Hope Reflected

Encouragement and Hope from God's Word

Jesus's earthly ministry Archive

Monday

29

April 2024

Essential to living

Written by , Posted in Christian Living, Published Work

"I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35) | read more on hopereflected.com

Bread has been around since ancient times and is one of the most basic and fundamental food staples. It’s an important—and enjoyable—food that can be used in versatile ways and that has many variations to accommodate people with all kinds of food allergies and sensitivities.

“Labour not for the meat which perisheth”

Readers of the last two columns are familiar with the miracle in which Jesus turned five barley loaves and two small fishes into a feast for five thousand people (with leftovers, no less!). Jesus had provided a feast that filled these poor, hungry people, and they wanted more.

The multitudes in the passage of John 6 were following Jesus, pursuing after Him with passion because of their own self-interest.

Jesus called them out on their self-serving seeking, saying, “Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” (John 6:26).

He exhorted them, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.” (v. 27).

Seeking after Christ and feasting on His Word

Bread is of no use to us if we don’t make it or go to the store and buy it. Furthermore, bread is no use to us if we just leave it sitting in the bread drawer and we never eat it. It must, as Ellicott wrote in his Commentary for English Readers, be “appropriated and eaten.”

From this, we can draw a similar picture of our relationship with Christ. If we say that we believe in Him, then we should as effect seek after Him and feast on His Word.

What good is it if we claim Christian as our title but we have nothing to show for it?

Thank God, our salvation is not based on good works, but certainly we should have good works to demonstrate as a result of our salvation.

The bread of life

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (6:35).

The bread of life.

Jesus is essential to living.

He is not optional.

He is our only Hope, and of a surety, He is our greatest Hope.

He is the only way to Heaven.

As Matthew Henry wrote, “he is to the Soul what bread is to the body, nourishes and supports the spiritual life. He is the Bread of God. Bread which the Father gives, which he has made to be the food of our souls.”

The bread of life must be part of our daily life

So many of us are guilty of indulging in a “fast-food” faith.

The bread of life must be a part of our daily life. To be nourished by The Word requires us to dedicate and spend time in His Word. Just as basic hunger and thirst reminds us to feed our physical bodies and stay hydrated, when we find our souls hungry and thirsty, it should serve as a reminder that we must come to Him and we must believe on Him.

Originally published as “Essential to living.” Independent Plus. September 29, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Sunday

2

April 2023

What is Palm Sunday?

Written by , Posted in Christian Living, Published Work

What is Palm Sunday? Read more about the history on hopereflected.com

Traditionally, on the sixth Sunday of Lent (the week before Easter Sunday), Christians the world over celebrate Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday is the celebration and remembrance of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem is so significant that it is accounted for in each of the four Gospels: Matthew 21, Mark 21, Luke 19, and John 12. The feast of Passover sets the scene prefacing the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, where many were seeking after Christ, asking among themselves, “Do you think Jesus will come to Passover?” (John 11:56).

This simple question serves as a great reminder that if you seek after Christ, you will find Him, or rather, He will find you. As Matthew Henry wrote, “None that seek Christ seek in vain.” As the Jews were looking for a Messiah, so many people today are looking for a Savior, someone to rescue them from destruction, to redeem a life they think they’ve ruined, to liberate them from bondage. God Himself said it in Jeremiah 29:13, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

The Jews heard that Jesus was coming to Passover, and so they prepared, as anyone would when they’re anticipating the arrival of an honourable guest. Part of their preparations included spreading their clothing for Him to ride over and spreading palm branches before Him as in the feast of tabernacles.

What does any of this have to do with us today?

So much. Amidst messages of doom and gloom and fighting and war, rather than being hopeless, we should be the most hope-filled! I’ve written before that there is no detail so small that it is not of utmost importance if it’s included in Scripture. In the account of Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem in John 12, verse 13 describes that the people took “branches of palm trees”. Of all the trees that are native to Jerusalem—pine, cyprus, olive, acacia—why did the people grab hold of palm branches to spread before our Lord? Because Victory Himself had arrived!

A symbol of Victory

Throughout history, palm branches have been symbolic of victory and triumph. It was Cicero who coined the term plurimarum palmarum homo (a man of many palms) to describe a winner. And here in John 12, as Christ entered Jerusalem, preparing for His death and resurrection, this symbol of palm leaves points to His ultimate victory over any and all other principalities and powers.

John 12 is not the first time that we read about palm branches in the Bible. Consider the feast of tabernacles described in Leviticus 23 and Nehemiah 8. These accounts specifically reference the use of palm branches as part of the ceremony and celebration. They tie together with Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem and remind us that all the feasts aforementioned in Scripture are directly linked to Christ’s Gospel.

As we celebrate Palm Sunday, we are once again reminded that the Victory is already won!
Christ has already conquered Satan and darkness, and He is coming again!

Hope Reflected

Now, as we celebrate Palm Sunday, we are once again reminded that the Victory is already won! Christ has already conquered Satan and darkness, and He is coming again! Let’s start living like we believe it!

Originally published as “What is Palm Sunday?” Independent Plus. March 30, 2023: 5. Print. Web.

Read more about the history of Lent and Easter here.

Monday

31

October 2022

Wise investments

Written by , Posted in Christian Living, Published Work

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:20-21 | Read more at hopereflected.com

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21).

At the time when Jesus shared this, houses were mostly made from clay and dirt, making them pretty easy for thieves to break in. People had to take special care of their possessions to protect them, including burying treasures in the earth so that they were harder to find. Contact with dirt meant that valuables corroded more easily.

Where to put our focus

In this parable, Jesus isn’t telling us that it’s sinful to have money, or that we shouldn’t save for the future, or that it’s wrong for us to own more than one change of clothes, or that we are materialistic if we have an appreciation for nice things. What Jesus is telling us in this parable is that laying up treasures on this earth should not be our primary focus – we ought rather to put our focus on laying up treasures in heaven.

Matthew Henry wrote that, “Christ counsels to make our best things the joys and glories of the other world, those things not seen which are eternal, and to place our happiness in them.” The point of the parable is this; a life that is centred on earthly position and possessions is pointless. Only a life centred on Christ holds true, eternal value.

So how do we lay up treasures in heaven while we’re here on earth?

We lay up treasures in heaven through wise investments. As Christians, we are responsible to tithe (not only to the church but also to the organizations that are doing Kingdom work). We are called to be “given to hospitality” (Romans 12:13) by being welcoming and generous towards others, and because we have His certain Hope, we should live accordingly so that others through us see Christ and come to know Him.

“The only things we can keep

are the things that we freely give to God.”

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Finite vs. Infinite

Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:17, we are not to “trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;”. We may have earthly riches, but if we aren’t good stewards of our earthly riches, we won’t appreciate or be grateful for all that God has blessed us with. Earthly riches are finite if we are only enjoying them and not also investing them for eternity.

Attributed to Solomon, who was the wisest and richest man of his day, Proverbs 23:5 asks, “Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” As C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, “the only things we can keep are the things that we freely give to God.” While corrosion of our earthly possessions is inevitable, conservation of heavenly treasures is possible.

Anyone can lay up treasures on earth that they can’t keep, it takes real wisdom to lay up eternal treasures that you can’t lose.

Originally published as “Wise investments.” Independent Plus. February 24, 2022: 5. Print. Web.