Because I probably won't blog on Easter

I went to the Redeemer "Resurrection: So You May Believe" class taught by Marty Young. It was really, really educational and spiritual. I've decided (I also took his "Becoming Wise" class) that I do like Marty a lot as a teacher. He may go on tangents often and is at the whim of the questions people throw at him (which annoys someone like me who likes planned things and people following through with the plan as planned), but even in that, he really does his job in satisfying questions, though the answers lead you to a more unsettling and complex place than you originally thought.

Someone asked the question that if Mary Magdalene saw all these angels rolling stones over, telling her that "He is risen!" and still didn't believe, how is that even possible? One would think if people just saw angels and God clearly just spoke to them about what they're supposed to do, then, THEN they'll know what to do. But Marty made an even deeper point than just the idea of supernatural things. In all this commotion when Jesus was not found in the tomb, and in all the accounts of the Resurrection, no one sees Jesus unless a) they believe or b) He reveals Himself, and further that Jesus prefers to reveal Himself through Scripture.

In one account, Jesus walks down the road with some dejected disciples, only they don't recognize Him. Jesus chastizes them with Scripture "He said to them, 'How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" (Luke 24:25-27). Finally, Jesus breaks bread with them and then disappears, and the disciples see Him as Jesus. Dude, these guys were JEWISH, they knew what the prophets said and were waiting for the Messaiah, and they STILL had a hard time believing.

I just thought the implications of all that was HUGE! You don't see Jesus unless you already believe or He reveals Himself to you, THAT'S IT! And it's still true in the world today. So many people still think Jesus was just a great teacher, and not the actual Christ who not only died but is risen and at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. Scripture is meaningless to those who cannot see. And we are so dependent on Scripture as the basis of our faith, our life, our religion. Marty pointed out, even the demons have seen angels, but are not saved, because they do not put their faith in Jesus.

If you really think about it, what an awesome opportunity for us that have come after. We have this book the Bible, that's all compiled already with all the Gospels. Even in that, what a gracious blessing!

The Bible

Has anyone ever heard of this guy, David Plotz, blogging about the Bible? I JUST found out about it today. He's a nominal Jew who decides to read every word of the Bible and blog about it. Apparently his book came out last month. Excuse my ignorance if you already know all about it.

I read through a little bit of his comments on Genesis. And of course, he has typical secular reactions toward the text (i.e. women being called "helper", Why don't Adam and Eve literally die after eating of the tree, the 2 creation stories). But it's also fun to read about his surprise and discovery of the things that are true, like when after the flood and Noah is on his ark and everyone else is dead, he realizes that the evil punished is not man against man but man against God. A lack of dependence and fear and reverence of God. It's just so interesting to read someone's fresh perspective on the Bible without the commentaries and sermons.

Together with what I've read from Nouwen recently (though yes, ironic or not, that is yet another book/commentary on the spiritual life), I realize that it can be very easy to just go from one book/wise person/sermon to the next without even really reading the Bible by yourself. I bought a compact ESV Bible recently, and somehow this translation really makes things rather clear. I cannot even count or recall how many dozens of books, study Bibles, and sermons I or my parents have spent money on in all of my life as a Christian. It's refreshing to just read the Bible early in the morning. I've been utilizing this site afterwards, to see some basic commentaries, but on the whole, it's been interesting going without a guide for a season.

Related to that, I'm amazed at how much Scripture is imbedded in my heart. True, in the midst of struggle and sorrow, that's what intentional verse memorization is for, but I am amazed how someone like me who has previously lived an adulterous life - memorizing verses like really, really well while never even actually reading the Bible (and let's be real, I could ignore Bible-readin' again in some other season) - can start to see the effects of reading and letting the Word of God take root. This has been a very recent discovery. I'll be sitting in Fellowship Group or someone is telling me something weird, or I'll be crying about one thing or another, and then Scripture, though perhaps sometimes with a vague reference like "Jesus said at some point", will come out at me. I'm not gonna lie, it's a satisfying experience, and I hope I remain grateful for it. It's so much better than quoting Tim Keller or Henri Nouwen. Because the Word of God is THE Word of God. The Word is His primary means of grace in the world as Paige Brown says (I know, I'm a walking contradiction ^_^, but there's lots of Scripture about the Word too: Joshua 1:8, 2 Timothy 3:16). I like how that's worded, "primary means of grace". The most powerful resource for life on earth.