NFL Playoff Picks, Week 2

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Jason

Okay, so I told you last week that Sunny always wears me out in these picks. Appropriately, she ran the table, winning all four games. I split, so she has a fairly insurmountable lead at this point.

Sunny: 4-0
Jason: 2-2

In my defense, few people could’ve foreseen the Falcons’ meltdown. And even fewer could’ve predicted Tebow, although I was cheering for him. So I have to really make some hay this week.

So here we go. Here are our picks:

New Orleans at San Francisco
Sunny’s pick: Saints
Jason’s pick: Saints

No way either of us can pick against N’Awlins right now. They’re the hottest team in the league and my wife knows this. I’ll have to look for another spot where I can make up some ground.

Denver at New England
Sunny’s pick: Pats
Jason’s pick: Pats

I thought she might get caught up in all the Tebow hoopla, but again, she’s too savvy. It’s one thing to beat a battered and bruised Steeler team at home; it’s another to go cross country and face Brady and Bellichik. Pats will roll in this one.

Houston at Baltimore
Sunny’s pick: Texans
Jason’s pick: Ravens

Ahhhh, here we go. This is my chance. Although the Texans have been a nice story this year, there’s no way they win on the road with a rookie quarterback against a team like Baltimore. I’m positive about this. Which means, of course, that Baltimore will get crushed and TJ Yates will throw for 400 yards.

New York at Green Bay
Sunny’s pick: Green Bay
Jason’s pick: Green Bay

Neither of us can pick against the champs. At this point, I have to go chalk and hope the Ravens take care of business against Houston. If I have another week like I did last week I’m toast! Fingers crossed…

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John 10

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Friday, Jan. 13: John 10

In John 10, Jesus gives us two metaphors for understanding His role: gate and shepherd.

With regard to the gate, it seems that Jesus is making a different point at first. At the beginning of this teaching, one would think that He would identify Himself with the gatekeeper of v3. But Jesus expands the metaphor to say, “No, that’s not enough. It’s not just that I’m the gatekeeper; I’m the gate!” As we’ll see next week in John 14, Jesus stands as the exclusive entry into the life of God. Those with the humility to accept this (like the man healed of blindness from ch9) are brought into the fold; those whose pride won’t allow them to admit their spiritual condition (like the Pharisees) are not.

I love what Jesus has to say about His role as the “Good Shepherd”. First of all, I love that Jesus identifies Himself with such an “ordinary” and “lowly” occupation. No little Jewish boy dreamed of someday growing up to be a shepherd; it was the equivalent of having a paper route. Yet Jesus uses this to demonstrate His own humility, a humility that led Him to leave heaven, take on flesh, and enter into human history. In Paul’s words, He made Himself nothing, took the nature of a servant made in human likeness (Philippians 2). But Jesus takes it a step farther: rather than being a “hired hand”, Jesus willingly lays down His life for His sheep. John 10 directly links this action with the eternal life Jesus offers those who would follow Him. Jesus comes to give life, life in full (v10).

At the end of the chapter, Jesus leaves and goes back to the wilderness, back to the place where John was baptizing. And the text tell us that in this place, many people believed in Him (v42). After what we’ve read so far, it seems fair to say that Jesus is outdone with the Pharisees and their unbelief; He opts to leave all the debating behind and to move on to a different location, one that’s more conducive to faith.

There’s a word here for us. There are certain times and places for Christians to engage in discussion — even lively ones — with individuals who press us about our faith. But spiritual discernment also leads us to choose the path of Jesus, leaving behind all the squabbling and bickering when it’s not leading to faith or if it’s detrimental to our own faith. Perhaps you have a family member or co-worker who is particularly antagonistic toward you; maybe they’re always wanting to take you to task or belittle you for what you believe. In light of John 10, I find myself praying for wisdom to know when to speak and to know when it’s better to move on. Clearly Jesus is prompted by a deeper conviction, an awareness that His time has not yet come in John 10. But Jesus also teaches His disciples to share this same level of discernment in their own evangelistic efforts: knowing when to keep pressing and knowing when it’s better to shake the dust off their feet and move on (Matthew 10).

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John 9

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Jason

Chapter 9 brings us to a man born in blindness and his healing encounter with Jesus. Although I wouldn’t want to push the causal implications of v3, Jesus indicates that the man’s condition is occasion for God’s power to be demonstrated. The elements of this healing are pretty ordinary: saliva, mud, water. But it is this man’s obedience — the sign of true vision — that restores his sight. This blind man can see what the Pharisees can not; he “sees” who Jesus is, even without the aid of his eyes.

The Pharisees seem to only be looking for reasons NOT to believe. In this case, despite the once-was-blind-but-now-I-see man right in front of them, they decide Jesus can’t be a prophet because the healing occurred on a Sabbath. Their fear-mongering is effective; the man’s own parents are afraid of testifying about Jesus for fear of being put out of the synagogue (v22). The Pharisees’ refusal to both see and listen (v27) point to their need for Jesus. (John is careful, though, to give us the example of Nicodemus, a Jewish leader who seems open to understanding Jesus on His own terms.) The story ends with the healed man being thrown out of the synagogue (v34).

I love what happens next: Jesus seeks out the man again. He asks, “Do you believe in the Son of Man? (v35)” and the man replies, “Lord, I believe” (v38). Through faith, this man experiences the full healing Christ comes to extend to blind humanity. Through his humble reception of Jesus, this man — displaced, rejected by his own faith community — is received hospitably by Jesus.

Praise God that through Jesus He has taken us in as well! He receives us in our spiritual blindness and gives us Jesus, the lenses we need to see the world and ourselves properly. Remember Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5.3). The first step to receiving the Kingdom is a posture of humility: recognizing our need for what only Christ can provide. Jesus’ words to the Pharisees serve as a warning against spiritual haughtiness: “If you were blind, you would not be guilty; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” (9.41)

Jesus seeks those with humility to recognize the blindness of their own lives. Jesus seeks those who are willing to admit they can’t make it on their own. And Jesus promises a place for those who experience rejection for His sake, culminating in a home of eternal life with God.

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John 8

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Wednesday, Jan 11: John 8

This is probably my favorite chapter in John so far. It’s so rich with teaching: the contrast between truth and lie; the belief that Jesus is the light of the world; the hope that in Him we have eternal life. These are themes that John puts on full display here in this chapter.

I could write pages and pages on the opening scene with the woman caught in adultery. The Pharisees conceived this perfect plan: if Jesus condemns her for her sin, He stands in violation of Roman law — because the Jews, under Roman occupation, were incapable of carrying out their own death sentences. But if he concedes to Rome, He’s in danger of violating a greater law in their eyes: the law of Moses.

But Jesus has a perfect plan of His own: grace. They drag this woman before Him and demand a verdict, but Jesus won’t dishonor her by even looking at her shameful state. Instead, he stoops down and begins writing in the dirt. When they press Him for an answer, He acknowledges her sin and the just punishment: death. But He adds a crucial caveat: if you’re going to play judge and jury, you’d better be sure you’re without sin first. This calls to mind His teaching from the sermon on the mount re: the speck in your brother’s eye and the plank in your own.

I love what Jesus says to her: “Where have your accusers gone? Has no one condemned you?” When she looks around and tells Him they’ve gone, His reply is dripping with mercy: “Then neither do I condemn you.” As Paul will tell us later, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, (Rom 8.1)”. But Jesus doesn’t just leave her where she is; He calls her into a new life. “Now go, and sin no more.”

As we wrestle with sin, we can take courage that our relationship with Christ secures for us this same graceful position, a place devoid of condemnation before God. However, we should also heed Jesus’ words here; grace should never be abused. Paul reminds us of this, too, in Romans 8.

V12 – Jesus declares to be the light of the world. In Isaiah 49.6, Israel was commanded to be a light to the Gentiles. “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” Where Israel fails at this call, Jesus is successful. Through Jesus, people of every tribe, race, nation, and tongue can enter into covenant relationship with God. But the religious leaders of Jesus’ day have difficulty with this. They perceive Jesus as a threat to the establishment — and more pointedly, as a threat to their position. But v30 tells us “Even as He spoke, many believed in Him.”

Chapter 8 gives us a full understanding of the relationship between grace and obedience. Jesus says we are all slaves to sin (v7, 34), yet through obedience to Him, we might taste eternal life (v51). This is the truth that sets us free (v32).

What are your thoughts as you read through chapter 8? What questions emerge for you as you reflect on what we’ve read so far?

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John 7

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Jason

In this chapter, as with the previous ones, Jesus operates with a tremendous awareness of timing. He continues to stress, “My time has not yet come.” This prompts an awareness of God’s timing in our own lives. Sometimes we pray and we wonder where God might be. We wonder why He doesn’t answer our prayer, at least in the time we feel would be best. Jesus’ attitude helps strengthen our resolve to trust in God’s timing in all things.

v7 – Jesus indicates that His prophetic ministry is putting Him at odds with the world. “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.” As we’ll read next week in ch15, Jesus will commission His disciples to carry out this same truth-speaking ministry of bold proclamation. But He is also honest with these followers: as the world treats Jesus, so too will it treat us. We’ll discuss that more fully next week. But I appreciate the fact that Jesus doesn’t sugar coat things. He wants His disciples to know that the worldly powers are opposed to His ministry and these same forces will oppose any who claim to follow in His steps.

v24 – “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” Jesus also identifies the source of His teaching ministry: God. The crowds are flocking to Jesus as a miracle-worker, a healer, a provider. But Jesus pushes them deeper, to an adherence to His teaching about the Kingdom.

v25-30 – The crowds have an expectation of the Messiah, that He will appear (almost like Melchizedek) without origin. They say, “Jesus isn’t the Messiah! We know where He’s from!” But again, John winks at us as we’re seated in the audience. They THINK they know where He’s from (Nazareth), but they’re really missing the point. He’s the eternal Word, come from heaven to earth to dwell among us (ch1). So Jesus fulfills their expectation, just not in the way they thought He would.

I also love the subtle line: “At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.” Implies that Jesus was able to fend them off or thwart their efforts to take him. He’s not exactly Mr. Rogers!

I could write more, but I’ll let some others weigh in here. What were your thoughts on this chapter?

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John 6

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Jason

With the strong emphasis on belief that we’ve already discussed, I’m struck once again by how often John’s Gospel uses the word. And yet, despite the miracles in this chapter — the feeding of the 5,000; walking on water — people begin turning away from Jesus, in spite of all that they’ve seen and experienced (v66).

I also find it interesting that Jesus assumes responsibility for the care of the people here. When he asks Philip how they’re going to feed all of them, I’m sure Philip was thinking, “Is this our responsibility?” But Jesus DOES accept this burden. I think this foreshadows His role as the Good Shepherd in ch10.

Jesus seems to be testing the disciples faithfulness and their resourcefulness. I love what Andrew does here, bringing the young boy’s lunch to Jesus. With this mustard seed, He proceeds to produce miraculous abundance. The same is true of our gifts, no matter the size. With Jesus, our gifts are multiplied into blessings for others. What gifts can you offer? What’s in your “lunch box”?

V14 — People have a particular belief about Jesus, but He withdraws when the action prompted by this belief (attempting to make him king by force) runs contrary to His ultimate purpose.

I love how the people in this chapter are searching for Jesus. It calls me to think with fresh eyes about those around me who are searching for Truth, for Life, for Love.

Finally, I love Peter’s response when Jesus asks if the disciples want to desert Him, too. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” My paraphrase: “Jesus, you’re all that we’ve got!” As we’ve said already, the teaching here is that Jesus is enough!

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NFL Playoff Picks

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Jason

Every year, Sunny and I make our NFL playoff picks. I follow the NFL much more closely than I follow the college game these days. There are a number of reasons for this:

1. I find the story lines much more compelling; I find myself following the career arcs of players in the NFL, whereas it’s more difficult to do that with NCAA football where a kid plays a season or two for your favorite team and then he graduates or moves on to the NFL.

2. I also like the fact that the NFL delivers a payout to it’s fans in the form of a true, undisputed champion at seasons end. None of this silly BCS stuff. I don’t know, call me crazy, but I consider the superior sport the one that provides the most satisfying culmination of the season’s story lines. No one debates the validity of Green Bay’s Super Bowl win last year. They’re the champs, plain and simple. Until the NCAA does away with the BCS and the meaningless pageantry of the bowl system in favor a true playoff system, the NFL will be the superior format. Hands down.

3. Most importantly, my Vols stink.

Anyway, NFL playoff time is a ritual around our house. Sunny hardly watches a game all year and she usually destroys me with these picks. Nevertheless, we pick. It’s just what we do.

Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans
Jason’s pick: Houston
Sunny’s pick: Houston
I like the fact that Houston can run the ball and they have a stout defense. Sunny is picking the home team. (Smart girl.)

Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints
Jason’s pick: New Orleans
Sunny’s pick: New Orleans
No brainer.

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants
Jason’s pick: Atlanta
Sunny’s pick: New York
Here we have our first divergence in our picks. I like Matt Ryan’s options here: Turner, Gonzalez, Jones, White, Douglas. Sunny likes the fact that Eli already had to beat Dallas to get in, so it’s like they’ve already been in playoff mode. Says she’s playing the hot hand. Plus they’re the home team. She’s making a lot of sense. Why do I feel like she knows way more about this than I do?

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
Jason’s pick: Pittsburgh
Sunny’s pick: Denver
I say the Tebow story comes to an end here. Who better to rain on the parade than Big Ben and the hard nosed Steelers? But they are pretty banged up and I just realized Sunny has picked all the home teams to win here, which is pretty smart. No matter, I’m going with my gut here. She says Tebow will win.

There you go. We’ll check in on Sunday to see how we did.

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John 5

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Friday, January 6th: John 5

So many powerful things in this chapter. I’ll just list a few that stand out to me.

v2 – From the ESV Study Bible: “Bethesda” means ‘house of mercy,’ a fitting term given the desperate state of the people lying there in hope of a miracle cure.” In essence, Jesus is the miracle drug that these disabled people have been waiting for. There’s such anticipation and fulfillment in this story. As Mallory noted in the comments yesterday, Jesus is enough!

v5 – “Do you want to be healed?” As with the Samaritan woman, Jesus is able to drill down to this person’s most heartfelt desire. For all his cosmic language in the prologue, John describes Jesus as a Messiah full of particularities: philosophically sparring with an intellectual seeker like Nicodemus; tenderly yet boldly dealing with the Samaritan woman’s tattered relationship history; and now, approaching the desperate man at the pool to bring healing to his weakened legs. All of this to say: what would Jesus say if He were to approach me? If I were a character in John’s Gospel (and given the way he ends his Gospel, I think it’s safe to say he has us in mind when he writes!), what area of my life would Jesus transform, redeem, restore?

v17 – “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” God did not continue to rest after the 7th day, but He is an active, living God. So too, is Jesus at work in the world in John’s Gospel — healing, teaching, forgiving sins and, ultimately, sacrificing His life. But on this side of the resurrection, I believe we can affirm that Jesus is also at work in the present to bring freedom and abundant life to us today.

I also love what Jesus has to say about glory at the end of the chapter. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would have nothing in His natural appearance that would draw people to Him: “no form or majesty that we should look at him,and no beauty that we should desire him,” (Isa 53.2). But there is glory here: glory to be revealed at the cross as an indication of the Father’s love; glory to be revealed at the empty tomb as an indication of the Father’s power. This glory will continue to develop in John’s Gospel, but he sets the stage for what is to come with v44: “How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” The humble, suffering servant of Isa 53 reminds us that pride can be a major obstacle to entering the Kingdom of God. Will you receive glory from others or will to give glory to the only God?

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John 4

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Thursday, January 5th: John 4

The story of the Samaritan woman at the well is one of my favorite in the whole Bible. I’m really convinced that she contrasts Nicodemus in the previous chapter:
He is male; she is female.
He is Jewish; she is a Samaritan.
His name is known to us (Nicodemus); she remains anonymous to us, even today.
He comes to Jesus under cloak of night; she encounters Him at high noon.
He is well respected for his piety; she is a known sinner.

And yet…Jesus has a place for both of them. The Kingdom life isn’t just for well-respected Nicodemuses; it’s also for outcast Samaritan women. As we said yesterday, the amazing gift of Jesus is intended for “the whole world”.

I love verse 4: Now he had to go through Samaria. Geographically, this isn’t true. There were plenty of routes Jesus could’ve taken to avoid Samaria altogether; in fact, many devout Jews of His day would’ve done this very thing. But the necessity is relational and spiritual. Jesus knows there’s a soul to save at this well. Jesus asks her, “Will you give me a drink?” — and the resulting conversation shifts to uncover her greatest thirst. She has been seeking fulfillment in the arms of multiple lovers; in Jesus, she finds the unconditional and transformative love she’s been seeking all along.

Based on her testimony, the people of her village — the same ones who reviled her for her sinfulness — come to know Jesus as Lord, confessing their faith in Him. Her testimony is simple: “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”

Let’s continue to be praying about the people around us. May God give us the courage to say, “Come and see…”

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John 3

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Jason

John 3.16 is one of the landmark texts in the Christian Scriptures. It looms large, like a mountain peak, towering above all other verses in our collective consciousness. With telescopic range, it encapsulates the enormity of the Gospel message in concise fashion. We quote it, we put it on billboards, we write it on placards and hold them up at football games. For many of us, John 3.16 has been a part of our lives since before we can remember.

For me, it was the first passage of Scripture I ever memorized. It reminds me of my mother, who taught it to me in my earliest years. I think of one Sunday evening from my childhood, riding in the car with my grandmother. We were on our way to worship at her small church out in the country and she asked me to quote it. Over and over, with more conviction, she had me recite John 3.16. In our family, as in many others, John 3.16 was a verse you carried in your pocket, a portable reminder of God’s enduring love.

“For God..” — A reminder that our lives are inextricably altered when we encounter the Living God. If not “for God”, where would we be?

“…so loved…” — God’s hallmark quality – steadfast, enduring love – defies our gauging metrics. As Paul would say, there is no height nor depth nor width with which we might contain the totality of God’s love toward us.

“…the world…” — Not some of us. Not most of us. Not the good little boys and girls. All of us. The entire world. Every man, woman, and child. Every image bearer who ever has been and ever will be. Every. Last. One.

“…that He gave…” — From His bountiful plenitude, God gives. His generosity extends to the deepest part of Himself, the self-giving and sacrificial nature He demonstrates through this incredible Gift.

“…his only begotten Son…” — The uniqueness of this gift testifies to the motivating impulse of the Giver. God, in all His splendor, has but one Son to give.

“…that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish…” — Just as Moses lifted up the serpent and all who beheld it were delivered (Num. 21), so too is Jesus exalted and to behold Him is to find deliverance and salvation.

“…but have everlasting life.” — Life eternal, life abundant. Life to come and life today. Life in the fullness of the Kingdom someday and life alive to the reality of its expansion in the present. True life. Whole life. Nothing less than this is bequeathed to us through Christ.

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