It was the feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon (John 10:22-23).
I would have never given a second thought to these verses had I not traveled to the Holy Land two years ago in the winter. The temperature was probably in the thirties that day, that is one of the reasons John said it was winter. It was also time for the feast of the Dedication, not a religious holiday as spelled out in the Old Testament Law, but a Fourth-of-July like holiday that reminded the Jews of God's provision for them as a people.
Atiochus Epiphanes was king of the Seleucid empire, which included the land of Palestine at that time. The culture of the empire was Greek. One of the unintended consequenses of Alexander the Great's conquests was to spread Greek culture from Europe to India. Eventually, Greek became the official language of the Roman empire. One of the purposes of the 10 cities of the Decapolis in the northeastern area of Palestine, even in Roman times, was for the preservation and promotion of Greek culture.
In any case, Greek customs and religion were completely incompatible with the faith of the Jews. Greek culture promoted nudity, homosexuality, worshipping images of many gods, lack of dietary restrictions. Jewish religion was absolutely unacceptable to Greeks because they viewed circumcision as sinful and they did not believe in the one true God. The last straw that brought rebellion in 167 B.C. was when Epiphanes sacrificed a pig on the alter in the temple. Led by the Maccabee family, the Jews were able to drive the Seleucid's out of Palestine and the Jews had their own country and temple back.
The temple had to be sanctified and rededicated. To do this there had to be a dedicated supply of olive oil to light the lights of the temple. The Jews only had a one-day supply, but it would take eight days to prepare a dedicated supply to renew the lights. Miraculously, the one-day supply lasted eight days. As a result of God's provision the lights were able to keep burning. To this day, for eight days in December, the Jews memorialize Hanukka, which means, "to dedicate."
Communion, like Hanukka, is a time of rededication. It is rededicating the temple of our lives, by renewing covenant with God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord. The celebration of the Lord's Supper is the Christian Hanukka, the Christian dedication.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
CHRISTMAS THOUGHTS
And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11).
He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be morning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:3b-4).
There shall no more be anything accursed . . . (Revelation 22:3a).
What would the world be like without Christmas? It would be a world without joy because it would be a world without hope; the hope that only Jesus the Christ can bring. One of the reasons that Jesus is our hope is because Jesus fulfills prophecy--every Old Testament prophecy about the first coming of the Messiah has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Another reason that Jesus the Messiah is our hope is that he has conquered death in his resurrection from the dead. This means, of course, that his word is true and his promises are true and that death is NOT THE LAST WORD!
Another reason that Jesus Christ is our hope is the dynamic change in the lives of those who believe in him and submit to his lordship. They have experienced the love of Christ and thus love others. Tertullian noted that nonChristians said about Christians, "See how they love one another" (Tertullian was a 3rd century Latin church father). The lives of believers begin to take on the character of Christ because the Holy Spirit is at work in their lives.
No wonder Isaac Watts wrote: Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her king. Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room, and heav'n and nature sing.
No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found! Far as, far as the curse is found.
Not all has been realized yet, but it soon will be.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be morning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:3b-4).
There shall no more be anything accursed . . . (Revelation 22:3a).
What would the world be like without Christmas? It would be a world without joy because it would be a world without hope; the hope that only Jesus the Christ can bring. One of the reasons that Jesus is our hope is because Jesus fulfills prophecy--every Old Testament prophecy about the first coming of the Messiah has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Another reason that Jesus the Messiah is our hope is that he has conquered death in his resurrection from the dead. This means, of course, that his word is true and his promises are true and that death is NOT THE LAST WORD!
Another reason that Jesus Christ is our hope is the dynamic change in the lives of those who believe in him and submit to his lordship. They have experienced the love of Christ and thus love others. Tertullian noted that nonChristians said about Christians, "See how they love one another" (Tertullian was a 3rd century Latin church father). The lives of believers begin to take on the character of Christ because the Holy Spirit is at work in their lives.
No wonder Isaac Watts wrote: Joy to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her king. Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room, and heav'n and nature sing.
No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found! Far as, far as the curse is found.
Not all has been realized yet, but it soon will be.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
BURIAL OR CREMATION?
So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body (I Corinthians 15:42-44).
So glorify God in your body ( I Corinthians 6:20b).
My purpose is not to say that the cremation of a dead body is a sin, rather it is to make one think about which option communicates the Christian hope the best.
There are a number of pragmatic reasons who one might choose cremation, lower cost being the chief one. When a natural disaster strikes and hundreds, even thousands, of deaths result, one of the best ways to avoid disease caused by decaying bodies is cremation. Cremation is a practical option of dealing with a dead body; however, the growing prevalence of cremation seems to be an indication of a more secular worldview.
In ancient Greek philosophy, the body was viewed as evil and the soul/spirit was viewed as being good. When a person died, the Greeks believed the good soul/spirit was released from the evil body. As a result, the body was not important to them. In contrast, the Bible teaches that a living soul is the result of the spirit entering the body. The body is as essential to the soul as the spirit (Genesis 2:7). Thus, in Judaeu-Christian history there was always respect for the body. The hope of Christians also includes the resurrection of the body--it is not Christian to look forward to eternity as disembodied spirits.
When a person has a choice as to how to dispose of his body, which method of disposal best fits the Christian hope? My cemetery plot faces east under the shadow of a blue spruce tree ready for the Great Resurrection Day!
Grace&Peace,
Tom
So glorify God in your body ( I Corinthians 6:20b).
My purpose is not to say that the cremation of a dead body is a sin, rather it is to make one think about which option communicates the Christian hope the best.
There are a number of pragmatic reasons who one might choose cremation, lower cost being the chief one. When a natural disaster strikes and hundreds, even thousands, of deaths result, one of the best ways to avoid disease caused by decaying bodies is cremation. Cremation is a practical option of dealing with a dead body; however, the growing prevalence of cremation seems to be an indication of a more secular worldview.
In ancient Greek philosophy, the body was viewed as evil and the soul/spirit was viewed as being good. When a person died, the Greeks believed the good soul/spirit was released from the evil body. As a result, the body was not important to them. In contrast, the Bible teaches that a living soul is the result of the spirit entering the body. The body is as essential to the soul as the spirit (Genesis 2:7). Thus, in Judaeu-Christian history there was always respect for the body. The hope of Christians also includes the resurrection of the body--it is not Christian to look forward to eternity as disembodied spirits.
When a person has a choice as to how to dispose of his body, which method of disposal best fits the Christian hope? My cemetery plot faces east under the shadow of a blue spruce tree ready for the Great Resurrection Day!
Grace&Peace,
Tom
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