Don’t Miss My Invitation
Note from Jesus My Dear Disciple, Listen to My words for you today. They come out of the crucible of My conflict with the religious leaders and their humiliation with trying to embarrass Me. My words have power. I was heading toward Jerusalem and the horrors that were waiting for Me there. Along the way, people were fascinated by what I said, and they celebrated the wonderful things, the miraculous things, that I was doing. I planted a promise in the people’s hearts to help them understand that the power they were experiencing with My physical presence was not going to go away after My mission in Jerusalem was accomplished, and I returned to the Father. That power was part of a new order of things in the world. It was part of My Father’s kingdom — the people, their actions, and their attitudes — where God’s will reigns over their hearts, and they find joy in the Father’s presence. The kingdom power available to them might look small at the beginning of things — no bigger than a tiny mustard seed or a little bit of yeast. But, all the great things that the people were experiencing right then with My presence, My miraculous deeds, and My powerful teaching were just a small glimpse of the greatness and gloriousness that were to come. Their power may seem small, but it will grow and permeate and bring great blessing to many. So don’t miss My great offer of the kingdom. When I return, I will bring together all peoples from all places in the world who have come to believe in Me. That, dear friend, is a celebration you definitely don’t want to miss! Verses to Live While the religious leaders had done all they could to wall off My teaching from others, the sheer power of the kingdom that was behind My words could not be contained. My blessing, My power, My kingdom would not be based on religious pedigree or social acceptance, but upon people surrendering their hearts to Me and giving their lives to be My disciples. The old order of power and position has been reversed, and those who follow Me will be exalted, not mocked, belittled, ridiculed, or persecuted. So don’t miss My invitation to follow Me! As the impact of His [Jesus’] words settled in, His critics were humiliated, but everyone else loved what Jesus said and celebrated everything He was doing. Jesus (explaining): Do you want to understand the kingdom of God? Do you want Me to tell you what it’s like? It’s like a single mustard seed that someone took and planted in his garden. That tiny seed grew and became a tree so large that the birds could fly in and make their nests in its branches. Do you want Me to tell you what the kingdom of God is like? It’s like some yeast which a woman hid within a huge quantity of flour; soon the whole batch of dough was rising. He was pressing toward Jerusalem, His journey taking Him through various towns and villages. In each one, He taught the people. Once a person asked this question: Inquiring Individual: Lord, will only a few people be rescued? Jesus: Strive to enter through the narrow door now, because many people — hear Me on this — will try to enter later on and will not be able to. Imagine you want to enter someone’s home, but you wait until after the homeowner has shut the door. Then you stand outside and bang on the door, and you say, “Sir, please open the door for us!” But he will answer, “I don’t know where you’re from.” Then you’ll say, “Just a minute. We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.” But he’ll say, “Sorry, I have no idea where you’re from. Leave me, all of you evildoers.” Then you’ll see something that will make you cry and grind your teeth together — you’ll see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves will be on the outside looking in. And then you’ll see people streaming in from east and west, from north and south, gathering around the table in the kingdom of God, but you’ll be on the outside looking in. That’s how it will be; some are last now who will be first then, and some are first now who will be last then. (Luke 13:17-30) Response in Prayer O Father, there are times when Your kingdom way of life does not seem to get much respect. As I open my heart to Jesus each day, I invite the Holy Spirit to strengthen my faith, my hope, and my desire to live your character and compassion in a world that feels so devoid of both. I believe, but please strengthen my belief. I hope, but stir my heart to a great anticipation of the day when my faith becomes sight. I trust in your mustard-seed promise and the power of your holy work like yeast, but please help me see glimpses of Your coming glory as I serve you in the grittiness of my everyday world. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Look Closely at the Evidence!
Note from Jesus Dear Seeker, My words have always provoked strong reactions! I do not leave people any middle ground for their decision about Me. There is no “safe” place they can put Me in the middle as just a good man and a good teacher. In the encounter with the crowd that you read about in today’s verses, I AM claiming to be the Son of God. I AM saying that what I do and what I speak I have received directly from My Father in heaven. I AM claiming that every disciple that I have was given to Me by My Father. Every contemporary Jewish person who heard Me in the events recorded below knew that I was claiming to be God walking and teaching among them. They told Me: We demand Your life because You are a man, yet you claim to be God. This is blasphemy! As an experienced rabbi familiar with their way of arguing about the meaning of Scripture, I gave them two reasons why I could claim to be God among them. First, I used a good rabbinical defense strategy: I quoted a passage that shows that others had been called “sons of God.” These people were not punished for their claim, so I shouldn’t be punished for My claim. This argument is technically correct for their type of reasoning used in rabbinical discussion. However, most of those listening knew that I was claiming that I AM much more than one of many “sons of God.” They knew My claim was that I AM THE Son of the God! Second, I could call God My Father because what I claimed about Myself was validated by what I did! When you examine the great things that I did, the authoritative truths that I taught, and the way that I lived, you see that My actions validate My words. Notice what I said to My doubters and My critics: Examine My actions, and you will see that My work is the work of the Father. Regardless of whether you believe in Me — believe the miracles. Despite My opponents’ anger at these claims, they could not disprove them. They were left to try to kill Me, but they couldn’t do so at this time. The time wasn’t right. The Father wouldn’t let them. I wasn’t ready yet to lay My life down, so they couldn’t take it. Therefore, I continued with My ministry and many others believed in Me. Verses to Live OK. What are you going to do with Me? You can choose not to read My story, but My story won’t go away. People will keep making movies about Me, they will keep talking about Me, they will be fascinated by Me, and many will come to full faith in Me. So what are YOU going to do with Me? My claims are extravagant, even blasphemous if they are not true. But if they are true, then everything rides on your decision about Me! So look closely at the evidence — not just the evidence in the verses that follow, but at everything I said and did. Look at the movement I left behind. Examine the weak and fearful men and women who became bold and were willing to be martyred. What explains it? What was their belief in Me that led them to risk everything to be My disciples? When He [Jesus] spoke these words, some of the Jews began to argue. … It was winter and time for the Festival of Dedication. While in Jerusalem, Jesus was walking through the temple in an area known as Solomon’s porch, and Jews gathered around Him. Jews: How long are You going to keep us guessing? If You are God’s Anointed, the Liberating King, announce it clearly. Jesus: I have told you, and you do not believe. The works I am doing in My Father’s name tell the truth about Me. You do not listen; you lack faith because you are not My sheep. My sheep respond as they hear My voice; I know them intimately, and they follow Me. I give them a life that is unceasing, and death will not have the last word. Nothing or no one can steal them from My hand. My Father has given the flock to Me, and He is superior to all beings and things. No one is powerful enough to snatch the flock from My Father’s hand. The Father and I are one. The Jews gathered stones to execute Jesus right then and there. Jesus: I have performed many beautiful works before you in the name of the Father. Which of these can be judged as an offense that merits My execution? Jews: You are not condemned for performing miracles. We demand Your life because You are a man, yet you claim to be God. This is blasphemy! Jesus: You know what is written in the Scriptures. Doesn’t it read, “I said, you are gods”? If the Scriptures called your ancestors (mere mortals) gods to whom the word of God came — and the Scriptures cannot be set aside — what should you call One Who is unique, sanctified by and sent from the Father into the world? I have said, “I am God’s Son.” How can you call that blasphemy? By all means, do not believe in Me, if I am not doing the things of the Father. But examine My actions, and you will see that My work is the work of the Father. Regardless of whether you believe in Me — believe the miracles. Then you will know that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father. Once again, some of the Jews tried to capture Him, but He slipped away, eluding their grasp. Jesus crossed the Jordan River and returned to the place where John was… cleansing the people through baptism in the early days. He lingered in the area, and scores of people gathered around Him.
The Good Shepherd
Note from Jesus Dear Precious One, Few passages of Scripture were more beloved in My time on earth than the twenty-third Psalm. Like in your day, many found great comfort knowing that the Great Shepherd was watching over them, caring for them, sustaining them, giving them rest, and bringing them safely home to Him: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:1-6 ESV) So when I claim to be the “good shepherd” in the verses below, my words are heard against the background of the twenty-third Psalm. At the same time, My words about being the “good shepherd” are speaking on several different levels of emphasis. Each level is important. Each conveys a powerful truth about Me — My identity, My power, and My sacrifice. First, by claiming to be the “good shepherd,” I AM claiming to be God, the Shepherd of the twenty-third Psalm! Clearly this was offensive to many faithful Jews for whom the Shepherd Psalm was precious and personal while God was high, exalted, and beyond compare — not some carpenter they thought was from Nazareth. That was why some accused Me of being a “raving maniac”! Second, notice the specific personal knowledge that I have of My sheep and they have of Me. I know them. I call them by name. They hear My voice and recognize Me. They follow Me. They don’t trust a stranger because they know My voice, and I lead by going out ahead of them and calling them by name. Third, there were bad shepherds among My people. I called them “hired hands” as well as “thieves and robbers”! They were bad shepherds like the ones described by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 34:1-31). The religious leaders who were so opposed to Me knew I was talking about them as the bad shepherds. I knew that they were about to reject Me completely. Fourth, I laid down My life for the life of My sheep. In going to the cross willingly, I laid down My life to give life to My flock. No one could take My life from Me, but I laid it down because I love My sheep, and I want to honor the Father. But, when I laid My life down, I would also “take it up again” — I have the power to rise from the dead! A list, however, of the things I taught cannot compare with Who I AM and what it means for Me to be your Shepherd. As wonderful and precious as the words “The Lord is my shepherd…” may be to you, please recognize and feel the great love I have for you as your Shepherd. The twenty-third Psalm takes on so much deeper meaning when you truly understand that I AM your “good shepherd”: that I brought you everything promised in the twenty-third Psalm and everything promised in My words below. On top of everything else, I offered up My life to show you that My words are true, and My love and My shepherding are real. Verses to Live Take all the wonderful promises of the twenty-third Psalm and add all the incredible promises you find in My words below and know that these promises, that My comforting and guiding presence, are yours! Jesus: I tell you the truth: the man who crawls through the fence of the sheep pen, rather than walking through the gate, is a thief or a vandal. The shepherd walks openly through the entrance. The guard who is posted to protect the sheep opens the gate for the shepherd, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When all the sheep have been gathered, he walks on ahead of them; and they follow him because they know his voice. The sheep would not be willing to follow a stranger; they run because they do not know the voice of a stranger. Jesus explained a profound truth through this metaphor, but they did not understand His teaching. So He explained further. Jesus: I tell you the truth: I am the gate of the sheep. All who approached the sheep before Me came as thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not listen to their voices. I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be liberated, will go in and go out, and will find pastures. The thief approaches with malicious intent, looking to steal, slaughter, and destroy; I came to give life with joy and abundance. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep in His care. The hired hand is not like the shepherd caring for His own sheep. When a wolf attacks, snatching and scattering the sheep, he runs for his life, leaving them defenseless. The hired hand runs because he works only for wages and does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me. As the Father knows Me, I know the Father; I will give My life for the sheep. There are many more sheep than you can see here, and I will bring them as well. They will hear My voice, and the flock will be united. One flock. One shepherd. The Father loves Me because I am willing to lay down My life — but
Opening Blind Eyes #3
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, On two previous days, I have had you look at John’s account of the man who was born blind and whom I healed. We’ve seen how people can willfully be blind to the people in need around them. Instead of viewing each person as someone in whom “the deeds of God may be put on display” (John 9:3), they treat those people as something less than people created in Our image — they treat them as a religious question, a label, a problem, or a biological product. Today, I want you to focus on the journey to faith of the man whom I healed of blindness — both his physical blindness and his spiritual blindness. His journey toward faith began as a person in need. I healed his physical blindness, and he began his journey toward his spiritual blindness being healed. You can follow this man’s journey to faith by watching what he said about me: “a man named Jesus.” (John 9:11) “this man is a prophet.” (John 9:17) “I only know one thing: I was blind, and now I see.” (John 9:25) “This man must come from God.” (John 9:33) “Lord, I do believe [that You are the Son of Man — Messiah and Lord — promised to us].” (John 9:38) I want you to look at this man’s journey of faith. Many of you have made a similar journey in what you believe about Me. Others whom you are trying to reach with My grace are somewhere on this journey. Use gentle persistence to lead them to a deeper understanding of My identity. Notice some things about this man’s coming to faith. While I wasn’t with him, he was still coming to a deeper understanding of My identity. And even at the end of the journey, he couldn’t explain everything about Me, but he had a determined faith in Me. Realize that even when you are not with those you are trying to lead to faith, the Spirit is working in their lives through what others do and say — even if it is hostile. Realize that while your friends may not be able to explain everything about Me, they can point to the clear changes in their lives as rock solid evidence of what they believe about Me. You have heard Me tell you that people have to decide whether I am a lunatic who is delusional about His identity or a liar who is trying to take advantage of people for his own good, or whether I AM the Lord. That is ultimately the decision that people have to make about Me. So help your friends stay on the journey of faith and be there to help them come to the full understanding of My identity. As you work in their lives to lead them to faith, know that you are not alone: I AM there with you and them — even when you are not present — helping them journey to full and saving faith. Verses to Live Notice how the Pharisees push this man to give up what he knows is true. The man never yields to them. He doesn’t back down. The Pharisees cannot defeat his logic nor can they discredit the truth of My miracle. So they end up doing what many do to you today. They ostracize him and demean him. Don’t be surprised when people do that to you. Just realize that when they have to resort to belittling you, they have lost the battle and are left to pettiness and living in their own willful blindness. Formerly Blind Man: This man [Jesus] must come from God; otherwise, this miracle would not be possible. Only God can do such things. Pharisees: You were born under a cloud of sin. How can you, of all people, lecture us? The religious leaders banished him from their presence. Jesus heard what had happened and sought out the man. Jesus: Do you believe in the Son of Man? Formerly Blind Man: I want to believe, Lord. Who is He? Jesus: You have seen His face with your new eyes, and you are talking to Him now. Formerly Blind Man: Lord, I do believe. The man bowed low to worship Jesus. Jesus: I have entered this world to announce a verdict that changes everything. Now those without sight may begin to see, and those who see may become blind. Some Pharisees (who overheard Jesus): Surely we are not blind, are we? Jesus: If you were blind, you would be without sin. But because you claim you can see, your sin is ever present. (John 9:33-41) Response in Prayer O Father, I thank You for my journey of faith. I ask that You help me as I try to walk with others on their journey toward faith in You. Please be at work in the following people’s lives that I want to see come to faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord and as Your Son. (Think of people who need to know Jesus. Bring them before the Father and mention them by name.) Help each of these people to come to full and active faith in Jesus. I pray this in His name. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Opening Blind Eyes #2
Note from Jesus Dear Friend, I want you to notice the different ways people in this story viewed the “man born blind” that you find in your Bibles (John 9:1-41): My disciples looked at him as a religious question — was he born blind because of his sins or his parents’ sins? The people viewed him as a label — to them, he was just a blind beggar. The Pharisees saw the man as a problem — I had healed him on the Sabbath, something that broke their regulations, but they couldn’t use the man to get Me into trouble. The man’s parents treated him as little more than their biological product and not as a son — their fear of being put out of the synagogue prevented them from speaking up for their own son. Each of these was a way that the people around the man born blind viewed him. The people’s view of him was, in fact, their blindness — a willful blindness to the man’s needs. These are also ways you can view people, ways that will keep you blind to their needs and to your opportunity to help those people in My name. Which one of the following are you most likely to use to be willfully blind toward people in need? Is it… Viewing them as nothing more than a religious question? Assigning a label so you don’t have to personally deal with them? Treating them as a problem that needs to be solved or overcome? Viewing them as nothing more than biological products rather than people to be protected and loved? I call you to open your eyes to the people in need around you. I call you to treat each of these people as someone in whom “the deeds of God may be put on display” (John 9:3) and with whom God’s love can be shared. To do less is simply… Pharisaical! Verses to Live After fielding My disciples’ religious question about the man born blind, I healed him. This miracle made the Pharisees angry because I violated their regulations about the Sabbath. Instead of rejoicing that a blind man could now see, these religious leaders tried to bully him into condemning Me for healing him. They weren’t ready for what they were about to get from him — a simple theology of faith and truth that trumped their entrenched traditions and embarrassed them into banishing him and demeaning him. Townspeople to the man born blind: Where is this man Who healed you? Formerly Blind Man: I don’t know. The townspeople brought the formerly blind beggar to appear before the Pharisees the same day Jesus healed him, which happened to be on the Sabbath Day. The Pharisees began questioning him, looking for some explanation for how he could now see. Formerly Blind Man: He smeared mud on my eyes, and I washed; now I see. Some Pharisees: God can’t possibly be behind this man because He is breaking the rules of the Sabbath. Other Pharisees: How can such a lawbreaking scoundrel do something like this? The Pharisees were at odds with one another about Jesus and could not agree whether His power came from God or the devil. Pharisees (to the formerly blind man): What do you say about this man, about the fact He opened your eyes so you could see? Formerly Blind Man: I have no doubt — this man is a prophet. Some of the Jews suspected the whole situation was a charade, that this man was never blind. So they summoned the man’s parents to testify about his condition. Pharisees: Is this man your son? Do you testify that he has been blind from birth? How therefore does he now see? Parents: We can tell you this much: he is our son, and he was born blind. But his new sight is a complete mystery to us! We do not know the man Who opened his eyes. Why don’t you ask our son? He is old enough to speak for himself. The man’s parents were a bit evasive because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. It had been rumored that anyone who spoke of Jesus as the Anointed One would be expelled from the synagogue. So they deferred the thorny question to their son, and the Pharisees called on him a second time. Pharisees: Give God the credit. He’s the One Who healed you. All glory belongs to God. We are persuaded this man you speak of is a sinner who defies God. Formerly Blind Man: If this man is a sinner, I don’t know. I am not qualified to say. I only know one thing: I was blind, and now I see. Pharisees: What did He do to you? How did He give you sight? Formerly Blind Man: Listen, I’ve already answered all these questions, and you don’t like my answers. Do you really need me to say it all over again? Are you thinking about joining up with Him and becoming His followers? Pharisees (berating him): You’re one of His followers, but we follow Moses. We have confidence that God spoke to Moses, but this man you speak of is a mystery; we don’t even know where He comes from. Formerly Blind Man: Isn’t it ironic that you, our religious leaders, don’t even know where He comes from; yet He gave me sight! We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does respond and work through those who worship Him and do His will. No one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of any person blind from birth. This man must come from God; otherwise, this miracle would not be possible. Only God can do such things. Pharisees: You were born under a cloud of sin. How can you, of all people, lecture us? The religious leaders banished him from their presence. (John 9:12-34) Response in Prayer O Father, please forgive me. Forgive me for blindly looking past people
Truth Brings Celebration and Hostility
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, We — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — instituted the Sabbath to be a blessing to Our people and those who lived among them. The Sabbath gave My people a day each week when they, their families, and their workers rested from their labor, remembered the Father Who richly provided for them, and were renewed in spirit. The Sabbath was made to bless people and to honor Us. This principle doesn’t seem so hard to understand, but the religious leaders’ practice during My time on earth was far from Our plan for the Sabbath and made Me angry. How could the Jewish religious leaders interpret Our principles for the Sabbath and then turn the Sabbath into a day for a sick person to stay sick and a broken person to stay broken? These same religious leaders fed and watered their animals on the Sabbath. They pulled their animals out of a ditch and searched for them when they were lost on the Sabbath. Surely… surely… these religious leaders could see the duplicity in their ways and the errors of their interpretation. Unfortunately, they didn’t… or wouldn’t. They were furious with Me when I healed the woman in the story below on a Sabbath. They felt this act of mercy broke their regulations and went against the Father’s will! When I confronted them on their hypocrisy, they were humiliated and infuriated. The people, however, loved what I said and celebrated what I had done when I healed this crippled woman. Verses to Live Don’t just read the words that follow. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you feel what is happening and visualize the expression on the faces of different people in the story. Look at the broken posture of this woman before I healed her. Imagine her gait as she shuffled toward Me. How could anyone with the power to help not help? How could anyone claim to be religious and refuse this woman a simple but powerful act of kindness? Around this time, He [Jesus] was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest. A woman there had been sick for 18 years; she was weak, hunched over, and unable to stand up straight. Jesus placed His hands on her and suddenly she could stand straight again. She started praising God, but the synagogue official was indignant because Jesus had not kept their Sabbath regulations by performing this healing. Synagogue Official: Look, there are six other days when it’s appropriate to get work done. Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath! Jesus: You religious leaders are such hypocrites! Every single one of you unties his ox or donkey from its manger every single Sabbath Day, and then you lead it out to get a drink of water, right? Do you care more about your farm animals than you care about this woman, one of Abraham’s daughters, oppressed by Satan for 18 years? Can’t we untie her from her oppression on the Sabbath? As the impact of His words settled in, His critics were humiliated, but everyone else loved what Jesus said and celebrated everything He was doing. (Luke 13:10-17) Response in Prayer O Father, help me value people the way that Jesus did. Help me draw others into celebrating Your greatness and grace by helping those in need. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Opening Blind Eyes
Note from Jesus Dear Seeker of Truth, I was frustrated with the religious leaders who added their own regulations to the commandments of the law and made those regulations more important than caring for a woman who had been bound by a crippled body for 18 years (Luke 13:10-17). As you read the verses below, notice how My disciples come close to doing the same thing with a man who was blind. Rather than recognizing the difficulty of being blind and then caring for the blind man, My disciples asked an insensitive religious question about him within his hearing: Teacher, who sinned? Who is responsible for this man’s blindness? Did he commit sins that merited this punishment? If not his sins, is it the sins of his parents? My disciples did not view this man who had been blind since birth as someone in whom the deeds of God’s grace needed to be displayed. Instead, they used him as the pretext for a religious discussion. To them, the man and his problems were nothing more than a religious question — a question that cost them nothing. They spent no time ministering to his needs, caring for him as a child of God in need, or compassionately visiting with the man. He was just the object of their religious conversation. Anything that you do to objectify another person and treat that person as less than someone created in Our image is dehumanizing. No one should be reduced to little more than a topic of religious conversation between people who have no real interest in providing help. You are placed into your circle of relationships to make a difference in the lives of the people around you. Listen to the conversations around you. Ask the Spirit to open your eyes to see the “blind men” that other people around you miss, objectify, or turn into nothing more than a matter for discussion. Look for ways to demonstrate My love and grace by serving these people. Verses to Live The following verses begin a series of events that involved My healing a man who was born blind and then proceed to the things that occurred as a result of that healing. We will address more aspects of these events later. Today, notice how I treat this man as someone in whom “the deeds of God may be put on display,” yet nearly all the people he meets treat him as less than a person created in the image of God. While walking along the road, Jesus saw a man who was blind since his birth. Disciples: Teacher, who sinned? Who is responsible for this man’s blindness? Did he commit sins that merited this punishment? If not his sins, is it the sins of his parents? Jesus: Neither. His blindness cannot be explained or traced to any particular person’s sins. He is blind so the deeds of God may be put on display. While it is daytime, we must do the works of the One Who sent Me. But when the sun sets and night falls, this work is impossible. Whenever I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. After He said these things, He spat on the ground and mixed saliva and dirt to form mud, which He smeared across the blind man’s eyes. Jesus (to the blind man): Go, wash yourself in the pool of Siloam. Siloam means “sent,” and its name reminded us that his healing was sent by God. The man went, washed, and returned to Jesus, his eyes now alive with sight. Then neighbors and others who knew him were confused to see a man so closely resembling the blind beggar running about. Townspeople: Isn’t this the man we see every day sitting and begging in the streets? Others: This is the same man. Still Others: This cannot be him. But this fellow bears an uncanny resemblance to the blind man. Formerly Blind Man: I am the same man. It’s me! Townspeople: How have your lifeless eyes been opened? Formerly Blind Man: A man named Jesus approached me and made mud from the ground and applied it to my eyes. He then said to me, “Go, wash yourself in the pool of Siloam.” I went and washed, and suddenly I could see. Townspeople: Where is this man Who healed you? Formerly Blind Man: I don’t know. (John 9:1-12) Response in Prayer O God, help me see the people that You place in my path each day — the very people that You placed there so that I can share Your grace with them. Forgive me when I have treated others as little more than a religious or political or social question and have not heard Your call to love them into Your family. Open my eyes and my heart to see the people others neglect and ignore. Please use me to give them hope and to share a touch of Your grace with them. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
One Last Season for Fruit?
Note from Jesus Dear Believer, In your day, people have really toned down some of My message in order to be more politically correct. Remember, however, that the religious leaders of My day killed Me because they knew I was a threat to their ungodly way of doing things. I never taught or preached violence. In fact, My voluntary submission to the cross should tell you a lot about My heart in this matter. When the soldiers came to arrest Me in the Garden of Gethsemane — right before My trials and crucifixion — Peter grabbed a sword and began to fight to protect Me. Since I would not be using violence as a means of My own protection, I told him to put away the sword (John 18:3-11). Hypocritical and self-serving Jewish religious leaders considered Me a threat to their power and status because I denounced them and their ungodly approach to religion. In addition, I was transforming lives and gathering devoted disciples who were realizing the errors of the religious leaders, making me an even greater threat. My devoted disciples were interested in My true identity as Son of God, Messiah, and Lord because they had seen My power and also My compassion. The leaders could not deny or explain away My power that made Me even a greater threat. Nor could these leaders deny My compassion that moved people to follow Me, making Me a growing threat. These leaders knew they had to eliminate the threat — to kill Me and presumably to get Me out of the way. My journey to Jerusalem was a purposeful march into their trap. But hear this with your heart, please: I ached for My people and My country and the primary city of My people — even for the leaders who were about to reject, ridicule, and crucify Me. I knew they were leading the Jewish people down the path to destruction. I knew the time was short. I knew they could repent — truly change from the inside out — if they would give themselves over to the Father’s will and follow Me. For three years, I taught, told stories, preached, counseled, visited, healed, shepherded, and cared for the needy, the broken, the outcast, the sinner, and the commoner. Many were coming to faith in Me. I went to the houses of the rich, and I met with powerful religious leaders to discuss truth. I even healed valued family members of both Jewish and Roman leaders. Some of these people came to faith in Me. The problem was that I also confronted the religious establishment. I rightly called them hypocrites. I challenged their legalistic answers that departed from the Father’s will. Then, I called them to repentance. John the Baptist, My cousin whom Herod executed, spent time warning of the need for repentance and preparing the people for My coming. Many had changed their hearts and their lives to be ready for Me. Not so for most of those in power. In the verses that follow, you will read two stories about disasters and then you find a parable about a fig tree. The stories about disasters are reminders that bad things happen to good people. If destruction can befall them and they are undeserving of their hardships, how much more will destruction come to those who ignore, resist, and try to extinguish the Voice of God — Me, Jesus of Nazareth, God come in human flesh! In the parable about the fig tree, I shared a not-so-subtle warning: God’s people needed to repent, or our precious city of Jerusalem would face destruction. Such a thought gave Me great anguish. Salvation was on the doorstep of My people, and they chose the power of Rome and the security of the status quo over Me. Rome, the seat of power for that terrible lion of an empire that had oppressed them for decades, would tear them apart, and leave no stone standing. With My heart breaking for such impending disaster, I shared a parable about asking the owner of the vineyard — a reference the people in My time would recognize as God (the Father) — to give the people more time to turn their hearts toward Him. As the “vineyard keeper” in the parable, I asked for one last season for the people of Jerusalem — the “fig tree” — to bear fruit for God. I worked to bring My people to repentance and save the city of David. I gave My people another opportunity to turn their hearts toward Me and find the salvation the Father wanted to bring them. Unfortunately, they would not. Verses to Live You face a hard challenge as you read the verses that follow. The warnings that I gave were not heeded, and destruction came to Jerusalem. So how do you apply these verses? Let My words fall on your heart and ask the Holy Spirit to use them to speak to those things in your own heart that you have not yet surrendered to Me. Any other sources on which you rely for salvation will prove false. Any other source of ultimate meaning and purpose for your life will prove shallow. So let these words remind you of a previous theme: urgency! Your commitment to the holy transformation that everyone needs should be immediate and permanent. No one should waste time in making that commitment! As He [Jesus] said this, some people told Him the latest news about a group of Galilean pilgrims in Jerusalem — a group not unlike Jesus’ own entourage. Pilate butchered them while they were at worship, their own blood mingling with the blood of their sacrifices. Jesus: Do you think these Galileans were somehow being singled out for their sins, that they were worse than any other Galileans, because they suffered this terrible death? Of course not. But listen, if you do not consider God’s ways and truly change, then friends, you should prepare to face
**Can’t You See the Urgency?
Note from Jesus Dear Friend, You need to treat the issues of the kingdom with a sense of urgency. There is never a time to be complacent. As you read the verses below, you will see that I emphasized the need for a great sense of urgency. For those who first heard My words in the verses below, there was going to be an important moment of decision. My rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection were going to lead to a moment of supreme decision for everyone. This moment of supreme decision for all who knew and heard Me was coming sooner than anyone wanted to recognize. This decision would tear families apart because some would wholly reject Me, considering Me a blasphemer and a troublemaker, while others would see Me as I AM — the Holy One of God sent to save them. For you, this decision is one you must make continuously: What will you do with Me? Am I a liar and a lunatic or Lord? And if I am Lord, how then will you live differently from those around you? Yes, this is a decision of continuous urgency! Verses to Live While you don’t face exactly the same scenario as these first hearers of My message, you are confronted with a challenge by the things I’ve said. You must feel a sense of urgency about where to invest your life. Your attachment to the world can easily lead you to live in apathy and approach important spiritual matters with complacency. So I’m challenging you today with passionate and serious language and strong images because you must decide what you are going to do with Me. Jesus to His disciples: This is serious business we’re involved in. My mission is to send a purging fire on the earth! In fact, I can hardly wait to see the smoke rising. I have a kind of baptism to go through, and I can’t relax until My mission is accomplished! Do you think I’ve come with a nice little message of peace? No way. Believe Me, My message will divide. It will divide a household of five into three against two or two against three. It will divide father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law. (speaking to the crowd) You see a cloud arise from the sea in the west, and you can say, “Here comes a shower!” And you’re right. Or you feel the hot wind blowing in from the desert in the south and you say, “It’s going to be really hot!” And you’re right. Listen, hypocrites! You can predict the weather by paying attention to the sky and the earth, but why can’t you interpret the urgency of this present moment? Why don’t you see it for yourselves? Imagine you’re being sued. You and your accuser are on your way to court. Wouldn’t you do everything in your power to settle out of court before you stand before the magistrate? After all, he might drag you to stand before the judge, and the judge might hand you over to the police, and they might throw you in jail. Once you’re in jail, it’s too late: you’re not going anywhere until you’ve paid in full. (Luke 12:49-59) Response in Prayer Almighty God, I confess that I can become complacent, sometimes even apathetic, about my life as Jesus’ disciple. There are so many things crowding into my heart for my attention. So today, I pray the prayer Moses offered many centuries ago: Lord, “teach us to number our days so that we may get a heart of wisdom.”* I want to live every moment for Jesus with passion and courage. I don’t want to waste any moments You give me and fritter away my life on what doesn’t matter eternally. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. * Psalm 90:12 ESV, from a psalm described as “A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God.” ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
A Different Kind of Savings Plan
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, As I will say in the verses below, what I am talking to you about today is a matter of urgency: I’m not just talking theory. There is urgency in all this. I am calling you to live by a different economy from those in the world around you! You need to live with kingdom urgency and invest your life in what truly matters. Now some of you are not sure what I mean when I use the term kingdom. Ultimately, the kingdom will come fully when I return and bring those who are Mine home to the Father. But, I want to remind you that I taught you to pray these words: Your prayers, rather, should be simple, like this: Our Father in heaven, let Your name remain holy. Bring about Your kingdom. Manifest Your will here on earth, as it is manifest in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10) When I taught you to pray this way, I wasn’t talking about just the ultimate coming of the kingdom when I return for you. I was also talking about bringing the way of life that reflects Our (Father, Son, and Spirit’s) nature into your world. When you pray this way, you are saying that you want Our righteous character and gracious compassion to enter the world right now through you. You are making a commitment to that kind of prayer that you will treat others, especially the weak and vulnerable, the way that I treated them when I was on earth. That means that your approach to money, investing, friendship, work, forgiveness, accountability, sexual ethics, gender relations, purity, along with a host of other things, will demonstrate what I taught and lived when I was on earth. To bring the kingdom to your time, you have to live counter-culturally to the world around you. You must live for something other than what the people around you pursue. There is an urgency about this. Your younger and emerging adults have great skepticism about My followers and their churches because they have not seen this kingdom urgency in you. So much of their skepticism can be blamed on some disingenuous leaders and greedy imposters claiming to be My shepherds. These charlatans have crowded the media stage, begging for money and pronouncing a morality that they personally do not live. While the vast majority of the leaders in My church are good and decent people, the few who have made headlines have played right into the devil’s hands so he could make Me and those who follow Me look bad. Another problem is that so few of My followers actually live with kingdom urgency. Listen to My words of warning in the verses below about being “apathetic” and “complacent”. Seek My kingdom first — seek the righteousness and compassion that I demonstrated in My ministry. The Father longs to give you the kingdom, yet you must be seeking it, longing for it, and living it if you are going to see My kingdom come! Verses to Live As you read these words from Luke, please know this: if you live for My kingdom and My righteousness, you will be investing in what can’t be stolen, won’t decay, and will never depreciate. Your heart will pursue what I pursued. And the Father? Well, the Father will be overjoyed to give you what your heart has pursued! Jesus to His disciples: My little flock, don’t be afraid. God is your Father, and your Father’s great joy is to give you His kingdom. That means you can sell your possessions and give generously to the poor. You can have a different kind of savings plan: one that never depreciates, one that never defaults, one that can’t be plundered by crooks or destroyed by natural calamities. Your treasure will be stored in the heavens, and since your treasure is there, your heart will be lodged there as well. I’m not just talking theory. There is urgency in all this. If you’re apathetic and complacent, then you’ll miss the moment of opportunity. You should be wide awake and on your toes like servants who are waiting for their master to return from a big wedding reception. They’ll have their shoes on and their lamps lit so they can open the door for him as soon as he arrives home. How fortunate those servants will be when the master knocks and they open the door immediately! You know what the master will do? He’ll put on an apron, sit them down at the kitchen table, and he’ll serve them a midnight snack. The later he comes home — whether it’s at midnight or even later, just before dawn — the more fortunate the alert servants will be. In contrast, imagine a complacent, apathetic household manager whose house gets robbed. If he had been aware that thieves were waiting in the bushes and what hour they were coming, he would have watched and he never would have left the house! I’m trying to tell you that these are times for alertness, times requiring a sense of urgency and intensity, because like the master in the first story or the thief in the second, the Son of Man shows up by surprise. Peter: Lord, I’m not sure if this parable is intended only for us disciples or if this is for everyone else too. Jesus: Imagine the stories of two household managers, and decide for yourself which one is faithful and smart. Each household manager is told by his master to take good care of all his possessions and to oversee the other employees — the butlers, cooks, gardeners, and so on. One servant immediately busies himself in doing just what he was told. His master eventually comes to check on him and rewards him with a major promotion and with more responsibility and trust. The other household manager thinks, “Look, my boss is going to be gone for a long time. I can be complacent; there’s