SCRIP-BITS

1 Corinthians 1:22.     For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek wisdom. 
 
And then it was Wednesday! Oh Friends, we’re already halfway through the week. The days sure are moving quickly. And before I can catch myself, the enemy decides to throw a spanner in the works. My computer freezes while I’m trying to get going. Chuh! Didn’t anybody tell Lucifer it was too early to get on my case? Obviously not! But thankfully though, through strength and patience granted by Christ, after some fiddling and rebooting, it finally decided to do what it was meant to do. Now doesn’t that remind us of our own behaviour, re following Jesus? It sure does! We’re often just as stubborn and obstinate, refusing to do what we know we’re supposed to do in our Christian walk. That’s why I’m not as enamoured of computers as so many people are. They do have some useful purposes, but in general they’re too finicky, and choose not to respond, or respond negatively, at the most inopportune times. But unfortunately our world has placed its already feeble and watered-down lifeblood in the computer’s treacherous and nebulous hands. We’re even computing in the clouds now. (smile) Ah Friends, we’re placing way too much trust and control of our lives in the hands of machines and virtual reality networks often controlled by unscrupulous men, for my liking. It’s creating too many problems that we’re not in a position to solve. One simple glitch in some distant part of the world can cause untold loss to millions of people. But who am I to dispute the wishes of the people eh, or rather the powers that be, who are enticing us with fanciful stuff that we are lapping up like dogs lapping water? I’m just like a lone voice crying in the wilderness with no one to hear, or nobody’s listening to, because they’re too busy doing exactly what I’m crying out against. But that’s life in this modern world. I just have to grin and suck it up. And I’m doing just that. (smile) That’s enough of my crying for today though. Now here’s our Bit. ‘For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek wisdom.’ I decided to use the same Bit as yesterday to dig a little deeper into Bruh Paul’s contention about the Jews requiring signs. There are stories of signs throughout the entire Bible, but for our purposes, we’ll concentrate on some controversy in Jesus’ time, re signs. Possibly the most famous of Jesus’ disputes on signs occurred after He’d preached on good and corrupt fruit. ‘Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days in the whale’s (great fish’s) belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgement with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south (Sheba) (1 Kin.10:1-13) shall rise up in the judgement with this generation, and shall condemn it; for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.’ (Matt.12:38-42) Ah mih breddren, don’t you just like how Jesus could lambaste and put down the hypocritical Jewish leaders? But they were either so dumb, steeped in their man made traditions, or too egotistical and taken up with their own authority and power struggle to appreciate Jesus’ words. Here He’s making them sound even worse than the people of Nineveh, who repented after Jonah spoke to them. And He was greater than Jonah. The same goes for the Queen of Sheba, who journeyed far to come and listen to the pearls of Cousin Sol’s wisdom. And Jesus was also greater than Sol, but yet they refused to listen to Him. How sad it is when we’re too busy to pay serious attention to matters that concern us, or simply think we know better than those sharing the information. And that’s exactly what’s still happening today my brethren, two thousand years after Jesus preached those words. We’re still too busy, too caught up in the web of deceit and evil of the lustful world to sit down and try to fathom Jesus’ words. And then there are also the naysayers, who simply cast Jesus aside and put their faith in science and man. Ah mih people, when will we ever learn that Jesus is the answer to all our problems eh? I certainly hope we do so before it’s too late. And we’ll end with some pertinent info from the scholars. ‘The word adulterous means unfaithful to God. It was a metaphor frequently used in the Old Testament for spiritual “adultery.” The prophet Jonah: Jesus uses Jonah’s burial in the fish for three days and three nights as an illustration of the three days and three nights that Christ would spend in the grave Himself. The reference to whale’s belly in verse 40 of the Authorized Version is unfortunate. The Greek word “ketos” means “a great sea creature,” not necessarily a whale. The Old Testament references are to a “great fish” (Jon.1:17). Notice that the Lord placed this entire account on the same level of historical reality as that with which He Himself was dealing.’ Oh Friends, unfortunately not much has changed in man’s thinking and doing since Jesus’ time, at least in regards to the eternal rest of our souls. We’re still being enticed by the flim flam things of man and the evil prince of darkness. But please don’t give, up, for remember where there’s life, there’s always hope. So let’s just keep on doing what our Lord and Saviour asks of us: to LOVE our God, LIVE our Faith, and SPREAD His Holy Word. That’s precious little to ask, when compared to His sacrifice. So let’s get to it nuh. Viva la LOVE Revolution! Much, much LOVE my people!…it is better to trust in the Lord…than to put confidence in man… (Ps.118:6)