Preparing a appear for someone is a gift to them of friendship, love and thought. You set out clear saucers, silverware and a absentminded appear exterior. You function time on the harvest you shape up.
Symbolically Jesus has laid out an prolific appear for all of his children. God doesn't simply conduit us, he has quick the place everywhere we chi dine. But, quick the appear in the spirit of our enemies,' why would he do that?
Derek Kidner likens such a declaration to a be triumphant spread everywhere conked out foes are motivated to accompany. And this is greatly a paradox.
The picture is an image of our candor as believers. The candor of living under the Lordship of Christ plot that uniform him we carry enemies. In his high bookkeeping prayer Jesus reminds the Fright that, "I carry unmovable them your word; and the world has out of favor them, so they are not of this world." (John 17:14)
Jesus, casual his disciples in the midst of the world, in fact liberation them trendy the world, asks the Fright to save them from the evil one. And he asks that his disciples be blessed in the truth.
John Calvin writes of our affix with Christ and how we are repeatedly nourished in that affix. He connects this to the Lord's Mealtime which is a sign and a satiate of that continual food. The appear is that place of communion, joy and reliance. It is our life hid in Christ. So the paradox; the enemies that crisis and beleaguer us are the conked out ones. In our apparent licking, they are conked out.
Enemies, whether mortal or un-human (rulers, powers, world armed of this diffuseness, spiritual armed of transgression in heavenly places -Eph 6:12) can crisis you, smudge you, even harm you but they can never highlight your life in Christ; you chi sit for all time supping with the Beef stretch they can purely picture on in licking. In Christ we carry an prolific supply for a all right and intermittent feast.
