"Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.' Then they took up stones to throw at Him...." (John 8:58, 59a-from yesterday's Gospel reading)
Abraham was a, "was." Jesus is the, "Am," the only, I might add. All humanity is "was." People either were, or are, or yet to be born, but until the Second Appearing of Our Lord Jesus Christ, "was" will be their epitaph. His Satanic Majesty and his demonic hordes attempted to make Jesus a, "was." Resurrection first day of the week: "Game over."
It is no wonder that the hearers of this most outrageous claim, "picked up stones to through at Him." They were zealots of the first order. They were the "guardians" of orthodoxy. Some of them could have been among those who were ready to stone the woman of the first few verses of John 8, that is, until Jesus made them face themselves and their own sinfulness.
We are in the Season of Celebrating the First Appearing of Jesus, His "birth." It is right that we should celebrate this, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord." Remember also the words Jesus spoke to those somewhat confused disciples on the road to Emmaus: "'Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?' And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself," which are really, "all...things," in the Scriptures.
While for others, birth is 9 months after conception, "birth" for Jesus was revelation, a sort of, "Here I AM." It is, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," or, again, "Before the beginning began, the Word already was;" hence, "I AM," the Great Eternal Now. Yet for those who wonder about the love of God, Who He Is, how He "acts," and relates to humanity, go to the feeding trough of Bethlehem and consider the Baby. This is no pretentious king, coming with great "pride, pomp and circumstance," appearing in robe and crown, but a helpless, cooing baby. Perhaps we could say, Jesus "stepped" out of Eternity to enter this time/space world, a total identification with you and me. Jesus breathed, lived, ate, drank, slept, worked, was a part of a large, humble family. The Bible says that He Who claimed, "I and the Father are One," was tempted with everything you and I are tempted with. This is the Savior of the world Whose Appearing we celebrate in this season. This is how He does things. O, my soul, take note.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I have no full understanding of such things. What I do have is, "lost in wonder, love, and praise." Amen.
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We are in the process of making plans for our Berlin Mission for 2016. Please pray with us about it.
Abraham was a, "was." Jesus is the, "Am," the only, I might add. All humanity is "was." People either were, or are, or yet to be born, but until the Second Appearing of Our Lord Jesus Christ, "was" will be their epitaph. His Satanic Majesty and his demonic hordes attempted to make Jesus a, "was." Resurrection first day of the week: "Game over."
It is no wonder that the hearers of this most outrageous claim, "picked up stones to through at Him." They were zealots of the first order. They were the "guardians" of orthodoxy. Some of them could have been among those who were ready to stone the woman of the first few verses of John 8, that is, until Jesus made them face themselves and their own sinfulness.
We are in the Season of Celebrating the First Appearing of Jesus, His "birth." It is right that we should celebrate this, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord." Remember also the words Jesus spoke to those somewhat confused disciples on the road to Emmaus: "'Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?' And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself," which are really, "all...things," in the Scriptures.
While for others, birth is 9 months after conception, "birth" for Jesus was revelation, a sort of, "Here I AM." It is, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," or, again, "Before the beginning began, the Word already was;" hence, "I AM," the Great Eternal Now. Yet for those who wonder about the love of God, Who He Is, how He "acts," and relates to humanity, go to the feeding trough of Bethlehem and consider the Baby. This is no pretentious king, coming with great "pride, pomp and circumstance," appearing in robe and crown, but a helpless, cooing baby. Perhaps we could say, Jesus "stepped" out of Eternity to enter this time/space world, a total identification with you and me. Jesus breathed, lived, ate, drank, slept, worked, was a part of a large, humble family. The Bible says that He Who claimed, "I and the Father are One," was tempted with everything you and I are tempted with. This is the Savior of the world Whose Appearing we celebrate in this season. This is how He does things. O, my soul, take note.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I have no full understanding of such things. What I do have is, "lost in wonder, love, and praise." Amen.
*********************
We are in the process of making plans for our Berlin Mission for 2016. Please pray with us about it.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
