Searching for the Spectacular
This morning I was reading the "Jewish New Testament Commentary" by David Stern, and a statement he made struck me. He wrote, "The Messiah is the firstborn of a new humanity through being the first to be resurrected from the dead;. . ." (italics, mine) My first thought was, "A new humanity!" A new type of human being! Yet from outward appearances, nothing is new. When we receive the Holy Spirit into our hearts, and accept Jesus as our Saviour, we still look the same physically. The Bible says that we were resurrected from the dead along with Jesus. These statements are actually very spectacular, yet there are no flashing lights and loud thunders announcing this miraculous work of God. However, what God has done within us is miraculous.
This fact caused me to think further about how God works in such a way that if a person is not attuned to considering God in his heart, he or she can miss entirely what God is doing. As Jesus said, "Unless a person is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3).
I thought of all the many works the Bible tells that God did in the earth that had extraordinary consequences, yet the ordinary outward appearance of things seemed to stay the same, at least for a time.
Starting with Jesus, I thought about how He was born in humble conditions. The mighty and great people (kings and rulers) were unaware of this most amazing event that would change the whole world. In their lives that very night that Jesus was born, nothing seemed different.
Even during his earthly ministry, the people who should have known and recognized Jesus as the Messiah missed it, even with all that He did among them! In his hometown, they said, "Isn't he the carpenter's son? And they took offense at Him." (Matthew 13:55, 57)
I thought about King David. When the prophet Samuel came to Jesse's house (David's father) and told him he came to annoint the next king of Israel, they called all of Jesse's sons in for Samuel to see which one was God's choice for king - that is - they called all the sons in except David! They did not even consider David. Only after Samuel passed by all of Jesse's other sons and asked if there were any others that they remembered David out in the field and called him in. (I Samuel 16)
Even after Samuel annointed David as the next king of Israel, nothing much seemed to change in David's life. He was still a shepherd. It was many years before David literally was crowned king and sat on the throne.
Think about Abraham and Sarah too. From outward appearances, nothing was spectacular. One man and wife, leaving their homeland and wandering through foreign lands as strangers.
The world is always looking for the "supernatural" to be accompanied with thunders and lightnings, and a spectaular display. But God works in ways that begin within, that are hidden to the natural eye. They just seem ordinary in many ways.
"God's 'weakness' is stronger than humanity's strength. Just look at yourselves - look at those whom God has called! Not many of you are wise by the worlds standards, not many wield power or boast noble birth. But God chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise; God chose what the world considers weak to shame the strong; and God chose what the world looks down on as common or regards as nothing in order to bring to nothing what the world considers important; so that no one should boast before God. It is His doing that you are united with the Messiah." (I Corinthians 1:25-30)
"The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed which a man takes and sows in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up it is larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the birds flying about come and nest in its branches." (Matthew 13:31-32)
Even though the beginning of what God does is often within and unseen, that does not mean that it is ineffective in changing the outward things that can be seen.
We can also learn from this that we should not put all of our confidence in what we see right now.
Speaking of the first Temple that had been destroyed, and also of the second Temple that was to be built, God says, "Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do you see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?" Then He tells Haggai, "The glory of this latter house (the second temple) shall be greater than of the former."
Also in connection with the building of the second temple, God tells Zechariah, "Who has despised the day of small beginnings?" (Haggai 2:3 and Zechariah 4:10)
"People born of dust are like the man of dust, and people born from heaven are like the man from heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust(Adam - physical body), so also we will bear the image of the man from heaven (Jesus - spiritual body)."(I Cor. 15:48, 49)
"Dear friends, we are God's children now; and it has not yet been made clear what we will become. We do know that when he appears, we will be like Him. . ." (I John 3:2)
This fact caused me to think further about how God works in such a way that if a person is not attuned to considering God in his heart, he or she can miss entirely what God is doing. As Jesus said, "Unless a person is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3).
I thought of all the many works the Bible tells that God did in the earth that had extraordinary consequences, yet the ordinary outward appearance of things seemed to stay the same, at least for a time.
Starting with Jesus, I thought about how He was born in humble conditions. The mighty and great people (kings and rulers) were unaware of this most amazing event that would change the whole world. In their lives that very night that Jesus was born, nothing seemed different.
Even during his earthly ministry, the people who should have known and recognized Jesus as the Messiah missed it, even with all that He did among them! In his hometown, they said, "Isn't he the carpenter's son? And they took offense at Him." (Matthew 13:55, 57)
I thought about King David. When the prophet Samuel came to Jesse's house (David's father) and told him he came to annoint the next king of Israel, they called all of Jesse's sons in for Samuel to see which one was God's choice for king - that is - they called all the sons in except David! They did not even consider David. Only after Samuel passed by all of Jesse's other sons and asked if there were any others that they remembered David out in the field and called him in. (I Samuel 16)
Even after Samuel annointed David as the next king of Israel, nothing much seemed to change in David's life. He was still a shepherd. It was many years before David literally was crowned king and sat on the throne.
Think about Abraham and Sarah too. From outward appearances, nothing was spectacular. One man and wife, leaving their homeland and wandering through foreign lands as strangers.
The world is always looking for the "supernatural" to be accompanied with thunders and lightnings, and a spectaular display. But God works in ways that begin within, that are hidden to the natural eye. They just seem ordinary in many ways.
"God's 'weakness' is stronger than humanity's strength. Just look at yourselves - look at those whom God has called! Not many of you are wise by the worlds standards, not many wield power or boast noble birth. But God chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise; God chose what the world considers weak to shame the strong; and God chose what the world looks down on as common or regards as nothing in order to bring to nothing what the world considers important; so that no one should boast before God. It is His doing that you are united with the Messiah." (I Corinthians 1:25-30)
"The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed which a man takes and sows in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up it is larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the birds flying about come and nest in its branches." (Matthew 13:31-32)
Even though the beginning of what God does is often within and unseen, that does not mean that it is ineffective in changing the outward things that can be seen.
We can also learn from this that we should not put all of our confidence in what we see right now.
Speaking of the first Temple that had been destroyed, and also of the second Temple that was to be built, God says, "Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do you see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?" Then He tells Haggai, "The glory of this latter house (the second temple) shall be greater than of the former."
Also in connection with the building of the second temple, God tells Zechariah, "Who has despised the day of small beginnings?" (Haggai 2:3 and Zechariah 4:10)
"People born of dust are like the man of dust, and people born from heaven are like the man from heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust(Adam - physical body), so also we will bear the image of the man from heaven (Jesus - spiritual body)."(I Cor. 15:48, 49)
"Dear friends, we are God's children now; and it has not yet been made clear what we will become. We do know that when he appears, we will be like Him. . ." (I John 3:2)
posted by Laurie T at
10:04 AM
1 Comments:
Good Morning :) I am still checking this daily but I have been really busy at work so I haven't had a chance to reply on anything. I am working on a response at home but its from days combined. I am hoping to be able to finish it tonight.
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