John 8:2 - “And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.”
In this verse we again find a multitude gathering around Jesus. The verse says all the people came to Jesus in the temple, so I imagine that the entire surrounding area was drawn to the temple on this morning. Notice, Christ had already gone into this temple previously and by His return everyone had been made aware of Christ.
The people in this passage showed their earnest and unselfish desire to hear from Jesus by how they came to Christ. First we see that Christ arrived early in the morning, yet the multitude quickly formed. Someone was watching and spread the Word.
Also, keep in mind that they were waiting and were prepared to enter the temple when Christ did. The house of God was feared and revered much more in biblical times that it is today, those in attendance this day would not risk angering a Holy God by entering into the temple and defiling what was sacrosanct.
Lastly, those coming to Jesus were humble enough to realize they weren’t the ones that needed to speak. Jesus taught, which means those in attendance came to hear and learn.
The thought for today’s devotion is found in the four words, “and he sat down,”. In this one act Christ said to all those that came unto Him that He was not making a momentary stop, but rather that He was preparing to stay for a while. When Christ sits down, it is for a purpose. No one can cause Him to stand, to change seats, or leave His position. So when Christ sets up shop, we ought to do as these people did and gather round His feet.
One Reason Christ sits down, as we see in this passage is to teach. He said the Spirit came to lead us into all truth and the word is discerned in spirit. Whenever you sit and read the Word, or begin to meditate on the things of God seeking answers, it is as if Jesus is sat on the other end of a table teaching you. The Spirit is literally teaching you the very words of God. It is intimate, personal and the thought alone should humble us beyond belief because the very God of Heaven sat down to teach us personally.
We also find in the Bible that Christ sits on the Throne. He ascended and is sat down at the right hand of the Father. However, he is not sat on the throne of each person’s heart. When Christ sits down on YOUR throne, you’ll quickly learn what an abundant life is.
Finally, for reason of length, Christ also sits at the Father’s Table. One day we will all sit with Him at that table during the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, but right now Jesus sits at this table and calls for spiritual fellowship with the saints. At the marriage supper, we will be joined forevermore, but in the mean time Christ makes a point to spend time with us and chooses to sup with each of us personally.
Jesus sat down to teach in this passage, but if we do not approach Christ in the proper spirit, we can grieve Him into standing up in our life. We can close the door to the opportunity to sit at the very feet of God. Consider the Pharisees later in this chapter. They came trying to justify themselves and prove their superior righteousness compared to the woman caught in adultery. First Jesus stooped and wrote in the sand, then He Spoke truth than rebuked them, and finally Jesus Stood up to Solve the problem caused by prideful and vindictive “religious” people. Don’t cause Christ to stand up, instead sit and soak up as much as you can whenever He passes by your way.
Your fellowservant in Christ,
Bro. Jordan Foster
コメント