Dig Deeper:
EVERYONE HAS FAITH: Often times Christians are referred to as 'people of faith.' Certainly this is true, but it's no more true of Christians than it is of any other type of person. All people have faith; the only question is what a person has faith in. Some people's faith is in themselves, others is in the government, others in their job, or family members, or whatever else people trust. The disciples had faith before Jesus showed up in their lives, but when they began to see Him "reveal His glory, they put their faith in Him (v11)." What's the difference between just believing in Jesus and putting your faith in Jesus?
THEY REMEMBERED: It must have been awkward for the disciples as Jesus ransacked the temple courts. They had just met Jesus and now all of the sudden He's making this big scene. But then they remembered what they had read in Psalm 69 (v17), and it helped them recognize that Jesus was the Son of God. It can often be difficult and even awkward to understand what God is doing, but trust that as you read scripture, you will remember it and be able to use it to understand who He is.
THEY DEMANDED: The disciples looked at Jesus' actions in the temple courts through the lens of scripture and understood what He was doing. The Jews looked at those actions through the lens of their own misplaced faith (their faith was in their complicated man made religious system, not in the scriptures they had been given) and demanded miraculous proof that Jesus had authority. It's interesting that Jesus neither performs a miracle, nor does He point back to what was written about Him in the scriptures. It's as if He says 'you didn't believe what was written about me, so I'm not going to show you any proof of who I am.' People who don't believe God's Word have no business demanding anything from Him.
Follow the AAA Prayer Pattern:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Jesus is the image of the Father's glory (v11)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God will help you remember His words throughout the day (v17, 22)
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Comments