“Leaning On Jesus”
Written by FAVORED1 on July 23, 2009 – 1:36 pm -
Thursday, July 23, 2009
So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them. [That disciple] was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is the one that’s going to betray You?”
[John 21:20 Holman Christian Standard]
“Leaning On Jesus”
Good Morning Beloved,
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He does not change. The way we see Him in scripture, is the way His is today. He hand picked twelve men … different temperaments, occupations and income levels. He said ‘follow me’, and without any fanfare the did. Each one had his own set of issues, like us, but the one who should have gotten an award for ‘most improved’ was John.
Remember this:
As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for His arrival. But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because He was on His way to Jerusalem. When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?”But Jesus turned and rebuked them. So they went on to another village.
Wow! We? Really John
? Footnote: Jesus never forces Himself on anyone, and does not stay where He is not wanted, so we should never force Him on anyone either. Notice that Jesus rebuked His disciples, not the unbelievers… remember free will… we should all take heed and be careful how we treat those who have rejected Jesus.. at the moment… maybe they will have a change of heart someday… drop the seed and move on. Back to John… his interaction with Jesus, changed him radically from one of the “Sons of Thunder“ (Mark 3:17), to referring to himself as the “one whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23, John 19:26, John 20:2, John 21:7, John 21:20). Jesus placed great faith and trust in John to the point of placing Mary in his care. We can only assume that Joseph was dead at this point. In that culture, the eldest son was charged with the responsibility of looking after the family’s welfare. You would think that the next oldest would naturally step up. The bible tells us that Mary and Joseph had sons and daughters after Jesus was born. I find it interesting that Jesus appoints John to take care of Mary. John’s heart was connected to Jesus. I believe his heart softened and was made pliable, but God did not change everything about his personality. John was strong, bold and fearless. Remember, he was at the foot of the cross with all of the Marys, while the other disciples watched from a hillside. Think of any blood thirsty mob scene that we have ever seen, and we get a picture of what it was like that day. People were furious. They were angry with this carpenters’ son from Nazareth, who had the audacity to say He was the Messiah. They were mad because of how they were treated by Romans. They were angry because of the dirty tax collectors that were cheating them, bleeding them dry and destroying their economy. I believe even some of those whom Jesus healed and helped were angry because they had believed that He would overthrow their enemies, and deliver them from their oppressors. When it didn’t happen that way, they felt deceived. It was chaos and pandemonium, yet John was there with Mary… protecting her. John showed his love and loyalty by being there for her on the most difficult and agonizing day of her life. Jesus put death on hold while He set His earthly house in order.
? Footnote: Jesus never forces Himself on anyone, and does not stay where He is not wanted, so we should never force Him on anyone either. Notice that Jesus rebuked His disciples, not the unbelievers… remember free will… we should all take heed and be careful how we treat those who have rejected Jesus.. at the moment… maybe they will have a change of heart someday… drop the seed and move on. Back to John… his interaction with Jesus, changed him radically from one of the “Sons of Thunder“ (Mark 3:17), to referring to himself as the “one whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23, John 19:26, John 20:2, John 21:7, John 21:20). Jesus placed great faith and trust in John to the point of placing Mary in his care. We can only assume that Joseph was dead at this point. In that culture, the eldest son was charged with the responsibility of looking after the family’s welfare. You would think that the next oldest would naturally step up. The bible tells us that Mary and Joseph had sons and daughters after Jesus was born. I find it interesting that Jesus appoints John to take care of Mary. John’s heart was connected to Jesus. I believe his heart softened and was made pliable, but God did not change everything about his personality. John was strong, bold and fearless. Remember, he was at the foot of the cross with all of the Marys, while the other disciples watched from a hillside. Think of any blood thirsty mob scene that we have ever seen, and we get a picture of what it was like that day. People were furious. They were angry with this carpenters’ son from Nazareth, who had the audacity to say He was the Messiah. They were mad because of how they were treated by Romans. They were angry because of the dirty tax collectors that were cheating them, bleeding them dry and destroying their economy. I believe even some of those whom Jesus healed and helped were angry because they had believed that He would overthrow their enemies, and deliver them from their oppressors. When it didn’t happen that way, they felt deceived. It was chaos and pandemonium, yet John was there with Mary… protecting her. John showed his love and loyalty by being there for her on the most difficult and agonizing day of her life. Jesus put death on hold while He set His earthly house in order. Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home. [John 19:25-27]
In this text we see Jesus as Savior, Master, Teacher and we also get to see Him as a Beloved Son, friend and confidant… boy am I glad He is still the same… only now, we are the ‘Johns’ who can lean and trust in Him everyday.
….. Beloved… now THAT is Good News!
U Blessed!
Have A Fabulous Day
Regina
“Jesus”, Shekinah Glory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiqHMdBrI7g
“Love”, Kirk Franklin & God’s Property
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfsrqvRsqvc
“My Life Is In Your Hands”, Kirk Franklin and The Family
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMWWFmbW7Jg
“Something About the Name Jesus”, Kirk Franklin & Nu Nation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxjAy3ZKFHs
“I Want Jesus To Walk With Me”, University of West Indies Choir
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5lP_se01-c
“Never Would Have Made It”, Pastor Marvin Sapp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CklAwchIJ1A
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Tags: leaning on Jesus, never changing God, stability
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