As promised, here are even more words that a wise person would not ask for . It does relieve my frustration, though, to write these wordy explanations !
The FIRST CITATION OR VERSE is always the Original Gospel Text of the Third Chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, New International Version .
The SECOND CITATION OR VERSE is always the text of the animation –
HESUS JOY CHRIST / Matthew's Three Fold , written by R David Foster .
Verse 3
3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“ A voice of one calling in the desert,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
Make straight paths for Him. 'a
a 3 Isaiah 40 : 3
Verse 3
3This is she who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“Speak tenderly to
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord's hand,
double for all her sins.” a
a 3 Isaiah 40 : 2
Verse 3 Discussion
I always find it interesting how quoting a verse out of context can support such a completely alternate meaning. Here, in Isaiah 40:3, we have John in the desert calling the people to prepare for Jesus. But in the previous verse, Isaiah 40:2, we have a demand to “Speak tenderly” to the people and tell them their sins are forgiven. This verse is not as well known since it hasn't been quoted as often. One is calling the people to action, after the other tenderly tells the people they are forgiven, having paid double for all their sins. I find this important, that people accept that they are forgiven in order for them to move on in their relationships with God and people.
It is essential to know your mistakes are not fatal, almost all the time. Otherwise one becomes paralyzed, unable to act, out of fear of making a fatal mistake. Fear is a serious thing. For example, we all know we will die, but for whatever reason, we do not walk around in fear of death, most of the time. I actually find most people are under the impression that they will live forever, by the way they labour and by what is apparently important to them. Consider what one's life would be like if you were in constant fear, of death for example. You may not find yourself belabouring which birthday card to drop seven dollars on for your boss's wife, I presume, if you were mortified !
Nevertheless, John is calling the peoples' attention to the coming of Jesus, as the Lord and Saviour of humankind. But in Matthew's Three Fold , I have written that this preacher, Joan, who may be discouraged by her apparent lack of success, is being consoled as she returns home, late again, to consider her day. Something is going to happen, as she is being reassured that she is forgiven. John is proclaiming the work to be done, while Joan is hearing the proclamation of the “hard service” that has been done.
In the fullness of time, the long awaited Saviour, Jesus, came as fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. The work of
I proclaim, that a new age is again on our doorstep, and it is going to bring closer, a society of infinite good. If you have ever viewed any of this animation on www.youtube.com, you may have become aware of many of the other self proclaimed messages out there, and I am throwing my animation lot in with them. Society will again disintegrate under the weight of these proclaimed values, and there will be no apparent gain within many generations, until the values are adopted by the large majority of the members of society. Africa, to my mind, is now going through it's dark ages as medieval Europe did, with the end of apartheid in
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
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Verse 4
4John's clothes were made of camel skin and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
Verse 4
4 Joan's clothes were made of polyester and she had a vinyl belt around her waist. Her food was chocolate covered ants and wild honey.
Verse 4 Discussion
I've always been under the impression that the point of telling what John was wearing was to establish that he was living a very rough life of abstinence, outside of society, by mentioning the inferior nature of his clothing and diet. In the same way, Joan wears modern day inferior clothing of polyester and vinyl. Times have changed and a leather belt is considered better than a vinyl belt, and wild honey is a luxury. Similarly, the trappings of a modern day preacher have changed, as many are well off, although still on the outskirts of popular society. Nevertheless, Joan is making use of the gifts of her followers, which may be wild honey and chocolate covered ants. These today are considered luxury gifts, as tokens of appreciation, which I use to establish this element of the narration, and Joan makes use of them, to establish that she respects these gestures. Joan is appreciated but not sufficiently cared for. She lives a solitary life of a single preacher. She may be better off than John was, financially and professionally, but she, as John did, longs for more. She has a vision of how God loves us and is compelled to proclaim her vision of God's plan for humankind. Tokens are tokens, and although the gesture is appreciated it does not fill the longing she has for marriage. Similarly, John's food and clothing suffices, but does not fill the longing for the kingdom of heaven.
Once again, where John was successful, Joan will be successful, as this animation plays out. John did not witness Jesus' ultimate victory, but he fulfilled his role in making it happen. Similarly, in this animation, it appears that Joan is single, and devoting her life to her ministry, and may never witness a victory of marriage in her personal life, even though she likely longs for a truly real marriage. It is a long rough road, which is full of disappointments, but it is a road we all travel, both warily and unaware, and it has it's adventure and joy.
Although he may have been of the opinion that he had no choice in how he lived his life, John did choose to dedicate his life to God. Similarly, Joan has devoted her life to preaching what she believes God wants the people to hear. Both are longing for more, and striving to see the kingdom of heaven. They neglect all else in their striving to obtain the kingdom of heaven.
Although marriage may be the ideal, many people will fulfill their roles given to them by God, in other pursuits. Just as Jesus, whose name means “one who saves”, was called the Christ, from the Greek for “the anointed one”, or from the Hebrew “Messiah”, the One of marriage is anointed upon a couple, as in coming down from above, and is a gift from God. A society of infinite good, may have many “anointed” Ones of marriages, but not all people may participate in a heterosexual marriage. Many people follow Jesus' example, as the apostles for example, but this path is unique to each individual, and not everyone need be crucified and resurrected in Jerusalem 2011 years ago. Likewise, a society of infinite good, where marriage is upheld as the ideal, may not be entirely made up of husbands and wives. We can't all be priests, with none of us left over to be parishioners, but we all worship in the same church.
Children are upheld as a value to society, but we are not all children. Elders are held up as a value to society, but we are not all aged. Work and labour are held up as a value to society, but who expects their 8 year old to have a full time job, or their 80 year old grandmother to punch a time clock. Marriage as an ideal does not mean everyone will be married, but rather, marriage will not be hindered by having work, children, parents, law, or politics interfere. Today many people choose their parents, their children, their careers, and their general welfare over their role as husband or wife. In the society of infinite good I foresee, marriage will take priority over much of everything else.
Finally, a discussion of the role of Jesus in this society of infinite good, would be worthwhile. Stepping back, what is the common understanding of marriage ? Some clichés come to mind: the battle axe of a wife, condemning everything her husband does; the overbearing mother-in-law; the never ending slavery of raising toddlers, without the active support of the husband; the never ending seemingly arbitrary rules the wife puts on the husband; the never ending outlandish ventures the husband must endeavour into; the self righteous father-in-law, never happy with the wife; and the endless disappointments of one's spouse. It all paints a picture that no one would wish on themselves. Where is our saviour Jesus in all this ? He is right in the midst of such marriage relationships, helping the spouses to live entirely in an environment of constant forgiveness of the other spouse, and sharing in the joy when forgiveness bears it's wonderful fruit. Fools may rush in where angels fear to tread, and angels do fear to tread into a marriage. Jesus does tread headlong into marriages and will be there with us in our suffering as well as our joys.
On the other hand, where have we witnessed our greatest joy ? Some examples may be: the completion of a very hard project; the joy of young love; the blessings and joy of a newborn child; the love of a mother; the love of a father; romantic love; the unwarranted forgiveness of a heartbreaking sin; or a hard won achievement. A bad situation can be seen as a great opportunity, and a marriage is both a tough situation and a great opportunity.
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Tuesday, March 22, 2011
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