Chapter 8-I was immediately struck by the language of the universe and of light in this chapter.
"Jesus the Son is 'the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation of God's nature' (Heb. 1:3). The word "radiance" means "shining forth." It is the property of light to shine forth; light radiates light. It is the property of God to shine forth; God radiates God. The radiation is Jesus the Light."
I think it is amazing that Jesus, who we referred to as the Light a few chapters ago is once again referred to as the Light in this chapter when discussing his relationship to the Father. God is the king of the Universe, sitting somehow out there beyond our imagination and beyond what we can even begin to understand. Yet, how can I begin to understand the nature of God (although I tend to think I understand it so perfectly because in my potholes I think I know exactly how God thinks about me and how He views me and I cannot fathom any other possibility!) when I cannot even begin to understand the nature of our own reality, the nature of our world, and even the nature of the Universe? Human reason can only extend to what is seen and even at that it falters. Humans can only understand a micro-bit of everything God has created, including His divine, beautiful, unfathomable nature and character. Yet, in His glory and beauty and magnificence, He shines His light in and through Jesus Christ who is made awesomely visible to us every night as we look up. We see God's radiance shining through Jesus in the beauty of the constellations. And still yet God uses the sky to remind us of His covenant (as explained to Noah) using rainbows. The clouds remind us of the purity of the Spirit. The sun reminds us of the light of Christ that we are called to reflect. It is so beautiful how God makes use of everything, including the sky, to remind of His radiance, beauty, and unimaginable nature. It is so marvelous ("Into Marvelous Light I'm Running") that it causes all of us, even those who are "blinded by the Light," to continue to search, seek, and look further into the Universe where we are told God's throne sits! i speak to the Mediator, radiated by stars, to pass the message along to God somewhere off in eternity for Him to hear my deepest, simplest, worst, best, most beautiful, most disgusting feelings, thoughts, and emotions.
Another thought that blows my mind-"You are son. Today I have become your Father." But, "there was not a time when the Father was not the Father." So, God has always been a Father and Jesus has always been the Son-there was never a time when God was not a Father. Since the beginning of time, of which there is no beginning, God has been a Father. That must mean that when God formed, Jesus formed. But they never formed because they have always been, living in eternity. Blowing my mind. I don't even know what to make of it all.
Chapter 9-"Jesus conquers death not by avoiding it or commanding it to disappear but by experiencing it." Jesus experiences death. Jesus suffers. Jesus feels every human emotion that are aware of and experience everyday. He is the perfect Mediator because He knows what it is to be perfect (on one side of the canyon) and what it is to feel temptation, suffer, hurt, and die (on the other side of the canyon). Who better to mediate for us?! When people ask me what I will be doing this summer, I try to "explain" Sonshine to them. But as we all know, I think, you cannot explain Sonshine, explain houseboats, or really even explain Jesus-YOU HAVE TO EXPERIENCE IT. What an amazing role model. Jesus EXPERIENCES every emotion we experience. He knows. He has been there. He is not blind to our pain, or our joy! He has experienced it all.
In class today, two students began to briefly argue over the best Mexican food restaurant in the area (completely unrelated to the topic at hand... but nonetheless relevant to this topic!). One student said that the best one was down the street and the other one said the best one was in the adjacent city. They then immediately jumped into the questioning, "Well, have you been there?!" "No..." The student had NOT been there and so the other student refused to believe that his experience at this restaurant was legitimate because he has NEVER EXPERIENCED it. Yet, Jesus experiences it. I can't sit here and pray saying, "Yeah Jesus, but HAVE YOU DEALT WITH THIS?" But, what do I do anyway? I assume he doesn't understand what I am going through. But, he knows BETTER than I do! He knows. He has experienced it! Jesus has experienced my experiences. He was fully human. That is why Jesus can make all of these claims (that he is the light, the stronger man, "He", etc.)... because he was fully God and fully human! I need to learn to fully relish in Jesus' full humanness and full Godness, understanding that He knows exactly what I am going through, not just because He is omnipresent but because he has also experienced everything and more than I have, am, or will experience.
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