Scripture to Read: John 10:39–42
The religious leaders did not like the challenge Jesus gave them from His Holy Word, for we read in John 10:39, Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp. The religious leaders were determined to kill Jesus. Jesus eluded them for the moment because His time to go to the cross had not yet arrived. God the Father’s perfect plan will always be fulfilled, so even when things seem hopeless and impossible, we can trust that God will carry out His perfect will. We continue to read in John 10:40–42, And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there. 41 Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true.” 42 Many believed in Him there. Jesus’ ministry continued, so He went to where John the Baptist had first been baptizing Jews into a baptism of repentance. What is incredibly awesome is that people kept coming to Jesus because of all that John the Baptist had declared about Him. The people saw Jesus fulfilling what John had proclaimed and because of the works of Jesus, the people knew He was their Messiah. Though the religious leaders remained blind to all that Jesus had done, many others had their eyes opened, and they believed in Jesus. Our lives ought to be lived so others can see the handiwork of God through us. We are God’s instruments of righteousness to shine brightly in this dark, dead world.
Challenge & Application
• Why was Jesus able to elude the religious leaders, and what did He continue to do?
• How do you see God using you in this dark, dead world to shine His light through you to others?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!