Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* What Do You See?
* Scripture: "And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7, NKJV

Want to have some fun? Take a small square of paper - a couple of inches will do - fold it so that there is a crease down the middle. Open it, lay it flat on the table, place a drop of ink in the middle on the crease, then fold it again. The opened paper will have a randomly shaped blob. Have people look at the blob and tell what it looks like to them. You will get some interesting responses.
This is actually a test, a personality and intelligence test in which a subject interprets inkblot designs in terms that reveal intellectual and emotional factors, called also Rorschach, Rorschach inkblot test. (Merriam-Webster)
Or maybe you've played the "What's that cloud remind you of?" game. Everybody sees something; We are good at imagining things, making sense out of nonsense, seeking closure.
Christmas has become one of the most commercialized and media-hyped of all religious observances. The more that myth and legends abound creates more sales possibilities - Santas, trees, wreaths and ornaments, and lots and lots of gift items. The reason for the season truly gets blotted out; the masses miss the Mass - "Christ's Mass" - the image that we should all see. It is a time of worship, and of praise.
The original scriptures recorded by Matthew and Luke make no mention whatsoever of how Mary and Joseph traveled, or of mean, nasty innkeepers turning them away. We are prone to filling in details that are not necessary to the truth of the event. "God became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory," John writes in his gospel (1:14.)
The writers were carefully documenting the fulfillment of scripture, not trafficking in tidbits of trivia. Such embellishments of the event are not necessary to establish fact.
Read again Matthew's account of the visit of the wise men - the Magi - in Chapter 2. Note the two references to prophetic scripture, given in 2:6 and vs. 15.
Three? Note that neither the number of wise men nor a total quantity of gifts is given. The types of gifts - gold, frankincense, and myrrh - have prophetic and religious, but not numerical significance.
The observance of Christmas as we know it is a relatively recent phenomena. The early church focused more on the reason and not the season. Christ was born, even as the prophets had foretold, "made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone." (Hebrews 2:9)
He truly became flesh, Prophet, Priest and King. And for this reason: He is the mediator of the new covenant that we may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. (Heb. 9:15)
December 17, 2006

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* Pomposity
* Scripture: Paul wrote, "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." Philippians 2:3, KJV

Pomposity! Oooh; That's a nice, big word! Think ostentatious; think vainglory; well, think showy.
The tune played at graduation exercises, and other ceremonial and festival events, is called "Pomp and Circumstance," to give you a better feel for the image of the word. Dignitaries, public officials, royalty and their retinues. Splendor; a show of magnificence.
Puffed up words to show a puffed up attitude - pomposity!
We use the word glory often in reference to God, and rightfully so. We confess, in The Lord's Prayer, the kingdom, power, and glory that is rightfully His. Worshipful praise, honor, and thanksgiving is an appropriate use of the word 'Glory' when speaking of God.
But what a different meaning we get simply by adding the word vain in front of glory, as it appears in the King James Bible. The word in the Greek language (translated as "vain") can have several possible meanings, including empty, fruitless, ineffectual, and - I like this - empty- handed!
Paul had ample opportunity to observe pomp and magnificence. Luke records that King Agrippa and Bernice arrived to hear Paul with "great pomp," accompanied by high ranking officers and prominent men of the city of Caesarea. (Acts 25:23)
Paul used the opportunity to proclaim Jesus to all who were listening, from the king and governor to the lowest servant.
Paul was serving, and had support from, a much higher authority than earthly kings and governors. He had respect for their office, but apparently was not in awe of their pomposity. Paul, as did Peter and the other Apostles, followed the example of Jesus, who also faced governors and kings confident that God stood with them.
I think that Paul understood that kings are all about pomp and splendor. We expect royalty to be, well, magnificent. But not Christians. And that's what caught Paul's attention in the Church at Philippi - pomposity!
Christ 'emptied' Himself to become a servant of others (the Incarnation.) And right there, in Christ's Church in Pilippi, Paul found strife and vainglory.
All the gold in the world is worthless in heaven. Earthly pomp and majesty pales to nothing before The Glory of the Throne. Vainglory - Don't get caught empty handed!
January 22. 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Genesis 41:15 NIV
September 14, 2003

“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes - and ships - and sealing wax -
Of cabbages - and kings -”
The Walrus and the Carpenter, Lewis Carroll
I’m almost certain that I have royal blood in my veins. I mean, why else would I have such marvelous dreams? All the kings in the Bible seemed to dream a lot, and mine are in full color with surround sound. I’ve heard many people claim that they seldom remember their dreams, and then in black and white. Commoners, no doubt!
When kings were not dreaming, they rode around in their chariot, sat on a golden throne, and shouted, “Off with their heads!” a lot. (No, wait, that is the queen’s line. Check out the aforesaid Mr. Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland, and John the Baptist after Queen Herodias got through with him.)
Kings knew how to use whatever was at hand to make an event out of it - fiery furnace, den of lions -and the participants got a sporting chance. With a queen, it is just “Whop!,” and it is over, and the queen goes off to another tea party, or whatever. No, I’d rather be a king. I would not sit on a pure golden throne, though. Mine would be upholstered.
I have no idea what my dreams mean. There seems to be a dearth of prophets these days. Biblical kings always had one around to interpret for them, good news or bad. Like Joseph, Daniel, and Ezekiel.
True, these prophets and dream interpreters had their own dreams, but they always were given the meaning of them. Check it out! Compared to Ezekiel’s dreams and visions, I just don’t have prophet potential. (Start with Ezekiel chapter 1)
The story line goes like this: The king would threaten all the wise men, Daniel or Joseph would step forward and save everybody's’ hide, and then what happens? The king gives the prophet WORK to do! What kind of reward is that? A good prophet should at least get a Red Sea vacation. (Genesis 41:41)
Now, there were good kings (and queens) and bad ones. I wouldn’t want to be a bad one. After all, the bad ones never seemed to have a good time; they were always mad at someone, and people said nasty things about them after they died. They couldn’t say it while the king was alive, of course, because things like that made the king unhappy, and nothing is worse than an unhappy king, unless it is an unhappy queen. (I Kings 19:1-2)
How would you like to be King Ahab, and have people calling your wife a “Jezebel!” (I Kings 16:29-33)
September 14, 2003

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Daniel said, “God has numbered the days of your reign, and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. “Daniel 5:26,27, NIV

One of the great axioms that I have heard quoted often in relation to business and real estate is “Location, location, location!” Picking a spot that sits along a well-traveled road or river makes a big difference in the number of customers a business can attract, or the size to which a city can grow.
Throughout history, access to transportation made large cities possible. The Babylonian Empire was built along the Euphrates, one of the major water thoroughfares of the ancient world, and still an important river today. Babylon, counted as one of the wonders of the ancient world, straddled the Euphrates River, with canals linking various areas of the city. The city is described as having broad streets, intersecting at right angles, often crossing the canals by bridges. The main area of the city was full of temples, palaces, and government structures. Numerous businesses lined the quay, or dock, along the waterfront. Palaces, including the famous Hanging Gardens built by King Nebuchadnezzar, were located on Procession Street. One of the temples, called a ziggurat, was a large tower dedicated to the gods of Babylon. The ruins of this temple still exist in modern-day Iraq.
Like most cities of that time, Babylon was surrounded by walls for protection from invaders. Its rulers felt that the city was impregnable from attack. They had a stockpile of provisions sufficient to last many years, and could live in comfort confident that Babylon could not be taken. Babylon was the most important city in the world at that time. Twenty-three years after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar, Nabonidus and his son, Belshazzar, faced an attempt by the Mede and Persian armies to conquer Babylon. Safe and confident within their walls, they looked out in amazement as King Cyrus’ soldiers spent their time digging a deep trench around the city.
According to the Book of Daniel
(Ch. 5) King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. Wanting to show off, he had the silver goblets taken from the Jewish temple brought out, and used them to praise “the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone” - idols!
Suddenly, a mysterious hand wrote on the wall, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.
God enabled Daniel to interpreted it thus: “God has numbered the days of your reign, and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Outside the city, the armies routed the mighty Euphrates into the ditch they had been digging, and walked into Babylon through the now empty river bed. The river that had brought them prosperity and greatness now brought their destruction.
October 27, 2002

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Scripture: “Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.” (Daniel 1:12, NRSV)

This was indeed a notable request, coming as it did from young men. They turned down food fit for a king, royal rations of food and wine. For vegetables!
Eat your veggies! How often have parents admonished their children to consume this healthy diet, only to be met with stiff resistance. Add broccoli to the mix and even grown children refuse to partake. In a recent Dennis the Menace cartoon, for example, Dennis inquires if he has to eat the broccoli, since they already had it once this year.
Daniel and his friends were attending the king’s special school, but this wasn’t what we might call an institutional menu. This was the same food that was served to the king, called “delicacies” in the New King James translation. It was intended to be healthful for both royalty and trainees.
In fact, the chief steward who was responsible for the well-being of the youth thought that a vegetable diet would so malnourish the four Judian youth that the king would have his head. Daniel offered to participate in a test: “Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.”
If, at the end of the test period, their faces were looking worse than those on the king’s diet, they would consent to conform to the required regimen. The steward consented to the request, and they got their vegetables and water. And they passed the test, looking better than the other youth who continued to eat the king’s delicacies and drink his wine.
Now to the crux of the matter: Why did Daniel refuse the king’s delicacies and wine for - vegetables and water?
I was amazed at the various explanations offered to explain these passages in Daniel Chapter 1. Chief among them, of course, is the usual notion that vegetables are healthful.
I found numerous references that proclaimed that Daniel and his friends were obviously vegetarians, and therefore would not eat meat, even the king’s meat. Their conclusion supports the thesis that everyone should adopt a vegetarian lifestyle. They further refer to Genesis 1:29 as evidence that God originally intended man to eat plants and fruits.
A different clue exists in Daniel 1:8, which states, “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies.” According to Judaic law, the bread, meat, and wine of the Gentiles was unclean (non-kosher) because they might have been offered to idols or prepared over firewood taken from a sacred grove. Only raw vegetables and water were safe from this danger.
Apocryphal literature offers examples where individuals refused gentile food, much as Daniel did. Tobit scrupulously avoided eating gentile food after the deportation to Assyria, although his kindred were doing so. (Tobit 1:12)
Judith prepared her own grain, figs and bread to take on her trip to visit the enemy general, Holophernes. She refused to eat the food he set out for her, saying, “I will not eat any of it in case I should be breaking our law.” (Judith 10:5; 12:1-2)
Hosea spoke of the defilement that would occur to Ephraim/Israel in the dispersion where they would eat “unclean things.” (Hosea 9:3-4)
Daniel could have chosen to eat kosher animal meat and drinks other than water. These were not forbidden in the Levitical dietary laws. All fresh fruits and vegetables are kosher in principle.
So why do you think Daniel asked for a diet of vegetables?
September 20, 2009

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: The angel said, “He is not here; he has risen! Luke 24:6a, NIV
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. . . They all tell a story unlike any other in the long history of story telling. Their Teacher, “Rabboni” in their language of Aramaic, was the subject of much controversy in the land of Palestine. A carpenter’s son, from the insignificant village of Nazareth in Galilee, yet so able to dominate the learned Priests and Teachers of the Judaic law in Jerusalem that they became reluctant to argue with Jesus.
His discourses were unlike any other; “He teaches with authority,” they observed. He taught that the Commandments could be summed up in two: “Love God, and Love your neighbor as yourself.” He not only associated with the unloved and the unlovely, but also healed them, and blessed them. Publicans and sinners, lepers and even the dead - untouchable all - yet he touched them, ate with them, cured their ailments, forgave their sins, and restored them to their family, and to society.
“Who is this,” the authorities wondered, “That can forgive sins?”
Naturally, many also wondered if Jesus was the promised Messiah. He certainly fit the image of being at least a prophet. He was outspoken, he had a great following among the people, and he had the power of healing. Although Jesus did not proclaim openly that he was the Messiah, The Christ, many others were claiming that they were.
Judea had been fought over for years. Three centuries earlier, Alexander The Great led Greek armies through the land on their way to conquer Egypt. Years of strife and repressive governments made the people long for a leader to restore Judah/Israel to the religious and civil covenant promised them at Sinai, through Moses. The Pharisees sought to revitalize religion through synagogues in the local community; the priests clung to the sacrificial system of the Temple. The Zealots wanted the foreign rulers and their soldiers out, no matter the cost. Was Jesus The One to make their dreams come true?
No, as far as they could see, Jesus was not of the royal kingly families, nor was he a priest, an educated rabbi, or even a military leader. Rather, he was perceived to be a threat to their hopes and security, so they arranged to have the Romans crucify Jesus. Executed men cause no trouble.
Where are they now, priest and king, rabbi and zealot? Gone!
Yet the carpenter’s son, whom they crucified, arose from the dead. He was the prophet, priest and king they longed for, and didn’t recognize. He fit God’s image, but not their image, of the Messiah.
He died, and rose again, and salvation for all people became a reality.
March 31, 2002

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Scripture: Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave . . .” John 3:16 NIV
King Herod the Great was responsible for many excellent building projects in the kingdom he ruled. He was a skilled politician, and managed to keep his head attached to his shoulders when many of those about him were losing theirs. History affirms this. Then why was he hated so in his time? Because he, like many other ‘rulers’, used his power to oppress his subjects. (See Luke 2:16)
Not only kings, but also the religious leaders of Jesus’ time coveted power, and ruthlessly destroyed anyone who got in their way. Many members of the Sanhedrin, the supreme council and tribunal of the Jews headed by a High Priest and having religious, civil, and criminal jurisdiction, as well as the fundamentalist Pharisees, opposed Jesus’ teachings because of His popularity. Jesus also refused to follow many of their traditions, calling them hypocrites - and quoted Isaiah 29:13 to back up his words.
These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain;
Their teachings are but rules taught by men.
God intended that rulers should “shepherd” His people, not oppress them. That applies to all leaders, religious or civil. Jesus built many of His parables around the theme of servanthood. He washed the disciples feet to drive this point into their hearts and minds. Read the gospels carefully: The greatest will be as the least. Study the parable of the Unmerciful Servant, Mt. 18:21-35.
How we treat others matters!
Check out the creation story, Genesis 1, especially Gen. 1:27-31. What exactly does it mean to “have dominion?” Can it be that God intended just what Jesus taught, that although humankind is the dominate form of creation, we are here to shepherd and care, not to ravage and abuse?
The core of Jesus’ teaching is contained in The Beatitudes. (Mt. ch’s 5, 6, 7) Peace, love for others, giving (without fanfare!) to the needy, prayer, keeping the Commandments of God, being fruitful in the Spirit - these things are acceptable.
Those leaders mentioned above, the Pharisees and teachers of the law, received criticism (Six Woes, Lk. 11:37-53) because they loaded people down with burdens, and have taken away the key to knowledge!
Are we people more powerful than the Holy Spirit? No! But the Holy Spirit is to “walk along side” us, to lift us up, to enable, to plead our case, to make life better for us.
If we are to truly follow the way of God, of Jesus, and the example of the Holy Spirit, we must be tolerant towards everyone, lifting, loving, pleading their case.
October 7, 2001