John 2:4
Jesus saith to her, `What -- to me and to thee, woman? Not yet is mine hour come.'
Genesis 23:15
“Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”
“On the third day” – John 2:1. I could write a volume about all of the truth that I see in this lesson. Time doesn’t allow it in this venue. Another time perhaps. Allow me to focus my attention primarily to the interaction between Jesus and His mother, Mary. John 2:4 is a difficult passage to comprehend. What’s really going on there? First of all, a couple of observations: (1) Would Jesus rebuke or disrespect His mother in any way? Short answer: no. (2) What are the circumstances surrounding this exchange between Jesus and Mary? Jesus and His disciples are guests at a wedding in Cana. This was probably a family affair of some kind, possibly a near relative of Jesus was either the bride or groom. Mary was obviously acting as one in authority in this event. Had she assisted a brother, sister or cousin in the planning and carrying out of the marriage ceremony of one of their children? Probably something like that. If so, this was an important event to Mary. She had a strong desire to see the ceremony ‘go off without a hitch”. Isn’t that just like a mother? Yes. So, at a point when the ceremony isn’t nearly over, it comes to Mary’s attention that the wine is gone. There is no more. For the mothers who were hosting this event, this could have been quite embarrassing, for the family as well as for the young bride and groom. It is with this backdrop that Mary approaches her son, Jesus.
There’s an air of urgency in her statement, “They have no more wine.” Can’t you feel it? This is important to her. No eternal consequences here, just the concern of a mother, someone who has children of her own and can empathize on the deepest level with the family of the groom. Jesus will encounter people throughout His ministry who have a personal need that seems almost inconsequential in the eternal scheme of things but, in the moment, seemed overwhelming to the person with whom He was dealing. Here comes the good part. Listen to Jesus’ response. I’m going to carefully paraphrase Jesus’ words, so as to bring His heart into focus. Listen:… , “Dear woman, what is that between you and I?”, or, “Dear woman, such a small request. What is that between me and thee?”, or maybe, “Dear woman, why wouldn’t I? Such a small thing between us.” Did you catch it? Jesus is more than happy to honor such a small request from His mother. Wouldn’t you be? This speaks to the relationship that Jesus had with His mom. Beloved, because of what Jesus did at the cross, we do not approach the throne of our Father, God as strangers but, as children. We literally come before the throne with a blood tie to the King of Glory. As a teenager, I got my first job at a chemical company where my dad had worked for a number of years and where he still maintained many vital relationships. How many of you have had a similar experience?
“My hour has not yet come.” Jesus made statements like this often, mostly referring to the fact that the cross was the big, upcoming event in His future. How does that apply here? I think Jesus is simply telling Mary, “OK mom, but I don’t want to draw a lot of attention to myself.” or, “ I don’t want to make a big deal out of this.”
Why this interpretation? For me this offers a good bit of insight into the heart of the Lord. When we hear “Jesus loves you”, we can take that personally. Jesus loves us and cares about us. He cares about our ‘care abouts’. That’s why we can go to Him in prayer about our children, our money, our health, and our circumstances. None of these things have ‘eternal’ consequences, but scripture teaches us, that when we line our lives up according to His precepts (His Word), He will give us the desires of our heart Relationship. When a toddler comes to mom or dad, they come with arms waving above their head. The arm waving helps them to stay balanced as they waddle toward their parent. The arms up and waving also indicate that the child his coming to the parent with expectation. They are coming with the expectation that that the parent will lift them up and take them into their arms and bring them up close where they and give and receive one of those ‘big slobbery kisses’. You know the ones I’m talking about? Relationship. Faith works by Love. Of course you can come to Jesus, arms waving high above your head, as you try to maintain your balance. I can see Peter, walking on water, half believing what’s transpiring all around him in that moment. What does water feel like beneath your feet? About the closest thing I could compare it to would be walking on a waterbed. Wouldn’t that cause a little arm waving trying to maintain you balance? I can see Peter becoming a little overwhelmed by it all, you know: that sinking feeling. “What a mess I’ve gotten myself into.” Can you relate? I can hear Peter cry out, “Lord, save me.” Isn’t that where the prayer of necessity comes from: from someplace deep within our desperation?
What was Jesus response? Before He said something, He did something: He reached out His hand and caught Peter. Isn’t that good news? He saved Peter from drowning, He healed Jairus’ daughter, He raised Lazarus from the dead, He healed the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter. He opened blind eyes, He caused the lame to walk, the dumb to speak and deaf to hear. And it all began right here, at a wedding in Cana, where He turned water into wine at His mother’s request. Relationship. A few weeks ago, we discussed the Fruit of the Spirit. Love, Joy, Peace. Patience, Kindness, Goodness. Relationship. Faith works by, miracles come out of, healing comes out of … relationship. Selah.
.wb
Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 14:30
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Matthew 14:31
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him…
Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Sunday School Lesson for March 11, 2012: The Word Became Flesh (John 1:1-18)
Allow me a moment to thank everyone who gave to ‘Baby Lyra’ over the last two weeks. We collected $380.00, which I will send to Lee Ross next week via Western Union. Pedro’s trip to Clark was delayed and he wanted to have the money be available to Lee Ross and his family as soon as possible. I have to get the logistics pinned down and I’ll get it sent. Allow me this observation. I witnessed the ‘blessing’ of giving in this effort. I observed in the faces and demeanor of some of you the very real God like quality of ‘joy in giving’. It’s as though the gift was in the gift. It’s difficult to explain, but I hope you understand what I’m trying to say. May God richly bless you. I’m honored to call you ‘friends’.
………………………………
Strong’s number: 3056 - Lo/gov
Translated word: Logos
1. its use as respect to the MIND alone
a. reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating
b. account, i.e. regard, consideration
c. account, i.e. reckoning, score
d. account, i.e. answer or explanation in reference to judgment
e. relation, i.e. with whom as judge we stand in relation
1. reason would
f. reason, cause, ground
2. In John, denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God, his minister in creation and government of the universe, the cause of all the world's life both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man's salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, and shone forth conspicuously from His words and deeds.
A Greek philosopher named Heraclitus first used the term Logos around 600 B.C. to designate the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe. This word was well suited to John's purpose in John 1
John 1:1 (Amplified)
IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Logos ( Christ), and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God Himself.
I was blessed by last week’s lesson. Last week, Lady Wisdom offered an eyewitness account of the miracle of Creation. She peeled back the veil and revealed to us the person of Christ and his direct involvement in bringing about all that we can see and comprehend, as well as all that we cannot. This week John, the Revelator does the same. In this brief opening verse, John introduces his readers to the Messiah. John is writing to Gentiles of Greek and Roman heritage who were steeped in a culture of reason and philosophy. Their culture had begun to evolve away from polytheism of one sort or another toward a concept of reason as the force of order in nature. They correctly concluded that there must be some overarching all powerful law of order, thus the term: Logic. John, in one deft statement, introduces Christ, the Messiah of Judaism, as the Logos: the very personification of the source of all that is. He proclaims that Christ is the author of order and reason, that he (Christ) is the source of ultimate truth, thus the title: The Logos.
The very elements for the preaching of the Good News reside in these few verses. ‘In the beginning’ points to Christ’s deity and absolute authority. The terms light and life identify Christ as the singular source for life and truth. The reference to darkness and mankind’s love for it identifies our predicament without Christ: We were born in sin and shaped in iniquity, hopelessly separated from right standing with God and hopelessly adrift in a never ending search for meaning.
But the Logos came in the flesh in the person of Jesus and dwelt among us. He provided a path whereby all might be saved. The requirement: believe in Him. Then He did one more thing: He sent a preacher. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Logos. But how will we hear without a preacher. God chose to save the world through the foolishness of preaching the Gospel.
Why does this matter to you? Beloved, God loves us. He loves us so much that He devised a plan to save us that was so absolute that it would take His Son to carry it out. Jesus left the pinnacle of Heaven to come here and redeem us unto Himself. That’s love. No matter what we’ve done, how low we’ve fallen, Jesus can reach us. No matter our hurt, our problems, our unanswered questions, Jesus is the answer. He is the life. He is the light (truth). That He is identified as the Logos means He is absolutely capable of meeting our every need, no matter how dire. It also means, remarkably, that He cares so deeply for us that He wants to. His great desire is that all might come to Him and be saved. Welcome to the Gospel of John.
.wb
John 6:29
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
John 6:68
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
Hebrews 7:25
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them
………………………………
Strong’s number: 3056 - Lo/gov
Translated word: Logos
1. its use as respect to the MIND alone
a. reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating
b. account, i.e. regard, consideration
c. account, i.e. reckoning, score
d. account, i.e. answer or explanation in reference to judgment
e. relation, i.e. with whom as judge we stand in relation
1. reason would
f. reason, cause, ground
2. In John, denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God, his minister in creation and government of the universe, the cause of all the world's life both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man's salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, and shone forth conspicuously from His words and deeds.
A Greek philosopher named Heraclitus first used the term Logos around 600 B.C. to designate the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe. This word was well suited to John's purpose in John 1
John 1:1 (Amplified)
IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Logos ( Christ), and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God Himself.
I was blessed by last week’s lesson. Last week, Lady Wisdom offered an eyewitness account of the miracle of Creation. She peeled back the veil and revealed to us the person of Christ and his direct involvement in bringing about all that we can see and comprehend, as well as all that we cannot. This week John, the Revelator does the same. In this brief opening verse, John introduces his readers to the Messiah. John is writing to Gentiles of Greek and Roman heritage who were steeped in a culture of reason and philosophy. Their culture had begun to evolve away from polytheism of one sort or another toward a concept of reason as the force of order in nature. They correctly concluded that there must be some overarching all powerful law of order, thus the term: Logic. John, in one deft statement, introduces Christ, the Messiah of Judaism, as the Logos: the very personification of the source of all that is. He proclaims that Christ is the author of order and reason, that he (Christ) is the source of ultimate truth, thus the title: The Logos.
The very elements for the preaching of the Good News reside in these few verses. ‘In the beginning’ points to Christ’s deity and absolute authority. The terms light and life identify Christ as the singular source for life and truth. The reference to darkness and mankind’s love for it identifies our predicament without Christ: We were born in sin and shaped in iniquity, hopelessly separated from right standing with God and hopelessly adrift in a never ending search for meaning.
But the Logos came in the flesh in the person of Jesus and dwelt among us. He provided a path whereby all might be saved. The requirement: believe in Him. Then He did one more thing: He sent a preacher. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Logos. But how will we hear without a preacher. God chose to save the world through the foolishness of preaching the Gospel.
Why does this matter to you? Beloved, God loves us. He loves us so much that He devised a plan to save us that was so absolute that it would take His Son to carry it out. Jesus left the pinnacle of Heaven to come here and redeem us unto Himself. That’s love. No matter what we’ve done, how low we’ve fallen, Jesus can reach us. No matter our hurt, our problems, our unanswered questions, Jesus is the answer. He is the life. He is the light (truth). That He is identified as the Logos means He is absolutely capable of meeting our every need, no matter how dire. It also means, remarkably, that He cares so deeply for us that He wants to. His great desire is that all might come to Him and be saved. Welcome to the Gospel of John.
.wb
John 6:29
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
John 6:68
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
Hebrews 7:25
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them
Monday, March 5, 2012
Sunday School Lesson for March 4, 2012: Wisdom’s Origin (Proverbs 8:22-35)
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Ephesians 1:17
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know
him better.
Proverbs 3:19
With Lady Wisdom, God formed Earth; with Madame Insight, he raised Heaven. They knew when to signal rivers and springs to the surface, and dew to descend from the night skies.
I’ve always had trouble teaching Proverbs 8 mainly because it deals with the personification of what we would deem a ‘character’ trait: Wisdom. Furthermore, rather than being personified as a ‘man’, Wisdom is personified as a woman in these passages. This created something of a dilemma for me, in that, I’m always looking for ‘Christ’ in Scripture. At first glance, this passage seemed to be the perfect compliment to John 1:1-2 where Jesus is identified as the Eternal Word: The Logos of God. It didn’t seem to line up. Why would God refer to yet to be revealed ‘Christ’ in the feminine person here in Proverbs? He didn’t. Not on the way you think. It’s OK. I didn’t get it for a long time either. Allow me just a few observations. First of all, in the time of the writing of the Proverbs, the worship of male and female deities was quite common. Baal and Asheroth, Ra and Isis: major deity ‘pairs’ that were worshipped in the countries surrounding Israel. Yet, uniquely, the God of Israel revealed Himself consistently as ‘One God’; singular and supreme. From the beginning he represented Himself as the singular source of all creation. However, throughout the Old Testament He provided glimpses of His Triune nature: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, both three and one. The Trinity stands as the great revealed ‘mystery’ of Scripture. You have to take the concept by faith.
So when ‘Lady Wisdom’ makes her appearance here in Proverbs, God is revealing something of His ‘nurture’ (play on words). After all, in creation, both male and female came from Him. Beloved, Eve came out of Adam. What might Adam have ‘looked’ like in the Spirit before that happened? In Genesis 17, when God cut covenant with Abraham, He revealed Himself to Abraham as ‘God Almighty’, in the Hebrew: ‘El Shaddai”, which some have given to mean literally: ‘Father Mother God’.
So, back to Jesus; I’m still trying to find Him in here. If you will allow me a little ‘sanctified liberty’, I think I found Him. What if God, enthroned in Heaven, remained so during the very creation? What would the implications be? One postulate might be that… When ‘Lady Wisdom’ references the ‘’Lord’ in the latter parts, the reference may have been to our Lord, Jesus: The Living Word. The Logos : the very Power of the Living God. Might ‘Wisdom’ have been revealing Jesus to us? I believe so, the same as John does in the very beginning of his Gospel. I’m just saying. It would make some sense, in that the Spirit of God, or the ‘Holy Spirit’ was hovering over the waters in Genesis 1:1 and did not act creatively until the Logos came forth, “Let there be light!’. So then, might ‘Lady Wisdom’ be revealed then as the Holy Spirit; the third person of the ‘Godhead’? If so, it would absolutely establish the Holy Spirit of God as the origin source of heavenly wisdom and the provider of it. The primary role of the Holy Spirit in the Church is to magnify Jesus.
Subsequently, those who find ‘Wisdom’ find life. They find ‘Blessing’. Those who follow after her, who practice her ‘way’ become reflections of her, or rather ‘Them’, or rather, Him (Christ). Beloved, in the same way that ‘Lady Wisdom’ reveals the majesty and preeminence of the Lord here in Proverbs, may the Holy Spirit manifest the Glory and Power, Grace and Mercy of our Lord Jesus, the Christ, in your hearts. May you grow in the knowledge of Him and find Favor and Blessing under the shadow of the Almighty. May He cause His face to shine upon you!
Blessings,
.wb
p.s. Thanks Eric! J (giving honor to whom honor is due).
John 1:1-2
[ The Eternal Word ] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
1 Corinthians 1:30
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Proverbs 14:33
Lady Wisdom is at home in an understanding heart
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Ephesians 1:17
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know
him better.
Proverbs 3:19
With Lady Wisdom, God formed Earth; with Madame Insight, he raised Heaven. They knew when to signal rivers and springs to the surface, and dew to descend from the night skies.
I’ve always had trouble teaching Proverbs 8 mainly because it deals with the personification of what we would deem a ‘character’ trait: Wisdom. Furthermore, rather than being personified as a ‘man’, Wisdom is personified as a woman in these passages. This created something of a dilemma for me, in that, I’m always looking for ‘Christ’ in Scripture. At first glance, this passage seemed to be the perfect compliment to John 1:1-2 where Jesus is identified as the Eternal Word: The Logos of God. It didn’t seem to line up. Why would God refer to yet to be revealed ‘Christ’ in the feminine person here in Proverbs? He didn’t. Not on the way you think. It’s OK. I didn’t get it for a long time either. Allow me just a few observations. First of all, in the time of the writing of the Proverbs, the worship of male and female deities was quite common. Baal and Asheroth, Ra and Isis: major deity ‘pairs’ that were worshipped in the countries surrounding Israel. Yet, uniquely, the God of Israel revealed Himself consistently as ‘One God’; singular and supreme. From the beginning he represented Himself as the singular source of all creation. However, throughout the Old Testament He provided glimpses of His Triune nature: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, both three and one. The Trinity stands as the great revealed ‘mystery’ of Scripture. You have to take the concept by faith.
So when ‘Lady Wisdom’ makes her appearance here in Proverbs, God is revealing something of His ‘nurture’ (play on words). After all, in creation, both male and female came from Him. Beloved, Eve came out of Adam. What might Adam have ‘looked’ like in the Spirit before that happened? In Genesis 17, when God cut covenant with Abraham, He revealed Himself to Abraham as ‘God Almighty’, in the Hebrew: ‘El Shaddai”, which some have given to mean literally: ‘Father Mother God’.
So, back to Jesus; I’m still trying to find Him in here. If you will allow me a little ‘sanctified liberty’, I think I found Him. What if God, enthroned in Heaven, remained so during the very creation? What would the implications be? One postulate might be that… When ‘Lady Wisdom’ references the ‘’Lord’ in the latter parts, the reference may have been to our Lord, Jesus: The Living Word. The Logos : the very Power of the Living God. Might ‘Wisdom’ have been revealing Jesus to us? I believe so, the same as John does in the very beginning of his Gospel. I’m just saying. It would make some sense, in that the Spirit of God, or the ‘Holy Spirit’ was hovering over the waters in Genesis 1:1 and did not act creatively until the Logos came forth, “Let there be light!’. So then, might ‘Lady Wisdom’ be revealed then as the Holy Spirit; the third person of the ‘Godhead’? If so, it would absolutely establish the Holy Spirit of God as the origin source of heavenly wisdom and the provider of it. The primary role of the Holy Spirit in the Church is to magnify Jesus.
Subsequently, those who find ‘Wisdom’ find life. They find ‘Blessing’. Those who follow after her, who practice her ‘way’ become reflections of her, or rather ‘Them’, or rather, Him (Christ). Beloved, in the same way that ‘Lady Wisdom’ reveals the majesty and preeminence of the Lord here in Proverbs, may the Holy Spirit manifest the Glory and Power, Grace and Mercy of our Lord Jesus, the Christ, in your hearts. May you grow in the knowledge of Him and find Favor and Blessing under the shadow of the Almighty. May He cause His face to shine upon you!
Blessings,
.wb
p.s. Thanks Eric! J (giving honor to whom honor is due).
John 1:1-2
[ The Eternal Word ] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
1 Corinthians 1:30
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Proverbs 14:33
Lady Wisdom is at home in an understanding heart
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