Lifted Up

The book of John, more than any other book in the Bible, thoroughly describes who Jesus is. Through His teaching, His miracles and His conversations, many people who heard and saw Jesus came to believe that He is the Son of God. But not the Pharisees. They did not understand who Jesus was or where He came from. John Chapter 8 describes a conversation between Jesus and this group.

One thing Jesus told the Pharisees is that He did not come to earth on His own initiative (John 8:42), but was sent by the Father. (John 7:29). Jesus stated that He was not acting independently, and that His judgment and testimony are not His own. (John 8:16, 18) Everything Jesus said and did was under the Father’s direction and to please the Father (John 8:26, 28-29, and John 5:19) Still, the Pharisees did not get it. “Who are you ,” they asked in verse 25.

The consequence of missing Jesus’ identity are serious: “…unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins,” Jesus told them. (John 8:24) But then in verse 28, Jesus gave a clue: “when you lift up the Son of Man (referring to Himself), then you will know that I am He.” In verse 24 we have “unless”. In verse 28 we have “when”. This gives us some hope that we can believe.

What does “I Am He” mean? This goes back to when God called to Moses from the burning bush. (Exodus 3:14) God told Moses His name is “I AM WHO I AM.” So in saying “I am He,” Jesus was stating that He is God and the anointed one - the Messiah - and that when He is “lifted up” we would know it.

Jesus was “lifted up” when He was crucified on the cross and resurrected. (And many people did believe in Him as a result.) Jesus’ death on the cross shows us that He is the promised Savior who died to remove the penalty of sin. Jesus provides the escape from going to our death while still carrying the guilt from our sins.

What about you? Do you know who Jesus is? Do you believe He is sent from God and is the Messiah, that He is part of the I AM? If you haven’t thought through these questions, or if you are wondering about Jesus’ claims, read through the book of John in the New Testament of the Bible and discover for yourself who Jesus is.

…when you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He… John 8:28

Last week we did the “multi-million dollar necklace” exercise, which challenged your alignment and worked the muscles around your spine. (You may click here to review that.) Now we’re going to take it a step further and add a forward fold at your hips. Read on to find out how!

Sit in a firm chair (not upholstered) with your feet flat on the floor and your hands next to your hips. Recheck your alignment (ears over shoulders over hips) and lengthen your spine Pretend you want to create distance between each vertebra and move your ribcage upward, away from your pelvis. (Your upper body is vertical.) Keep your navel pulled inward toward your spine. This is your starting position.

Next, slowly fold your body at your hips: Maintain the length in your spine and your ears-shoulders-hips alignment and bring your chest toward your thighs. They key is to not curl your spine, but to keep it long. That is the challenging part because you need to use the muscles in your back to prevent your spine from curling forward. Then slowly lift up (still with your spine long!) to return to the starting position. You can exhale as you “fold” and inhale as you come back up to vertical. If you have any pain, stop, and if you aren’t sure if you should do an exercise, ask your doctor first.

Start with five “folds” and over the course of a few weeks, you can gradually build up to ten or twelve “reps.” Do this one every day if you wish, but at least three times per week. This is one of those exercises that can truly be done anywhere. You will notice yourself gaining length and strength!