. "If ye CONTINUE in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed." (Emphasis mine.) If you have not been continuing your daily Bible reading, you probably already know the answer from Jesus' words in verse 31. Continue doesn't mean sporadic or occasional reading. That means you are not really following Jesus as a disciple. And, the converse is also true, as stated from Jesus' own lips.

Read verse 32. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." So. Do you want to be free? "Continue," in His word. BE His disciple! Know the truth! And BE MADE FREE! Don't be surprised if complete freedom takes a little time. Your enemy hasn't bound you up in that habit in just a minute. It may take considerable understanding of the "truth," before you get free. But, if you stay the course and continue daily in the truth of the Word of God, one day you will just know you are finally free! And, that is a good day indeed!

And He said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above:

ye are of this world; I am not of this world. (John 8:23)

Have you ever said, "Stop the world I want to get off?" I guess we all feel something like that sometimes. But, what if you could just choose the world you want to be "of?" What if you could remake your world into one of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance? Would you do it? If your answer is "no," you can stop reading. Could you do it? No. But, Jesus already has!

Still reading? Good. As Jesus debated the leaders of the Jewish temple, He made it clear that they had made a choice to, "die in their sins," because they had already made a final choice not to believe in Him. They had chosen a world of deceit, strife, bloodshed, and survival of the fittest, instead of the one Jesus offers to all those who, "believe that I am He." And, in verse 28 He reiterated, "When ye have LIFTED UP THE SON OF MAN, then shall ye know that I am He..." Yes, when you and I make the conscious decision (sometimes many times a day) to lift Jesus up to the highest place in our esteem from the muddy disrespect of second, or third or last place in our lives, we then are able to "know" Him.

So, it is true that you and I CAN choose the kind of world we are "of." The kind of world we have been "born again," into by our own act of faith. Or, we can continue to reject that rebirth for the depravity of this world that our earthly bodies have to live in for a time yet. I will continue to choose eternal life in a world with Jesus. What about you?

I am the Light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)

Do you sometimes feel like you are walking in darkness? Do you wonder where Jesus is? Do you feel your salvation is not secure and your future is in doubt? Then, the words of this verse and this passage are your Light out of the tunnel.

Does Jesus always tell the truth? Then, it must be true that you, "shall not walk in darkness," if you are following Him. So, how do you come out of your current darkness (or help someone you know to come out?) Follow Jesus!! I know that is a simple answer to a sometimes-complex situation. But, it is the truth! How do I know? Jesus said it!! What does it mean to you? Let's see:

First, you MUST believe that Jesus died for your salvation and lives for you to follow. Take that glimmer of faith you now have and move toward the Light of the world. Just CHOOSE to believe! As soon as you do, your surroundings will get lighter and the darkness will begin to fade.

Second, you MUST accept what Jesus says here as the whole truth! Follow that light! Even if it is only a glimmer! Turn your heart to it! Even if it feels like the universe is keeping you from it! What you are feeling as you try to turn to the Light, is NOT TRUTH! It is trying to stop you from getting FREE! Don't hesitate! Go to the Light now!!

Third, once you turn and follow, never agree with any thought that says you don't know the Light! You "HAVE the light of life!" (Verse 12 -- Emphasis mine.) So, send that depression packing with this scripture. Memorize it for future use. And, walk in the Light of the world, which is the light of life, from now on! Hallelujah!

Nicodemus saith unto them,...Doth our law judge any man,

before it hear him and know what he doeth? (John 7: 50 & 51)

Note in this passage that the entirety of the Jewish leadership was raging against Jesus. They continued to do so even when their own "officers" of the guard had testified to Jesus' powerful authority. They had already made up their minds against Jesus, as they testified against themselves in verse 48. Then, they are able to justify calling anyone who refuses to believe the way they do, "deceived."

Does this sound familiar to anyone but me? Have you ever witnessed persecution in your church or denomination of someone who, in good conscience, questions the denomination's rulers on any Biblical point? If you haven't, just read some church history, or ask God to open your ears to hear. You will soon know what I am talking about.

Perhaps you are a leader yourself. Maybe you are a pastor, Sunday school teacher or elder. No matter. If your eyes are opened to something being held to that does not align with scripture, come against it, even as Nicodemus did. Nicodemus didn't make a large point of defending Jesus. We don't hear of him again, until he and Joseph tended Jesus' body. But, here he did risk his entire reputation and livelihood to simply define what the Jewish law said. Should we not do at least as much for Jesus??

For neither did His brethren believe in Him. (John 7:5)

Many in Galilee believed in Jesus. But, His own half brothers did not. Do you have a brother or sister who refuses to believe in Jesus? Pray for them, and understand by this passage that Jesus had the same problem.

It is very difficult, as Jesus says elsewhere, for anyone to testify of their conversion in their own families. Our families know all our tricks, don't they? They have watched us grow up, and it is discomforting for them to see us doing something that goes against "family" traditions. In this case, the tradition was for Jesus (the older brother) to lead His brothers to Jerusalem for the major Jewish feast of the tabernacles. They wanted it to go just like it always had.

Do you ever have the problem, since giving your life to Christ, of having to break some "family" traditions in order to follow His teachings? If you do not, you are either privileged to have grown up in a scripture-oriented family; or you are not choosing to do rightly by God. If this is convicting you (as it frequently confronts me) just go to Jesus' example. He quietly and lovingly refused to do what God did not have for Him to do at that time. We must never expect that this reaction to "family" will miraculously lead those people to embrace Jesus. However, we don't know what God is doing. So keep praying for them, and do what you are called to do. When and if they do choose Jesus, they will understand.

And He said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto Me except it were given unto him by the Father. (John 6:65)

What did Jesus do here, when HE gave the hard truth to the multitude that followed Him for the sake of the "bread" He gave them? HE LET THEM GO! And, we must do the same!

Our entire focus on ministry must be to tell the truth of the Gospel as God gives it. That may be in the written or spoken word, music, or visual media. But, it must never be diluted nor compromised for the sake of attracting those who would reject the "real" Jesus. As a matter of fact, we must, at times, give hard messages, knowing it WILL lose us followers! If we don't, those who won't come to Jesus, will take over the church, and make it a travesty to God. If Jesus ended up with only about 100 followers after three years of His ministry, how shall we expect to keep the multitudes, if we stick strictly to the Word of God and the Spirit of Truth?

Beloved, do not fear -- whether you be leader or follower -- watching your church or fellowship body lose some bodies, if they leave because you refuse to compromise the Truth. Jesus is only looking for followers who say (as the twelve said), "...to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." Keep giving out the "Words of eternal life," and let the chips fall where they may.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath

everlasting life. (John 6: 47)

Oh, what teaching has come from a few loaves of bread! Because Jesus said He came down from heaven (v. 38), the religious leaders began to "murmur" among themselves. Able to see only with worldly logic, they were completely baffled by His claim. So, He again resorted to their prophets to teach them of the truth of His sayings. Let's look at what He was teaching them:

In verse 44 He said that no man could come to Him (believe in Him and all He taught) unless that man was already drawn by the Father in heaven. In one sentence He made it clear that no amount of striving in our own strength and understanding can make us "come to Him." It is only by the prescribed grace of the Father that anyone comes to Jesus.

It is a faith matter (V. 47) that establishes us in everlasting life with Jesus. Imagine yourself living as an adopted son or daughter of the creator of the universe -- forever! Imagine the most joyous moment of your life so far. Imagine living in that much joy for life everlasting! Have you done your best to imagine that? You haven't even come close!!

Now imagine yourself huddled with a cold miserable bunch of outcasts outside the gate of God's kingdom. You are looking into the joy but you know you can NEVER get in to experience it! How bad can you feel? That's not nearly bad enough to equal the experience of those who will be on the outside looking in!

Which group do you want to be part of?

I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)

Jesus addressed the multitude that He fed the day before. They followed Him all the way over to Capernaum, and He knew it was because they were seeking another miracle, not the Miracle Worker. And, Jesus used the "bread" miracle to take them to the next step. (Verses 26 & 27.)

Perhaps we, in the Church of North America today, have an even greater problem. Most of the Church does not even believe that Jesus (through the Holy Ghost) does such miracles today. Though we hear about them being done in other locations (some of them in North America), we refuse to believe that they would ever be done in our presence (let alone by our active participation.) The fact is (and again I direct you to John 14:12) we have a duty not only to believe in miracles for today, but also to believe in Him who does those miracles! If we do not, we act in unbelief and call Jesus a liar!

But, what about those of us who have seen signs, wonders and miracles demonstrated for us? Do we begin to "follow" the minister through whom those things are done, instead of looking to the Miracle Worker, and seeking to learn how we can participate also? Before you answer, examine your heart prayerfully. It is a subtle thing. Are you content to watch that miracle working ministry, support it with your offerings and remain at a distance from the Power behind it? Or, do you ask God to gift you with the same Power to transform your family, neighborhood, community and nation? If you do not, you are still calling Jesus a liar. He didn't save you to have you coast on someone else's coattails.