Uncategorized – Page 2 – What Does This Mean?

Jairus and His Daughter

[Sixty-Fifth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

Jairus loved his daughter very much. As the leader of the local synagogue, he was respected. When he bowed down before Jesus, he sacrificed much of his dignity. What made his daughter’s illness especially painful was that she was twelve years old. At the time, a child became an adult in the eyes of the community in their twelfth year. Plans for her marriage were likely underway. She would have been seen as a survivor, since many children died before their twelfth year.

The woman who interrupted Jesus’ trip to see Jairus’ daughter had also been ill for the same twelve years. Her illness was also very disruptive, since it meant that she could not go to the temple nor worship in the synagogue. Nothing the doctors could do for her helped. Jesus was her last hope. And his healing made all the difference in the world for her.

When Jesus was delayed as he went to Jairus’ house, his daughter died. Jesus told Jairus to trust Him and not be afraid. No one knew what Jesus would do, just that He cared about the sick. When Jesus raised her from the dead, everyone was amazed.

Jesus’ healing miracles show us several things. They demonstrate that He is God Himself and that God has compassion for the sick and suffering. In fact, Jesus shared our sufferings and took them to the cross. There he died for the sins of the world and bore the sufferings that came because of it. His resurrection is the promise of the ultimate healing of all our sickness, sorrow, grief, and death. At his second coming, he will bring an end to it once and for all when he dries every tear from our eyes.

Jesus also wants us to have compassion for the sick. He tells us to love them, pray for them, and care for them. He continues to show mercy to people who suffer through our care. In these ways, we show people that God loves them, too.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Jesus Calms a Storm

[Sixty-Four in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

For people in ancient times, the sea symbolized chaos and evil. They had a good reason to think this way. Not only was the sea a place that could become violent at a moment’s notice, but they had no way of knowing about coming storms as we do today.

The disciples were sea veterans, not bothered much by the wind and waves, even when it was rough. That evening, the sea was in much trouble. They could not use their sails, which would be blown to pieces. So they labored to row against it. They soon became afraid they would sink.

Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat, sleeping on the sails and the sack with rocks to keep the boat balanced on the sea. When they woke Jesus, he yelled at the wind and waves the way we would yell at a barking dog.

The disciples shouldn’t have been afraid, since Jesus was with them. Yet they suddenly found themselves facing a more important question than whether the boat would sink: “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

They realized that Jesus is not merely a teacher or prophet. The One sitting in their boat was the Lord of creation itself. They became more afraid of Him than of the sea, but this was a different kind of fear. It was the awe that comes from standing in God’s presence.

O Christ, whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walkedst on the foaming deep,
And calm amid its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.

(Eternal Father, Strong to Save, original stanza two)

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Jesus and the Woman at the Well

[Sixty-Third in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

The long-standing hostility between Jews and Samaritans had roots going back hundreds of years before the time of Jesus. When the Assyrian Empire conquered the northern Kingdom of Israel, and later the Babylonians conquered Judah, not everyone was carried away. Some people remained in the land, married Gentiles who moved into Israel and Judah, and over time the people of Samaria developed their own traditions and ways of worshiping God. The Jews who returned from exile in Babylon often viewed the Samaritans as people who had compromised their faith. The Samaritans, in turn, resented the Jews and the temple in Jerusalem. By the time of Jesus, many Jews preferred to avoid traveling through Samaria. Jesus and His disciples did not.

The woman at the well had good reason to be surprised by Jesus. Jews and Samaritans generally avoided one another, and Jewish men did not normally start conversations with women they did not know. Yet Jesus asked her for a drink and treated her with respect. He crossed barriers that most people of His day would not have crossed.

Jesus began a spiritual discussion by speaking of “living water.” At first, the woman misunderstood Him. She may have thought it would be great not to have to draw water from a well! Jesus then revealed things about her life that He could not have known. She had been married five times and was now living with a man who was not her husband. Realizing that Jesus was a prophet, she turned the conversation toward the question that mattered most: how to be right with God.

Jesus told her that the time was coming when people would not be defined by a particular mountain or temple, but would worship the Father “in spirit and truth.” Then He made an astonishing revelation. When she spoke about the coming Messiah, Jesus told her, “I who speak to you am He.”

The woman returned to town and told others about Jesus. They came to hear Him for themselves, and many believed. Jesus stayed among them for two days. An entire Samaritan community heard His message and came to faith. Long before the Gospel spread throughout the world, Jesus was already reaching beyond the usual boundaries and bringing the good news to people others often ignored.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

Jesus’ call of Philip is the first recorded time in Scripture that Jesus says, “Follow me.” By these words, Jesus invites Philip to become His disciple. During that first encounter, Philip became convinced that Jesus was much more than a talented Rabbi. He believed Jesus was the Messiah God had promised through Moses and the prophets in the Old Testament.

So Philip went immediately to find Nathanael sitting under his fig tree. Nathanael was not especially gullible. He was not inclined to accept Philip’s word that Jesus was the Messiah. In fact, when Philip told him that Jesus came from Nazareth, Nathanael was skeptical. Nazareth was a small and unimportant village, and Nathanael could not imagine the Messiah coming from there.

When Jesus sees Nathanael coming, He takes the initiative. He says, “Here comes a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” Nathanael is startled, because Jesus had never met him, but knew that he was not someone to play games. When Nathanael asks, “How do you know me?” Jesus tells Nathanael something He could not have known naturally: “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

Nathanael is convinced. Jesus has demonstrated a supernatural knowledge of him. Nathanael responds, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” Jesus’ reply is very much like saying, “You’ve seen nothing yet!” He tells Nathanael that he will see angels coming and going between Jesus and Heaven. These words recall Jacob’s dream at Bethel.

Jacob was running for his life from his brother Esau. In the dream, he saw a staircase stretching from Earth to Heaven, with angels coming and going. At the top was God, who gave Jacob the same promise He gave to Abraham. He would be the father of many children, who would inherit the land. Through him and his sons,
the whole world would be blessed. Most importantly, God would never leave or forsake him.

In Jacob’s dream, the angels traveled on a stairway between heaven and earth. Jesus applies that image to Himself. He is telling Nathanael that He is the meeting place between God and humanity, the true bridge between heaven and earth. Through Him, God would never leave or forsake him. It is the same for us. Through Jesus, we are connected to Heaven. God knows everything about us and will never leave or forsake us, because He loves us.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Matthew the Tax Collector

A major Roman road called the Via Maris, the Way of the Sea, ran through Capernaum, connecting Egypt along the Mediterranean Sea to Damascus and on to the Euphrates River. Here Matthew, also called Levi, operated a toll booth for the Roman Empire. The Pharisees looked down on tax collectors both because they served the Empire that ruled over them and because they often set their own fees and got rich through the transaction.

One day Jesus passed by the booth and told Matthew to follow him. So Matthew became his disciple. To celebrate, Matthew threw a dinner party for his friends, most of whom were looked down on by the Pharisees, who called them Tax Collectors and Sinners — people who did not take obeying God’s law and their traditions very seriously.

At the party was also Jesus, the disciples he called up to that point. The Pharisees grumbled a question to his disciples, asking why Jesus ate with sinners. You have to wonder why Pharisees were at the banquet, then.

Jesus replied that the healthy do not need a doctor; sick people do. He then quoted Hosea 6:6, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” He came to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous. Taking a cue from this line, many pastors have described the church as a Hospital, not a Country Club.

Matthew, a tax collector likely supervising a staff of tax collectors, knew how to read and write. He likely viewed himself as Jesus’ amanuensis, the term for a literary assistant, responsible for everything from taking dictation, Roman wax tablet in hand, to copying documents in careful, legible handwriting to editing documents, sometimes going as far as ghostwriting. His gospel, then, carefully records what Jesus said, what eyewitnesses saw and heard, and Matthew’s own observations of what he did. Church tradition and some conservative Scholars believe it was the first gospel written, copied, and distributed, already in circulation in the 40s A.D.

Matthew would remain with Jesus through his suffering, death, resurrection, and Ascension. He provided the first New Testament scripture for the church and, according to church tradition, sealed his witness by remaining faithful until death rather than forsaking him.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Fishers of Men

One day Jesus was walking along the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers, Simon Peter and Andrew, fishing with their nets. Jesus asked Peter to put his boat out on the lake so he could teach the crowds gathered there.

When Jesus finished teaching, he told Peter to take the boat into deep water and cast their nets. Even though they had worked hard without success, they obeyed. Their nets filled with so many fish that they could barely handle the catch. Through this miracle, Jesus showed His power and prepared them for their new calling.

Jesus told them not to be afraid that they would now catch me. Peter and Andrew left their nets and followed Him. As Jesus continued along the shore, He saw two more brothers, James and John, working in a boat with their father, Zebedee. Jesus called to them as well. They left their boat and went with Him.

Jesus’ call to the disciples was about more than leaving fishing nets and boats behind. He invited ordinary people to follow Him, learn from Him, and help bring others to know God’s love. Just as the first disciples followed Jesus and brought others with them, Jesus still calls His people to follow Him and share His good news today.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Wedding at Cana

[Fifty-Eighth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

Weddings are very joyful occasions. Everyone dresses their best. There is music, dancing, and feasting. The bride and groom are excited because their life together will soon begin. Weddings in our culture, however, differ greatly from those during Jesus’ earthly life.

Jewish weddings in first-century Galilee were seven days long, most of it eating, drinking, dancing, reciting wedding poetry — and eating. On the first day, the bride and her wedding party would walk from her house to her groom’s house. They would say their vows in his house or under a tent set up for the occasion. Then the party would begin.

Cana was a small town in Galilee, a few miles north of Nazareth. Mary, Jesus, and his disciples were invited to attend a wedding there. Mary was likely a relative or close friend of the groom’s parents. The family was likely well-off. They could afford a large wedding feast, with lots of guests and servants to cater for the event. They had six large stone jars to hold water for guests to remain ritually clean.

For one reason or another, the feast ran out of wine. Since the only drinks used in Galilee at the time were water and wine from the vineyards near Nazareth, this was a major problem. Hospitality was very important at weddings. The groom would have to be sure there was plenty to eat and drink. Running out of wine was a disaster in the making.

Jesus’ mother, Mary, asks him to take care of the problem. Jesus’ reply sounds cold in modern English, but it wasn’t cold or disrespectful then. It roughly means, “How is that our problem, Ma’am?” Yet Mary trusts Jesus will do what is necessary to solve the problem and tells the servants to do what he tells them to do.

By turning over 120 gallons of water into the finest wine, Jesus saved the couple a lot of embarrassment. More than that, He showed His mother and His disciples that He was God and cared for people in their everyday lives. The church believes that Jesus’ attendance at this wedding blessed all marriages by providing wine for the celebration. It is mentioned in every traditional wedding.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

John the Baptist

[Fifty-sixth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore post:

Four hundred years had passed since the last prophet had spoken. Now, a new prophet had come. He dressed like the Prophet Elijah, ate the same foods Elijah ate, and preached in the same places Elijah preached.

John the Baptist had all the credentials to be the Messiah. His father was a priest descended from Aaron. His mother was related to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and so descended from King David. An angel in God’s temple announced his birth while his father offered prayers on behalf of the people. Both of his parents were very old, like Abraham and Sarah, and barren, like Hannah, the mother of Samuel. Many people wondered if he was the Messiah. But he wasn’t. As the last prophet before him predicted, he came to prepare God’s people for the Messiah.

God named him “John (God’s gift)” in the same way He named Isaac and changed Jacob’s name to Israel. The angel announced he would come in the spirit and power of Elijah, one of the greatest prophets. Yet from the start, he and his parents understood John was not the Messiah, but the one who would reveal him to the world and prepare the way.

When he baptized Jesus, John finally knew it was his cousin, Jesus. He pointed to Jesus and said, “Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” The Messiah had come not as a conqueror, but as the final sacrifice for the sins of the world. Now His baptism gives us the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

How did Jesus Grow Up?

[Fifty-fifth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

The Gospels give us only brief glimpses of the first thirty years of Jesus’ life. We have, of course, the Christmas story. They mention the circumcision of Jesus on the 8th day (we celebrate it on New Year’s Day). After forty days, Mary, his mother, and Joseph, his adoptive father, take him to the temple to redeem him and to purify Mary. There, they meet Simeon and Anna. Then sometime in the first two years, scholars from the east came to their house in Bethlehem, worshiped him, and gave him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Warned by an angel, they moved to Egypt while Herod the Great vainly tried to kill him and instead slaughtered innocent boys. Within months, they moved back to Nazareth and settled there. Then, that’s it for twelve years. We hear about Jesus among the teachers in the temple, and then silence again for sixteen years!

False teachers, psychics, and prophets of other religions could not resist. They tell stories of a self-centered child animating clay pigeons, raising a child from the dead to testify that he did not shove the child off a roof, and similar things. Some say he moved to India to learn under gurus. Islam says he spoke while in the cradle. None of these things happened, but are simply stories made up to fill a vacuum they believe exists.

So, what were Jesus’ first thirty years really like? We don’t know precisely, other than that it was perfectly normal. He grew up as the son of a faithful Jewish craftsman. He learned his father’s trade and lived a kind of middle-class life. Likely, they worked to build the nearby capital of Herod Antipas, called Sepphoris. He would have studied the Torah, learned Hebrew, observed all the customs of the law, and studied under rabbis. He likely spoke Koine Greek and learned about Greek and Roman culture. He grew up so normally that no one who knew him could imagine him as God. Luke sums it up: “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52)

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

The Wise Men Worship Jesus

[Fifty-First in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

Encore Post:

The Wise Men were scholars in Babylon, in Iraq today. One thing they studied was astrology. They saw a star that told them that a king would be born in Israel. So they went to see Him. They did not arrive on Christmas Eve at all, but a few months to a year afterward. They found Mary and Jesus at home in a house.

There are lots of theories as to what the Star of Bethlehem actually was. Some scholars think it was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, which appeared to approach each other in the sky three times around the time Jesus was born. Others point to the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, which occurred about the same time. Also suggested have been comets, novas, and other signs in the sky. Any of these would inspire ancients who believed in astrology to go visit the newborn king. It may not have been any of these. Christian scholars have pointed out that God was quite capable of creating a star to use solely for the birth of His Son.

Assuming a newborn King of the Jews would be in King Herod’s palace, it made sense to visit him. What they didn’t know is that, in the last few months of his life, Herod was very paranoid. He was known to kill viciously anyone, including his wife and his sons, whom he thought were planning his overthrow. So, then, when the angel warned the wise men not to go back to Herod, it was a very good thing.

Even though tradition says there were three Wise Men (think: We Three Kings of Orient are), no one knows how many came. Matthew doesn’t number them. Perhaps it is because they presented Jesus with three royal gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

They were the first Gentiles to realize who Jesus was and to worship Him. The church celebrates the coming of the Wise Men on the twelfth and last night of the season of Christmas.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana