May 15, 2015
The First Dialogue
A reading from the Gospel of Saint John 7, 11 – 31
When the Feast of the Tabernacles was already half over, Jesus went up into the temple area and began to teach. The Jews were amazed and said, “How does he know scripture without having studied?” Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not my own but is from the one who sent me. Whoever chooses to do his will shall know whether my teaching is from God or whether I speak on my own. Whoever speaks on his own seeks his own glory, but whoever seeks the glory of the one who sent him is truthful, and there is no wrong in him. Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” The crowd answered, “You are possessed! Who is trying to kill you?” Jesus answered and said to them, “I performed one work and all of you are amazed because of it. Moses gave you circumcision–not that it came from Moses but rather from the patriarchs–and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man can receive circumcision on a Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I made a whole person well on a Sabbath? Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly.”
So some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities have realized that he is the Messiah? But we know where he is from. When the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said, “You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come. But many of the crowd began to believe in him, and said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs that this man had done.”
We had another beautiful sunny day on Thursday and the temperature came up to 14 degrees Celsius. It will be 18 degrees tomorrow. There is still just a little bit of snow in the woods but in a week it should be all gone. As I wrote yesterday, I still need more money to pay my lawyer. So if anyone can help, I know the Lord will bless you. I hope I will receive the money to build soon.
Below you will find the message of Our Lord and Redeemer given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words,
“Most Jews did not accept My teaching. I hope that you accept all My teachings without a doubt My brother Melvin and all My brothers and sisters. When I taught the Jews in the temple in Jerusalem, they thought I was possessed. Some of the Jews wanted to kill Me although I had not done anything wrong. Some of them believed that I was the Messiah but many others refused to believe because they knew where I was from. They thought no one would know where the Messiah will come from. I told the people that I was sent by someone and no body knew this person. I was talking about God the Father who sent Me on earth for the salvation of the people. When I told the Jews that I was from the Father and He had sent Me. Then the Jews tried to arrest Me but no one was able to lay hands on Me because My time had not yet come. Again some of the people believed in Me because of all the great signs I had performed in their midst.
My brothers and sisters, do not be like the Jews who refused to believe in Me. Open your hearts and accept Me as your Lord and Savior who loves you and wants to redeem you from sin and bring you with Me in heaven. I bless you all.”
Father Melvin