May 12 - Winter? Jesus Brings Spring!

May 12 – Winter?  Jesus Brings Spring!

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” (John 10:22-32)

Why do you suppose that John mentions that it was winter?

It might have something to do with the next statement, offering a reason for His teaching in the portico.  Maybe He moved in under the portico to get out of the wind.

Or … it might have something to do with the idea that He was teaching to a people that were living in a spiritual winter.

The last two winters have been awful.  Cold, dead, dry, colorless, and they seemed to never end. 

Jesus brought spring.  He is the Word of creation

The Jews in these passages were too blind to realize what it was that He was offering.  They had been living in winter for so long they were snow-blind.  They couldn’t see beyond the bleakness of their lives.

For centuries they had only known one way to approach God and they had it so ritualized and legalized that they couldn’t imagine a God big enough to do something incredible.  In fact, they were so upset that Jesus asked them to look at God with different eyes, they were prepared to kill Him.

Jesus still does this to His people.  He continues to ask us to look at the world through His eyes, not ours.  Through the eyes of creation, new life, springtime – instead of our cold, dead, dry, colorless eyes.  To see the world as He sees it with all of the glory and majesty that He knows exists in His creation.

Springtime has come.  The winter is behind us.  Step into the sunshine.