Tag: I am

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Mark Devotionals

Remembering who Jesus is

Mark

In this story of Jesus walking on the water, two things really strike me.

Amazingly enough, the fact that Jesus walked on water isn’t one of those two things.

I suppose it’s due to the fact that I’ve read this story hundreds of times, that Jesus walking on water doesn’t really strike me anymore. Maybe I need to recapture that wonder.

Anyway, first, Mark tells us that as Jesus approached the boat, he meant to pass by his disciples. Pass by them?!?

Not help them?

But Mark is very clear: Jesus wanted to pass by them. Why?

I think we find the answer in two Old Testament stories. One in Exodus 33:18-34:7, and the other in I Kings 19:11-12.

In both cases, God passed by first Moses and then Elijah, displaying his glory to them.

And I think that was Jesus’ intention, that in seeing him walk on water, they would see his glory and trust him.

I think that’s especially clear in his words to them when they thought they were seeing a ghost. He said to them,

Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid. (Mark 6:50)

“It is I.”

I suppose Jesus could have simply been saying “It’s me.” But remember also that when God identified himself to Moses, he said,

I AM WHO I AM., This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you. (Exodus 3:14)

When “I AM” was translated into Greek, it was translated “eigo eimi.”

The Jews would later try to kill Jesus for applying those words to himself, because they knew he was identifying himself as God. (John 8:58-59)

Now when Jesus identifies himself to his disciples, he uses those exact words: “I AM.”

“I AM the God who controls the seas. I AM the God who showed himself to Moses and Elijah. Don’t be afraid.”

That’s probably what Jesus meant. But even after his disciples realized it was Jesus, they still didn’t understand what he meant by “I AM.”

And that leads to the second thing that strikes me: their response. Mark says of them,

They were completely astounded… (51)

Why?

…because they had not understood about the loaves (52)

Remember that this incident happened right after Jesus had fed the 5000. What had the disciples not understood about the loaves?

That the same “I AM” who miraculously provided manna in the desert for the Israelites was walking among them, providing bread for his people once again.

Christian tradition holds that Peter was Mark’s source for this gospel. And I can just imagine him saying this to Mark as he related this story:

“You know, even after Jesus fed the 5000, it never struck us who we were really dealing with. We were like Job.

“Do you remember what Job said, Mark? ‘Yahweh alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea…If he passed me by, I wouldn’t see him, if he went by, I wouldn’t recognize him.’ (Job 9:8, 11)

“That was us, Mark! Jesus was about to pass us by, and we didn’t recognize him. Even when he got into the boat, we didn’t recognize who he really was.

“But we should have. If only we had understood the significance of the loaves, we would have grasped then and there who he really was!”

How about you? What storms are you going through now? Are you “straining at the oars, with the wind against you?”

Remember who Jesus is. Remember he is the “I AM.”

And know that the same God who showed his glory to Moses, the same God who showed his glory to Elijah, and the same God who showed his glory to his disciples, will show his glory to you, and he will help you.

Don’t miss him when he passes by!

Categories
John John 8

The one who brings light and life

John

A lot of people in this world are lost. They seek a good life. A good marriage. A good job. And most of all, joy and peace.

And yet, somehow, these things elude them. People have been like this ever since Adam and Eve left the garden of Eden.

Then Jesus came. And when he did, he declared,

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)

In other words, “Do you want a good life? A life that works? A life filled with joy and peace? Are you stumbling around because you simply cannot see how to achieve these things.

Look to me. I will give you the light you need to see. You won’t stumble around, lost in the dark anymore. You’ll have life.”

Yet so many people like the Pharisees and teachers of the law question Jesus’ qualifications. Just who is he? What gives him the right to say something like that?

If he were just a man, he wouldn’t have any right. Because none of us is all-wise or all-knowing. But Jesus is more than just a man. He is God himself.

Jesus told the Jews as much, saying,

Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad. (John 8:56)

The Jews responded, “What are you talking about? You’re not even 50 years old and you have seen Abraham?”

Jesus replied,

I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am! (John 8:58)

What exactly was Jesus saying? He was pointing the Jews back to Exodus chapter 3, where God appeared to Moses in the burning bush. And when Moses asked God’s name, God replied,

I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ (Exodus 3:14)

In short, God was saying, “I am. I have always been. And I will always be. I am the eternal one. And there is none besides me.”

Jesus took that phrase and applied it to himself.

The Jews understood it. They immediately picked up stones to kill him. Why? Because they didn’t believe he was God. And if Jesus wasn’t God, to say that he was God was blasphemy and worthy of death.

How about you? Is Jesus just a man to you? Just a good man? A prophet perhaps? Or simply a great teacher? If he is, then you can take what he says or leave it.

But if he is God, then you need to take what he says seriously. Because if you’re ever going to have light in your life, you can only find it in him.

And if you reject him, in the end, you will find only death. Not just physical death, but spiritual death. Eternity apart from God, and all the darkness, suffering, and sorrow that goes with it.

Jesus tells us,

If you do not believe that I am, you will indeed die in your sins. (John 8:24)

Do you believe Jesus is God? More importantly, are you following him?

Categories
Exodus

Who God is. Who we are.

Moses didn’t seem to want anything to do with delivering the Israelites from Egypt. 

He had tried to do so once years before, and had his own people turn on him. 

And now, here is God telling him, “Go back to Egypt.”

Perhaps if God had told Moses to rescue the Israelites back when he was a young, powerful official an Egypt, he wouldn’t have hesitated. 

But now, he was an old man, 80 years old, and his days of power and influence in Egypt were long gone. 

All the brashness and confidence of youth were gone.  All that was left was a man broken by his experiences.

And so he said,

Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?  (Exodus 3:11).

“God I’m a nobody.  All I do is tend sheep.  I have no power.  I have no influence in Egypt anymore. 

“The one time I tried to do something about my people, they turned their backs on me, and I had to run from Egypt.  And now you’re going to send me?”

God’s answer was very interesting.  He completely ignored Moses’ question, and said,

I will be with you.

And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.  (12)

In other words, God was saying, “It doesn’t matter who you are.  What matters is who I am.  And because I am with you, you can do this.”

How often does God ask us to do something for him, and we say, “Who am I?  I don’t have any talents.  I don’t have any gifts.  I’m nobody special.”

But God says, “It doesn’t matter who you are or who you aren’t.  I am with you.  And I will help you to do the things that I ask you to do.”

I sometimes wonder why in the world God would send me here to Japan. 

For a guy that came as a missionary, I’m not very outgoing.  Actually, for the most part, I’m painfully shy.  I’m not good at meeting new people.  Keeping a conversation flowing is not my forte. 

On top of that, my Japanese isn’t that great.  Other people seem to pick up the language much more quickly than I do. 

So why me?  I don’t know. 

All I know is that God sent me here, and he has been with me.  And hopefully, along the way, some lives have been touched.

Anyway, with God totally ignoring Moses’ question, Moses goes on to his second question. 

“Who are you?  When I go to the people of Israel, who shall I say sent me?  What name shall I give?”

And God said,

I AM WHO I AM.  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ (Exodus 3:14)

What was that all about? 

Basically, God was saying “I am the eternal one.  I am the one who has always been, and always will be.  And I am the one who never changes. 

“Because of this, the promises I made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still stand.  That is why I have come to rescue my people.”

So what can we take from this? 

We can be confident that the same God that walked with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, the same one that didn’t give up on them despite all their sins, failures, and weaknesses, is the same God who walks with us. 

And just as he was faithful to them, he will be faithful to us.  Despite all our sins.  All our failures.  And all our weaknesses.

So if you’re discouraged about who you are, remember who God is.  Remember his promises to us.

God has said,  “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  (Hebrews 13:5)

Though we may fail, though we may struggle with sin, he will never abandon us.

So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6)

Though we may wonder how in the world God could use us, though we may sometimes fear how others will react as we do the things God calls us to do, we can say with confidence that God is with us and will help us.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  (Hebrews 13:8)

Though the people around us may change, though our circumstances may change, though we ourselves may change, Jesus never changes and will always remain faithful to us.

Amen.