Blessed Steps

John 11:45-57 Why did the pharisees think that if Jesus goes on performing miracles, people will believe in him then the Romans will come and take away their place and their nation? There's 2 strands of thoughts here:  A .  Jesus goes on performing miracles, people will believe in him B .  Romans come and take away the chief priest and pharisees' place and nation How do they link?  The chief priests' positions are given to them because they are the religious leaders. So if people believe in Jesus, Jesus becomes the religious leader and Jesus will be given the title instead. Is it that simple? Then why would the nation be taken away as well?  Because the chief priests believe that they hold the entire Judaism and Israel with the structure that they currently have. The priestly structure. It's given by God. In their mind, the structure has to be in place then only the religion and the nation can function.  But this one man who doesn't represent...

Author Anne Ortlund in her reflection upon the passage of the women who broke her alabaster jar draws this comparison: "Christian file into church on a Sunday morning one by one they march in  - like separate alabaster vases. Contained. Self-sufficient. Encased. Individually complete. Contents undisclosed. No perfume emitting at all. Their vases aren’t bad looking. In fact some of them are the beautiful people and they become vase-conscious: conscious of their own vases and of another’s. They are aware of clothes, of personalities, of positions in this world. They are concerned with the exteriors. And so before and after church (maybe even during) they are apt to talk vase-talk. This woman broke her vase. Broke it? How shocking. How controversial. (Perhaps some even considered it scandalous) Was everyone doing it? Was she at some vase-breaking party? No she just did it all by herself. What happened then? The obvious: all the contents were forever rele...