I don't really have any blazing insight that hasn't been said a million times for the Sermon on the Mount but I found the verbiage used in The Message to be absolutely beautiful so I will quote the whole thing here. Matt. 5:3-10
3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
7 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘carefull,’ you find yourselves cared for.
8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
I'm not very creative I guess tonight but I am stuck simply admiring the beauty of the phrasing used by The Message. I can't say it any better than this:
13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
14 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. 15 If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand.
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Thursday, January 6, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Matt. 4:2-23
The temptations of Jesus. I never know how to feel about these. They leave me a little conflicted.
First things first though. One of the commentary's makes an interesting point about high notes being followed by low notes. Mountains by valleys. Choose your analogy. Following Jesus uplifting experience in being baptized He has this extreme trial of the forty day fast and the great temptation. I believe He was prepared before facing the test in keeping with the Biblical principle of not facing more than we can handle. Matthew Henry says:
After great honours put upon us, we must expect something that is humbling; as Paul has a messenger of Satan sent to buffer him, after he had been in the third heavens. 3. God usually prepares his people for temptation before he calls them to it; he gives strength according to the day, and, before a sharp trial, gives more than ordinary comfort.
There is also some interesting points about the forty day fast. Two other people in the Bible endured such a thing. Moses, who then received the Law from God Himself, Elijah, the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, and Jesus, the new Law and the fulfiller of prophesy. Very cool.
As for the actual temptations, the first one had to be a butt kicker. Bread after a fast. Dirty trick. The human part of Him had to be screaming for some food. But the other two don't strike me as something the Son of God would really find all that enticing. Tempting God to prove Himself seems like kind of a weak effort by the Devil and offering the kingdoms of earth (which he created and already owns) also seems lame.
Also in here is the calling of the first four disciples. Fascinating that all four responded to a few words from Jesus by dropping their jobs and family commitments without question. What charisma Jesus must have had . Fresh from His victory over Satan in the desert I can only imagine that those first four must have physically been able to feel the power of God radiating from Jesus. Incredible.
First things first though. One of the commentary's makes an interesting point about high notes being followed by low notes. Mountains by valleys. Choose your analogy. Following Jesus uplifting experience in being baptized He has this extreme trial of the forty day fast and the great temptation. I believe He was prepared before facing the test in keeping with the Biblical principle of not facing more than we can handle. Matthew Henry says:
After great honours put upon us, we must expect something that is humbling; as Paul has a messenger of Satan sent to buffer him, after he had been in the third heavens. 3. God usually prepares his people for temptation before he calls them to it; he gives strength according to the day, and, before a sharp trial, gives more than ordinary comfort.
There is also some interesting points about the forty day fast. Two other people in the Bible endured such a thing. Moses, who then received the Law from God Himself, Elijah, the greatest prophet of the Old Testament, and Jesus, the new Law and the fulfiller of prophesy. Very cool.
As for the actual temptations, the first one had to be a butt kicker. Bread after a fast. Dirty trick. The human part of Him had to be screaming for some food. But the other two don't strike me as something the Son of God would really find all that enticing. Tempting God to prove Himself seems like kind of a weak effort by the Devil and offering the kingdoms of earth (which he created and already owns) also seems lame.
Also in here is the calling of the first four disciples. Fascinating that all four responded to a few words from Jesus by dropping their jobs and family commitments without question. What charisma Jesus must have had . Fresh from His victory over Satan in the desert I can only imagine that those first four must have physically been able to feel the power of God radiating from Jesus. Incredible.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Matt. 2:20 - 4:1
A cool passage today because I discovered a new feature in QuickVerse, Adam Clarke's and Matthew Henry's Commentaries. Very useful tools. It came in handy today as I was reading the portion of 2:23 that says that the prophetic words were fulfilled that "He shall be called a Nazarene.".
I couldn't find any Old Testament reference to this scripture and other research I did confirmed that this was the case. I found several possible explanations for this and the one I like best is found in Matthew Henry's and he says this:
As a name of reproach and contempt. To be called a Nazarene, was to be called a despicable man, a man from whom no good was to be expected, and to whom no respect was to be paid. The devil first fastened this name upon Christ, to render him mean, and prejudice people against him, and it stuck as a nickname to him and his followers. Now this was not particularly foretold by any one prophet, but, in general, it was spoken by the prophets, that he should be despised and rejected of men (Isa. 53:2, 3), a Worm, and no man (Ps. 22:6, 7), that he should be an Alien to his brethren Ps. 69:7, 8. Let no name of reproach for religion’s sake seem hard to us, when our Master was himself called a Nazarene.
How awesome is that. Even if this is not what Matthew was going for the concept holds true. The creator of the universe came to earth and allowed himself to be debased by his creation. Imagine creating a parrot and teaching it to speak and all it ever does is call you a moron. Actually, that sounds like my kids some days. Anyway, the point is, if Jesus was willing to subject himself to that treatment so that he could die for us, how much more should we be willing to subject ourselves to mistreatment to live for Him.
This idea surfaces again in this reading in 3:13-15 when John recognizes Jesus and doesn't want to baptize Him, but Jesus insists that He must continue to go through human experiences. I think this is what God was so proud of in verse 17, the fact that Jesus willingly subjected Himself to these acts, in this case allowing His holiness to be submerged in that river and submitting to John's ministry.
The last thing I will end with today is a passage from the Message that I include mostly because I love the way it is written. From chapter 3:
7 When John realized that a lot of Pharisees and Sadducees were showing up for a baptismal experience because it was becoming the popular thing to do, he exploded: “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to make any difference? 8 It’s your life that must change, not your skin! 9 And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as father. Being a descendant of Abraham is neither here nor there. Descendants of Abraham are a dime a dozen. 10 What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire."
Am I green and blossoming? I don't think so. We all need to get there I suppose.
I couldn't find any Old Testament reference to this scripture and other research I did confirmed that this was the case. I found several possible explanations for this and the one I like best is found in Matthew Henry's and he says this:
As a name of reproach and contempt. To be called a Nazarene, was to be called a despicable man, a man from whom no good was to be expected, and to whom no respect was to be paid. The devil first fastened this name upon Christ, to render him mean, and prejudice people against him, and it stuck as a nickname to him and his followers. Now this was not particularly foretold by any one prophet, but, in general, it was spoken by the prophets, that he should be despised and rejected of men (Isa. 53:2, 3), a Worm, and no man (Ps. 22:6, 7), that he should be an Alien to his brethren Ps. 69:7, 8. Let no name of reproach for religion’s sake seem hard to us, when our Master was himself called a Nazarene.
How awesome is that. Even if this is not what Matthew was going for the concept holds true. The creator of the universe came to earth and allowed himself to be debased by his creation. Imagine creating a parrot and teaching it to speak and all it ever does is call you a moron. Actually, that sounds like my kids some days. Anyway, the point is, if Jesus was willing to subject himself to that treatment so that he could die for us, how much more should we be willing to subject ourselves to mistreatment to live for Him.
This idea surfaces again in this reading in 3:13-15 when John recognizes Jesus and doesn't want to baptize Him, but Jesus insists that He must continue to go through human experiences. I think this is what God was so proud of in verse 17, the fact that Jesus willingly subjected Himself to these acts, in this case allowing His holiness to be submerged in that river and submitting to John's ministry.
The last thing I will end with today is a passage from the Message that I include mostly because I love the way it is written. From chapter 3:
7 When John realized that a lot of Pharisees and Sadducees were showing up for a baptismal experience because it was becoming the popular thing to do, he exploded: “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to make any difference? 8 It’s your life that must change, not your skin! 9 And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as father. Being a descendant of Abraham is neither here nor there. Descendants of Abraham are a dime a dozen. 10 What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire."
Am I green and blossoming? I don't think so. We all need to get there I suppose.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Matt. 1:23 - 2:19
Two days in a row! Woo-hoo!
There are four prophesies in this section, the first two are awesome. The first is from Isaiah 7 and the second is from Micah 5.
14 So the Master is going to give you a sign anyway. Watch for this: A girl who is presently a virgin will get pregnant. She’ll bear a son and name him Immanuel (God-With-Us). (Message)
2 But you, Bethlehem, David’s country, the runt of the litter, from you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule Israel. He’ll be no upstart, no pretender. His family tree is ancient and distinguished. (Message)
These passages are really cool to read in the context of the birth of Christ. The part that is the most amazing is that Herod had a lot of research done into the prophesies and so there were a lot of Jewish scribes and chief priests who must have known what was going on as they researched this for Herod. The Bible does not record any of them going to see the baby for themselves. Laziness? Indifference? Disbelief? I can't imagine how they would not be curious enough to check it out.
The second two prophesies in this reading are different to me. They are originally found in Hosea 11:1 and Jeremiah 31:15. When I read the source text for these it doesn't make any sense to me. They make sense in Matthew 2 but when you go back and read the original they appear to be taken completely out of context. In Hosea 11:1 the "Son" in question is certainly not a reference to Jesus as evidenced by Hosea 11:2. The last prophesy appears to be talking about the Israelites being exiled from Jerusalem. That one I'm not sure about, it seems like it could have many interpretations, which I don't like. Maybe I am off my understanding of this, I need to talk to someone who knows more about the original texts.
There are four prophesies in this section, the first two are awesome. The first is from Isaiah 7 and the second is from Micah 5.
14 So the Master is going to give you a sign anyway. Watch for this: A girl who is presently a virgin will get pregnant. She’ll bear a son and name him Immanuel (God-With-Us). (Message)
2 But you, Bethlehem, David’s country, the runt of the litter, from you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule Israel. He’ll be no upstart, no pretender. His family tree is ancient and distinguished. (Message)
These passages are really cool to read in the context of the birth of Christ. The part that is the most amazing is that Herod had a lot of research done into the prophesies and so there were a lot of Jewish scribes and chief priests who must have known what was going on as they researched this for Herod. The Bible does not record any of them going to see the baby for themselves. Laziness? Indifference? Disbelief? I can't imagine how they would not be curious enough to check it out.
The second two prophesies in this reading are different to me. They are originally found in Hosea 11:1 and Jeremiah 31:15. When I read the source text for these it doesn't make any sense to me. They make sense in Matthew 2 but when you go back and read the original they appear to be taken completely out of context. In Hosea 11:1 the "Son" in question is certainly not a reference to Jesus as evidenced by Hosea 11:2. The last prophesy appears to be talking about the Israelites being exiled from Jerusalem. That one I'm not sure about, it seems like it could have many interpretations, which I don't like. Maybe I am off my understanding of this, I need to talk to someone who knows more about the original texts.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Matt. 1:1-22
Okay, so there are a lot of begats here in the first 17 verses and I guess the point is that Jesus lineage is traced from Abraham to King David to Joseph the husband of the virgin Mary. Interesting that the connection to Abraham is through Joseph and not Mary, since Joseph is not Jesus biological father.
Then begins the story of Jesus birth. The thing that grabs me is in verse 18.
Why didn't Mary tell Joseph about what was going on? He was obviously a man of good character, as evidenced by his willingness to deal with her apparent unfaithfulness quietly. I don't recall Mary being told to keep it from Joseph. I can only guess that God knew that the only way Joseph would truly believe what really happened to Mary was if an angel said it. But why wait so long?
Then begins the story of Jesus birth. The thing that grabs me is in verse 18.
18The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) 19Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. (Message)
Setting the scene...
I decided this past December that I was going to try something new in 2011. Something crazy. Something I have never done before. I am going to try to read the Bible every day. As an astute reader may notice, the date of this first post is January 2nd. Yes, only 24 hours into 2011 and I have already failed. Historically I would have used that as an excuse to abandon my good intentions but not this year, this year is going to be different, this year I am going to stick to it actually develop a beneficial habit.
I will be using a program called QuickVerse, which has kindly divided up the New Testament into daily portions for me. It also provides multiple translations but I will be primarily using The Message (because I like it) and the New King James Version (for a sanity check on modern language).
My plan is to read through the New Testament in a year and to blog about it every day, a sort of digital accountability. I will record my rambling thoughts in complete honesty, capturing all of my blazing insights as well as my unanswered questions. I am much more likely to have more of the latter than the former but I guess that is what this is all about. I suppose that in keeping with my pledge for uncensored honesty I should admit that I don't really know what it's all about, at least not for myself. I know what others say and what the answer should be, but I haven't done my own due diligence to develop my own strong beliefs. Perhaps this will help with that.
So, with all that being said I will end this introductory post and begin my journey.
I will be using a program called QuickVerse, which has kindly divided up the New Testament into daily portions for me. It also provides multiple translations but I will be primarily using The Message (because I like it) and the New King James Version (for a sanity check on modern language).
My plan is to read through the New Testament in a year and to blog about it every day, a sort of digital accountability. I will record my rambling thoughts in complete honesty, capturing all of my blazing insights as well as my unanswered questions. I am much more likely to have more of the latter than the former but I guess that is what this is all about. I suppose that in keeping with my pledge for uncensored honesty I should admit that I don't really know what it's all about, at least not for myself. I know what others say and what the answer should be, but I haven't done my own due diligence to develop my own strong beliefs. Perhaps this will help with that.
So, with all that being said I will end this introductory post and begin my journey.
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