Scripture: John 15: 1-7

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Consider:

True gardeners use the act of pruning to redirect and encourage growth…pruning is not intended to be seen as a punishment to the plant in the world of flora and fauna, it is indeed the opposite. It is intended to bring the plant into full and abundant life. Shears in the hands of a caring and observant gardener can bring about glorious results.

We often view “pruning,” when talking about people, with a bit of trepidation. In our lives, pruning feels like loss—a closed door, an ended relationship, or a dream that didn’t take flight. However, John 15 invites us to see pruning not as a punishment, but as an act of God’s goodness and grace.

Jesus identifies God as the Vinedresser. In a vineyard, the vinedresser is the one with the vision. He isn’t hacking away at random; he is looking at the branch not for what it is now, but for what it has the potential to become. When God prunes us, He is removing the “suckers”—those small, green shoots that look like growth but actually drain the life-force of the branch without ever producing fruit. Pruning happens (and needs to happen) when our energy and focus fall to the things that aren’t the fruit of God’s call to us. Pruning takes away hateful feelings and old habits that don’t create new and good fruit of the Spirit.

If the Vinedresser didn’t care about the branch, He would leave it alone to become a tangled, unproductive mess. God prunes because God believes we are capable of producing something beautiful and nourishing for the world!

Respond:

What is something you can notice today that is a “sucker” of your time, your energy, your spirit? What is one thing you can notice that pulls from your focus on God’s good work and the joy of creation? How can it be pruned to take away less of your energy and focus?

Pray:

God of love, we know you are ever lovingly pruning us to be who you created us to be. Help us be open to the trimming as an act of love rather than loss, and guide us to grow toward you. Amen.

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Scripture: John 14:1-7

Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? When I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too. You know the way to the place I’m going.”

Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you have really known me, you will also know the Father. From now on you know him and have seen him.”

Consider:

In the midst of the hardest, most difficult point in Jesus’ life, he found himself doing what he always did - offering comfort and hope to the disciples who were both confused and scared.

As adults, we sometimes find ourselves in the position of pushing down our own fears, hurts, and worries in order to bolster or support someone who is not equipped to wrestle with the emotional burden which unfolding events force upon them. Whether its death, unexpected loss, broken relationships, or high levels of stress - we grown-ups have found all kinds of ways to mask or hide pain. The root of most of our destructive behavior is this kind of pain avoidance - which ironically leads to even more pain and destruction and loss.

Instead, Jesus here models a healtheir way to help others who are in stressful or harmful circumstances. This verse isn't a dismissive "don't worry, be happy" sentiment. Jesus has just told his friends he is leaving, and he has predicted Peter’s denial. The "trouble" is real. However, Jesus offers a shift in focus—not from the problem to a solution, but from the problem to a purpose.

Their fears are not dismissed, but instead turned towards the person of Jesus, recentering them in the truth momentarily forgotten - Jesus offers comfort and peace in the midst of the very real storm.

We too are invited to look at the character of Jesus. If we want to know what God is doing in our mess, we look at how Jesus treated the messy people around Him.

We may not see the “Father’s house” clearly yet, but we see the One who is building it. Faith, then, is the quiet confidence that even when we don’t know the way, we are known by the one who is the Way.

Respond:

How do you respond to stress? Whenever you begin to feel overwhelmed or pushing stress away, practice being aware in the present moment. Do these five steps:

Notice five things that you can see.

Notice four things that you can feel.

Notice three things that you can hear.

Notice two things that you can smell.

Notice one thing that you can taste.

This exercise helps to ground you in the present, so you don’t avoid hard feelings but can address them in a healthier way.

Pray:

God of Time and Truth, sometimes my mind is racing and the fog is thick. I confess I’ve tried to control what I cannot see. Calm the "check-engine light" of my body and quiet my anxious heart. Remind me that even when I lose the way, I am held by the Way. Amen.

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Scripture: John 13: 31-38

When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”

Consider:

I’ve shown you how to love one another, so go and do it. Jesus’ most powerful words (to me). Jesus notes that he has lived this life constantly showing HOW to love as God loves, HOW to extend the arm of grace, HOW to be in community with one another. The teacher has taught, the students have learned, and now the time of transition from learning it to living it must take place.

And like so many of us, Peter seems to get stuck on the wrong point. Rather than hearing the command to go out and love, Peter only hears Jesus say “you can’t go with me.” Like a child to a parent, Peter focuses in on the “can’t” rather than the message of sending, so much so that he swears he will lay down his life for Jesus…to which Jesus says “no you won’t.” Man I can feel the sting of that moment for Peter.

But sometimes the stinging truth is the one that needs to be heard the most. This is the moment when Jesus knows his time is short, and so GETTING this message to stick is of the utmost importance. And even worse than the lack of understanding of the importance of the message, Jesus has to let Peter know that he will not only NOT lay down his life, he will in fact deny knowing Jesus at all!

It gives me pause; how often do I vehemently “take up a cause” about something I feel is important, and yet, when it becomes really important to speak up, I can’t seem to find that loud and clear voice. I wonder about how many times I’ve missed the point of God’s message entirely because I was too busy blustering about something I thought would be “the cause” to get loud over. How often have I missed God’s loving call to follow because I became busy building my own causes? May we seek to remember that the “hills we choose to die on” are perhaps not the ones God is looking for at all… God calls us to slow and steady, persistent and gentle, ever present love for one another. That’s it.

Respond:

Is there something you’ve been really fired up about recently? Are you taking to social media regularly to rail against something? I challenge you today: Take a pause from “the cause” and sit with someone who fills you up spiritually…take a moment to send a card or call a friend, or take a walk with a pet. Do the gentle act of daily love and see how you feel after.

Pray:

Loving Lord, we are constantly urged to love AND live loudly…teach us how to love well, live with soft but strong voices that always speak to You, and lives that point in Your direction. Amen.

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Scripture: John 13:21-30

After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”

His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

Consider:

The scene in the Upper Room is often painted with the soft glow of candlelight and stained-glass reverence, but John 13:21-30 captures a moment of raw, vibrating tension. Jesus is “troubled in spirit.” This isn’t a stoic, detached version of Jesus; this is a human being facing the sting of impending betrayal from one of his friends.

This passage is more than a story of a “bad guy” doing a “bad thing.” Instead, it invites us to look at the complex dynamics of the relationships—the place where radical inclusion meets the messy reality of human fallibility.

Jesus’ distress (the Greek reads more like anxious or agitated) reminds us love is not a passive or easy sentiment. To love with a commitment to justice and wholeness is to be vulnerable.

The “trouble” Jesus feels is the cost of an open-door policy. When we commit to building communities that welcome everyone—the marginalized, the seeker, and even the ones we disagree with—we move out of the safety of echo chambers and into the danger zone of being hurt.

The most striking moment is when Jesus dips the bread and hands it to Judas. In Middle Eastern culture, sharing a morsel of food was a gesture of special honor and intimacy. Even as the “Satan entered into him,” Jesus offered a gesture of kinship.

This challenges our modern “cancel culture” instincts. While we must maintain boundaries for safety and accountability, Jesus demonstrates a love that refuses to dehumanize the other. He doesn’t scream, point fingers, or call for a mob. He identifies the betrayal, then feeds the betrayer. He honors Judas’s agency, even when that agency leads to destruction.

There is a gap between the knowing and the offering. Jesus knew. Judas acted. The rest of the disciples sat in confusion. We often find ourselves in that same middle ground—knowing that love is required of us, yet feeling the weight of the “night” closing in.

Faith isn’t about having a perfect heart; it’s about staying at the table even when the spirit is troubled. It’s about recognizing we are all, at different times, the beloved disciple leaning on Jesus and the one tempted to walk out into the dark.

Respond:

Imagine yourself at a table with the person you find difficult to love. In your mind’s eye, see yourself passing them something simple—a glass of water, a piece of bread, a salt shaker.

Notice your internal resistance to this small act of service. What does that resistance say about your boundaries versus your desire to remain “kind”? Is there a way to offer a “morsel” of humanity to them without sacrificing your own safety?

Pray:

God, thank You for the grace of the waiting room. As I hold this tension, keep my heart open and my spirit tethered to Yours. Give me the courage to move not out of obligation, but from a place of deep, intentional love when the time is right. Amen.

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Scripture: John 12: 37-50

Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”

Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God.

Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

“If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

Consider:

I LOVE when people like me…I love being noticed for good things, I love when it feels like I’m part of keeping the peace. It feels comfortable, it doesn’t have edges or risks. It works.

But we aren’t called to stay in the comfortable spaces, are we? I’m struck by this passage to see that the desire to stay in the good graces of friends and neighbors has overpowered people for millennia. Here is Jesus, standing before folks, and those who really do believe, who really do see him and recognize his divinity stay small and quiet because “what will the neighbors think if I say something?” “How will this affect my reputation?” You have two distinct groups in this passage…the group who doesn’t believe even though they’ve seen plenty of evidence, and the group who believes but is more worried about keeping up appearances than proclaiming the Good News they actually understand.

I can admit to waffling between those groups over the course of my life…feeling like my questions were greater than any answer and so my belief wavered, and then believing but worrying about the “look” of my faith to the people I sat at table with who were injured by the church or done with faith in general. And so I can feel Jesus’ sharp words ringing in my ears as much as anyone’s… “I have come to the world as a light” HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE ME?

So today I ask myself and you-where are we purposefully turning our eyes away from the Light of Christ, because the easy thing is to just continue along doing what we’ve always done? Where are we not using our voices to speak up because we are concerned that it might offend or turn off a friend or “make us look bad”? It’s never been said that following Jesus is easy. Our challenge today is to weigh the cost and determine what we love more…our faith or our comfort?

Respond:

A question for today: Do I spend more time seeking other’s approval than I do truly listening to and then living into God’s word? If the answer is yes, take a few minutes not judge, but be curious about why that pull toward human approval gets so much of your headspace and thought. Is there something you’re wanting to speak up about but haven’t yet because it feels risky to your reputation perhaps? Or it stands in contrast to the opinions of friends? The first step toward living into the Light is recognizing those things that keep us in the dark a little too long…

Pray:

Gracious God, keep my heart soft toward You. Guard me from valuing human approval over Your truth. Help me walk boldly in Your light and respond quickly when You speak. Amen.

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Scripture: John 12: 20-36

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

Consider:

There is so much about this passage I do not understand. But perhaps not understanding isn’t so unique to me…the disciples, the ones who LIVED with Jesus all throughout his ministry also didn’t understand. That, perhaps, makes me feel just a bit better about my confusion.

So this whole idea of death brings life and life brings death is perhaps the most confusing to me… Until I take a moment and really zoom in on the seed. A seed must be buried before it can multiply. Jesus is speaking of His coming death—but He is also describing the path of every disciple. When we cling tightly to our own plans, comfort, and control, we remain very “sterile” or unable to grow, lacking the elements that create an environment to thrive in faith… But when we surrender our harsh opinions and hang-ups and holding onto things and plant ourselves in the fertile soil of God’s love, when we receive the Light of Christ’s teachings and guidance, fruit begins to grow. What fruit, you might ask? Well, to name a few: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Respond:

How often is Christ’s light shining in our lives, yet we hesitate to “plant ourselves” in that light because we’re afraid of what we might have to let go of?

Walking in the light means trusting that the light leads somewhere good.

So today, take a moment to think of one place where you’ve avoided a nudge to speak up, or do something, or even just be aware of God’s work to be done around you. How might you find that Light of Christ to grow into today?

Pray:

God of light, we know that you offer us, time and time again, opportunities to walk in the light you provide, and yet we seem to seek out darkness all too often…the darkness of greed, or jealously, or hate or fear. Darkness feels easier sometimes than the work it takes to follow the Light that is you to truly bear the fruit of the Spirit. Help us do the hard work of not just walking in the Light, but actively looking for it, and growing toward it, everyday. Amen.

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Scripture: John 12:12-19

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

Consider:

The saying goes, “Hindsight is 20/20”, which is a comforting idea - that while we may not understand what is going on while we are in the midst of an event, we hope that more understanding might come in the future. It is often so difficult to understand what is happening while we are in the midst of the events, but when we look back, we often better understand the circumstances and impacts of any one decision we made or event of our lives.

Except… Is that always true? Do we understand everything that happens to us better in retrospect or is not also true that our hindsight is often just as clouded as our foresight. How many times have we looked back on an event and felt just as confused and conflicted as we did the first time it happened?

The gospel of John likes to insert the phrase - “his disciples did not understand all this” which makes me wonder if they ever gained understanding or if there might always have been some confusion which shaded their understanding of events even when days, weeks, and years had passed.

Faith is not based on clear-eyed understanding because we will always find ourselves a bit confused with God’s actions in our lives. There may be times we see and understand completely clearly, but most often we see God through a fog. As Saint Paul put it, we “see through a mirror darkly”. We cannot hope for 20/20 vision when it comes to God.

Respond:

Think of a specific event from your past—maybe from a year ago, or even a decade—that still feels “blurry” or unresolved. Instead of trying to force a lesson out of it or find the “silver lining,” answer these three questions:

* What is the specific “fog” or confusion I am still carrying regarding this event?

* How does it feel to admit that I might never fully understand why it happened?

* In what ways can I see God’s presence in the midst of that event, even if the purpose of the event remains hidden?

Pray:

Divine Mystery,

I confess that I prefer clarity over trust. I want to see the road ahead and the path behind with perfect vision, yet I often find myself standing in the clouds. Thank you for the reminder that even Your disciples were confused, and that I don’t need to understand You to be loved by You.

Grant me the grace to be okay with the “dark mirror.” When my hindsight is just as cloudy as my foresight, help me to stop squinting for answers and instead reach out for Your hand. If 20/20 vision isn’t possible, let Your presence be enough. Amen.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wfpc.substack.com

Scripture: John 12: 1-11

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

Consider:

So much is happening in this passage; everyone named in this passage does, in fact, have a different assumption of Jesus, a different take on what’s happening, and a different agenda for what happens next. I find it really interesting that we have several different perspectives happening at the same time, in the same house, at the same dinner…Mary is being abundant and lavish with her love of Christ, Judas is already on the downward spiral of betrayal and is berating others, Martha is cooking away, perhaps caught in that “doing” cycle again? Lazarus hanging out with the man who just resurrected him (probably still wrapping his head around that!) and the priests are making a death plot.

Not unlike the family Thanksgiving table? It may sound ridiculous, but really, let’s think about how many agendas fill a room at any given time…this scene is probably more similar than we care to admit to ourselves!

So what are we to take from all of this? Who are we in this story? Perhaps a little bit of everyone? I’d love to consider myself Mary in this moment…giving all the best I have to the Lord sitting before me, being fully invested in knowing how precious this moment it. But if I’m being honest, my stinginess might look more like Judas’s reprimand, or my need to please might look like Martha in the kitchen, or my fear of the “other” might even take the shape of a plotting priest every once in a while.

Here’s the thing I know…we will never get it “right” all the time when we are sitting at table with Jesus. We will very likely miss the point entirely, miss seeing the Jesus right in front of us, but our job is to try. Try to be Mary, who showed up fully ready to worship with all she had…try to be the one who sees what is about to happen to Jesus and treasure the moment enough to pour out our very best, rather than worrying about if there will be enough later. The challenge is looking for Jesus at each table we feast, in each room we enter, at each shelter we serve or baseball game we watch or political conversation we engage in. Do we even look when it feels hard? If we don’t, we’re probably missing Jesus all over the place.

Respond:

What is the “alabaster jar” in your life? What costly thing—time, reputation, comfort, resources—might Jesus be inviting you to pour out in love? Where are the hard places to go and actively look for Jesus? Name one today, and actively make a plan to seek out Jesus the next time you’re there.

Pray:

God, we know you are all over the place, constantly bumping into us in the simple, complex, joyful and hard experiences of life. Help us see you each time, so that we may be extravagant in our love for you, through our love for your creation and your children. Amen.

These posts will always be free, however, if you find them meaningful and would like to consider supporting our online outreach, you can donate using this link.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wfpc.substack.com

Scripture: John 11:45-57

Therefore many of the Jewish people who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples.

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.

Consider:

Our need for self-protection is very strong. In fact, we have no greater natural drive and motivator than to stay alive - even in very harsh and difficult circumstances.

Just think about those post-apocalyptic movies where Keanu Reeves (or Brad Pitt or whomever you’d like to picture!) are wondering across the desert, ashes smeared on their cheeks, searching for food/shelter/water/enemies to destroy. We love those movies - and I think that’s because we admire their ability to make it through the wastelands and survive at all costs.

Maybe, then, we can slow down on our judgement of the Pharisees in this story. We’ve been taught to hate the Pharisees for trying to destroy the innocent, peace loving followers of God, and for being the ones to “kill Jesus”. But in John’s story, it’s clear the Pharisees motivation is self-protection.

Which doesn’t make it right, just makes it more understandable.

After all, isn’t that what motivates us most of the time? We don’t try new things because we are protecting ourselves from the blow to our ego failure provides. We insulate ourselves from different ideas and opinions to avoid the painful work of changing our minds. We stockpile cans of soup for the day when the stores close forever so we won’t go hungry.

Our sin causes us to look towards our own self-protection first. Maybe the reason we dislike the Pharisees so much is because we understand them and, in our heart of hearts, don’t necessarily disagree.

Respond:

Ask yourself: “If I did this and no one—not the recipient, not my peers, and not social media—ever found out I was responsible, would I still do it with the same level of effort?” If your enthusiasm drops when the “credit” is removed, your primary driver is likely self-interest instead of generosity.

When you are making a choice, consider: Am I doing this for the outcome or for the identity of being the person who does these things?

Pray:

In the quiet where no eyes watch, I search my heart. If my hands serve and no voice speaks my name, let that be enough. Strip away the hunger for praise and the mask of virtue. May I love for the sake of love, finding joy in the hidden seed. Amen.

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Scripture: John 10:31-42

Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” And in that place many believed in Jesus.

Consider:

I don’t know how you would respond when a crowd of people are throwing stones at you, but I’m fairly certain my response would not be within 10 miles of how Jesus responds in this passage. My rule is if someone has weapon, maybe stop saying the things that are making them angry and run away.

Jesus on the other hand seems to revel in making it worse for himself. Instead of taking the threat to stone him as a warning sign, he doubles and triples down on the claims which make the people so angry.

The central tenet of the Jewish tradition is known as the Shema - Dueteronomy 6:5 - “The Lord our God, the Lord is One.” With a heavy emphasis on both Our God, and One. Jesus would have been rased in this tradition and held those words close to his heart. Yet here he finds himself both poking the religious authorities right in the most squishy parts of their hearts and answering in ways designed to make them even more confused.

We often find ourselves in the midst of difficult conversations where our core beliefs rub against the deeply held ideas of another. More and more often, it is getting hard to distinguish between the ideas central to our identity - and thereby very painful when challenged - and those where there is room to disagree. Are there any ideas where it’s ok to let others have a different opinion? Depending on who you listen to, it may not seem as if there is.

When we discover we are in the midst of hard, painful conversations I don’t think we should follow the examples of the people in this story - not even Jesus. Neither party is seeking to actually help one another understand their point of view, and neither is particularly interested in hearing with open hearts to the truth the other speaks. The only attempts at conversation is to throw stones and poke each other in the eye. Is it any wonder he has to run away?

The next time you find yourself in a disagreement, maybe look at your hands. Are you more concerned about throwing the next stone than hearing someone else’s opinion?

Respond:

The next time you find yourself in a difficult conversation, practice some active listening. When the other person shares something hard, let them finish their thought. Instead of offering an opinion or a “Me too!” story, identify the last 2 or 3 keywords they said. Repeat those 2-3 words back to them in the form of a question, then wait patiently for them to respond. See how that shapes your conversation for the better!

Pray:

May my ears be open and my ego quiet. Grant me the patience to hold my words until I truly understand another’s heart. Let me listen not for an opening to speak, but for the truth behind the breath, honoring every voice with my full and silent presence. Amen.

These posts will always be free, however, if you find them meaningful and would like to consider supporting our online outreach, you can donate using this link.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wfpc.substack.com