The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 5:1-6,
"Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, 'Do you want to get well?'"
As the Son of God, Jesus had truly divine abilities. We read in Philippians 2:5-8 "... Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!" From this we understand that the Son of God laid aside his prerogatives as a member of the Trinity for the purpose of coming to earth to provide redemption for mankind. In doing this he apparently set aside some of those divine abilities, at least at times.
"Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, 'Do you want to get well?'"
As the Son of God, Jesus had truly divine abilities. We read in Philippians 2:5-8 "... Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!" From this we understand that the Son of God laid aside his prerogatives as a member of the Trinity for the purpose of coming to earth to provide redemption for mankind. In doing this he apparently set aside some of those divine abilities, at least at times.
I note in this account of the invalid at the pool, that Jesus "learned" the man had been an invalid for a long time. I'm sure in his deity, Jesus didn't necessarily have to "learn" it. Yet, that is the language John used in describing the event. Of course, the next thing Jesus did was to miraculously make the man whole. He used his divine abilities.
Far be it from me to understand the complexities of God becoming a man (while remaining fully God) and carrying out his redemptive purposes. Fully God, fully man. Theologians call him the "theanthropic (God-man) in hypostatic union." A real mouthful.
A mouthful that presents a mental challenge for me (just like my understanding of the Trinity, or why God loves us so.) The circuit breakers in my head start to pop when I give it too much thought.
It makes my head hurt thinking about it. Where's my aspirin?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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