Wednesday, December 04, 2019

Advent 2019: Dec 4, Day 4

I'm getting a late start this morning, sorry.

Luke 4

Summary

Luke 4 begins with Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. The story is the same as in Matthew's gospel but there is a different order. I don't know which is correct or if it really matters. After this incident with Satan, Jesus begins his ministry of spreading the Good News.
He returns to his hometown, enters the synagogue, and tells them that the prophesy of Isaiah was fulfilled that day in their presence.
But they know him. Some even say, "Wait a minute. Isn't this Joseph's kid?"
No honor for a prophet in his hometown, right?

Jesus moves on and casts out demons, heals many sick people, and spreads the news that God loves them and wants a relationship that can't be found in The Law.

My take away

There are two things that really jump out at me.
The first is that the demons always recognize him as the Son of God and obey him. I wonder why we don't.

The other has to do with the encounter between Jesus and Satan (Lucifer).
Their are three Archangels named in the Bible.
Michael is the angel that seems to appear and speak on behalf of God the Father.
Gabriel does the same for God the Holy Spirit.
But Old Testament scholars recognize The Angel of the Lord as Jesus himself, not as an archangel that serves him. Is Lucifer (now called Satan) the archangel that was created to serve Jesus but has now become his antagonist, believing himself to be equal with or better than Jesus?
We all know Satan as a powerful fallen angel, but this adds a personal conflict to the battle between Satan and Jesus.

Hmmm... ?

John <><

3 comments:

  1. But isn't Jesus the Son of God?

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  2. Angel,
    I don't know why the Old Testament refers to the manifestations of Jesus as "The Angel of the Lord." Perhaps it's because the writers always perceived God as representing himself to us through angels.

    For me, it's just notable that two parts of the Trinity are represented by an archangel while the third part (Jesus) is antagonized by one.

    ReplyDelete