Micah's messianic prophecy is clear isn't it? "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are
too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one
who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient
days." Indeed Jesus was born in
Bethlehem as Luke documents for us in his Gospel which is an investigative
report. This Messiah will stand and
shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord and in the majesty of the Name
of the Lord. That day is coming but not
yet. There was a prior work to do to
bring in the Gentiles whom God was saving as well as the Jews. There will come a day such like Isaiah
foresaw when there will be an everlasting peace not only among humans but also
with the animal kingdom, enmity of all kinds will be a thing of the past when
Messiah comes to reign. Our hearts
should long for the fulfillment of the prophecy such that we pray in earnest,
"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" and
"Come quickly, Lord Jesus."
Revelation is a funny thing.
Sometimes you have to walk in the light of what you know already to gain
more revelation, it requires faith to see and understand. Here, Jesus talks about light giving the
power to see in a dark place but then admonishes to "take care how you
hear." Doesn't it seem like He
would talk about seeing rather than hearing?
The revelation of Jesus as Messiah was not only an issue of seeing the
signs it was also a matter of hearing the words He spoke, His teaching as well
as the voice of the Spirit within bearing testimony. The one who has will be given more. If you walk in the knowledge you have, if you
use that understanding to form and test the correct hypothesis (or hypotheses)
about Jesus, you will be given more understanding. It is the same message He gives to those who
implore Him concerning His family, “My mother and my brothers are those who
hear the word of God and do it.” Walking
in light of understanding is key. The disciples
are doing exactly that or they wouldn't be with Him on the boat to hear Jesus
command the wind and waves and because they are walking in faith they now
receive a greater revelation that causes them to re-formulate their existing
hypotheses.
Again we meet an odd couple who will hear Paul's
testimony. Agrippa and Bernice were
brother and sister and she was known primarily for her illicit love life
including rumors concerning her own brother, this Agrippa. They, as members of the Herodian dynasty were
also Jewish. Festus is at a loss as to
what to do with Paul. He believes that
he lacks jurisdiction and certainly the ability to do as the Jews request
concerning Paul and doesn't understand the matter, only that it seems to have
something to do with a man called Jesus who is dead but whom Paul asserts to be
alive. Agrippa agrees to hear the case
even though Paul has appealed to Rome. We
never know how God will use us and here, as in his first hearings in the
system, Paul is going to speak to a ruler who is living a sinful life. In the end, everything gets exposed.
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