Lately I am compelled to blog each insight, no matter how small. I don't know what this is about, but I am going to do it as much as possible. Perhaps logging my journal here is fire insurance in case something wipes out my journals-which are much more detailed of course.
I originally began studying the Ephesians prayer where Paul asks for the Christians to have power to grasp the glorious mysteries contained in Jesus Christ. This too has become my daily prayer. Particularly the Spirit of Might, because I need a power greater than myself to live this life. Might in the Greek means "valiant, warrior, chief..." In God's grace and wisdom, He has endued believers with the Spirit of Might in our inner man. Reading these words sends a reverberation through my spirit-man like a deep, bass drum. When I feel this deep shaking at a particular truth, it feels as if the Lord is beckoning me to come and explore a truth more deeply.
My study of the word "might" somehow brought me to Luke where the words "power and authority" again grabbed my attention. The word for power is dunamis which just means miracle working power strength, might, etc. Authority, exousia, is a word that speaks to the idea of influence and jurisdiction over others. All authorities carry different levels of power. The US government has more power than Barney Fife. And Barney Fife has more power than the people living in Mayberry. So not all authority has equal power, and nowhere is this more obvious than Jesus's interaction with the religious leaders who wanted to trap him.
Luke 20 is particularly fun because the teachers of the law were getting desperate. Having been silenced by his wisdom one too many times, they now try to trap him by sending innocent acting "spies". Boy did they underestimate him. Unbelief always underestimates Jesus. They did not get that Jesus walked in a power that would take them down with his pinky finger. His authority was absolute. Failing to see this, they send spies to innocently ask a question designed to get Jesus into hot water with the Roman authorities. The end game was to "hand him over to the power and authority of the governor." In contrast to the dunamis, miracle working power of Jesus, the word for power here simply means "chief, magistrate."
This scenario is somewhat like Barney Fife going up against the authority and power of the President of the United States. Standing in that miraculous power that flows from God's throne, Jesus turns his laser-vision onto their hearts and immediately he sees through their duplicity. That's the first hit. Then, he counters their question with a question that totally confounds and silences them all. That was the take-down move.
Jesus walked in the power of the authority of God. There is no higher authority, and no higher power. Yet again, his own people fail to discern his nature, power and authority, and yet the Roman centurion totally nails it! He was the man who told Jesus to cool his heals and instead of going all the way to his house to heal his daughter, just "speak the word and my daughter will be healed." (or servant?) Anyways, he told Jesus that he too was a man under authority and understood that others would obey his commands. This man, an outsider gentile, a foreigner to the scripture prophesying the coming Messiah, knows who Jesus is! Jesus marveled at the man's faith because it enabled him to see clearly who Jesus was, and what He was willing and able to do for him.
So now I ask Father, what does this mean for us, your body, indwelt by your Holy Spirit, sent out to be witnesses for you? Do we, your children, discern the body of Christ given for our salvation? Do we water down who you are, lower our expectation of what you are able and willing to do? I pray with Paul that we might have power to grasp the depth of your love. I pray that we might know exceedingly great power unto those who believe, the same power that raised Jesus up from the dead. Your Spirit indwells us to teach us these things. Take us higher, draw us deeper into your beautiful heart!
I originally began studying the Ephesians prayer where Paul asks for the Christians to have power to grasp the glorious mysteries contained in Jesus Christ. This too has become my daily prayer. Particularly the Spirit of Might, because I need a power greater than myself to live this life. Might in the Greek means "valiant, warrior, chief..." In God's grace and wisdom, He has endued believers with the Spirit of Might in our inner man. Reading these words sends a reverberation through my spirit-man like a deep, bass drum. When I feel this deep shaking at a particular truth, it feels as if the Lord is beckoning me to come and explore a truth more deeply.
My study of the word "might" somehow brought me to Luke where the words "power and authority" again grabbed my attention. The word for power is dunamis which just means miracle working power strength, might, etc. Authority, exousia, is a word that speaks to the idea of influence and jurisdiction over others. All authorities carry different levels of power. The US government has more power than Barney Fife. And Barney Fife has more power than the people living in Mayberry. So not all authority has equal power, and nowhere is this more obvious than Jesus's interaction with the religious leaders who wanted to trap him.
Luke 20 is particularly fun because the teachers of the law were getting desperate. Having been silenced by his wisdom one too many times, they now try to trap him by sending innocent acting "spies". Boy did they underestimate him. Unbelief always underestimates Jesus. They did not get that Jesus walked in a power that would take them down with his pinky finger. His authority was absolute. Failing to see this, they send spies to innocently ask a question designed to get Jesus into hot water with the Roman authorities. The end game was to "hand him over to the power and authority of the governor." In contrast to the dunamis, miracle working power of Jesus, the word for power here simply means "chief, magistrate."
This scenario is somewhat like Barney Fife going up against the authority and power of the President of the United States. Standing in that miraculous power that flows from God's throne, Jesus turns his laser-vision onto their hearts and immediately he sees through their duplicity. That's the first hit. Then, he counters their question with a question that totally confounds and silences them all. That was the take-down move.
Jesus walked in the power of the authority of God. There is no higher authority, and no higher power. Yet again, his own people fail to discern his nature, power and authority, and yet the Roman centurion totally nails it! He was the man who told Jesus to cool his heals and instead of going all the way to his house to heal his daughter, just "speak the word and my daughter will be healed." (or servant?) Anyways, he told Jesus that he too was a man under authority and understood that others would obey his commands. This man, an outsider gentile, a foreigner to the scripture prophesying the coming Messiah, knows who Jesus is! Jesus marveled at the man's faith because it enabled him to see clearly who Jesus was, and what He was willing and able to do for him.
So now I ask Father, what does this mean for us, your body, indwelt by your Holy Spirit, sent out to be witnesses for you? Do we, your children, discern the body of Christ given for our salvation? Do we water down who you are, lower our expectation of what you are able and willing to do? I pray with Paul that we might have power to grasp the depth of your love. I pray that we might know exceedingly great power unto those who believe, the same power that raised Jesus up from the dead. Your Spirit indwells us to teach us these things. Take us higher, draw us deeper into your beautiful heart!
Comments