Questioning

-


Scripture:

Matt. 22:41    Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question:  42 “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”  43 He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
44     ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
    “Sit at my right hand,
        until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

45 If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?”  46 No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Observation:

The religious leaders were trying to figure out who this man was. If he was the Messiah he certainly didn’t fit the image that they had in mind. His words were far too controversial for they stung. A Messiah wasn’t suppose to come and make them feel uncomfortable, he was to become a political leader of their people. The concept that Jesus was espousing was difficult for them to grasp because not only was the Messiah to come from David, but what if the Messiah were also God. They were wrestling with this in their minds because they wanted to be able to provide all the right answers, but they simply couldn’t for they were limited in their thinking.

Application:

There are so many things to question. The things of this world seem to be changing at a speed more rapid than any of us could even begin to imagine. It feels overwhelming and sometimes we would simply wish for the good old days. In the midst of it all there may be this desire to question God and where he may be found.

Questioning God has been a practice since the first humans walked this earth. Ultimately there comes a moment, such as what occurred with the religious leaders, when one realizes that we don’t have the answers. We want to question but the answers may boggle the mind, so much so, that we aren’t sure what to do with them. The idea that this man in front of them might be God was certainly outrageous. They didn’t like the answer to their question and so they went away, unwilling to ask him anything more.

They were questioning Jesus because they were anticipating a different kind of Messiah. Are we questioning the kind of Messiah we are awaiting now? Is our anticipation in Advent for someone other than the Messiah who has ushered in the kingdom of heaven? At some point the questioning needs to stop and the faith, trust, and acceptance must begin. Our longing for the Messiah is fulfilled when we accept him and rest in who he truly is.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for your love which continues to reach out to your children. Amen.


If you would like to read more "Reflecting the Image"  click on the image to take you to the NPH bookstore.The book is also available in Kindle format on Amazon.com.



http://www.nph.com/nphweb/html/nph/itempage.jsp?itemId=9780834135277

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more