Bible Study 16th November. Week Before Advent.
Daniel7:9-10,13-14;Psalm93;Revelation1:4-8;John18:33-37;
Festival of Christ the King
Worship
Majesty
Blessing and honour (The ancient of days)
Lord, I come before your throne of Grace.
Before the throne of God above.
Bible Study. *
According to Cyril of Alexandria, "Christ has dominion over all creatures, ...by essence and by nature." His kingship is founded upon him being both human and divine in nature. (hypostatic union- the union of Christ's humanity and divinity in one hypostasis, or individual existence). He is both inside time and experience and outside of its confines, unlimited by the constraints of geography and dimension.
Today’s readings look at Jesus from this cosmic, unrestricted heavenly point of view. In doing so they catch his otherworldly, cosmic, powerful and outside of time nature. The language used is therefore, of necessity, apocryphal. How else could those bound by time and the physical world, describe one who is not; who is instead all powerful, eternal, all seeing, spiritual in risen form, now completely unfettered by such restrictions? It is as though the authors of these descriptive accounts had donned a pair of “Spiritual Cosmic Spectacles” which then enabled them to see beyond normal sight to see things as they really are.
The first of these accounts is written by the prophet Daniel who saw, in a dream, a vision of the end time. It is set in a throne room in heaven, into which, “one like a human being” enters and (v13) is given power and dominion over a heavenly kingdom in which wisdom is shared, truth is established and justice is pronounced. Within Christian tradition, this human “Son of Man” figure is understood to be Jesus, whose kingship will, unlike for earthly rulers, “not pass away”.
To the oppressed people of Daniel's day, this coming kingdom of strength and permanency would also have been a source of real hope!
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; New International Version
9 “As I looked, “thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
10 A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
and the books were opened.
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Footnotes:
a.Daniel 7:13 The Aramaic phrase bar enash means human being. The phrase son of man is retained here because of its use in the New Testament as a title of Jesus, probably based largely on this verse.
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The psalms too are often filled with images of the majesty of God, reigning in glory. Psalm 93 is no exception. It echos the eternal nature of God, enthroned on high, robed in majesty.
Psalm 93
1 The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
2 Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.
3 The seas have lifted up, Lord,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the Lord on high is mighty.
5 Your statutes, Lord, stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days.
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Perhaps the most famous and well known passages concerning the glory and eternal majesty and future work of the risen Jesus lie in the book of the Revelation of St John. He was a leader of the church in Asia and for his faithful witness to Jesus he was placed in exile on the island of Patmos. There he wrote letters to seven churches who were struggling to be loyal to Jesus under oppressive Roman rule.
From these letters we discover the truth that to belong to the truth is to know that we are loved and freed from our sins by the blood that Jesus shed. Through this we are made into a heavenly kingdom within which we are given a divine commission to be priests serving God! And more, we are serving one whose kingdom will not pass away. Jesus “who was and who is and who is yet to come”,v4. One who is also the “ Alpha and Omega”, the beginning and the end.v8
While lies will fade, and corruption perish, in God’s kingdom, truth will last eternally.
Revelation 1:4-8. New International Version.
Greetings and Doxology
4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”[b]
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”[c]
So shall it be! Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Footnotes
a.Revelation 1:4 That is, the sevenfold Spirit
b.Revelation 1:7 Daniel 7:13
c.Revelation 1:7 Zech. 12:10
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The gospel reading this week contains one of the most famous conversations about the nature of truth, and also one which reveals more about the true character and mission of Jesus.
The particular truth that emerges is about the identity of Jesus, his kingdom and the nature of truth itself.
Notice the intriguing reflection in v37 on the birth of Jesus as being “beyond this world”.
“I came into this world” speaks of heavenly origins rather than the natural processes of childbirth. The truth that Jesus embodies is the truth of the eternal kingdom of God, which whilst expressed in the physical world, is not bound by it and originates elsewhere! This truth that Jesus testifies to transcends the confines of time and culture. The passage ends with Jesus saying that those who belong to the truth, listen to his voice.
To belong to Jesus then is to listen to him, to follow his direction and to discover and live by the kingdom of truth he embodies.
John 18:33-37. New International Version
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
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Questions:
1) In our everyday lives, how easy do we find it to tell the truth from a lie?
2).What do we understand Jesus to mean when he said, “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice”?
Prayer:
Christ our King, as we go from this place, assure us of your presence with us- fir we belong to you. Help us to look for truth in all places, to seek and listen to your voice,and to use your power to serve. Bring heaven to earth and reign in our lives. We pray in your name, Jesus Christ. Amen
* refs to Roots magazine .