Wednesday 24 November 2010

Bible Book:
John

"And he said to him, 'Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.'" (v. 51)

John 1:43-51 Wednesday 24 November 2010

Background

Hebrew Scripture is full of appearances of God and God's angels(theophanies). In Genesis 28, Jacob was on his way to hismother's homeland to find a wife when he dreamt of the angels ofGod ascending and descending from heaven. Jacob then named theplace Bethel, or "house of God" because he recognised that God hadbeen present.

It's this story that Jesus is talking about when he calls Nathanieland the others to be his disciples. Heaven and earth met at Bethellong ago and, right now in the person of Jesus, heaven and earthare meeting in front of the disciples' eyes.

John suggests earlier in the text that some of the men called to beJesus' closest disciples had been out looking for the Messiah (John1:38). And while they were out looking for the Messiah, theMessiah found them. Imagine what that must have felt like!

But Jesus didn't reveal himself to be the Messiah and then announcethat he was going to usher in the kingdom of God by some greatsupernatural act. The kingdom of God could not be born throughforce, otherwise it would be no different than any earthlygovernment.

Instead, Jesus called this ragtag group of men to follow him and tobe his disciples. He called them to learn from him and toparticipate with him in the building of God's kingdom. Evidently,there is something about the kingdom of God that requires God'schildren to cooperate closely with God in its building.

The call to be Jesus' disciple is for us too. Contemporaryfollowers of Jesus are not only co-builders of the kingdom with himbut with all of the disciples who went before us and with all whowill come after us. Jesus is King of Kings and he calls us to bewitnesses to the divine so that God's kingdom will come "on earthas it is in heaven".

To Ponder

If you have ever had an experience that felt likebeing found by God, can you describe what it was like?

Why do you think Nathaniel asked "Can anythinggood come out of Nazareth?" (verse 46) and how would you haveanswered him?

If contemporary followers of Jesus are cobuilderswith him of God's kingdom, how in your estimation is the projectprogressing?

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