The Devotional Jhn15

The Devotional

Comment: Spiritual blindness as referenced in the Holy Bible is a condition that is first personal then national. This morning we will look at national blindness as all countries in the world today are affected by this blindness. From time to time in the past God called men and women to turn their nations back to the LORD. Men like Moses and the Judges of Israel, including Deborah and Esther. When the New Testament of the grace of God began around AD 34-37 the LORD God opened the door for all nations to repent and come to Him through Christ. The apostle Paul became the first Missionary to the nations, see Acts 9:15, as time moved forward, men like Whitfield, Wesley, Darby, Torrey, Graham, Taylor, Finney and even Andrew Murray (one of my favorites). All played an important part in removing the national Spiritual Blindness from their nations, some of these are from our very own. Again today our nation like all others need to return to the LORD Jesus Christ. God is willing to use your or me, if we will only stand up; but in the USA we have become fearful in face of the enemy, just as in the days of Samuel the last Judge of Israel.

Challenge: John 4:39-54 – We already know what is happening this day in Samaria, the conversation at the well with the woman, her conversion to follow Jesus and the disciples who are confused as to what is going on around them. Now we are going to see the spiritual blindness of this city of Sychar in Samaria melt away as they return to the Living God (return is another word for repent). The scriptures reveal these three events, 

(1)   Many of the Samaritans believed because of the testimony of the woman,

(2)   Many more believed because the LORD Himself who stayed with the people of Sychar for two days, teaching them things pertaining to the kingdom of God, and

(3)   As the Word of God removed the spiritual blindness of the nation, the woman’s testimony of one, was replaced by national revival.

Having completed His mission in Samaria, Jesus goes back to Galilee, with this discernment in His heart, He was welcomed by the people of Galilee, disappointed by the people in Jerusalem when He cleansed the temple and questioned by Nicodemus a high ranking official of the Pharisee. At this time Jesus seeks a friendly place to go and true the people in Cana of Galilee were friendly, they were eye witnesses of His miracle of making water turn into wine. Yet I believe that their friendliness was only superficial. 

A noble person, literally a royal official Herod Antipas *could be a political or military official* of the town of Capernaum approaches the LORD. Jesus who seems frustrated with the way people were responding to faith in Him, says to the nobleman, “Unless you people see signs and wonders you will by no means believe.” Alfred Edersheim in his comments on the second visit of Jesus to Cana indicates that the nobleman may have been a devout Jew or proselyte. Edersheim explains that the man has knowledge of the Talmud and the healings recorded in these writings of some of the more popular Rabbis of the past.

“Go your way, your son lives.” “So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way”. This is the second sign or miracle of Jesus and records another Truth to remove the national blindness that prevents mankind from seeing the grace of God. So I believe that the LORD Jesus who is seeking at this point to restore faith and worship of God in the nation and return peace to Jerusalem is seeing the evidence that this is not going to happen. What does happen however is that the nobleman finds that his son is restored to health, even at the same hour when Jesus said to him that his son lives and the nobleman believes by faith including his entire household.

John the Baptizer explains plainly that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, the Samaritans also made this claim in John 4:42. For me this truth is a worldwide expression of God’s love for all peoples, nations, tribes and tongues. Either one by one or nation by nation. His desires is for each of us who are saved by grace to march forward to the victory. Are you marching forward or are you wearing out your *armchair*?