Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

When his disciples asked Jesus where they would sit next to him in the coming kingdom Jesus said to them, " The greatest among you is the one who serves, for even the Son of Man came not to be served by to serve and give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45.  Today Jesus models for the disciples what that means.   Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet 13  It was just before the Passover Festival.  Jesus knew that the hour had come  for him to leave this world and go to the Father.  Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.  2  The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.   3  Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power,  and that he had come from God  and was returning to God;   4  so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.   5  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples

Some people get nervous about evangelism, or what it means to share the Christian faith. Often people think they need to answer any and all questions about the Christian faith, or be the "bible answer man".  Some people feel pressured to convert others, as if they have to meet some kind of quota.  But these notions go against what it really means to share the gospel, or the Good News about Jesus with others.  Let's look at this short passage from John 12 for some clues. " Now there were some Greeks  among those who went up to worship at the festival.   21  They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida  in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”   22  Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus." There were some Greek/Gentiles who came to the Jewish festival.  They were Greek speaking Jews, who had either been converted to Judaism, or we simply interested and curious to see and meet Jesus.  One commentator s

As a pastor when you visit a home of someone who has just died, you are mainly there to be with them and comfort them in their loss.  There are really no magical words you can say to them to ease their grief.  'The most important thing is your presence and the presence of family and friends.  It usually isn't helpful to try and explain why their loved one has died. Often in our own anxiety we say things like, " Well I guess God needed another angel in heaven."   Today Jesus comes to his good friends' house shortly after their brother had died. We can learn a lot from him in this passage about how to handle grief and loss.  17  On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.   18  Now Bethany  was less than two miles [ b ]  from Jerusalem,   19  and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.   20  When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at hom

When I was growing up me and the other kids on the block usually played after school all the way up to dinner time.  We played "kick the can" and "hide and go seek" two of the classics.  But when it was time to come home for dinner my dad would call out my name at the top of his lungs.  I knew in an instant it was my dad and usually ran all the way home.   Today Jesus teaches us about what a good shepherd looks like and their relationship to the sheep they have called by name.   The Good Shepherd and His Sheep 10  “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.   2  The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.   3  The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.  He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.   4  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because th

When someone is born blind or with some other disease one of the last things you would think would be that this person deserved this fate.  Yet today when Jesus and his disciples run into a man born blind from birth, the disciples first question is, " Rabbi, who sinned this man or his parents? "  It's hard to believe this would be the worldview of the Jewish community at this time.  So let's see how Jesus answers their query. 9  As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.   2  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi,  who sinned,  this man  or his parents,  that he was born blind?”  3  “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,”  said Jesus,  “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.   4  As long as it is day,  we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.   5  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”  6  After saying this, he spit  on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put i

I often hear people remark that " Christians are so judgmental ".  Or worse yet, they are judgmental but then do the same things they judge others for. Then someone will remark, "All Christians are hypoocrites". Let's be honest on the one hand every Christian is a hypocrite in the sense that we claim to be a Christ follower and on any given day someone could point out that we are really living up to that standard.   However if one reads the bible they can hardly claim Jesus is judgmental or hypocritical. There is a difference between "judgement" and being "judgmental".  There are behaviors or attitudes we should give a "judgment" we need to call out as sin.  But to be judgmental is the character flaw of someone who is constantly pointing out the flaws in others without looking in the mirror at their own.  The story of the woman caught in adultery is one of my favorite stories, because it shows the true heart of Jesus for los

You often hear the saying, "timing is everything". The idea is that just because something is a good idea doesn't mean you should act on it right away.  Timing is important in jokes, and also when you say certain things to certain people.  You could have the right words or counsel for someone but if the timing is off it can totally backfire on you.  Today's passage shows how well Jesus knew this truth.  For him as well as us timing was everything.   Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles 7  After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders  there were looking for a way to kill him.   2  But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles  was near,   3  Jesus’ brothers  said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do.   4  No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”   5  For eve

One of the most common staples that provides sustenance to our bodies is bread.  Bread is a universal food and comes in many different forms.  Bagels (a personal favorite), pita bread, sourdough muffins, pizza (another favorite), and I could go on and on.  So it is no accident that Jesus uses this very common metaphor to identity who he is.  He says today, "I am the bread of life".  What does that mean?  What can we learn about Jesus from this figure of speech. 30  So they asked him, “What sign  then will you give that we may see it and believe you?  What will you do?   31  Our ancestors ate the manna  in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’  32  Jesus said to them,  “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.   33  For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven  and gives life to the world.”  34  “Sir,” they said,