Rabbi’s Reflections – Thursday, December 15, 2022
Shalom,
Reminder: Only 4 shopping days left until Chanukah. First light is Sunday night, December 18th.
The Upper Room Discourse (part 95 of ???)
John 17:25 “Righteous Father, the world did not know You, but I knew You; and these knew that You sent Me. 26 I made your Name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
Rabbi Trail: Here we are! The last two verses of what began in John 13. Yeshua’s Upper Room Discourse, a total of 155 verses. He begins by teaching His disciples and closes with a prayer to The Father. Beginning tomorrow, I’m going to write a 5 part summary that will give us an even 100 parts to these notes and devotionals on the Upper Room Discourse. The last 2 parts will be written in Israel. We are traveling there on December 19th. As usual when I travel, there may be times when it is difficult to stay on schedule with the RR devotionals. I know you will be understanding. End RT.
Whenever there is an investigation, the basic question is, “What did he know and when did he know it?” Yeshua rightly tells His Righteous Father, “The world did not know You.” That’s a problem for God, Who wants to be known and loved. You can’t love someone you don’t know. Yeshua came to fix that problem.
So He quickly confesses, “But I knew You.” Yeshua is the link between the lost people of the world (who don’t know God) and the Father, Who wants people to love Him. As we have said before, the key to our present and future love of God is the Gospel. It (the Gospel) is the answer to the question Yeshua asked His disciples. Matthew 16:15 He said, “But who do you say I am?”
Each one of us has to answer this correctly, so that we can walk with God. Simon Peter answered correctly… Matthew 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” In fact, he was so right, Yeshua want on to say the future of the kingdom of God depends on getting this right. Matthew 16:18 “And I also tell you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My community; and the gates of Sheol will not overpower it.”
Yeshua then brings this to a fine point. It is about His love in us, and Yeshua, Himself, in us that will change the world. John 17:26b “… so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” Throughout the Bible narrative there is an emphasis on love. 1 John 4:7 Loved ones, let us love one another, for love is from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Let’s close today with the very next verse… 1 John 4:9 The love of God was revealed among us by this—that God sent His one and only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. As the saying goes, “Man, that’s livin’.”
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Thu 15-Dec-2022 21st of Kislev, 5783
Ge 39:1-6 1 Sa 23-24 Ps 69 Mk 15 (1 Co 13)
Week 51
Memory Verse: 1 Peter 2:11 Loved ones, I urge you as strangers and sojourners to keep away from the fleshly cravings that war against the soul.
251 12/12 Monday: 1 Peter 3-4
252 12/13 Tuesday: 1 Peter 5, 1 John 1
253 12/14 Wednesday: 1 John 2-3
254 12/15 Thursday: 1 John 4-5
255 12/16 Friday: Revelation 1