...of Zion, it shall be said, "This one and that one were born in her";
for the Most High himself will establish her.
The LORD records as he registers the peoples, "This one was born there."
Singers and dancers alike say, "All my springs are in you." Verses 5-7
The commentary for verse 7 says, "Physical thirst stands for spiritual thirst (Ps. 42:1,2), that can only be satisfied in Jerusalem, God's chosen place."
Matthew 22:1-10 The Wedding Feast
This is the parable of the wedding feast that the king was giving for his son. He sent out servants to call those who had been invited, but most of them either ignored them or gave excuses as to why they couldn't come. Some even killed his servants. The king, in anger, sent his troops to burn the city and destroy the murderers. Then he sent his servants out to bring people in from the streets.
We Gentiles are the foreigners who have been invited to the feast. We gladly accept the invitation and "join those Israelites who are true to Yahweh at the Lamb's marriage feast."
John 1:12-18
This is part of John's opening "monologue" introducing Jesus to us. It has a great deal of depth to it and gives us testimony that the author of this gospel has seen and touched the One about whom he writes. This gives the writing a great deal of validity.
Jesus is referred to time and time again as "The Word" in John 1. And finally, in verse 14, we are told that this "Word" has become flesh. He has "moved into our neighborhood."
Why is this such a big deal in the scope of human history? Many don't realize why. But human history may have been over long ago, had it not been for this "Word" becoming flesh. The influence of Jesus in our history has ramifications that no one will ever completely comprehend. Never mind the fact that the entire Old Testament was leading up to that one event in history! The introduction of Jesus, God's Son into human history was the climax.
The second coming will be big, but there would be no second coming without the first one. Well, that's kind of overstating the obvious, but hopefully, you get my drift.
When Jesus came, mankind got a second chance. That's what the big deal is.
The author asks this question: What might your life be like if God moved into the house or apartment or locker or dorm room next to yours? How might the environment of your neighborhood be different if he were your next-door neighbor? How might your own life be different?
These questions are kind of tricky. Because if you answer with all the ways that you would act differently if God physically lived next door to you, the next question is, "Why don't you do these things already, seeing as how he lives in your heart??" Yeah. It's kind of a trap, you see.
We should already be acting as though God were living next door to us, shouldn't we? He already sees everything we do. He sees how we treat those neighbors, those co-workers. He sees how we treat other drivers on the road. He even hears the things that we say to those other drivers, knowing full well that they can't hear us!
More importantly, he sees and hears those things that we do and say, thinking that no one can see and hear us.
That is a sobering thought. What would our lives be like if we lived every moment in the realization that God see and hears everything? Sometimes, I think I just don't care. Because I know these facts, yet I go ahead and do things that I have no business doing anyway.
I'm going to commit to doing better with this. Jesus is with me 24/7. He has "moved into my neighborhood." He lives closer than next door. He is a house guest. He has access to ever nook and cranny in my life. There are no rooms that I can keep locked away from him.
We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift.
We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving,
This endless knowing and understanding--all this came through Jesus, the Messiah.
No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse.
This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day.
Grace and peace, friends.