Where's God? Finding Him in the Small Stuff

"Light" in the Bible often equates to salvation. In Psalm 27, David wrote, "The Lord is my light and my salvation." So when Jesus proclaimed, "I AM the Light of the World," He was saying that, through Him, we can find salvation. And when Jesus is your "Light and your salvation," then He resides, He guides, and He decides. The response of the Pharisees to what Jesus was saying was a low blow.

The religious leaders of Jesus' day knew Isaiah 42 and Isaiah 49 like the back of their hands. God had inspired the prophet to write about His Messiah as the "Light of the World." So when they heard Jesus say, "I AM the Light of the World," they understood exactly what He was claiming. He was the Messiah. It shook their world with an earthquake of resentment and anger. But it is good news for every believer!

When Jesus proclaimed, "I AM the Light of the World," it came out of the context of the Feast of Tabernacles. During that celebration, an impressive "light ceremony" took place when huge menorahs in Jerusalem were filled with oil and set on fire. Jesus had attended the Feast, and He used the symbolism of the light ceremony to apply to Himself.

Some people may look at the Bible as a book which is full of darkness and death. There are, after all, accounts of devastation, like at the flood of the Old Testament and awful death, like at the cross of the New Testament. Add huge battles where thousands were killed, and end-time prophecies with more of the same, and you could, seemingly, make that case. However, for believers, the Bible is a book of light and life. What transforms it from one to the other?

When Jesus proclaimed to His followers, "I AM the Good Shepherd," He also said, "I lay down My life." What did He mean as we look back at the cross in this day and age? Jesus talked, too, about how God "knows" Him. What was that all about? And how do WE know Jesus as the Good Shepherd?

To fully appreciate Jesus' declaration of "I AM the Good Shepherd," we have to go back to the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, chapter 34. There we find the context of Jesus' statement, God's condemnation of the "bad shepherds" of Israel, found in the Jewish priesthood. God promised to send them a Shepherd who would care for them, a Good Shepherd. Surely, the crowd around Jesus that day must have made the connection, and understood the significance of what Jesus was saying.

Jesus promises that the sheep who follow His voice will receive "abundant life." What does that mean? This life reflects the "unlimited limit" of Jesus when it comes to salvation. The pasture of eternal life is unlimited. It is available to ALL. But it is limited too. It can be entered into by only ONE Gate. If you miss that Gate, then you miss the pasture, and you miss eternity with Jesus. Open that Gate, and abundant life awaits you in heaven!

Jesus told the crowd, "I Am the Gate," and talked about how His sheep listen to His voice, and will run away from a stranger's call. What form does this take today for contemporary Christians? How does Satan try to deceive us with subtle counterfeits? Because we live in a fallen world today, we need to be able to know Truth from fiction.

When Jesus said to the crowd around Him, "I AM the Gate," He was making a profound statement. It was clear that the "sheepfold" mentioned in the story offered safety, salvation, and eternal life. But there was only one way into that sheep pen. Only one Gate. There was absolutely, positively, no other way to enter it, but by this one and only Gate. People back then didn't like that teaching very much. Many still don't like it.

When Jesus proclaimed to His followers, "I Am the Gate," He also told them a story about sheep, and a sheepfold, and thieves and robbers, and a Shepherd who calls His sheep "by name." What does it all mean and what is the symbolism telling us? Who's who in this metaphor, anyway?

Just before Jesus proclaimed to the crowd, "I Am the Gate," He miraculously healed a man who had been born blind. That healing really stunned the people who knew the blind man and were familiar with his disability. Why was there such a strong reaction to this particular healing? Because it was more than a healing, it was creating! And yes, that is stunning! And yes, it was the perfect lead-in for Jesus' "I AM" statement found in John 10.

After Jesus declared to the crowd, "I AM the Bread of Life," He had to convince them that the "bread of heaven" was not Manna, but Him. He had to show them that Manna was temporary, but He is eternal. He had to inform them that those who ate Manna still died, but those who believe in Him will never die. Manna was sent by God to give life to His people physically for "now," but Jesus was sent by God to give life spiritually, for now and forever.

When Jesus told the crowd, "I AM the Bread of Life," He was using the "Name of God" and applying it to Himself. "I AM" is the Name which the Lord revealed to Moses in the Old Testament book of Exodus. What does this Name mean, and how did those people react to Jesus' claim? Eventually, they wanted to know what they could DO to earn God's favor. Jesus explained to them that they should not be asking "what," but "Who?"

The day after Jesus fed 5,000 men, plus women and children, in a miraculous way, using only two fish and five loaves, He declared to them, "I Am the Bread of Life." What was it about the miracle that made His statement so startling to them? And how did it prove the "paradox of the full belly?"

Host Greg McCollam's reading of the full text of "A Tree Full of Stars" by West Virginia author, Davis Grubb.

Simeon was an old man who had been promised by God that he would see the Messiah, God's Promised One, before he died. When Simeon observed Mary and Joseph entering the temple in Jerusalem with Jesus, he knew that God had fulfilled His promise. Still, it was important that Simeon hold Jesus in his own arms. Why? I think it has to do with the time of year when Jesus was born (spoiler, it was not in December!). And Simeon's proclamation had some sadness to it, especially for his mother, Mary.

When the angels appeared to the shepherds on that first Christmas night, they proclaimed certain things about a Savior who had been born. Some of these were signs for the shepherds so they would know when they had found Him in Bethlehem. In turn, the shepherds proclaimed these things to Mary and Joseph, and to the whole world through the gospel of Luke. God sent His messengers to the lowliest of the low that night, so that they could become unlikely messengers themselves, and a further proof of the truth of their proclamations!

When Pilate finally pronounced judgment upon Jesus, he turned and washed his hands in an expression of innocence of "this man's blood." In doing so, he was repeating the religious ritual of "hand washing" which was part of the Jewish seder observed during Passover. Does this mean that Pilate was ultimately innocent of the condemnation of Jesus, or was he truly guilty of Jesus' crucifixion?

At the conclusion of Jesus' second trial before Pilate, the religious leaders persuaded the crowd to demand that a man named Barrabas be released, and Jesus be crucified. How did the religious leaders convince the crowd to do so? We talk about that and also about how God's plan is almost always accomplished by man's hands, even if the man or woman whose hands God is using does not know it at the time.

At the end of Jesus' second trial, Pilate offered to release a prisoner, who would be set free. The crowd shouted for Barabbas instead of Jesus. Who was Barabbas? What do we know about him? Why did Pilate leave this decision to the people when he was the Roman governor in charge of the region? And what role did Pilate's wife play in this whole drama?

Jesus has been sent back to Pilate by Herod, which must have come as quite a surprise to Pilate. He thought he had seen the last of Jesus when he sent Him Herod's way, at least he hoped so. Why did Herod refuse to decide Jesus fate? And why did the "Hosanna" of Palm Sunday eventually turn into the "Crucify" of Good Friday?

Herod subjected Jesus to a harsh interrogation, even though Herod thought of Jesus as unimportant. It was during this trial that Herod's soldiers adorned Jesus with a special robe. This robe was different than the one that Pilate's soldiers placed on Jesus later. Does Herod's robe show up elsewhere in scripture, after Jesus' crucifixion? I think it does!

Herod was in charge of the area around the Sea of Galilee, the same place where Jesus had carried out the bulk of His ministry. So when Pilate sent Jesus to Herod for prosecution, Herod couldn't wait to interrogate him. Herod planned on making it a big show for all of his friends, but it didn't go quite like that. Who was Herod anyway? How did he become part of the narrative of Jesus' crucifixion?

When Pilate declared, "I find no reason for a charge against this man," he was saying that Jesus had done nothing, that Jesus had no fault, that there was nothing blamable in this case. In essence, Pilate was saying that Jesus was sinless! Can you imagine? From the mouth of a pagan, Roman governor comes the proclamation of truth about Christ, while the religious leaders were screaming for crucifixion. Could part of the problem have been the way the Jerusalem leaders looked at Jews from Galilee? There was a definite divide between them in the religious culture of that day. Jesus was considered to be one of "those" people from Galilee who could not possibly have known better than "us," the elite of Jerusalem!

When Pilate saw Jesus, he didn't seem to be worried about Jesus as a king. After all, the man before him looked bloodied and beaten already. But if Pilate had been able to see Jesus as the King described in the book of Revelation, he would have had a completely different response. So would the lost world today.

When the Jewish religious leaders brought Jesus to Pilate for trial, what were the charges they levied against Jesus? Which of those charges was Pilate most concerned about? Why was this Roman governor worried about what those religious leaders wanted? Why did he feel the need to cater to them? And just who was Pilate anyway?

When Jesus' trial before Caiaphas was over, He was not taken immediately to Pilate by the religious leaders. He was, instead, bound and put back in prison until daybreak when He was once again put on trial, but this time by the whole Sanhedrin. Why the delay and the extra trial? It has to do with rules and regulations which, even though they were breaking so many of them, the Sanhedrin members tried to make it look as though everything they did was right and legal.

Talk about trumped-up charges! When Jesus was arrested and put on trial before the high priest, Caiaphas, the court of the Sanhedrin had already decided not only the verdict, but the one and only charge as well. It had to be nothing else other than blasphemy. Why? And what about Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea? They were members of the Sanhedrin, but they said nothing in defense of Jesus during this trial. Why?

During His trial before Caiaphas, Jesus was found guilty (although He wasn't) of blasphemy. What was blasphemy, exactly? Also, during the trial, Jesus chose to answer some questions, but refused to answer others. What was the difference between those questions? The answer is actually found in the Old Testament, in the books of Daniel and the Psalms.

When Jesus was on trial before Caiaphas, the high priest, many "witnesses" were brought forward to testify in the hopes that some charge could be brought against Him. Finally, two witnesses were found with a somewhat similar story, but it differed in some important ways from what Jesus had actually said. Was this the reason that Jesus refused to answer Caiaphas at first? These things and more were all part of a trial that was not a trial at all.

Jesus' trial before Annas was over and He was taken next to the current high priest, Caiaphas, for another interrogation. During these two trials, the religious leaders broke eighteen rules which were required for any verdict to be legally valid and binding. What were those rules, and why was it so risky to be a witness to a crime back then?

After Jesus' arrest, He was taken to Annas for questioning. Annas had been the high priest at one time and was still seen by many people as the religious authority in Jerusalem. Little did Annas realize that his trial of Jesus was fulfilling the requirement of the Passover lamb, which had to be examined by a priest before it could be sacrificed. Annas, and then Caiaphas, fulfilled that religious requirement, further qualifying Jesus, in every aspect, as God's sacrificial Lamb.

Why did Annas want Jesus silenced? It had something to do with the way Jesus cleared the temple in Jerusalem not once, but twice. The reasons Jesus did it have their roots in the Old Testament, but for Annas, doing so threatened to cut off the primary stream of his significant wealth. He could not stand for that to happen!

Jesus has been arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and is being taken to the former high priest, Annas for questioning. It will be the first of many trials which Jesus will undergo on this awful night. Who was Annas, anyway? You might be surprised to learn just how bad he really was!

When the Israelites left Egypt with Moses, they "plundered" the Egyptians of their valuables like gold jewelry and more. Five hundred years later, God balanced the scales when the Egyptians plundered Israel. And where is the Ark of the Covenant?

When Mark describes the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, he tells us about a young man who is watching everything that is happening and is almost caught by the authorities. He barely escapes their clutches, but leaves his cloak behind, in their grasp, to do so. Who was this young man, and do we find him mentioned again anywhere else in scripture?

When John wrote about Jesus' arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, he made a point to tell us that Jesus was bound. John was drawing a direct line from the story of Abraham and Isaac in the Old Testament to Jesus. John wanted us to see the similarities between what happened to Isaac and Jesus so we would see Jesus as a willing sacrifice, not as a helpless victim.

The crowd that had come to arrest Jesus had just been knocked to the ground by Jesus' words, and they had just witnessed Him heal a man's ear that had been cut off by Peter's dagger. Yet still, they arrested Jesus. My question is, how could they not believe at that point? Instead of binding Him, why did they not bow before Him?

When they came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, there was a huge number of soldiers, priests and other officials that came to do so. Why were so many needed to confront Jesus and his small band of disciples? When the crowd arrived, they were led by Judas who betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Why a kiss? We discuss these things and more during this episode.

Jesus was tested in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His arrest, in many ways that were similar to the ways in which Eve was tested in the Garden of Eden. Why? Because Satan did not want Jesus to go to the cross.

The gospel writers focus on Jesus' prayers when they recount His Garden of Gethsemane experience on the night He was arrested. Jesus asked three times during His prayers that God take away "this cup" if it were possible. What was that cup? Was it possible for God to it away? We discuss these questions and more during this episode.

It is impossible for us to understand the full extent of Jesus' sorrow and grief in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was betrayed. The One without sin was about to die for the sin of the whole world, past, present, and future. Jesus came to pray and asked three of His disciples to share in those prayers. Why did Jesus choose those three, in particular? What would have happened differently if they had not failed in what Jesus asked them to do that night?

When we talk about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, we need to consider the place itself. The garden was located on the Mt. of Olives on the eastern side of Jerusalem. The Mt. of Olives also played a critical role in the life of King David. Actually David's experience there can be compared to Jesus' own in many ways.

As we move into "phase two" of Peter's denial of Jesus, we look not only at the act itself, but the aftermath. What were the consequences for Peter? Did he learn a lesson from it? If so, did he learn?

All the disciples "fell away" once Jesus was arrested, but Peter "disowned" Him. What's the difference? Peter illustrates how our strength can actually be weakness if we rely on ourselves too much.

CSI Jerusalem investigates the cause of death for one Judas Iscariot. What, exactly, was his cause of death? And what, in the final analysis, made him do what he did?

Judas came to the Garden of Gethsemane for one reason, to betray Jesus into the hands of the religious leaders. It was dark and perhaps some of the soldiers with him were not able to distinguish Jesus from His disciples. They needed a signal, one that would assure that they arrested the right man. Judas decided upon a kiss. A betrayer's kiss. Satan can use the best thing in the worst way.

As the Last Supper with the disciples began, Judas was seated very close to Jesus, at the place of honor. Surprising that Judas was so well thought of by the other disciples that night. But sitting so near gave Jesus an opportunity to speak directly to Judas, revealing that Jesus knew what Judas was planning.

There has been a lot of speculation about why Judas betrayed Jesus. Could it be that the "devil made him" do it? Or was it something else?

Someone close to Jesus was going to betray Him, that was certain. It had been prophecied hundreds of years earlier. But why was it Judas?