I know that for those who were at small group on Wednesday it is no shock that I am posting this at 10:39 pm from my bed while eating pita bread and tabouli, but nevertheless here it is.
I am simply going to write small meditations on passages that stood out and maybe perhaps ones I don't understand.
"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philipi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?'
They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'
'But what about you?' he asked, 'Who do you say I am?'
Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the living God.'
Jesus replied, 'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven...'"
This passage has always stood out to me for several reasons.
1. I LOVE that Jesus asks who people say that he is. He is the ultimate teacher who asks questions so that his disciples come to the truth/experience the truth/search for the truth. It reminds me of the same way God asks questions of Adam, Eve, Cain, Abraham in Genesis. AGH. I love how God interacts with people.
2. It is noticeable to me that over and over again in the Bible, saying the identity of God (and specific names) are important. I think in modern/western culture, we maybe have lost the weight of what names mean and the impact of calling them out.
3. PETER : You are my favorite, because you are such a tragic and flawed hero and this is one of your more brilliant moments.
It is significant that he calls Jesus Messiah--especially being a Jew. He is saying that this man, Jesus, in front of him is the fulfilled prophecy that they all have been waiting/longing/pining for. And as we know the story goes, Jesus' life ends up being taken because of this claim....so this is huge. Not to mention that he is calling him the Son of God....not simply Son of man.
4. JESUS: I love that you are the one that opens Peter's eyes to this. It is nothing to do with Peter or anyone else telling him, but solely the Father. Hello, the Gospel. Praise God that I don't have to conjure up understanding who God is....HE REVEALS HIMSELF. He makes me aware. He is the one that opens my eyes. It is not a matter of doing all the right things; putting all the behavior modifications in the right place. God reveals himself--even to a lowly, doubting, firey, loud mouth. over zealous, man like Peter.
**last nugget: I noticed for the first time that Peter is the son of Jonah...I have no idea if this is referencing Jonah and the whale, BUT it makes so much sense to me that Peter and Jonah are from the same family.....they definitely seem broken from the same mold.
Sweet.
---------
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
Ever since I was little, these verses have always freaked me out. Because if I am honest, I love my life. I want to save it and I don't know how sometimes not to want that. I go to these extremes in my own life in thinking that the only way to demonstrate this kind of denial would be to sell all my possessions and live in a tent in Africa helping out with orphans of AIDs victims. I still feel that way when I read these verses.
You're right, Jesus, it is a really great question, 'What can I give in exchange for my soul?' However, we both know I buy cheap things on a daily basis in exchange for what is greater. I play in mud pies, rather than opting on the holiday at the sea. I consistently want the lesser.
God give me grace to really see this and to understand what the imagery of "taking up my cross" means because I only associate it with something very extreme and nothing that is related to my day-to-day life.
-----------
"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never inherit the Kingdom of heaven."
This summer when I was running in my neighborhood, I watched this little boy (probably 7-9 years old) run as fast as he could into who I assume was his mom. I noticed something. Often when kids run, they thrust their whole upper bodies forward like they are diving into a swimming pool. To me, it is a posture of complete fearlessness and shamelessness. I love that that is the posture that God asks us to change into. LOVE THAT. That image has changed everything about the way that I approach prayer/worship/etc. I don't have to get into a posture of shame. I can dive head first, sprinting as fast as I can.
--------
"The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant"
(not going to type out the whole thing)
This parable is awesome. I love what it teaches about interacting with others.
For those who have seen Les Mis....this parable totally reminds me of the line when the priest says, "You forgot the candlesticks."
because that is the exact OPPOSITE of what the servant does.
Here's the deal: I am unmerciful to people---especially in light of the fact that I have been forgiven and God has shown SO MUCH GOODNESS TO ME. but for some reason, I still think that I have entitlement to certain kinds of treatment. It's lame. And it's very shortsighted.
--------
Okay, smallgroupies. That's all. With 30 minute to spare on February First.
No comments:
Post a Comment