Job was one heck of a guy wasn't he? "I caused the widow's heart to sing for
joy…I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a
turban. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the
needy, and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know." I don't doubt these things are true, God
singled Job out of all men on earth when He spoke to satan. Job is looking back on his life and saying
that indeed he cared about his fellow man and in return God blessed him and
walked with him. Who knows which came
first in the equation, the chicken or the egg, Job's righteousness or God's
favor and blessing. Those were the good
old days. Now, however, when he isn't
enjoying God's favor, instead is suffering, where is God? Where indeed?
Is God only in favor and blessing?
Is God good only when we enjoy blessing and prosperity or is He always
good? All Job is thinking about is
himself.
The Jews make their choice, Jesus isn't one with the Father,
isn't the Messiah, so He must be a blasphemer.
The logic is actually unassailable if the initial conclusion were
correct. The problem is that Jesus is
one with the Father, He is the Messiah so now who is blaspheming God? They, like the friends of Job, don't know
God, don't see Him when He makes Himself known in person. He is to do their bidding and when He won't,
illogically then He is not God. Jesus
continually points to the evidence of the signs He is doing but they will not
see and come to the right conclusion, there are none so blind as those who will
not see. The consequences are horrific
and eternal. Jesus withdraws across the
Jordan and many come to Him professing that John did no signs at all and many
believe, does it not make sense to believe more then in the one who does such
wonders.
At Iconium the pattern continues. Some Jews and Gentiles believe but some of
the Jews don't believe and they rouse opposition to the apostles. Here, Paul and Barnabas remain "for a
long time" and continue the work, including signs and wonders, of building up the faith of
those who are coming to put their trust in the message of Jesus. Ultimately, just as we saw in the Gospel, the
opposition gets too heated to remain and the apostles leave town. At Lystra, Paul, through the power of the
Holy Spirit, heals a lame man and the people conclude that Hermes and Zeus,
Greek gods, have come down from Mt Olympus and they are then offered worship
and sacrifice. What in the world? The contemporary Roman poet Ovid wrote a tale
of these gods coming down to earth set in the region near Lystra and the people
treated them badly because they didn't recognize them. The end was something like Sodom and Gomorrah
because they weren't treated hospitably by anyone other than a couple named
Baucis and Philemon. The people of
Lystra didn't want to make the same mistake, failure of recognition. They saw the sign, formed a conclusion and
acted accordingly. Do your actions match
your conclusion?
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