Job 14:1-22 - Verse 7: "For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that it's shoots will not cease." Verse 14: "If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my service I would wait, till my renewal should come." When Job is faced with the reality of his situation, and not the platitudes of his friends, he realizes that on his own man's end is a sad fate. Yet Job has hope. The hope of a cut down tree. The hope in a Creator who desires to renew His creation. That hope sustains Job through trial.
John 6:41-59 - Jesus is the bread of heaven, the renewal that Job longed for. That said, it's difficult to accept or understand Jesus' words here. Is Jesus speaking about cannibalism, is he referring to the Lord's Supper, is this just metaphor? I think we would prefer something more "spiritual" and less earthy from Jesus. This whole fleshy thing, this body and blood, this death on a cross is too vulgar for our tastes. But our hope is found in Jesus who took on our flesh, joined us in death, and joins us to himself in resurrection. We very often hear difficult words from Jesus, but would we rather hear easier words without the power to save?
No comments:
Post a Comment