May 21

NT – John 11:54-12:19
I have been continuing to think on the three from Bethany. Today in Sunday School, we had that same scripture. A couple of things struck me as we worked through that lesson together.
1. I had no idea where that “I am the Resurrection and the Life” came from. Ignorant, I clearly am. So very much of our ‘buzz words and phrases’ are taken out of context. I really had no idea that Jesus was talking to someone whose dear brother was dead. I do not think I have ever been to a church funeral where that phrase wasn’t used.
2. I had not really thought about the contrast between Martha – who believed Jesus so much, and his, well, I won’t call them faithless, Thomas after all, was willing to go and die with him, but they REALLY had no idea of who or what Jesus really was.
And then, the scripture for the sermon was the ascension of Jesus in Luke. Okay, I read that scripture less than a month ago. The location (and I know, I know, a good Christian would KNOW where the ascension took place….) totally passed me by. Do you know where the ascension happened? Yep, Bethany. Who lives in Bethany? Martha, Mary and Lazarus.
According today’s scripture, who was supposed to anoint Jesus’ body after death? Mary. Instead, she poured the nard on him at dinner.

Nice Jewish girls don’t bathe men they aren’t related to.
Nice Jewish girls don’t anoint dead bodies of men they aren’t related to.

Clearly, this family is so much more important to Jesus than what I had ever given them credit for being.

Psalm 118
This finishes the Hallel and what a finish it is! This is a personal poem of awesome triumph. The psalmist was assailed on all sides but with God’s help, he prevailed and live to fight again.
The same is true of us. We have setbacks, sometimes really, really hard ones. And our choice is always to fold up and wither away or to press on with God’s help.
In Psalm 23, it talks of walking through the Valley of the shadow of death. Not my favorite psalm (heresy, I know) but I totally get the imagery of the shadow. Darkness.
It is really hard to walk in the Light when you are oppressed or depressed. Actually, I am not sure that they are not the same -- one is outer, the other inner.
In today’s psalm, his oppressors ‘swarm around me like bees’. My bee book says that a small swarm can have 10,000 bees. That is a lot of assailants.
So, what do we do when we are assailed? Fold up? Press on? Okay, I will buy the press on but how, oh how do you do that?
Our psalm gives glimpses of that as well.
Trust in the Lord – I read that to mean, stay in the Word, stay in church, stay in fellowship with other believers and share your burdens with them and with Him.
“IN my anguish, I cried out to the Lord”. Stay in prayer. This one is hard for me. I remember after Nathan died that I was totally unable to pray. I had no words to say. But others in my church prayed FOR me and WITH me and eventually I was able to pray again. This in itself was a powerful witness to me of why you go to church. No one escapes this life without tragedy. You need those relationships already established when the tough times come. When you have passed through that Valley of the Shadow, it is YOUR turn to give back.
And finally, the psalmist gives the glory to God when he comes through to the other side. God was his strength and his salvation and the psalmist is shouting it. We should too.

OT – 1st Samuel 29:1-31:13
If we were reading Lord of the Rings, it would end with “Thus ends Saul, King of the Israelites”. Instead, he falls on his own sword.
I have just finished listening to War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk and he makes a great deal about Hitler killing himself before the war was over. Even then, Wouk thought this was an irreproachable way for a Head of State to behave. He has his fictionous general Armen Von Roon compare Hitler with Napoleon and Napoleon came out on the great side of the comparison. Von Roon makes the claim that Nuremburg wouldn’t have happened if Hitler had given himself up to be blamed.
So what are we to make of Saul’s suicide? Saul makes the statement that he doesn’t want to be ‘abused’ and then killed. He makes no mention of being distraught at his sons’ deaths.
Saul was clearly a very tortoured man but a great leader.
It makes me wonder why Paul’s parents named him Saul. Why would anyone name their son Saul?

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog and I hope that you are also reading the scriptures. Grace and peace to you.