Isn't it amazing that these fishermen would "at once" drop their nets and follow Jesus? What was it-- his magnetism? His charisma? Did he have them in a trance? Did he offer them a lot of money? Most likely, Peter and Andrew knew about Jesus. They knew him not as a savior, but as a rabbi. In that day, the rabbi was the rock star. The rabbi was the position in society most coveted and respected. And for a rabbi to say "follow me" was a tremendous honor. It meant you were receiving an invitation to apprentice to become one yourself. Fishermen weren't typically qualified to follow a rabbi. So I can imagine these two thinking, "this is our shot-- let's take it now!" If you want to hear more about this, check out Nooma's video titled "Dust".
Readings: Genesis 8:1-10:32; Matthew 4:12-25; Psalm 4:1-8; Proverbs 1:20-23
Great suggestion on the Nooma video!
ReplyDeletePoint to share: In one of our Beth Moore studies, she made the point that when God "forgets" something, it means He chooses not to take action on it. He doesn't actually forget our sins, but He has forgiven them and is not going to respond to that any longer. But, when He "remembers" us, it means He is taking some sort of action. I thought that was cool.
ReplyDeleteAlso, had a question...I've heard that when it rained, it was the first time there was rain on the earth. If that is true, then what Noah did, on faith, by building the Ark was even more phenomenal because his neighbors didn't even understand what rain was, or what could possibly be about to happen. Is that a true statement? Had there ever been rain before? Am I being too analytical again? :) Paula
Okay...another thought. It seems as if when God said in His heart, "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done," it seems as if God regrets sending the flood. That makes it seem almost like a mistake. But, God is never wrong. And, the Bible tells us God never changes. So, what is that about? Paula
ReplyDeleteOkay...yet another thought. God plainly says His covenant to never again cut off life by flood is not only with man, but with every living creature on earth. That means (I think it's safe to assume) that God treasures His animals as well as treasuring us. So, the next time you hear someone who you feel like is taking things a little bit to the extremes about animal rights, or "tree-hugging," God stated that He made a covenant with every living thing on the earth. If He wants to honor and protect them, then it would follow that so should we. Am I right? Arguments? Paula
ReplyDeleteGreat comments, Paula. I'll try to respond in sequence:
ReplyDelete1. Don't know about the rain thing... I've not heard that before.
2. The Bible is filled with accounts of God having a change of heart as he interacts with his created ones. Remember though, these accounts are told from a people's perspective of their encounter with God. It's their understanding/interpretation of what's going on with God.
3. No argument from me... if someone feels passionately about protecting life to the degree that those from the Hindu faith do, I respect that. It's their choice/belief. As of this writing, I'm still a carnivore though.