Feeds:
Posts
Comments

>Faith Killer #2

January 18, 2010 by Fritz

>

How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? – John 5:44-47 (KJV)

I’ve been to school, I’ve been in the “higher education” classroom studying the Pentateuch and Wellhousen, the “Synoptic Gospels” and Tillich, and higher textual criticism all pushing the students NOT to believe Moses wrote what he did and NOT to believe what was written, either. I could regurgitate it like any other student.

To them there was no Adam and Eve. To them there was no crossing the Red Sea, no serpent image on a pole bringing healing to those bitten, no water from the rock, no cloud by day and no fire by night – all stories and myths to have their layers peeled back like an onion until the truth could be discovered. And after the peeling, where is the onion, how much should be peeled?

They do the same with the stories of Jesus, trying to determine who really wrote the gospels and letters, and what really happend with the feeding of the 5,000, the raising from the dead, the virgin birth – continually doing more and more peeling.

Jesus said from the start, “If you don’t believe Moses, you won’t believe me“.

There are a lot of books documenting the evidence for biblical authenticity – the issue is NOT one of evidence, but of desire.

As Samuel Clements (Mark Twain) said, “It is not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that bother me, it is the parts I do understand”

– Fritz.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

>Just a nudge

January 17, 2010 by Fritz

>

And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. – John 2:2-5 (KJV)

My attention was caught this morning in a seminarian’s sermon. He moved on in his message, but I did not; he made other good points, but I was struck with the kind of mothering Mary did and the kind of sonship Jesus had with her.

How often do mothers (and fathers) not only let their children know what needs to be done, but tell them how to do it, and keep reminding them until its finished. How often as parents do we try to talk (argue?) our children into doing something; not Mary.

She had always known Jesus’ calling and I think she noticed the change in Jesus after his baptism. Like most mothers, I think she had a sense it was time for Jesus to act. She gently nudged him, nothing more, not even asking Jesus to do anything. She only said four (4) little words, “They have no wine“; only a nudge. Even with his initial resistance she did not argue, nor retract.

And Jesus? He had such love and respect for his mother nothing more than a nudge was needed. Though reluctant, he acted. I think Mary knew this about him; that’s why she told the servants to do what he would tell them.

How often I have told my wife, and others, “If you want me to do something then ask me!” But that was not Jesus’ way, nor should it be mine. I should not have to be formally asked, the act of making the need known IS the asking.

Today, in that small part of the message, I heard God tell me I need to be more like Mary and more like Jesus at the same time – like Mary in only giving nudges to my love ones, letting them respond in their own way, and like Jesus I should respond to the needs of my wife, family, and friends without having to be formerly asked.

Jesus, help me be better at both of these.

– Fritz.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

>Not all the dead are in the graves.

January 16, 2010 by Fritz

>

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. – John 5:25-29 (KJV)

Jesus introduced metaphors into middle eastern faith. To the woman at the well (another of the “hour is coming and now is” scriptures) he talks about “Living” water – meaning a refreshment to the Soul, like water to the body, and indicated he is the one who gives it.

Here, in this scripture, Jesus tells the Jews there is a judgment coming for those who are in the graves (physically dead), when all shall be physically raised and actually stand before God, Almighty,and receive the results of what they did in life. This held no controversy for them, all but the Sadducees already believed in the physical resurrection of the body and judgment for actions; they had read the prophet Daniel (Daniel 12:l-3) and the Psalms.

What he told them they did not know was that 1) It would be the voice of the Son of God that would awaken them; 2) There is a different kind of death – an unresponsiveness to God’s and His ways, like the unresponsiveness of the physically dead to their own surroundings! (Not all the dead are in the graves, yet); and 3) It was his voice that, if they would only listen, could raise them, now, to a wonderful, glorious life!

– Fritz

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a Comment »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »