An Elder Pilgrim's Reflections

John Wesley     And first let us inquire, "What is salvation?" The salvation which is here spoken of is not what is frequently understood by that word, the going to heaven, eternal happiness.  It is not the soul’s going to paradise, termed by our Lord, ‘Abraham’s bosom.’   It is not a blessing which lies on the other side death, or (as we usually speak) in the other world.  The very words of the text itself put this beyond all question.  ‘Ye are saved.’ It is not something at a distance: it is a present thing, a blessing which, through the free mercy of God, ye are now in possession of.  Nay, the words may be rendered, and that with equal propriety, ‘Ye have been saved.’  So that the salvation which is here spoken of might be extended to the entire work of God, from the first dawning of grace in the soul till it is consummated in glory.”  ~ John Wesley (The Scripture Way of Salvation)

“Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind” (from John 9:1-41 ). Otto, a fish in the children’s book, A Fish Out of Water , is overfed even after careful feeding instructions. "When you feed a fish, never feed him a lot. So much and no more! Never more than a spot, or something may happen! You never know what." What happened was Otto outgrew every container until he finally became too large for the town swimming pool. The man born blind story appears to have undergone similar development, as much of the discussion centers on the story of his healing. This is a typical pattern in John. Jesus performs a miracle; people try finding the meaning and usually miss the mark. In the parable, Jesus is asked, “Who sinned?” The question comes from the ancient people’s belief that a sin was committed since there is suffering and sickness. Jesus questions that kind of theological thinking creating a complex answer: “Neith...

   Pozzo, Andrea, 1642-1709 Many of the Samaritans from that town   believed in him because  of the woman’s testimony,  “He told me everything I ever did.” (from John   4:5-42 ) The Well Back in Jesus’ day a wells were used for more than drinking water. A man would go to a new place, meet a woman at the well, and chat about water. The man and woman drink water together, she tells her community about him, the community welcomes him.  This usually results in a wedding. This explains why Jesus talks to the woman about her marriage situation, expecting some kind of marriage story to follow. Remember the well is a well with running water so when Jesus mentions living water, it’s confusing. The Woman The woman shows up around noon probably pushed aside by her community.  She’s unmarried to the one she’s living with and had five husbands. Probably, her marriages ended due to circumstances beyond her control. Yet she’s someone people liste...

“The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus' story is more than sorting out Jesus and the Pharisees differences. It’s more than figuring out how Jesus gets the authority to do many “signs”. The Nicodemus story is really about people coming to see and understand the amazing things Jesus does. It’s all about understanding God’s Spirit, following Jesus and wanting to change to see God's kingdom in a new way. Since the Spirit works mysteriously, it’s compared to the wind blowing wherever it wants. It’s about God and people working together, so followers of Jesus notice and experience God’s work through him. The “signs” Jesus does are meant to show God getting involved in the world God made and loved enough to send his Son. Nicodemus’s story is a great example the Spirit’s work. Nicodemus, story makes it clear something’s happenin...