¿qué es el hombre?
“Cuando veo Tus cielos, obra de Tus dedos, la luna y las estrellas que Tú formaste, digo: ¿qué es el hombre, para que tengas de él memoria, y el hijo del hombre, para que lo visites?” Salmo 8.3,4
Volví a comenzar un curso de The Bible Project sobre el cielo y la tierra este fin de semana. Este curso lo había tomado ya hace algunos tres años atrás, y decidí tomarlo de nuevo. Mientras el instructor daba la introducción del curso sobre cómo nuestro entendimiento del universo ha sido forjado, algunos de los asistentes al curso mencionaban como el ver el cielo y pensar en todo lo que está allá afuera en el espacio exterior nos hacen sentir pequeños. Ver fotos de las galaxias, ver alguna película, o ir a un museo de astronomía, todo eso nos ayuda a comprender la pequeñez de la humanidad.
El instructor decía que es una experiencia humana universal el sentirse pequeño en medio un espacio vasto, no solo en nuestro tiempo, sino a lo largo de la historia. Y la Biblia nos muestra en distintas partes, cómo la humanidad enfrentó situaciones en las que nos vimos tan pequeños en medio de situaciones o lugares que iban más allá de nuestro control y entendimiento.
Si bien, las civilizaciones antiguas no compartían la misma comprensión que nuestra civilización tiene del universo, esas civilizaciones sí podían experimentar esa sensación de pequeñez en distintas formas: al ver el inmenso mar, al ver alguna montaña, el estar en medio de una tormenta, al atravesar un desierto extenso, o simplemente observando al cielo y viendo la multitud de estrellas que se expanden por toda la bóveda celeste.
Esa sensación de pequeñez es una experiencia humana universal a lo largo de nuestra historia. Y no solo nos sentimos pequeños con la naturaleza, sino que también podemos sentirnos pequeños con las circunstancias y situaciones que nos rodean. Alguna enfermedad, algún problema, la muerte de algún ser querido, todo eso y más pueden revelarnos cuán pequeño somos.
Pero la Biblia nos revela que la historia no termina ahí, de hecho, nuestra historia comienza ahí, cuando reconocemos que, en nuestras fuerzas y entendimiento, nada podemos hacer, y que necesitamos de alguien más grande que nosotros: ¡Dios mismo!
Sea la situación que atravesemos, o mientras nos deleitamos en la creación, fijemos nuestros ojos en Dios, y pidámosle que Él se mueve en medio de toda circunstancia que atravesamos. Él anhela rescatarnos y bendecirnos, para que así también nosotros podamos bendecir a otros.
Dios nos lleve de gloria en gloria.
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Colossians: A "Manifesto" for Cultivating a Mindset for Ultimate Living
Paul writes to Christians living in the pressure-filled environment of Colossae, a major urban, Roman province.
He envisions Colossian Christians for faithful Kingdom life in a society where ‘being Christian’ is marginalized - not culturally ascendent, triumphant, or institutionally plausible - and where religious leaders have become corrupted, untrustworthy, and pushing a variety of false and questionable teachings and practices.
The Christians in Colossae are living in a world marked by “might-makes-right” mindsets. Jesus’ crucifixion put to death that ideology, but we keep trying to resurrect it! What does renewed thinking/living look like?
The world does not need to be ‘Christianized’ in order for the Kingdom of God to be realized as active and influential in a society. Paul’s grid for cultural ‘success’ or ‘influence’ involves the people of God learning to authentically live out the reality of who they are as Resurrection People, compelled and convinced in all dimensions and domains of their existence that they belong to King Jesus. What’s on Paul’s mind? Among other things, how to think about your mindset and practices as a Christian for your context. What does it look like to practice the way of Jesus - to represent the reality of His Kingdom authority and mission - as our social reality, worked out in our body, our personal presence in the world?
Paul is helping the Colossian Christians to see their life at the intersection of "Heaven and Earth," a prominent theme throughout scripture.
Paul envisions the Colossian Christians to reckon with the fact that they have entered a story that is not from around here. He shows that they are part of a new humanity in Christ.
Paul's vision of a 'new humanity' is rooted in the Bible's theme on what it means to image or represent God.
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The MESSIAH: Hope of the Nations | BibleProject
In this video on the MESSIAH, we explore the
mysterious promise on page three of the Bible,
that a promised deliverer would one day come
to confront evil & rescue humanity.
We trace this theme thru the family of Abraham
the messianic lineage of David, and ultimately to
JESUS who defeated evil by letting it defeat HIM.
Jon: There's this crazy story at the beginning of
the Bible we have Adam & Eve & they in there in
the Garden of Eden.
Tim: & everything in the garden is great exactly
is it should be except there's this one tree that
they're told by GOD not to eat from because
it's dangerous & it will kill them.
Jon: So just avoid this fruit tree & we are fine?
Tim: Right, it seems pretty simple.
But in this garden there's a snake & it starts telling
a different story. It says that if you eat of this tree
it is not going to kill you in fact it's going to make
you become like GOD.
Jon: & Adam & Eve, they believe the snake..
Tim: & because of this the goodness of the garden
is tragically lost and the evil and death enters into
GOD's good world.
Jon: Now, why is there a talking snake in the garden?
I mean this thing is a problem.
Tim: Yeah, it is very strange, & even more strange
is the fact that the Bible doesn't say why or how
this thing even got there.
It simply presents the snake as this creature who's
in rebellion against GOD and wants to get other
people to doubt GOD's goodness & lead them on
a path toward death.
And so whatever this snake is, it's the source of
evil pervades our world & our lives still today
Jon: But there is some hope because right here
in the story GOD makes this interesting promise
to Adam & Eve.
Tim: That someone is going to come in the future,
a son of Eve, & this GUY is gonna come & is gonna
crush serpent's head & destroy evil at its source.
& during this battle the serpent
is going to bite this GUY's heel.
Jon: So it's like I'm mutual destruction
Tim: Yes. It is a strange & beautiful promise & just
hanging there until the next key moment…
…when GOD singled out this guy named Abraham
& says that through his family goodness & blessing
is going to be restored back to all of the nations in
the world & as we follow this family to one of Abra-
ham's great-grandsons, this guy named Judah.
And he receives this promise that a King is going to
come from his line & that the whole world is going
to follow this King, & HE's going to bring peace &
harmony & there will be lots of food & wine & milk
in vineyard & it's going to be awesome.
Jon: The first King that we meet from the line of
Judah is a guy named King David and he's a hero
maybe he is the Snake Crusher
Tim: But it turns out that David is infected
with the same evil as the rest of humanity.
He never crushes the snake just the opposite.
However GOD makes a promise to David that
this KING is eventually coming from his line.
But as you go on in the story one by one each
generation of his sons they're just total chump
they give in to the snake, choose evil and go
after money/sex/power & following idols.
Jon: Things get so bad that they run the nation
of Israel right into the ground and the big bad
Empire of Babylon just takes them out.
Tim: So now there are no more Kings
to even fulfill this promise.
Jon: So seems like the whole plan is lost.
Tim: But during these dark days there's these
crazy group of guys called Prophets and they
kept talking about this coming KING — and
reminding us of the promise HE will come
HE will defeat evil & restore the garden.
...........................................................................................
Now one specific profet Isaiah—he tells us more
about why this KING is bitten Isaiah says "The
promised KING receives this wound because
of humanity's evil, & that it kills HIM.
...........................................................................................
But then all of a sudden HE comes back & Isaiah
says that is because HE suffered this wound that
HE can now become a source of healing to other
people.
Jon: But the OT ends & the snake crushing KING
that everyone's been talking about never shows..
Tim: And that is why when the NT begins it
introduces us to JESUS of Nazareth not as
some random guy but as SOMEONE WHO
comes to fulfill specific ancient promises.
Jon: Yeah, we learn that HE's from
the line of David, Judah, & Abraham.
Tim: And HE goes around Israel announcing that
the goodness of GOD's Kingdom is here now and
HE begins confronting the affects of evil on people
by healing them by forgiving their sins & evil.
Jon: Many people are now believing that this is in
fact the promised KING
...........................................................................................
Tim: But JESUS began telling HIS closest
followers HE was going to become KING
& bring peace by taking the full effect of
humanity's evil into HIMSELF.
...........................................................................................
Jon: That fatal snake bite wound.
Tim: So it seems like the serpent wins &
this story actually would be a tragedy
except for what happens next.
JESUS rises from the dead.
Jon: Now JESUS has the power
over evil and death for HIMSELF.
...........................................................................................
Tim: So the rest at the NT is then making this
claim that JESUS' power over evil & death has
now become available to us to begin confront
the effects evil in our own lives.
...........................................................................................
Jon: But even still, death and evil are a
real problem in our world all around us.
Tim: So the story of the Bible ends by describing
this future day when JESUS comes back and HE
finishes the job.
HE destroys the snake once & for all, and HE
restore goodness at the garden here on Earth
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