For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Luke 8
Jesus and His disciples encountered quite the squall while sailing across the Sea of Galilee. Luke stated that they were in great danger. Yet when they woke Jesus in fear, He asked them, “Where is your faith?” (Lk. 8:2a). So here I am thinking about faith again. Was their lack of faith in waking Jesus up? I’m not sure that’s it. They were in great danger, so they clearly needed to do something. And God instructs us to come to Him with our cares and concerns. Perhaps, then, it was because they were afraid? Fear can indeed come from a lack of trust, so that may be hitting closer to the point. It is, however, a perfectly natural reaction to a dangerous situation. I think, then, that it isn’t so much being afraid as it is what you do in that fear. And they did go to Jesus.
The thing I come to, then, especially after yesterday’s thoughts about faith, is that they were not open to the possibilities. When they woke Jesus they said, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” (Lk. 8:24). It wasn’t, “Master save us!” or even, “We need you!” Instead, they were focused on what they believed to be a certain outcome. Keep in mind that Jesus had quite recently raised a young girl from the dead. Yet they did not consider any miraculous possibilities in their current situation. And I think that is where their lack of faith revealed itself.
Ezek. 46-48
Ezekiel finishes with a vision of Israel restored. What is the significance of the river (ch. 47)? The trees on the banks? Compare with Revelation 22:1-2. The meaning of Ezekiel’s vision of restoration is still a mystery to me. Something doesn’t seem quite final about it to me. Though it kind of restores things back to how they originally were, there are some significant differences. Some of those differences have more of a New Testament ring to them, though still lack a full release from the old legalistic sacrificial system. So yes, color me mystified. I did, however, notice some interesting details in all of it.
- There is no mention of a king. Only the prince. And it seems he has his own special, though similar, set of rules.
- The prince’s inheritance is for his sons only. This doesn’t seem to be the case for the tribes.
- There are at least a couple of references in Ezekiel’s entire vision of God’s holy things consecrating the people. To my recollection, prior to this vision the people always defiled God’s holy things.
- Similarly, the water from the Temple purified and gave life to the Dead Sea.
- As far as I know, this is the first time foreigners are given a portion of Israel’s inheritance, being counted as native born Israelites.
When I put all of this together with the “son of man” references, it reinforces the thought that Ezekiel’s prophecy in particular is a picture of Jesus’ mission and purpose before His final conquest. We have been released from sin, but still dwell with it. Though we have been restored to God, we still live in a time of suffering and sacrifice. Though God is with us, Christ the King has not yet fully established His throne. Ezekiel’s vision, like this time between Jesus’ two comings, comes across as very transitional. So maybe that’s the point. One Messiah; two missions. Ezekiel saw the first.