Jeopardy

Jesus healed on the Sabbath, talked with a Samaritan woman, threw merchants out of the temple, said his mother and sisters were the people that put their faith in Him. He and His followers gleaned wheat on the Sabbath, He said to the religious leaders, “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? Matthew 12:34 He ate with sinners, and the list goes on.

Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the Advocate, the Bread of Life, Capstone, Christ, Gate, Faithful and True Witness, Great High Priest, the I AM, King of kings, Lamb of God, Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Our Great God and Savior, Prophet, Rabbi, Rock, Son of God, Mediator, True Light, Way, Truth, Life, and Word of God. And this just a partial list of names of Jesus.

If you were on Jeopardy and every category was a type of problem people deal with, you would win! In every category, for every answer, “Who could fix…,” your question would simply be, “Who is Jesus?”

I love stories from the early Church because I want to know who I shall one day meet in heaven! And there is something marvelous about the growth of Christianity during the first few centuries. Plus, I stand amazed at the depth of their thoughts, the strength of their faith, and their humanity that they, like us, wrestled with.

When the apostle John was advanced in years, he trained a disciple named Polycarp. Polycarp later became the Bishop of Smyrna (in present day Turkey). This was critical for the early Church because Polycarp was able to carry John’s message to future generations. Can you imagine sitting near the Apostle and hearing his memories about Jesus?

Polycarp taught a disciple named Irenaeus, passing on to him stories about the apostle John. Much of what we know about Polycarp came from the writings of Irenaeus – he was more of a writer than Polycarp. In the book, “Against Heresies,” Irenaeus wrote stories that Polycarp had told him.

Polycarp was martyred in his old age. There is some question whether Polycarp was 86 years old when he was martyred or whether he’d been a Christian 86 years. His words are, “86 years I have served him, and he never did me any injury” (Martyrdom of Polycarp 9).

More info can be found here: Polycarp

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Matthew 28:18-19

There’s a touch of mystery in this passage. What did Jesus mean when He said, “…has been give me.” As the Son of God, He could receive nothing since He is the all sufficient God. Was Jesus speaking of receiving back what He surrendered when He became a man (John 1:14) or was He speaking of a completion, so that now, in His human nature, He possessed all that God intended for His only begotten Son?

Let me know what you think!

Take Two Tablets

“And he gave to Moses when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.”

 Exodus 31:18

I’ve always just accepted that it took two tablets to contain what God wrote. Of course, I was wrong.

Let’s consider American Samoa. They are an unincorporated territory of America. Unincorporated territories are not considered integral parts of America, so the Constitution only partially applies to them. American Samoa is autonomous within their territory, but they are subject to America.

Here’s where it gets interesting

When American Samoa became a territory of America, there was an official signing of documents signed by both parties. America kept one copy, and American Samoa held the other copy. This document established a permanent, official, though unequal, relationship. This relationship is why American Samoa is called a protectorate.

You guessed it! Likewise, when God made the Mosaic Covenant, they were/are the terms between Himself and Israel. Israel gained God’s protection and blessings provided Israel obeyed His laws. 

Many theologians believe that God made duplicate tablets. This is consistent with the protocol for treaties between ancient Middle Eastern states. For the Mosaic Covenant, one copy belonged to God, and the other belonged to Israel. But God didn’t take His copy to heaven. 

Don’t Forget the Mercy Seat

God was establishing a place for Himself on Earth. Since the ark of the Covenant was the point of contact between God and Israel, both tablets of the law were placed in the ark. As Israel travelled in the desert, they carried with them their protectorate Covenant signed by the hand of God! How amazing is that!