Good morning friends,
This morning reading starts off in Matthew with the death of John the Baptist. It's a sad story of manipulation, Grudge holding and trying to silence truth in order to remain in our sin, instead of repenting. John had ministry of calling people into repentance and thats exactly what he was doing to Herrod.
Herod had married his brother's wife, Herodias, while his brother was still alive, and John the Baptist publicly criticized this marriage as sinful and illegitimate. Herodias bore a grudge against John and sought to have him killed.
I think Galatians 5:19-21 pretty much sums up what is happening here: "It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on."
As far as Levitical Law, Herrod was breaking a few - and i am certain John pointed these verses out to them to try and encourage them to repent.
One of the main verses that prohibits this type of marriage is Leviticus 18:16 which states: "Do not have sexual relations with your brother's wife; that would dishonor your brother."
Another verse that may have been used by John the Baptist to show that King Herod's marriage was illegitimate is Leviticus 20:21 which states: "If a man marries his brother's wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless."
Deuteronomy 25:5 may also have been used to show that King Herod's marriage was illegitimate: "If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her."
Marriage is and has been recognized by every culture on the earth, I did find some interesting things about it -
In ancient Egypt, for example, marriage was considered a sacred bond between a man and a woman, and was seen as an essential part of creating a stable and orderly society. The gods and goddesses were invoked in the marriage ceremony, and the couple was considered to be under the protection of the gods.
In ancient Greece, marriage was considered a sacred bond between a man and a woman, and was seen as an essential part of creating a stable and orderly society. The gods and goddesses were invoked in the marriage ceremony, and the couple was considered to be under the protection of the gods.
In ancient Rome, marriage was considered a sacred bond between a man and a woman, and was seen as an essential part of creating a stable and orderly society. The gods and goddesses were invoked in the marriage ceremony, and the couple was considered to be under the protection of the gods.
In ancient Israel, marriage was considered a sacred bond between a man and a woman and was seen as an essential part of creating a stable and orderly society. The God of Israel was invoked in the marriage ceremony, and the couple was considered to be under the protection of God.
While marriage is a common practice in most cultures, there are some cultures and societies that do not have a concept of marriage as it is commonly understood. For example, some indigenous cultures and societies, such as the Nuer people of Sudan, the Mosuo people of China, and the Nayar people of India, have matrilineal systems where children are considered to belong to the mother's family and women have significant autonomy in choosing partners. In these societies, marriage is not necessarily a formal or permanent bond between a man and a woman, and people may have multiple partners or engage in temporary or informal unions.
Another example are the Sambian tribe of Papua New Guinea, where young boys are removed from their families at a young age and raised in all-male initiation schools, where they take part in rituals and learn the customs and traditions of the tribe. Homosexual relationships are common and encouraged during this time, but when the boys return to their families as adult men, they are expected to marry women and have children.
Therefore, while the institution of marriage is universal among human cultures, the specific forms and practices of marriage vary widely across cultures and time periods, and it is not always the same as the traditional western concept of marriage.
SUPPER FOR FIVE THOUSAND
This is such a cool story, I like to picture this scene in my head, here is Jesus chillin with his crew and as they sit there 5,000 people start to make their way to where he is. He has pity for them and began healing them. . . I love that.
Whats cool for me in this story is that i believe God still multiplies for provision, i have so many memories of being at an event where we were feeding many people, church gatherings or even weekly community groups, and looking at the food i was unsure if there would be enough, so we would pray over the food and ask God to let it go around. Then extra people would show up . . . and there would be leftovers!
You also get to see into the disciples minds here, as they get tired they use hunger as an excuse to send the people away, But God - decides to just make food from one small persons sacrifice of 5 loaves of bread and 5 fish. . . 5-5000
At the end it is said there was 12 baskets leftover! Keep an eye out for those repeated numbers.
In the Bible, the number 12 is often used to represent the 12 tribes of Israel. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were divided into 12 tribes, each named after one of the 12 sons of Jacob (also known as Israel). The 12 tribes were considered to be the foundation of the nation of Israel, and the number 12 symbolizes the unity and completeness of the Israelite people.
In the New Testament, the number 12 is also significant. Jesus chose 12 disciples to be his closest followers and to carry on his teachings after his death. The twelve apostles represent the foundation of the Christian Church and symbolize the completeness and unity of the followers of Jesus.
Also, The number 12 is also significant in the book of Revelation, where the City of God is described as having 12 gates and 12 foundations, the number 12 is a symbol of the completeness and perfection of the City of God.
WALKING ON WATER
Jesus sent them across the lake - Jesus knew there was going to be a storm and He sent them into it. We see this theme through the bible of being sent into a "storm" or some sort of challenging situation that is going to test our faith and build our character.
James 1:2-4 which states: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
At 4 o'clock in the morning, They think they see a ghost, but no its just Jesus walking on the water. . .
Ive come to reinterpret water in the bible as a representation of potential -
If we interpret the water in the story of Jesus walking on the water as representing potential, it can be seen as a symbol of Jesus' ability to unlock and tap into the unlimited potential within us. The water being calm and still, represents the untapped potential that lies within us and Jesus walking on it represents the ability to access and use that potential to its full extent.
Water is also a symbol of change and transformation, as it can take the shape of whatever container it is put in, it represents the ability to adapt to different circumstances and situations. By walking on the water, Jesus is demonstrating that he is able to bring change and transformation in our lives, and that he can help us to adapt to different circumstances.
The story can also be seen as a call to action, it's a reminder that we all have potential and that Jesus is able to help us to reach our potential. He can guide us to walk on the water, to take risks, to have faith in him and to believe in ourselves. He can help us to overcome our fears and doubts and to believe in the potential that lies within us. . . or something like that :)
and whoever touched him was healed.
JOB - 6
Job really lets it out in this one, he expresses his lament for his situation and even goes as far as wishing God would just kill him. . . Ever feel like that? I have definitely had seasons where i wonder deeply why God is even keeping me alive. But He has a plan and a purpose, and we will see this repeated through the Old Testament where someones suffering or exile is used to grow and mature them into who they need to be for the task put before them.
““All I want is an answer to one prayer, a last request to be honored: Let God step on me—squash me like a bug, and be done with me for good. I’d at least have the satisfaction of not having blasphemed the Holy God, before being pressed past the limits. Where’s the strength to keep my hopes up? What future do I have to keep me going? Do you think I have nerves of steel? Do you think I’m made of iron? Do you think I can pull myself up by my bootstraps? Why, I don’t even have any boots!”
Job 6:8-13 MSG
He continues to talk about his friendships, its not an easy conversation . . .
““Confront me with the truth and I’ll shut up, show me where I’ve gone off the track. Honest words never hurt anyone, but what’s the point of all this pious bluster? You pretend to tell me what’s wrong with my life, but treat my words of anguish as so much hot air. Are people mere things to you? Are friends just items of profit and loss?”
Job 6:24-27 MSG
Job - 7
Job 7 continues his rant about how meaningless his life feels to him. Poor dude, he had no idea what was going on or why this was happening to him, Just a fact of our life. sometimes bad things happen, and it very well could be a test just like what is happening to Job, it could also be from our own bad choices and what we are sowing, and sometimes we are victims of another person malevolence.
Job asks a great question
““What are mortals anyway, that you bother with them, that you even give them the time of day? That you check up on them every morning, looking in on them to see how they’re doing? Let up on me, will you? Can’t you even let me spit in peace? Even suppose I’d sinned—how would that hurt you? You’re responsible for every human being. Don’t you have better things to do than pick on me? Why make a federal case out of me? Why don’t you just forgive my sins and start me off with a clean slate? The way things are going, I’ll soon be dead. You’ll look high and low, but I won’t be around.””
Job 7:17-21 MSG
such a good question, what does God want with us?
Psalms 14
Unsure of who wrote this one. David or Daniel. . . .
“He comes up empty. A string of zeros. Useless, unshepherded Sheep, taking turns pretending to be Shepherd. The ninety and nine follow their fellow.”
Psalms 14:3 MSG
This sounds similar to Jesus parable of the lost sheep! Luke 15: 3-7
Jesus made lots of references to sheep and shepherds, it's a very prominent theme in the bible. Could the 99 here be the same 99 Jesus was talking about in the new testament? with the difference of the 99 in the new testament being shepherded by Jesus while these ones sounds lost, yet still together.
“Is there anyone around to save Israel? Yes. God is around; God turns life around. Turned-around Jacob skips rope, turned-around Israel sings laughter.”
Psalms 14:7 MSG
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