Tuesday 26 January 2010

What's The Opposite of Spot the Difference?

Someone recently asked me if the angel mentioned in Exodus 23:20 is Jesus.

I said yes. (If that concept is new to you click here.)

As I pondered her question I found myself musing on some not insignificant similarities between this bit of Exodus and John 14:1-11. I don't believe these are a coincidence:

Exodus 23
(The Father is speaking from inside the cloud after descending to Sinai)

"Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

"When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.

John 14
(Jesus echoing the words of his Father from Sinai)

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

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And news just in from CARE on the recent religious freedom vote. Good news I feel.

2 comments:

Karen said...

I was struck by exactly the same passage as I was reading that chapter and for me it seemed to be the first time it spoke of Jesus and his place in the future as opposed to being there at the present.

Awesome stuff :-)

Richard Walker said...

:-) indeed