We got on a discussion later in the evening concerning Luke 4:28-30.
Jesus speaks in the synagogue in His hometown and reveals that he has fulfilled a prophesy. The crowd gets all riled up and you can read below what happens:
28) All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29) They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30) But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
I've always just thought that since this wasn't the time, place or method for Jesus to die, the people were miraculously subdued and Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way. One person from last night's group said he had thought Jesus made Himself invisible and walked through the crowd to avoid the uprising. I mean, to me, the scripture could go either way. It made for an interesting conversation for sure. The word "through" is another of one our languages ambiguous terms. In later scriptures, after Jesus' resurrection, He "walks through" a wall. But He can also "walk through" a crowd, which doesn't mean he passes through a person, necessarily. It's debatable, for sure and I may need to find a reference that relates to the Greek language, concerning this passage for further insight.
Something else we spoke on at the end of the discussion was something Jack (our teaching pastor) had said. "I need to view myself as God sees me, not as I see myself". Um, okay, that shouldn't be too hard :rolls eyes: . I can be very negative and hard on myself, because I know what goes on in my head, I know the emotions I have, I know the things I say and do. I know that God understands, fully, those things as well, but He still trusts that I can carry out His will and make a representation of His Son to the world. That's a very heavy idea for me. It's humbling, for sure, but also frustrating. How can I do it?
To follow Christ is an ongoing experience. From the initial acceptance to our final breath, we undergo a continuous process. We are always learning, always sharpening, always growing. At least, we should. I do have lulls in my life where I feel as if I've hit a plateau, but the desire is always there to be more and do better. I want to make my Father proud. I don't think I've quite done that yet, overall. I know I have done things in His name, for His purpose and given Him the glory for it. Those things do make Him proud. But I've also displayed a rotten attitude, and abandoned compassion for others. This must disappoint Him.
I don't really know what He sees, exactly. So I'm not sure where to go with this one.
I do know that I can take this from that statement: I should see other people, the way God sees them. Because I know myself, it's difficult to imagine what a perfect God would view, but I can estimate His perspective on someone else, if that makes sense. I think keeping that in focus would create a different relationship dynamic in my life. I'm still there in completely understanding all this, but like I said it is a process. Time itself does not make progress, but it is God working in my life as I receive the grace to accept it and put it into practice.
In other news, I am making a new meal tonight: Vegetable Lasagna Rolls. Brad and I are going to visit some friends of ours who have recently welcomed their first child into the world. I'm looking forward to seeing them. I hope the dish turns out great. If it does, I will post the recipe.
