Becoming the Children of God (John 1:12)

There were children and then there were strangers.  The children almost always have part in the inheritance, but not the strangers, except for a very few.  The children have the privilege of being part of a family where they are nurtured and loved. The strangers, aside from a few moments of generosity and compassion, were not part of the grace reserved for the children.  One would not keep his or her children out in the cold of the night and let some strangers in to his or her home.  That’s not the way of the world. 

But there were strangers, unrelated by blood, who were taken in as one’s own.  They are the adopted sons and daughters, worthy to be called heirs and part of the family.  They were given the rights to call their “parents”, father and mother.   If this can happen here on earth, believe that it is possible, too, in the heavenly realms. 

“But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)”

†Father, we thank you for the gift of life.  We thank you Father for Your grace that You made us worthy to become Your children through Jesus Christ Your Son, our Lord and Savior. 

Father, touch our hearts today, so that as we read and meditate on Your words, we may fully understand Your message.  Lead us, Father, in a life that will make us worthy to be called Your sons and daughters, children of the Most High. All this we pray, Father, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

From our last article, we talked about how Jesus, being the Light of the world was not received in the world.  He created it, yet He was not accepted by it.  Such were the people living in the dark.  And many of us today are not different from the people of Jesus’ time on earth. 

We love darkness because in the dark, we can be bold and daring and careless.  Compare the crime rate during the day and during the night.  Most crimes were committed at night.  Why?  Because people, like us, who do bad things believe that we are isolated from the light during the night.  We can do whatever we want because no one can see us.  So we gain false courage and dare to be bold.  But you know that is not true, because God, who is ever present and ever powerful, can see us even during the darkest hour of the night or even if we hide in the deepest abyss of the earth.  That’s why many would deny Jesus – and deny God.  We hate the light the would expose our wrong doings. 

No one would want to wave their dirty hands in broad daylight.  Not even me.  So we move away from the light, making us strangers to God. 

But there is hope.  And that hope is in Jesus. 

Many people, in order to achieve the grace of being called child of God have done so many things.  But if we will look at the verse above, we need to do only two things: BELIEVE and ACCEPT.

BELIEVE

We know that there are many who do not believe in Jesus –  as to who or what He is.  So let’s not talk about them.  Let us talk about the many who “believe” in Him. Believing something is associating it as real or true.  If we believe in Jesus, then we believe that He lived on earth and that He existed.  But this “belief” requires more than just acknowledging the fact that Jesus lives and that He is the Son of God.

If we are to believe in Him, then we must believe His works and His words.  You cannot say, “I believe in what you said, but I don’t believe it’s the truth.”  What is the point in believing a lie.  Believing in a person but not in his words is very contradicting in its own.  Such is something we cannot do when it comes to our belief in Christ.  We cannot simply believe that Jesus is the Son of God and our Savior, and yet do not believe the words He said.  We cannot also say that we believe Him to be the Christ, but not believe that He died for our sins. 

Many people who are suffering and struggling in life profess their beliefs in Jesus but they live their lives as if He can do nothing about their problems.  Many people believe in Him and His remission of sins, but continue to live their lives as if they can never be forgiven.  They believe in Him, but not His words, not His works.  If we truly believe in Jesus, we will believe what He said and will DO as He commanded. 

ACCEPT

Accepting Jesus means letting Him in into our lives.  You cannot accept and not receive.  “I accept this gift, but take it with you when you leave.”  “I accept you in our house, but you have to stay outside.”  That’s not acceptance. And I don’t know what it is.  We cannot say, “Jesus, I accept you in my life as my Lord and Savior, but don’t meddle in my affairs.  I can do this on my own.”   Accepting Jesus means surrendering everything to Him.  When you ride a taxi, you don’t instruct the driver when to turn left or right, when to step on the brakes and when to change gears.  You just tell him the direction or location you want to go and let him do his job. 

So, when we accept Jesus, we just have to let Him do His job of changing us, from the inside out.  We cannot accept Jesus and then continue on our own “journey” of self-enlightenment, self-discovery, self-fulfillment or whatever you want to call it.  All our efforts, though some may succeed in some areas and for some times, will all end empty and will fall short.  Because only by accepting Jesus we can have the fullness of life.  With Jesus in our lives, we shall lack nothing for He is the Good Shepherd with unfailing love that will pursue us all the days of our lives (cf. Ps. 23).  

BECOME

This not something you can do – this is the outcome of your belief and acceptance of Jesus Christ.  This is the grace of God that is offered to all of us through Christ.  This is made free for you and me because Jesus already paid the ultimate price – His death on the cross.  With His death and resurrection, we can become heirs and be called children of God.  All we must do is Believe and Accept.

Then, what shall we do as we become children of God?  Live like one.

“This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions.  Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.  But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. (Colossians 1: 21-23)”

†We thank you, Father, for the love and mercy you have given us.  We thank you for the gift to be rightfully called your children through Jesus Christ.  Without you, we are nothing.  And as a child of the Almighty, we pray that you meet our every needs like a babe helpless and in need of your love and care, every waking moment of our lives.  And when our time on earth comes to an end, welcome us in the gate of heaven, to a place You have reserved for us since You laid down the foundation of the universe.  All this we pray, in Jesus’ mighty name, together with the Holy Spirit, who lives and reigns with You, now and forever. Amen.†

People's Denial of the True Light (John 1:10-11)

There are times when the people you cared the most were the ones who didn't believe and listen to you.  It is a bit disappointing when you tried to reach out to them and share with them what you've learned but they didn't seem to care.  This is not something new, so don’t worry if you experienced setbacks like this.  More often than not, people have their own understanding of things and have their own views of the world, thus, making them pre-occupied with their thoughts and own desires. 

If these things can happen to you, you can be assured that it also happened to the Greatest Teacher ever to walk on earth. 

“But although the world was made through Him, the world didn't recognize Him when He came.  Even in His own land and among His own people, he was not accepted” (John 1: 10-11).

†Father, You sent Jesus to this world so that we may know You, the Truth, the Life and the Way to Salvation.   You sent Him to us as the Light of the world which He Himself made.  Lead us, Father, so that we may recognize Him, receive Him and live as He had lived.  Lord Jesus, guide us as we listen and meditate on Your words.

In the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. †

In the previous articles, we learned how St. John described Jesus to the early believers of the Church.  Jesus was with God from the beginning. He created everything.  He was God.  It must be considered that according to most Bible scholars, this Gospel was written during the first century when the Church was in its early years and was suffering from persecutions and challenges.  To give hope to the believers, St. John may have intended to strengthen the Church’s faith by introducing Jesus as the Son of God.  A power to whom everyone can seek refuge and comfort. 

During the time that the Gospel was written, the years before that, and even up to this present day, there were skeptics who don’t believe the message of salvation that is Jesus Christ.  People in the times of Jesus had their own perception of salvation.  From the last book of the Old Testament until the birth of Jesus, the people of Israel have been waiting for the Christ for hundreds of years.  During those years, many came to claim to be the Messiah but all of them proved to be false.  Then there came Jesus.  A Jewish carpenter from Nazareth, uneducated - unlike most scholars of that time.  Born and raised in poverty.  Who was this Man to teach about the salvation of Man and of the Kingdom of God?  The Christ that they were waiting for is a man who will end slavery and oppression. Not a carpenter.  Certainly not Jesus.

As we would also learn later from other verses in the Bible, even His Mother and brothers (and sisters) were skeptical about Him and His teachings.  St. James, also believed to be a brother of Jesus, was at first skeptical about Him until His resurrection on the first Easter when Jesus appeared to him again.  From that point on, St. James became a true believer, lead the Church in Jerusalem until he was martyred like many other saints and defenders of the Faith.

Maybe the people during those times were afraid that they again fall prey to those people pretending to be the Christ.  Maybe, the people during those early times when Jesus was about to start His ministries had doubts about God’s promised salvation.  Eventually, their fears and doubts blinded them.  And when the Light of God came to the world, they denied Him.  They cannot comprehend the way the Light was revealed to them.  It was not what they've been expecting.  It cannot be the truth that they've waiting for.

Doubt and fear lead to blindness.  People who suffered in life would understand.  People who experienced being alone, helpless and brokenhearted would understand the feeling of being forsaken by a God who never seems to listen.  Tired, afraid, brokenhearted people,  resort to closing their eyes and choosing darkness -relying upon their own understanding and strength-than to hope for a distant spark of light.  And these people hold on to their “blinded-faith.”  They refused to acknowledge the Light because it does not conform to what they believe and  expect. 

Until this day, many were living in the dark because they refuse to acknowledge the light.  Many still don’t believe in Jesus because He doesn't fit their preconceived idea of a savior or Son of God.  Many even deny His existence.  Many even deny the very existence of God.  The people of those days still live today. 

But, for the Church and to the believers, Jesus is the Christ – the Son of the Living God.  And through Him, we can find the light of peace, joy, hope and love that endures forever.

†Amen.  Lord Jesus, You are the True Light from the Father.  In You we entrust our lives.  Guide us that we may continue to live the life You have always wanted for us.  And when our time on earth come to an end, welcome us in Your loving presence.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.  As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. †

The True Messiah (John 1:6-9)

Imagine you are attending a seminar, a conference or a talk by someone popular.  Or imagine you are watching the Oscars.  Have you notice how much effort the organizers exert to identify the presenter of the Key Speaker or the Best Actor or Actress?  Did you notice all the efforts they have to put in so that they can introduce that special person, that Best Actor or Actress, that Key Speaker very well?  For the Oscars alone, the presenter is almost always an A-Lister in Hollywood.  That’s how special the message is.  That’s how special the person who is about to be introduced.  And it’s never about the presenter.

Just recently, I was invited to deliver the commencement address to the graduating class of my elementary school.  The Principal and almost all the teachers went to our home to talk to me and my parents.  Probably to get a glimpse of how I am at home or the kind of person before the eyes of the people who know me and are close to me.  They asked questions about my current work, the works I had, the schools I’d been, awards, affiliations, etc.   These people wanted to know a little more about me before they present me to the graduating class – before I give my message. 

I think there’s more than just courtesy in there.  I believe that what they've done was due diligence.  Those people wanted to know me better so they can introduce me better.  But to make their work a bit easier, I asked my wife to draft the introduction and gave it to the school as guide.  Who would know me better than the very person I spend all of my time and secrets with. 

Join me as we take a first look on how Jesus was introduced by John the Baptist.

†In the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“God sent John the Baptist to tell everyone about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony.  John himself was not the light; he was only a witness to the light.  The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was going to come into the world.”  (John 1:6-9 NLT)

John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin from His mother’s side.  John was a little older than Jesus - by merely three months.  If you are like me who grew up in the province and with closed family-ties, then you might be close to your cousins as well.  Jesus and John did not come from well-off families.  Probably, they grew up together.  I Imagine Jesus and John as kids, playing in the dirt during summer and enjoying themselves running and dancing together under the rain.  I can even imagine the two of them talking about the pretty girls they meet.  They are both humans after all.  I don’t know what was John’s profession but I know Jesus became a carpenter.  They are about thirty years old when something happened.  John was called to be in the wilderness.  He threw off his clothes and dressed in camels’ hair instead.  His food?  Locusts and honey.  John became a mad man in our today’s standard.  A crazy one crying out for the people to repent and turn away from their sins for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Imagine you are in a country under foreign rulers and your prophets of early days promised you of a deliverer, a Messiah that will liberate your nation.  Scholars said that during this time in Jesus’ life, there were a lot of people who claimed that they were the promised Messiah – the one promised to unite and rule the kingdom of God just as David did in his time.  Many of these so called messiahs failed.  Of course we know, that because we know who the True Messiah Is.  

So during those times, John was so bold asking people to turn away from their wicked ways.  Could he just be another one of those so-called messiahs?  Probably that was what the people were asking then.  They came to the Jordan River to see John the Baptist and hear his message.  Many believed in him because we know he had his own disciples.  But I still believe there were skeptics who went there to question if John’s message was true?  If he is the promised prophet who will come before the Messiah?  Or if he is the promised Messiah?  John became popular those days.  We can almost see him both as a hero to his people and a threat to the rulers of that time.  He might have won a few friends but he certainly had a lot of enemies.

People who were desperate for a savior, people who wanted liberation from the foreign rulers, people who were tired of poverty, hunger, illness, and persecution were looking for miracles – looking for hope.   And they thought they found it by the Jordan River through John the Baptist. 

But from among the many nameless faces in the crowd gathering around John, his beloved cousin came silent as a cat.  John was a flickering light of hope during those times, but a “nameless face in the crowd” would change that forever.  John was about to become a channel of a Divine Message far greater than what he had been preaching all this time.  The True Light was about to reveal Himself to the world through “mad-man John.”  And what makes John special to be called as the presenter of the True Light of the World was not any of his heavenly visions or divine appointments, but because he was related to Him by blood.  They were childhood friends.  They probably grew up together.  They knew each other well.  That what makes John the Baptist special to be called to announced the forthcoming salvation. 

In our world today, we see a lot of “John the Baptists.”  These are the people who preach about Jesus.  We see them on televisions, on concert halls, on lavished buildings, hear them on the streets, on radio, and read about them and their messages on books, magazines and the internet.  Today, they no longer shout in the wilderness.  They no longer wear clothes of camel hairs nor eat locust and honey.  Today, many of them wore expensive designer clothes, eat delicious foods and drink the best wines.  They no longer sleep in caves of the wilderness because they own big and grand houses. 

These modern John the Baptists still shout the same cry the first John shouted about 2000 years ago.  “Prepare a straight pathway for the Lord’s coming (Jn. 1:23).”  We hear them alright, but like the people of the old, some of us listened and act, some just stood and wonder.  Is it because we grew too used to their messages or is it because they don’t really know this Jesus they are talking about?

Next time we hear of a modern John the Baptist, care to take some time to listen to his message.  Does he really know who is this Jesus he is referring to?  Would he trade everything he has, put on a camels’ hair as robe, eat locusts and honey, and live in caves to get his message across?  I’m sure there are some who will.  But many will fold.  Why?  They really don’t know who Jesus is because they never had the experience to sing and dance and cry with Him out in the rain. 

Test these voices that cry-out in the wilderness.  There is only One True Light – and He’s not one of them.  So before you put your trust in that flickering light in the dark; listen, think, and search for the One Who Gives Light to Everyone – that’s Jesus and there’s no one else. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.  Amen! †