Reading With the People of God #13 Nicene Creed预览

Focus of the month: The Nicene Creed.

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Samaritans

As it was foretold by the prophets, Israel was taken into captivity by Assyria, a terrible tyrant of a nation. Most of Israel was emptied of its inhabitants; some had body parts cut off, and some had parts pierced so leashes could be attached. The Assyrians scattered the Israelites and relocated other people groups into Israel, particularly around Samaria, the capital, so it could no longer be considered the country of the Israelites. The ten tribes of Israel were scattered forever.

Beginning at verse 26, we read of the Assyrian king trying to figure out how to appease the God of Israel so that his pagan people could inhabit a land that apparently had a God he did not understand. Worship of Jehovah was soon incorporated with the idol worship brought into the land by the oppressors.

The small remnant of the Israelite people left in Samaria soon began intermarrying with those who had relocated to the area. Their descendants were the Samaritans mentioned in the New Testament, who stopped worshiping other gods but still followed corrupt worship practices, not worshiping God in the way He insisted on being worshiped through the Law.

In John 4, we read of Jesus’ interaction with a Samaritan, a people rejected by the Jews because they were of Hebrew descent but mixed with pagan ancestry, considered unclean, and not allowed to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. It was to this woman at Jacob’s well, who said she was awaiting the Messiah, that Jesus first revealed Himself as the Messiah, the One she (and all of Israel) was waiting for. (John 4:25-26)

This woman offered water for physical thirst but only Jesus can provide living water that satisfies our spiritual thirst for One greater that we, a water welling up to eternal life. And like this Samaritan woman, those who receive this living water cannot help but tell others that they have found the Messiah. It is only Jesus who enables us to worship in spirit and in truth.

The Cornerstone

On Sunday, Jesus had entered Jerusalem in what is called the triumphal entry, where the common people hailed him as the Son of David, a recognition that He was the Messiah. On Monday morning, through word and deed, He is revealing the authority He has as God and the judgment ahead. Actually, Matthew is linking two incidents together to bring this point across, then illustrating with parables.

The curse of the fig tree is a symbolic demonstration of the judgment of Israel. Jeremiah 8:13 has the prophet condemning Israel for their unfaithfulness to God, saying they are like a fig tree that bears no fruit. Then Matthew has Jesus in the Temple, where Mark 11:12-18 says He cleansed the Temple of commercial enterprise that interfered with worship. The linking of these two incidents shows that God will soon judge Israel, leaving not one stone upon another, for their unfaithfulness and rejection of Him.

The parable of the two sons is an indirect answer to the Temple leader's question about whose authority Jesus is using in taking over the Temple. Jesus said that John the Baptist, accepted by the people as a prophet of God, preached and brought obvious sinners to God in repentance. The religious elite who professed devotion to God refused to repent. John the Baptist gave testimony that Jesus was the One sent from God, the Messiah. In verse 42, Jesus also speaks to His authority as having come from God in quoting Psalm 118:22-23. This Psalm also makes reference to His rejection by those He came to save.

The parable of the tenants is a summary of what will happen to Israel because of their rejection of God and His son Jesus. The former tenants will be thrown out and new tenants will be brought in, a picture of a transferal of the kingdom to a new people who will include the Gentiles. As Matthew shows, Jesus concludes in verse 43, the kingdom of God will be given to a new people who will produce fruit.

* Primer contributed by Jinet Troost