“Near Yet Far”

If you saw someone you knew couldn’t walk for 38 years all of a sudden begin walking, would that get your attention? Would that lend credibility to the one who performed the miracle? In The Gospel of John, Jesus performs that exact miracle. But because he was not doing it the way pharisees thought he should, because he is overturning their interpretations of faith, they tune him out. Worse still, they attack him. The signs point to God and they’re right in front of their faces. They were so convinced they already knew God, they stopped looking for him. In the wisdom of Jeremiah 29:13 – “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Their ignorance teaches us a hard but important lesson. You can be Right next to God and be nowhere near him.