I know it falls outside of the Biblical record (at least as far as Jews and most Protestants are concerned), but I want to wish you all a Happy Chanukah. I work with several Orthodox Jewish women at my schools, and I have no problem wishing them this. "Happy holidays" may be a safe, politically correct way of trying not to offend people, but frankly I'm offended when people who should know better don't recognize which "holiday" makes me happy. If I feel that way, I should extend the same courtesy to others.
Having some Jewish ancestry myself, I find the story of the Maccabees to be fascinating. While in my tradition we don't recognize the books of the Maccabees as canonical Scripture, the story itself is inspiring, and it also helps to fill in the gap between Malachi and Matthew. The struggle of the pious Jews to resist the Hellenizing influences pushed my Antiochus Epiphanes reflects similar struggles we see in the Old Testament narratives. That same struggle continued to follow the Jews even up to our own times. Certainly there is a fine example of human spirit and courage against the odds in this story.
However, it's not just about what the Maccabees and their followers did, as inspirational as that was. In the story of Chanukah we see the power of God in action, enabling outnumbered and outequipped fighters to throw off the oppression of a conqueror set on wiping out the knowledge and worship of God. Many Jews had acquiesced to Antiochus, so the numbers of the rebels were further reduced. Yet they were able to win their freedom back, thanks to their faithfulness to God and refusal to accept the pagan ways of their oppressors.
I also have no problem with believing the miracle of the oil. I know this is disputed among many scholars, even some who don't dismiss the miraculous outright, but I believe that God has the power to accomplish miracles, and such a sign would have been very appropriate at the time.
In John 10:22 we are told that Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication, which is our modern Chanukah. Perhaps the story was fresh in people's minds, since in the dialogue that follows they ask Jesus to state plainly whether or not He was the Messiah. They may have been looking for a hero like the Maccabees to lead them against their oppressors. Jesus didn't fall into the trap of their assumptions, since He was going to be a different kind of Messiah, but Chanukah and its history certainly are a precursor to the coming King, who unlike the Hasmoneans will be a legitimate descendant of David.
So, whether you are Jewish, Christian, or follow some other faith, enjoy the story of Chanukah, and don't be afraid to wish someone you know a "Happy Chanukah" this year.
Showing posts with label miracles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miracles. Show all posts
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday sermon: "Jesus Meets a Handicapped Man"
There is certainly enough tragedy in this life to go around. Just check how long it takes your evening news broadcast to get to the first good news of the night. With all of this, there are Christians who see everything as God's judgment on some person, group, or nation for sins they have committed.
The disciples approached the man this passage, John 9:1-7, with that kind of an attitude. Since he was born blind, it must be the fault of someone who sinned. While some tragedies are certainly the result of sin, and God may very well use natural disasters on occasion as judgment, I believe the vast majority of "bad things" that happen are the result of living in a fallen world. So in a sense, they are the result of sin, but of the original sin of Adam and Eve, which led to the curse.
Jesus turns the disciples' opinion around. It wasn't the fault of anyone, but "happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." This man had suffered all of his life to this point, but God would bring His glory out of that situation. While we do not enjoy going through suffering, it is important to realize that even in our worst circumstances God can bring about His glory. He may not choose to deliver us from those circumstances, as Jesus did here, but He can still use us to glorify Himself.
Jesus' actions here puzzle us. (Perhaps some are even grossed out by them. Would you want mud made with spit put on your eyes?) Why the mud? The early church writers didn't find this as puzzling as we do; there is a fairly consistent theme through several of the fathers. Irenaeus is a representative example: "To that man, however, who had been blind from his birth, He gave sight, not by means of a word, but by an outward action; doing this not without a purpose, or because it so happened, but that He might show forth the hand of God, that which at the beginning had moulded man." (Against Heresies V.15.2) The mud was a reminder of the earth from which Adam was formed, and its use was intended to show that the same power that made man also could heal a man.
The ultimate transformation, however, comes later in the passage. In vv.35-38 we read of a second encounter between the man and Jesus. After the man had been thrown out of the synagogue (whether temporarily or permanently is not clear), Jesus seeks him out and moves him from physical to spiritual sight. Once he realizes who Jesus is, the man falls and worships Him. The change in his life is deeper and more profound than the change in his eyesight. Unlike the Pharisees, who remained willingly blind spiritually, this man could see who Jesus really was. To gain sight when you have never seen is amazing; to gain eternal life when you are lost is infinitely greater. This man's own disability led him to the Savior.
As is common in the Bible, when we read about going through adversity we have the challenge of allowing God to glorify Himself through us. Our human reaction is to complain and pout, which only leads others to see that Christians react just like everyone else. We need to choose to honor the Lord through our sufferings, and to actively seek to proclaim His glory. It isn't easy (and despite what some TV evangelists say God never promised it would be), but in the light of eternity it is worth it.
The disciples approached the man this passage, John 9:1-7, with that kind of an attitude. Since he was born blind, it must be the fault of someone who sinned. While some tragedies are certainly the result of sin, and God may very well use natural disasters on occasion as judgment, I believe the vast majority of "bad things" that happen are the result of living in a fallen world. So in a sense, they are the result of sin, but of the original sin of Adam and Eve, which led to the curse.
Jesus turns the disciples' opinion around. It wasn't the fault of anyone, but "happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." This man had suffered all of his life to this point, but God would bring His glory out of that situation. While we do not enjoy going through suffering, it is important to realize that even in our worst circumstances God can bring about His glory. He may not choose to deliver us from those circumstances, as Jesus did here, but He can still use us to glorify Himself.
Jesus' actions here puzzle us. (Perhaps some are even grossed out by them. Would you want mud made with spit put on your eyes?) Why the mud? The early church writers didn't find this as puzzling as we do; there is a fairly consistent theme through several of the fathers. Irenaeus is a representative example: "To that man, however, who had been blind from his birth, He gave sight, not by means of a word, but by an outward action; doing this not without a purpose, or because it so happened, but that He might show forth the hand of God, that which at the beginning had moulded man." (Against Heresies V.15.2) The mud was a reminder of the earth from which Adam was formed, and its use was intended to show that the same power that made man also could heal a man.
The ultimate transformation, however, comes later in the passage. In vv.35-38 we read of a second encounter between the man and Jesus. After the man had been thrown out of the synagogue (whether temporarily or permanently is not clear), Jesus seeks him out and moves him from physical to spiritual sight. Once he realizes who Jesus is, the man falls and worships Him. The change in his life is deeper and more profound than the change in his eyesight. Unlike the Pharisees, who remained willingly blind spiritually, this man could see who Jesus really was. To gain sight when you have never seen is amazing; to gain eternal life when you are lost is infinitely greater. This man's own disability led him to the Savior.
As is common in the Bible, when we read about going through adversity we have the challenge of allowing God to glorify Himself through us. Our human reaction is to complain and pout, which only leads others to see that Christians react just like everyone else. We need to choose to honor the Lord through our sufferings, and to actively seek to proclaim His glory. It isn't easy (and despite what some TV evangelists say God never promised it would be), but in the light of eternity it is worth it.
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