The Adonai's Crescent

Why could we not cast it out? *Reference: Matthew 17:14–23* A pattern worth noticing: most of us ask questions of Jesus, or of fellow humans, that come from confusion, fear, ambition, or failure—the disciples ask theirs in the middle of not understanding, not from a comfortable distance. Their failure was not a lack of authority but a lack of dependence—faith diluted by self-reliance, prayer left behind. Jesus turns the question into the remedy: bring the failure to Me, and trust the God who does the casting out. At the bottom of the mountain, Jesus walks into chaos: a crowd, an argument, a father desperate for help. His son has seizures—falling into fire and water—though the text frames it as demonic affliction. The father says he brought the boy to the disciples, "but they could not heal him." This isn't their first attempt; Jesus had already sent them out with explicit authority to cast out demons (Matthew 10:1, 8), and they had done it successfully. It's a breakdo...

Is the Lord among us or not? Reference: Exodus 17:7 NIV “And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarrelled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?””  The background The Israelites, newly freed from Egypt, are in the wilderness of Sin journeying toward Sinai. They arrive at Rephidim and there's no water to drink. This isn't their first complaint since the Exodus — it follows earlier grumbling about food (Exodus 16) — but thirst brings it to a crisis point. The escalation: The people quarrel with Moses, and their accusation is sharp: "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?" (17:3). Moses, fearing they're about to stone him, cries out to the Lord. God instructs him to strike the rock at Horeb with his staff — the same staff he used in the plagues and at the Red Sea — and water flows out for the whole community. The naming: Moses names the place Massah (...

Lord, to whom would we go? You’re… Reference: John 6:68 Grammatically, it’s a rhetorical question. This is a pivotal turning point in John’s Gospel, shaped by the events leading up to it: the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus walking on water, and His teaching at Capernaum on hard subjects — chief among them, that He is the Bread of Life. Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him. Now the revelation is unfolding openly, before everyone — this is the open event. Many disciples turned back. “From that time on, many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.” The teaching was too hard for them, even though it was necessary. Just because we have never heard or done certain things does not mean there is no need for change — God will change us in His time. This is a moment where, in the history of West Asia, the appointed time of the Lord emerges. The closing verses of the chapter hold the key for us. Jesus asked the Twelve —...