Sunday, July 3, 2011

Quick Caiaphas, the Counsel waits for you!!!

Scripture--John 10-John 12

Observation:  The scene with Caiaphas fascinated me today!  So much of the rest of it seemed like things I remember, but I don’t remember this part about Caiaphas very well.  Caiaphas was the chief priest that year (remember they rotated!)   He was already opposed to Jesus, wanting to keep the peace.  Remember, he was in power—on the council.  He would not benefit from a military overthrow.  He didn’t want the bloodshed or the loss of his power.  So he argued that it was better for Jesus to die than to start a war!  Which honestly to me could make sense (if I didn’t know that Jesus was the Son of God of course!)  Even more—he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation—so God was on their side too!   God was on their side!

Application—How often do the people in power claim to have God on their side?  God loves my actions because I am blessed.  God loves my actions because I’m the chief priest (or the pastor!).   As a pastor, I often struggle with whether I am hearing God’s word or what I want.  This passage was just another reminder that when I listen to “authorities” or to the call of God I feel, I must take it all with a grain of salt.  I must never make myself the final authority—for in our passage, Jesus says that not even HE is a judge.  I must remember that even when I think I “know” the answers, I’m never perfect!  I must remember that God is in control—no matter what!

Prayer—Almighty God!  Thank you for taking control.  Thank you for being in charge.  Forgive me for all the times I’ve done less than you called.  For all the times I’ve put my own self above you.  For all the times I thought I knew the answer—the one that was wrong.  For all the times I’ve lead others astray.  Forgive me!  Thank you for your mercy!  Amen.

Blessings!
Pastor Emily

July 4--John 13-John 15
July 5--John 16-John 18
July 6--John 19-John 21
July 7--Acts 1-Acts 3
July 8--Acts 4-Acts 6
July 9-- Acts 7-Acts 9

2 comments:

Mary said...

I love the images of the Good Shepherd and the sheep. Sheep are soft, peaceful, spend lots of time eating, but so easily led astray. They wander off and get themselves in trouble, without any good sense to know how to avoid or get out of trouble. They have no way to protect themselves from animals that want to eat them. But they have a shepherd who leads them where they need to go- to find good food and water, to keep them safe and to avoid trouble. They hear his voice and follow him. He helps them when they are in trouble. He guards them when they sleep. He knows and loves each one.

Carol Flores said...

The sheep follow the Shepherd because they know His voice... How well do I know God's voice? Emily, you mentioned struggling sometimes to discern if what you are hearing is God's word. I struggle with this as well..how do we tell? I pray that God's voice, no matter what form it takes, will be clearer to me as I grow closer to Him. But I have to remember that Satan is always there with the loud noises to try to keep me from hearing clearly. Lord thank you for the ability to talk to you and to hear you talking back. Help me to hear you and not be afraid to act on what you are saying.