Living in the Spirit
August 9, 2015
Scripture Reading: John 6:35, 41-51
Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. —John 6:41-45
Jesus is perhaps quoting from Isaiah here when he says “And they shall all be taught by God”.
All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the prosperity of your children. (Isaiah 54:13)
Prior to this verse Isaiah has compared the times in which the people of Israel found themselves to the time of Noah when God become so disappointed with the peoples of the world God destroyed them all save for Noah and his family and a representation of the animals. This was not a time with which anyone would want to be compared.
Since a promise had been made at the time of Noah to never destroy the world again, God’s solution was to become the Teacher. Working through many prophets, God schooled the people of Israel but still the way was not clear. Thus, God sent God’s son, Jesus the Christ, to serve as Teacher, but only the students whose hearts and minds were opened to learning took in the lesson.
I fear, we also find ourselves in similar comparison to not only Noah but the Israelites who were exiled because of their failure to follow God’s ways. Jesus is assuring us God is God and God is working God’s purpose out. If we want to be a part of God’s purpose we must open our hearts and minds to God’s teachings. It is very easy to do but it is very hard to do. Easy because God wants the very best for us and will eagerly share truth; hard because we are very stubborn in thinking we are the holders of the knowledge of exactly what is best for us. Our prayers may be more attempts to change God then attempts to allow God to actualize us as the persons he created us to be.
Prayer: Lord pour forth your love to us through any tiny space we might open to you. Let that love grow to open more room for your love until we are all fully yours. Amen.