11/24/16
The earliest Christians followed a Jewish tradition of pausing to pray, preferably together, first thing in the morning, about mid morning, at noon, about mid afternoon, and in the evening. “Just a Note” posts are brief observations made from Scripture readings not related to a lectionary. If I have one to post, it normally appears about 9:00 in the morning, at “the hour of prayer.”
Jesus’ teaching at the Feast of Tabernacles in John 7 was striking to those who heard him. He was teaching in the temple. His hearers were amazed at the quality of his teaching. Some take verse 15 and the comment that Jesus “never learned” to indicate that he was illiterate or ignorant. Rather, we see that his teaching was striking. Not even the most learned of teachers would teach in this way. Yet there was no evidence that Jesus had ever attended a Rabbinic school.
Where did Jesus’ teaching come from? He clearly claimed that it originated in the one who sent him. In other words, he taught the will of God the Father. The hearers, especially those trained in the Scripture, should be able to evaluate the message and decide if it was consistent with the Father’s words. Jesus sought God’s glory, not his own.
In our teaching, do we seek God’s glory rather than our own? If so, we can be faithful to Scripture. As with the people hearing Jesus, those who hear us may well find they are being true to God and His Word.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
The earliest Christians followed a Jewish tradition of pausing to pray, preferably together, first thing in the morning, about mid morning, at noon, about mid afternoon, and in the evening. “Just a Note” posts are brief observations made from Scripture readings not related to a lectionary. If I have one to post, it normally appears about 9:00 in the morning, at “the hour of prayer.”
Jesus’ teaching at the Feast of Tabernacles in John 7 was striking to those who heard him. He was teaching in the temple. His hearers were amazed at the quality of his teaching. Some take verse 15 and the comment that Jesus “never learned” to indicate that he was illiterate or ignorant. Rather, we see that his teaching was striking. Not even the most learned of teachers would teach in this way. Yet there was no evidence that Jesus had ever attended a Rabbinic school.
Where did Jesus’ teaching come from? He clearly claimed that it originated in the one who sent him. In other words, he taught the will of God the Father. The hearers, especially those trained in the Scripture, should be able to evaluate the message and decide if it was consistent with the Father’s words. Jesus sought God’s glory, not his own.
In our teaching, do we seek God’s glory rather than our own? If so, we can be faithful to Scripture. As with the people hearing Jesus, those who hear us may well find they are being true to God and His Word.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
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