Time Traveler – Bible Style

WATCHWORD:

¹⁴ And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. ¹⁵ And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.¹⁶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. ¹⁷ And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹ And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  Luke 4:14-21

Meditation:

Time Traveler – Bible Style

What if we could transport ourselves in the Way-back Machine to that time prior to the birth of Jesus. If we could stand there in the Temple, beside the teachers of the law who are reading the  prophecies and shaking their heads, mumbling, “I don’t understand.” And, we, with our post-Resurrection understanding, begin to explain to these very smart Pharisees, the truth of the prophecies. Would they listen? Or, would they shout, “What! Wait 750 years  for Yahweh? Madness! They are possessed of Satan. Drag them from our temple!”

How would you explain the basis of our faith to the learned before Christ arrived? If we knew what we know now back then, would we understand the prophecies more clearly?  Would it deepen our faith?  If we stood there on Calvary, watched Jesus die, witnessed His burial and stood with the disciples on that hillside outside of Capernaum, five days later, seeing the Lord alive and resurrected, how would that affect our faith?

I think the catchword, in this modern era of ours, is “seeing is believing”. The question really is how does firsthand knowledge, hands-on experience, proof positive, etc., deepen our faith?  Or would we even need to have faith? How about that? We would be as wise as God! Wait, where did we hear that before? Oh, yeah! In The Garden from that dirty snake in the grass!

Nevertheless, imagining what it would be like to have borne witness to the ministry of Jesus, is fertile ground for story, but it is also enlightening as we dig deeper and deeper into the Word.  Our imagination can add flesh and blood to the Holy story. We can clothe ourselves in the mantle of Joseph and we can stand and cheer as David slays Goliath. We can weep for joy at the birth of our Lord and we can grieve, for a brief time, there on Golgotha.

I think that’s why so many of us are fans of commentaries,  because often times someone else’s perspective gives meaning to our understanding. And we are better for the reading.  The more we read the Holy Word, the more it speaks to us directly, and there is something cleansing about that. So, park the Way-back Machine in the garage, right next to the DeLorean. The only way-back machine we need is our faith in Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior. He truly is all we need.  Amen.

Important Message:

I have always encouraged contributions from those of you in the Watchword Network, and I appreciate so much when you have found something of inspiration and beauty, and passed those on. Each was helpful in giving inspiration and variety to the content of the devotionals. I continue to encourage you to do that, with a thankful heart.

Folks, my schedule is getting just a little jammed into the foreseeable future, and so I’m going to cut back, just a little, on the Watchwords schedule. Beginning with Monday, January 3, Watchwords will be posted on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Sometime, I would like to add Wednesday back into the schedule, but that will have to wait for now.

If you have comments about this change or the blessings of the season or the  New Year, please feel free to share.  Thank you.  — Stan Escott

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, It is with gratitude, Lord, that we approach this day that with gladness and joy for all you have prepared for us. We are so glad that we are yours. Open our hearts and minds, and deepen our understanding of your Word and how it applies to our lives moment by moment. Our minds can barely grasp the graces that you have showered on us. Sharpen our senses, Lord, to the murmurings of your Holy Spirit within. It is with gratitude Lord that we offer all of these prayers in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen