Paul takes Isaiah’s oracle describing YHWH as the stumbling stone for both houses of Israel and transfers those words to Christ. He apparently has concluded that prophetic statements about Israel’s God can appropriately be used to describe the crucified and risen Messiah. David Capes
MapMyRide chucked a wobbly this morning so I had to make up my own numbers 😀 A nice ride to Jacks Creek and Gun Club Roads 🚲👍 #cycling #Narrabri
Earthly wisdom is devilish and hurtful and nothing compared to God’s. God will turn their wisdom on its head and use their cunning against them. David Capes
Scripture
But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.”
Observation
A Roman officer comes to Jesus and asks Him to heal his servant who is paralysed and in pain.
Jesus offers to come to the officer’s house to heal him, but the officer says, “You do not need to come to my home. Just say the word and my servant will be healed. I am under authority, and I also have authority. You just need to give the command.”
Jesus marvels at the man’s faith. He warns the crowd that many Gentiles will come into God’s Kingdom, but many Israelites will be sent to hell.
Jesus then tells the man to go back home for his servant is healed.
Application
This Roman officer understood the authority that Jesus had. This authority resided in the person of Jesus, and He could just give the order and the servant would be healed.
Faith is about trusting in the power and the willingness of God to do what He has said He will do.
When we get a diagnosis, we often don’t think that God is able to heal us. The doctors have spoken, and their word seems to carry more weight in our minds than the word of God.
When we look at the bills that need to be paid, we can sometimes get overwhelmed by our inadequacy to pay them. We forget that God is our provider. He owns all things and will not withhold them from us.
The key to this is faith – trusting and believing that God loves us. He sees what we need and He will provide.
Prayer
Lord, please help me to trust you for everything I need today. Amen.
I have no doubt that when Christians gathered and confessed “Jesus is Lord,” they meant “Caesar is not.” For Paul the Jewish Messiah has indeed been shown to be the rightful Lord of all things. David Capes
Cold enough for long pants this morning. Minimum temperature was just 5 degrees so winter is approaching #cycling #Narrabri
Paul’s concepts of “the day of the Lord,” the second coming, and final judgment appear to form a constellation of related, not distinct, eschatological events. Although some have tried to chart them out, they ultimately defy systemization. For Paul, these future happenings comprise a single, grand finale, even as the cross, burial, and resurrection of Jesus form a single, world-changing event in the middle of time. David Capes
A lovely morning for riding along Killarney Gap Road. I would have gone farther but the legs weren’t keen. #cycling #Narrabri
In this way Jesus as kyrios stands in the same kind of relation to the church/individual believers as YHWH (kyrios) stands in relation to Israel/individual Jews. This is a remarkable appropriation of language reserved for the one true God; it is rendered all the more remarkable when one considers that Jesus was executed as a messianic pretender only a few years before, within the memory of many who were still alive. It is also remarkable that Jesus is linked so profoundly with the covenant name of God. David Capes
A nice ride along Kaputar Road this morning. After too many Easter Buns yesterday it was good to get out and burn a few grams of fat. 🚲😁🍬 #cycling #Narrabri
New Life Narrabri 