12 January 2012

Psalm 18:1-20; Gen. 4:17-26; Heb. 3:1-11; John 1:43-51

Lamech is one of the most obnoxious characters in the Bible.  He is the first person we are told took more than one wife. In his own mind, he was apparently too much man for one wife.  He seems to be claiming that he killed a man for wounding him and a young man for striking him.  Retribution was far in excess of the crime, an eye for an eye was insufficient justice for Lamech.  His boast, “If Cain's revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech's is seventy-sevenfold” is based on his own estimation whereas Cain’s revenge was set by the Lord.  The numbers here should sound familiar in the story when Peter asks how often he has to forgive his brother.  Lamech’s enduring legacy is to have been enshrined in the Bible as a buffoon and a legend in his own mind.

When we meet Nathanael he sounds a bit full of himself like Lamech.  Philip, full of excitement, tells him the good news, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  Nathanael pours cold water over the news and Philip’s excitement, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Can you imagine what Philip’s initial reaction within himself must have been?  Fortunately, Philip doesn’t try and argue with Nathanael, he simply says what we should say to objections such as this, “Come and see.”  Fortunately, Nathanael did and Jesus greets him by speaking a word of truth that He couldn’t have known otherwise and Nathanael’s reaction is extraordinary praise, ““Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”  Can you now imagine the looks on the faces of Jesus and Philip?  Nathanael’s objections and his pride are overcome by Jesus and yet he will see so much more, can his faith keep up with the witness?

The writer of Hebrews takes on the task of setting Jesus apart from anything or anyone else.  He is greater than the angels and now we see that He is not the prophet like Moses, He is infinitely greater than Moses.  Jesus, who never boasted like Lamech, did not seek vengeance for his death, and the multiplier effect of his death was far greater than Lamech proposed, but for grace and salvation.  The writer proposes the distinction of servant versus son in order to illustrate the difference between Moses and Jesus, roughly the same distinction the Lord revealed on the mount of Transfiguration.  Moses and Elijah are with Jesus conversing but only Jesus shines like the sun and then the two are gone and the voice from heaven proclaims, “This is my Son, listen to Him.”  Jesus stands alone in the end and only of Him does the voice proclaim.  We are called to worship only him, not ourselves as Lamech did, and not our understanding as Nathanael did in the beginning.  We are called to worship the person, Jesus, who is revealed to us in the Scriptures and in the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Ye watchers and ye holy ones,
Bright seraphs, cherubim and thrones,
Raise the glad strain, Alleluia!
Cry out, dominions, princedoms, powers,
Virtues, archangels, angels’ choirs:

Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia!

Tune