A helpful reminder…
Punished by the Tongue
The Devil, because he had deceived Eve with his tongue, is punished by the tongue, that he might not speak.” –Bede
The Devil Went Down to Capernaum (Luke 4:31-44)
Luke emphasizes the authority of Jesus’ word. The demonic reaction emphasizes this point. The demons wanted their synagogue revival. They wanted their week to shine by showing their power through erratic behavior and violent preaching techniques. Jesus’ appearance on the scene is a challenge to the demonic itinerant preachers.
The dispute at the synagogue was a dispute for who would lead the Church’s pulpit and who would revive Israel. The demons wanted to revive Israel by killing her, and Jesus wanted to revive Israel by giving her abundant life. This was a dispute of word preeminence.
Jesus wasted no time in setting himself as the true Preacher of Israel. The demons knew that: “What do you want with us, Holy One of God?” In other words, “don’t you know our revival has lasted quite long in these last few centuries?” Jesus’ response (Φιμώθητι) is more than just “hold your peace” as some translation have it, but it is more appropriately translated as “Shut your mouth” or “become speechless.” Our blessed Lord is putting his house in order. He is coming to bring light and make all things new, and his authoritative word will commence the un-doing of this Babelic nation.
On Earth is not His Equal
And Christ is the truth in such wise that thou shouldst receive the whole to be true in Him. The true Word, God equal with the Father, true soul, true flesh, true man, true God, true nativity, true passion, true death, true resurrection. If thou say that any of these is false, rottenness enters, the worms of falsehood are bred of the poison of the serpent, and nothing sound will remain. –St. Augustine
What the Incarnation Means…
Here is a gem from Donald MacLeod, quoted by Peter Leitart on what it means for Jesus to be with us:
“For the Son of God, the incarnation meant a whole new set of relationships: with his father and mother; with his brothers and sisters; with his disciples; with the scribes, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees; with Roman soldiers and with lepers and prostitutes. It was within these relationships that he lived his incarnate life, experiencing pain, poverty, and temptation; witnessing squalor and brutality; hearing obscenities and profanities and the hopeless cry of the oppressed. He lived not in sublime detachment or in ascetic isolation, but ‘with us,’ as ‘the fellow-man of all men,’ crowded, busy, harassed, stressed and molested. No large estate gave him space, no financial capital guaranteed his daily bread, no personal staff protected him from interruptions and no power or influence protected him from injustice. He saved us from alongside us.”
Martin Luther on Jesus’ Baptism
I may have to read this sermon again next year. It was filled with rich imagery and powerful sacramental statements. Here are a few from Luther’s sermon preached on the Epiphany of our Lord, January 6th, 1534:
“Christ is holier even than baptism, yet still allows himself to be baptized.”
“But God in heaven poured himself out when Christ was baptized.”
“There is no longer a dividing line between God and us, for he has descended into the {baptismal} water.”
“Therefore we should have high regard for this festival. To some degree it is about the wise men. But there is something much, much more important here: the real “three kings”–the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
“Water becomes a precious ointment and medication because God has stirred himself into it.”
The Fullness of Advent
Last Year’s Reminder…
Machinery as Evil
This is how Tolkien views machinery in his Middle-Earth. Horne elaborates:
The basics of Tolkien’s love for trees and nature over his dislike for machinery were set early in his life. Later, the reader finds virtually all mention of “machinery” in The Lord of the Rings is associated with villains like Saruman and Sauron in the pursuit of power and the enslavement of others.
The trees in Tolkien’s world are the Ents. They are the ancient giant, talking trees who become important allies in the fight against evil. The ancient rises to war against the present menace.
Our Hope is not in Vain
Richard Hays concludes his excellent treatment of I Corinthians 15:
Those who affirm the truth of Christ’s resurrection will be given the moral confidence to live in a way that shows that their hope is not in vain.
Baptism for the Dead I Corinthians 15:29
The problem with taking this baptism as something erroneous occurring in Corinth is that Paul does not express any form of grave or minuscule disapproval of the practice. Daniel Hoffman pointed me to an interpretation that sees baptism happening as a result of the Christian martyrs who gave their lives for the resurrection hope. In turn, this led to the conversion of many who entered the church through the waters of baptism, so that they too could taste of this resurrection hope.