Apr
10
Written by:
Bob Flynn
4/10/2009 11:29 AM
If we remain in our beds of apathetic comfort then we hold our manhood cheap (Shakespeare, Henry V) and in doing so change the most beautiful, the purest, the most divine things into excrements because we fail to recognize that we are the filthy stable that Jesus entered so that we might be reborn!
Jesus was born in a stable, a real stable, not the bright, airy portico which Christian painters have created for the Son of David, as if ashamed that their God should have lain down in poverty and dirt. And not the modern Christmas-eve "Holy Stable" either, made of plaster of Paris, with little candy-like statuettes, the Holy Stable, clean an prettily painted, with a neat, tidy manger, an ecstatic Ass, a contrite Ox, and Angels fluttering their wreaths on the roof-this is not the stable where Jesus was born.
A real stable is the house, the prison of the animals who work for man. The poor, old stable of Christ's old, poor country is only four rough walls, a dirty pavement, a roof of beams and slate. It is dark, reeking. The only clean thin in it is the manger where the owner piles the hay and fodder.
Fresh in the clear morning, waving in the wind, sunny, lush, sweet-scented, the spring meadow was mown. The green grass, the long, slim blades were cut down by the scythe; and with the grass the beautiful flowers in full bloom-white, red, yellow, blue. They withered and dried and took on the one dull color of hay. Oxen dragged back to the barn the dead plunder of May and June. And now the grass has become dry hay and those flowers, still smelling sweet, are there in the Manger to feed the slaves of man. The animals take it slowly with their great black lips, and later the flowering fields, changed into moist dung, return to light on the litter which serves as bedding
This is the real stable where Jesus was born. The filthiest place in the world was the first room of the only Pure Man ever born of woman. The Son of Man, who was to be devoured by wild beasts calling themselves men, had as His first cradle the manger where the animals chewed the cud of the miraculous flowers of Spring.
It was not by chance that Christ was born in a stable. What is the world but an immense stable where men produce filth and wallow in it? Do they not daily change the most beautiful, the purest, the most divine things into excrements? Then, stretching themselves at full length on the piles of manure, they say they are "enjoying life." Upon this earthly pig-sty, where no decorations or perfumes can hide the odor of filth, Jesus appeared one night, born of a stainless Virgin armed only with innocence. (Life of Christ, Giovanni Papini)
His flesh was so weak that all the strength of his soul could not keep it from betraying the will which made it function. The Lord, said Isaiah, would lay down upon him all the iniquities of mankind, and now, the weight of countless sins pressed upon his shoulders as he knelt again to tell his Father that he would accept the cup.
The salty sweat, gleaming on his face and forehead, began to change color. It reddened and deepened in hue until, in his agony, he knew that it was blood. It clung to his face and moved slowly down to his chin. Some of it dropped off in clots onto the rock and some of it congealed in his beard.
Medically, this is called haematidrosis. It occurs when fear is piled upon fear, when an agony of suffering is laid upon an older suffering until the highly sensitized person can no longer sustain the pain. At that moment, the patient ordinarily loses consciousness. When that does not happen, the subcutaneous capillaries sometimes dilate so broadly that, when they come into contact with the sweat glands the little capillaries burst. The blood is exuded with the perspiration and, usually, this occurs over the entire body. Luke, who was a physician, later wrote: "And his sweat became as clots of blood, trickling down upon the ground." (The Day Christ Died, Jim Bishop)
And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (Hebrews 1:3 NASB)
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Hebrews 1:3 KJV)
The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command. When He had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3 NLT)
The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3 NET)
ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ, φέρων τε τὰ πάντα τῷ ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ καθαρισμὸν ποιησάμενος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης ἐν ὑψηλοῖς (Greek New Testament)
He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact likeness of his being, and he holds everything together by his powerful word. After he had provided a cleansing from sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Highest Majesty (ISV)
This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says—powerful words! After he finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took his honored place high in the heavens right alongside God, (Message)
He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (NRSV)
He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (RSV)
Apaugasma, Radiance (effulgence) OR Reflection (refulgence)
The reason for this divergence is that apaugasma has two closely interrelated meanings. It comes from the verb augazein, which means both 'to flash out,' that is 'to radiate,' and 'to flash back,' that is 'to reflect.' Hence the noun apaugasma can mean either a light emitted from some luminary, that is a 'radiance' or 'efflugence,' or a light reflected from some luminary that is a 'refulgence' or 'reflection.' (Jesus as They Saw Him, William Barclay)
As you can see the translations are divided as to the proper rendering of this powerful word in to our native tongue. It occurs only once in the New Testament in the Book of Hebrews. Therefore, in order to find other occurrences from which to glean further understanding one must venture into extra-biblical literature of the period. In English when you come upon a fork in the road, you take it-an excursion that is not required in the Greek because of the greater strength of the words and grammar. For us as believers, it is important for us to consider this radiance and reflectance because its source lives within us! As we are illuminated in our innermost being by the radiance of the glory of God the new creature created in Christ Jesus also becomes reflective and a likeness in that wondrous place where our visage is not marred by sin. Will our reflection give legs to the Gospel in response to this Glory? Christ's Glory is displayed in his goodness, and His goodness is displayed in his suffering and Grace (love that stoops) was born in a manger, lived in this world, then sweat blood for our transgressions. If we remain in our beds of apathetic comfort then we hold our manhood cheap (Shakespeare, Henry V) and in doing so change the most beautiful, the purest, the most divine things into excrements because we fail to recognize that we are the filthy stable that Jesus entered so that we might be reborn!
Copyright ©2009 Robert Flynn