Alive King Jesus - Dead King Herod

There are many interesting aspects about the Biblical story - many fascinating tidbits that can only be gleaned by being in the land and seeing and experiencing how the land fits together.  Here is one of my favorites.

As King Jesus made his way up and over the Mt. of Olives, while the deafening throng erupted with shouts of Hosannah, the coronation of the true king of Israel finally was realized.

Imagine the amount of conflicting emotions the Lord experienced - joy, fear, anxiety, foreboding, and quite possibly irony.   The tomb of Herod the Great (or at least Herodium where the tomb was) could be seen quite clearly from the route the King of Kings took on his way to Jerusalem.  It's quite probable that Jesus looked to his left, towards the Judean Wilderness and the Dead Sea, and saw the tomb of the jealous "king" who once sought to have Him murdered by killing the babies of David's city - the king who claimed to be the true king of the Jews now rotting in an illustrious tomb unloved and still posthumously trying not to be forgotten.  Jesus was about to show Israel and the whole world what true kingship was all about.

Torah as Conscience Pricker

“If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor or has found something lost and lied about it, swearing falsely—in any of all the things that people do and sin thereby— if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt.”
(Leviticus 6:2–5 ESV)

Clearly there is a place for the conscience in Torah.  Torah is much more than law (as it is often defined as) - if it were merely law a passage like this would not exist.   Law is designed for governments to punish law-breakers (very impersonal) here is something else entirely - the law of the conscience (inherently personal).  This passage clearly calls for accountability of sin based upon the sinner’s conscience - Yahweh is providing a way to cover one’s sin, as well as restoring the seared conscience of the sinner.  This teaching differs greatly from modern laws in that instead of merely offering justice and repayment for the sinned against and punishment for the sinner it offers restitution and forgiveness for the sinner.  The result is holy living vs. unholy legalism.

Piper's Lecture on C.S. Lewis

Great lecture on Lewis - I learned a lot about Clive Staples.


Enjoy! (sorry for the weird video angle - Desiring God's player is bigger than my blog template - if you want to watch it at Desiring God go here)

Incarnated Omniscience?

“He (Herod Antipas) sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.”
(Matthew 14:10–13 ESV)

Is this contrived sorrow from the Lord or a true example of a voluntary lack of omniscience in his earthly life?

Listen to Doug Bookman's thoughts on the subject.

Historic Faith

Does the historicity of Scripture impact effectual faith? Paul seems to think so...

“And he made from one man (Adam) every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’”
(Acts 17:26–28 ESV)

Without Adam - Why Noah? Why Abraham? Why Moses? Why David? Why Temple? Why Sacrifice? Why Christ?

Seeking a Purpose

I see a three-fold purpose for this blog:

1. Posting personal updates pertaining to Mindy and I those who are close to us.
2. Passing along bits of news and thoughts that I find interesting.
3. Posting thoughtful (hopefully) musings on Scripture, the Church, Biblical interpretation, the ancient Near East, Israel (modern and ancient), Archaeology, Christian thought, and possibly politics.
   

Unknowable?

“Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciplesand said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
(Matthew 11:2–6 ESV)