Hey now. Playing catch up cuz I fell asleep right after I started this last night. Here we go.
Reading for April 28
Judges 8:18-9:21
This section is so confusing. There are too many names and I don't know who's who. Can someone who's smarter than me read it and summarize it for me in the comments? Just click the "Reading for April 28" thing above. Thanks.
Luke 23:44-24:12
So emphasizing what I said in yesterday's post about sin being the main villain of the Bible - there is a scene here during Jesus' death that is pretty well known, but I think a lot of people overlook the significance of it. When Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple was torn in half. This curtain was there to keep God separate from people and only the highest of high priests was allowed beyond that curtain and only on specific days at specific times. The curtain tearing in half is EXTREMELY symbolic of the relationship between God and man. With the death of Jesus, God and man could finally co-exist again - something that hadn't happened since the beginning of time.
Imagine the joy God felt at this moment - he could finally be with his creation. Sin had been defeated and could no longer separate him from his beloved humans. Jesus' death is the manure truck of the Bible. Is that sacrilegious? You know what I mean right?
Also, can someone who's smart tell me if Joseph of Arimethea is Jesus' father?
Psalm 99:1-9
8 O LORD our God,
you answered them;
you were to Israel [a] a forgiving God,
though you punished their misdeeds.
Here again we see the light and dark sides of God I mentioned a few nights ago. And I've given some thought to that as well and it's not as new of an idea as I thought. The reason we see the two different experiences with God is the dual nature of God - perfectly loving and perfectly just. We interpret the 'just' part as God being a jerk and not letting us do or have what we want. But this is simply instruction and correction to strengthen us for future events.
Does that make sense? Then, of course you run into conflict with this theory when babies start dying and innocent people die in earthquakes. Think think think...
Proverbs 14:9-10
9 Fools mock at making amends for sin,
but goodwill is found among the upright.
10 Each heart knows its own bitterness,
and no one else can share its joy.
I love verse 10 there. No one knows what its like to be me, and no one knows what its like to be you. So don't judge eachother, fools.
K - peace.
The Judges question, I can't answer right now, I'd have to reread it.
ReplyDeleteBut Joseph of A. is not Jesus' father. He is a voting member of the Sanhedrin and a super respected religious leader type. He also secretly believed in this Jesus fellow.
So the fact that Joseph of A. took Jesus down from the cross and donated a tomb is wild, unexpected, and effing beautiful. He risked his life, his reputation, everything, so he could bury Jesus like a King.