“Just a Little Understatement”
Genesis 3: 15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” This is the first recorded prophecy of the Messiah in the Bible, spoken by God Himself, and it is also an artful deployment of understatement. He says the serpent (satan) will bruise Christ on the heel. Scripture shows that the Passion went way, way further than a mere bruise. The prophecy also proclaims that our Redeemer will bruise (the Hebrew text literally says ‘crush’) satan’s head. In detail, God meant: Conquering satan’s kingdom, taking all his authority, stripping him of the keys to death, hell, and the grave, and casting him into the bottomless pit forever. That’s a really bad bruise!
Tuesday, September 15: “Silence, Please”
Psalm 62: 1: “My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation.” Waiting is one of the hardest things to do. What’s even harder? Waiting in silence. If you’ve ever been in the waiting room of a maternity ward, you know this to be true. But sometimes God has you waiting so He can tell you something, and if, in your anxiety, you keep speculating and analyzing to the point of hyperventilation, you’re gonna miss it. Chill! Be still, and know that He is God. From Him is your salvation.
Wednesday, September 16: “It’s Time!”
John 12: 20-21b, 23: “There were certain Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast, saying, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ And Jesus answered them, saying, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.’” The Greeks had been archenemies of the Jewish nation for centuries, giving them nothing but disrespect, persecution, and cultural upheaval. However, here in the last week of His life, Jesus shows the depth of the Father’s love by tying the worship of this hated people in with His glorification. God was exalting Christ by redeeming the whole world, even the Greeks, through Him.
Thursday, September 17: “Worth Repeating”
John 12: 32: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” This was the second time Jesus had made this statement, the first being to Nicodemus in the early days of His ministry (John 3: 14) Now, just before His Passion, He says it again, adding the fact that this lifting up will redeem all men. Christ being lifted up on the cross (a detail included here by John) is both His exaltation and man’s salvation. That’s why it is central to the Christian faith.
Friday, September 18: “A Different View”
Esther 1: 12, 16b: “But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command. Then the king became very angry and his wrath burned within him … Memucan said, ‘Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also all the princes, and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.’” Times have changed! Before, the actions of King Ahasuerus were taken as normal and justified, while those of Vashti were vilified. Now, many consider this as the most sexist story in the Bible. But the real purpose of this chapter is not to foster gender warfare, but to set the stage for the story of Esther that follows. Right or wrong, without these events Esther would not have become queen, and the Jewish nation would have perished under Haman’s wicked scheme.
Saturday, September 19: “Provoked in Spirit”
Acts 17: 16: “While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was beholding the city full of idols.” We today are in a situation much like St. Paul, living in a society full of idols: money, greed, and most of all, self. The question is, does our spirit get provoked by these things, or do we get so used to them that we don’t give them a second thought? There is a higher way, a better life, available for those bound by these things; but we, like Paul, have to care enough to tell them about it.
