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Every time I read John 5, I can hear the Statler Brothers singing in the background. It’s an old song from an album simply titled, “New Testament.” The song is called, “There’s a Man in Here” and the chorus goes….”There’s a Man in here Who turns water to wine, and Who walks on the water, and Who gives sight to the blind. And He gives back life to the one’s that’s dead, and He fed four thousand with seven loaves of bread. There’s a Man in here Who makes demons flee, Who makes cripples walk, and He’s chosen even me! And He lives in my heart and I have no fear! I’m a better man ‘cause there’s a Man in here!” It is a picture of the Savior embedded in our hearts, transforming our lives. Making whole the things that are broken. Making right the wrongs we have committed. Making a home in my heart because that is where He wants to live.

The Word was God! John 1:1 makes a bold statement about Jesus. Jesus was not a man who walked the streets preaching and teaching and then became something special. Jesus is God come to dwell among His people. Jesus is the master of the universe who invites man into a relationship, freely offered, by God Himself. Jesus is deity in human flesh. Jesus is the authority for life and godliness. Jesus is God. John boldly proclaims it for all to hear. And he brings proof that this is true. We begin reading the Gospel of John this week. Watch as John parades a host of people through your days. Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the crowds who followed, the ones who were healed – all proclaim that Jesus is Messiah. That Jesus comes from God with a message and an invitation. That Jesus is God and He is here to invite you to walk with Him.

We stand again at the cross of Jesus. Our reading this year has brought us to this place for a third time. Savor this moment. Imprint this picture deeply in your minds because the cross is where we go every time we embed the Bible on our hearts. The cross continues to call us to sacrifice and surrender. The amazing thing about standing here again is the excitement of turning the page. Every time we witness His death on the cross, we can look forward to the resurrection. Every time Jesus goes to Golgotha, the tomb ends up empty. That is exactly the way it works in our lives. Every time we sacrifice ourselves to be like Jesus, we experience regeneration, renewed hope, and new life. Every time we kneel in surrender to the call of God, He changes us to be more like Jesus. We become more whole, more holy. We leave behind death to walk in life.

The scribes and the chief priest want to be rid of Jesus. They send spies to watch Him and ask Him questions to trap Him. In Luke 10:22, they pose a question about paying taxes. Is it lawful to give tribute to an enemy nation? Jesus simply holds up a coin. The image of Caesar’s head is imprinted on the coin, plain for everyone to see. Jesus says since it bears the image of Caesar, it belongs to Caesar. Jesus then calls them to give to God what is God’s. The meaning of His words is clear. When something belongs to God, it bears His image. The likeness of Jesus is embedded in the hearts, lives, actions, attitudes, feelings, and decisions of those who follow Him. Jesus called those around Him to check their image and commit themselves to the One whose likeness they bear. He calls us to examine what is embedded on our lives and do the same.

Luke 15 holds three of the best known parables of the Bible. A lost coin, a lost sheep, and a prodigal son illustrate the love of our Father for His people. They demonstrate the lengths to which God will go to in order to call us into a relationship with Him. A parable is a story that gives us an eternal truth wrapped in a very earthly picture. Jesus used them all the time to teach people about the kingdom of God. He drew pictures in their minds and on their hearts of yeast, mustard seeds, sheep, coins, and sons. These parables were
meant to pierce the hearts of the people who heard them. To stick in the mind and change the lives of those who would listen. These same stories are the stories that call us to Jesus today. They still embed themselves in our lives, inviting us to live in the kingdom of God. To walk in a relationship with Him.

“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.” – Luke 11:33

I have a lamp on my desk at home. It isn’t a big lamp. Turn it off, and you can still see around the room when the overhead light is on. Most of the time it seems like such a small thing. Until bedtime. All the lights are off. I have climbed into bed. I reach to turn the light off by the bedside, but the house is still bright. Every other light is off, but I have forgotten to turn off the lamp on my desk. That little light that doesn’t seem to make much difference shines like the sun in the darkness. It calls for me to leave my comfortable spot, and tread the cold floors to take action. Embedding the Bible seems like such a little thing. A few short verses. A small event. But as it permeates the mind and shapes the heart, it calls for a response. It calls for movement. It calls for transformation.

A lawyer stands up and asks a question. His intent is to test Jesus. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asks a question of His own. “What does the Law say?” Without hesitation the lawyer quotes Deuteronomy 6:5. He knows his Scripture. He has studied it since he was a boy. He has embedded the words of God through Moses in his mind. Jesus responds by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. Two men, men who claim relationship with God, men who know the Scriptures, men who are meant to live out the character of God before the Jewish people pass by a man, stranded and in need. Who will stop to help? Only a Samaritan; a foreigner and an outcast. Who is the neighbor? Who lives out the Word of God? Embedding the Bible goes deeper than the mind. Embedding the Bible is a matter of the heart.

I can’t help but smile when I read Luke 6:46-49. As Jesus talks about wise and foolish builders, sudden storms, rocks and sand, I see little faces and little hands. We sing the words, performing the motions enthusiastically, and with every verse or each SPLAT of the destroyed house we embed the Bible in a heart. No matter where you go, there is a child who can sing this song. The words are buried deep in the hearts of those who are familiar with it. That is a great picture of what embedding the Bible is all about. It is about building a solid foundation in our hearts that guides the way we live and the way we think. Embedding the Bible gives us the words of Jesus to meditate on and think over. They shape how we treat others, what we understand about truth, and how we see the world. This week as you read the story of Jesus remember that He is building something solid in your life.

In Luke 4, Jesus is preparing for His public ministry. Before starting, Jesus walks with the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where Satan is waiting to tempt Jesus. Satan is not easy on Jesus. The temptations are hard. Food for a hungry belly, the world at His feet, the company of angels instead of the press of the people. All Jesus has to do is walk away from God’s will. Rely on Himself, worship the Devil, and test the love of God. Each time Jesus answers with the Word of God. Jesus knows that His time on earth will be hard. People will flock to Him for the wrong reasons, reject His call, and hang Him on a cross. But Jesus also knows that some will respond. That people will be saved. That for generations to come, man will be able to turn to God and find forgiveness, mercy, and grace. The Word of God still calls to man. It still stands strong in the face of temptation. It still leads us into the will of God. Embed the Bible this week, and see the power of God at work in your life.

The cross looms large in the thoughts of Jesus. The time has come. The next few hours, the next few days, will be full of rejection, pain, and death. Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. He seeks the comfort that only God can provide. He draws strength from being in the presence of His Father in prayer. Jesus prays that the will of God will take center stage. As the crowds approach and the disciples flee, Jesus boldly steps up to make a sacrifice. A sacrifice to restore those far away. A sacrifice to offer forgiveness to those in rebellion. A sacrifice that forges a path for man to walk with God. The cross stands in His future, and He goes willingly… for you and me. The cross still stands. It still calls. Each day we make a decision to follow way of the cross. Each day we decide to live a life of sacrifice. Each day the cross forgives, restores, and shapes our lives. Embedding the Bible means listening to the call to sacrifice self and live with Jesus.