15 September 2010
Psalm 72; Job 42:1-17; Acts 16:16-24; John 12:20-26

Job speaks and agrees with the Lord. I have spoken without understanding, what you have shown me is too wonderful for me to have imagined. Seeing and hearing are two different ways of learning and it is important for us to “see” God at work in our lives. The word became flesh is an important concept in the learning of God’s people. If you have ever put together a grill you know how it can sometimes be confusing to read the instructions and illustrations help greatly. Job’s theology wasn’t completely wrong in that, all things being equal, there should be a correlation between sin and bad things and righteousness and good things. It was wrong in that it left no room for God’s sovereignty. In the end, Job’s friends have to repent and show contrition by an excessive sacrifice and when they do, Job prays for them to receive forgiveness. It is certainly gratifying when those who sin against us confess those sins and it makes it easier to pray “for” them. How often do we as the friends practice confession of sin against our brothers and sisters as opposed to excuse making?

The Pharisees have just said that the whole world is going out to Jesus and here come the Greeks to see Him. They were surely somewhat confused by Jesus’ answer to the request to see Him and it seems likely that they thought this might be the moment that Jesus’ kingly reign would begin based on the triumphal entry, these Greeks coming as people came to Solomon, and Jesus’ statement that now was the time for glorification. Nothing in that scene prepared them for what was actually going to happen.

The problem with the slave girl wasn’t that she wasn’t speaking truth it was who got glory for that truth. Was the purpose of her testimony to bring the hearers to the living God that Paul proclaimed or did it simply allow her masters to make more money. Sometimes people ask me about fortune tellers and how they differ from prophets and my usual answer has to do with whether someone does it for money and does the information provided give glory and honor to God. Here it is clear in the reaction of the girl’s masters in stirring up opposition to Paul and his proclamation, the Gospel he preached was a problem once their hope of gain from it evaporated. Job’s friends had not given glory to God in their theologizing, they had spoken falsely about Job and thus about God and the situation.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name for ever;
may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.