“After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.”
Jesus, his family and his followers now leave the wedding and head to Capernaum for a few days. What is the significance of a passage like this?
It can serve to give us details and bring the story of the Bible to life. It gives us historical context. It serves to bring about transition and to stimulate our mind to imagine or envision these events. It tells us who we are focusing on in this moment.
When we are reading the Bible, it can help us to remember, that the Bible was not written with chapter and verses. There is a flow we can sometimes miss. These moments can serve as a break to setup what the writer is now about to tell us.
So why Capernaum? What do we know about it?
Capernaum was a center of commerce, not very large, and was only recorded in the Gospel accounts. This was a place were Jesus lived for a period of time (Matt. 4:13) Since the Bible is about God himself, these passages serve to help us to understand the life of Jesus. By following the narrative, we can understand the significance of who he is. This understanding will help us to better know Him.
As we continue to read through John, we will see Capernaum mentioned in three other places. It was a place where he performed a miracle (John 4:46-54). People came there to seek him out (John 6:24-25). Jesus even taught in the synagogue their (John 6:59).
If we look into the references in the Gospel of John, we will see it is a place that John wants us to be reminded of. Refer to these other references. Search them out to help you get a better understanding of the significance of these places. This can also help us to understand the people in the narrative. Words can bring a story to life, and in John 20:31 he tells us the reason for his writing: “…but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
There is a purpose to everything that has been recorded. Sometimes we just need to understand why these particular words are given. So remember that when you are reading scripture, it is God’s story…
As he was leaving, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) turned around, lifted his voice, and cried out to the people one last time, “If you trust me, you are not only trusting me, but the one who sent me. When you see me, you see the one who sent me. I came into this dark world as a shining light, so the ones who trust me will no longer have to stumble in the darkness.
“I have not come to decide against the ones who have heard my words but fail to walk in them. Instead, I have come to rescue them from the worthless ways of this world and set them free. But a day is coming when the ones who have turned away from me and my words will be decided against. In the end, it will be the message I have spoken that will decide for or against them.
“The message I have spoken is not from myself. It is from the one who sent me. I have spoken only what my Father gave me to speak, nothing more. The instructions my Father gave me lead to the life of the world to come that never fades away, full of beauty and harmony.”
This is my first post in a while and I want to take a moment and say this is a place for me to think out loud. It is one of the place’s where I wrestle with scripture. I know that God will continue to refine my doctrine and understanding of His truth as His Spirit moves in me. All the while knowing that God himself is the goal of our understanding of Him.
I say this to give context to this post. I am on my second read through of the New Testament this year. The first time through I read the God’s Word translation. This time I have found myself in the First Nations Version, which may not be something everyone is familiar with. This post is somewhat in the middle of my read through. It can seem obscure if taken out of that context.
I am reading various translations and using different Bible reading plans I am presently using a chronological reading plan. It’s based on the 90 day New Testament reading plan by the Bible Recap. (By the way, it is a fantastic resource that is led by the creator and host, Tara-Leigh Cobble.)
What is the First Nations Version (FNV)? The FNV is an indigenous translation by Terry Wildman. It can be found in the Bible App or online at Bible.com It is written in the context of Native American Culture. I found that this lense can sometimes be challenging. The translators have chosen to use words that are different from the typical English words I am used to. For example the use of canoe rather than boat. I understand the American concept of a canoe as a type of boat. So, I need to remember that this is written for a specific audience or culture. The choice to use canoe does not come from my own distinctions of a canoe as a type of boat. Indigenous people do not see a canoe as a category of a boat. They understand it as the definition of a boat.
Nonetheless, there are a couple places I have found this extremely helpful. First, I understand Native American culture assumes spiritual realities. It does not try to explain these realities in an intellectual way. Second, the name’s meaning is used to recognize the person in the text. This applies either when speaking or when being spoken of. For instance Creator Sets Free (Jesus) is speaking in this passage. If I step back from myself, and use these ideas, I gain a new perspective. This can help me to see things I may have missed before.
Jesus is addressing, in part, the ones who came from Land of Wisdom Seekers (Greece). Being American has shaped my hermeneutic. I have found myself at times like the Separated Ones (Pharisees). Similarly, like the Wisdom Seekers (Greeks). At times, I seek knowledge about God. But, this can be contrasted with pursuing God himself, which is the aim of wisdom. This comes from a western worldview. It has been influenced by Greek culture. It is based on certain assumptions and ideas about wisdom and a certain separation of the material and spiritual.
Jesus is speaking about true wisdom, which is not an intellectual assent but rather a way of life. If my worldview assumes knowledge as the basis for growth, then I am missing much of what true knowledge is.
Verse 47 says, “I have come not to decide against the ones who have heard my words but fail to walk in them. Instead I have come to rescue them from their worthless ways of this world and set them free. Why do so many Christians seem to fit into this category? Myself being one of them? We have a dual citizenship that exists both in this world and in the heavenlies. Yet, at times, we live in ignorance or make assumptions about things.
One of my personal struggles is wrestling with tension about truth . Being somewhat logical I often come from the place of either A or B must be true. IN this way I can miss nuances of what is being expressed. As I read through the FNV it comes from the place of both A and B are true. This has helped me to read through a somewhat different perspective or hermeneutic.
Verse 46 says, “I have come into this world as a shining light, so the ones who trust me will no longer stumble in the darkness.” The word stumble has been often been translated as to remain. By reading the FNV I see this as an opportunity to round my understanding. Ménō (3606) is literally to remain, to abide, dwell or to live. In this context it refers to the state of something or the condition. But our condition is one that has balance to its steps and sure footing.
What does all of this mean? Jesus has been telling the people that he is addressing, to follow him is to walk in His steps. It means we have the light. This light prevents us from remaining in darkness. It prevents our steps from stumbling as we walk in His steps or alternatively way. It means we are a people of both the Word and the Spirit. We are a people who walk the road of this life parallel to the spiritual realty that we live in.
I am learning how to be both an A and B person. While truth is absolute and is sometimes either A or B. There is a piece of truth which is very important. My understanding can be flawed. It can also be shaped by where I am sitting. This means we can miss things either in part or in full.
This idea can be demonstrated by having two people face each other. Each person looks at a cell phone placed between them. One is staring at the back of the phone (A) which is simply the case and the camera lenses. The other is staring at an illuminated screen (B), that is cracked and the image is distorted. There is an absolute truth: they are both looking at a cell phone. Still, this truth is shaped by where they are sitting. If neither has seen a cell phone before, they lack a crucial piece of understanding. They can’t fully grasp what a cell phone really is. In the same way, if someone has only seen cell phones with intact screens, their experience is limited. They will form different assumptions. They might incorrectly envision how the screen appears. This can affect their perception rather than see the actual reality of what is.
God is showing me how big He is, and how limited or narrow my understanding of Him is. With that being said, there is an absolute truth. Jesus (who is also called Wisdomkeeper) told us that He is the “the Great Spirit’s pathway, the truth about who he really is, and the life of beauty and harmony he offers to all. There is no other guide who can take you to the Father.” He is the way, the truth, and the life. And that is what John 12:44-50 is telling us. Jesus is not only the reality but the pathway for this reality. It is by His word, and by His Spirit that He has chosen to reveal these things to us.
Let us be a people who are willing to wrestle with the text. We should not be afraid to read a different translation from time to time. Let us be a people who can admit our view can be skewed, while holding that truth is absolute. Jesus came to set us free and that is a part of what wisdom is. It is walking in light rather than darkness. It is having our steps on solid ground. It is in walking this life out pursuing the Creator. It is knowing truth both intellectually, and in practice. Let us receive His words as certainty. They are the words of God… they are the pathway to eternity. The Spirit illuminates the way before us. This will keep us from stumbling and allow us to remain in Him.
In times of trouble where do we turn? In times of uncertainty where can we find hope? In times of doubt, what are we truly believing in? We all have faith in someone or something. Let us, as a people, return to our creator. The God of the Bible.
16 Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me. 17 Hide not your face from your servant, for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. 18 Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies!
Jesus is the one who delivers us from our enemies
Matthew 20:28
28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Hebrews 9:1-15
1 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come,[e] then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify[f] for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our[g] conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.[h]
Some would say Christianity is narrowminded and intolerant, but I would argue that the fact that God provided a means of redemption at all… That shows he is gracious and merciful and full of love. The fact that God provided a means of redemption shows our need for redeeming. Jesus Christ is the answer.
Romans 10:1-17
10 Brothers,[a] my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.[b]
The Message of Salvation to All
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
So I ask again. In times of trouble where do you turn? In times of uncertainty, what are you hoping in? In times of doubt, where is your faith?
Psalm 39:7
“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.
Romans 10:9
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For the choir director: A song. A psalm, to be accompanied by stringed instruments.
1 May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us. Interlude
2 May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. 3 May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. 4 Let the whole world sing for joy, because you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world. Interlude
5 May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. 6 Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us. 7 Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him.
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
John 2:11 (ESV)
In verse 11 John offers the contrast to his statement in verse 10 with what it looks like to walk in darkness rather than walking in the light with the preposition but. He leads again with whoever and now tells us those us he is speaking of those who hate his brother. Hate is the Greek word miseó and is often used to express hate, to detest, love less, or esteem less. it is not just to detest but also to place a lesser value on someone or something else. In this case John is talk of our brothers. This is one who is also a fellow-Christian. God is their Father also, so what he is saying if you hate your brother you are in darkness. The Greek word here again is scotia which is not only a literal darkness but a spiritual darkness which leads to sin.
The next statement is joined with the use of and, which is a simultaneous effect. This is the statement, does not know. This is the Greek word eidó which helps explains as follows:
1492eídō (oida) – properly, to see with physical eyes (cf. Ro 1:11), as it naturally bridges to the metaphorical sense: perceiving (“mentally seeing“). This is akin to the expressions: “I see what You mean”; “I see what you are saying.”
1492 /eídō (“seeing that becomes knowing“) then is a gateway to grasp spiritual truth (reality) from a physical plane. 1492 (eídō) then is physical seeing (sight) which should be the constant bridge to mental and spiritual seeing (comprehension).
This in essence is failure to understand what God truly says. We are to love our brothers as God clearly tells us over and over. Jesus is our model to what this love looks like.
The next phrase is where he is going. The where John is speaking of is the Greek word hupagó and is translated as he is going. It is also used in the sense of to go away, depart, begone, or die. This is because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Blinded here is the Greek word tuphloó which is to blind or make blind physically or mentally. This is akin to having a cloudy perspective or clouded vision which causes spiritual blindness. And again John is here referring to the mind’s eye. It is essentially the fact of knowing.
Observation: John is again repeating the themes he has built upon. He has told us what it means to walk in the light and is here telling us what it means to walk in darkness. He tells us that this person has spiritual blindness and is walking in sin. This because he does not value his brother equally. It is a place of pride to think more of yourself and can cause you to see with clouded vision. God does not give us shades of grey, but rather is clear on these matters. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. We are to walk in love and not in hate, lest we lose our way and fail to follow our Lord and Savior. He loved in the ultimate way, laying down His life for you and I. If we know this, see this and understand this how can it not cause a heart changed and a love overflowing from gratitude.
Father, we humbly ask that You would remove an darkness form our eyes and gives us clarity. Clarity of who You are and what You have called us to do. In Christ we are a family of Your children. We often see each other through our own perceptions and our own understanding, but we need to see each other as You see us. We are all fallen sinful creations redeemed by the Your mercy and grace. You have began a good work in us and will finish what you have started. Holy Spirit fill us with mercy and grace and let us be overflowing vessels of that grace and mercy. That as God is shaping us we would be tools in His hands to help build and shape one another in truth and love. Father forgive us when we think more of ourselves than we ought to and less of our brothers. May we never forget the cost of our redemption. The blood shed by your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. May we live for Christ’s sake and to Your glory, amen.
Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
1 John 2:10 (ESV)
John here continues speaking now of those who love their brother. Here again just uses love as a verb and is referring to his brother as a member of the family of God. To not treat them as less but to treat them as equals. To not place your interest above theirs.
Now John continues of his use of abide. This is the idea of remaining, or persevering. We are to abide in the light. This is staying in a place of understanding. It is to act morally acceptable to God.
The last phrase in this sentence is, “in him there is no cause for stumbling”. In him is the Greek word esti, which can also be translated as are, belong, call, come or consist. It is something which the individual posses as well something which they belong to. And what is the subject of this statement?
The noun or subject here is cause for stumbling. This is the Greek word skandalon. This can be translated as a snare, stumbling-block, cause for error. Helps explains skandalon as follows:
4625skándalon – properly, the trigger of a trap (the mechanism closing a trap down on the unsuspecting victim); (figuratively) an offense, putting a negative cause-and-effect relationship into motion. 4625/skándalon (“the means of stumbling”) stresses the method (means) of entrapment, i.e. how someone is caught by their own devices (like their personal bias, carnal thinking). [“4625 (skándalon) is the native rock rising up through the earth, which trips up the traveler, hence, of Jesus the Messiah, to the Jews who refused him” (Souter); “properly, the bait-stick of a trap, a snare, stumbling-block” (Abbott-Smith); “the stick in the trap that springs and closes the trap when the animal touches it” (WP, 1, 46).]
This idea of cause for stumbling is the opposite of selfless love but rather a selfish motive at the expense of others. It is to place something in their way which is meant for harm.
Observation: John seems to be saying here, if you are one of Christ’s children, live in this understanding. The understanding of who God is and what he has done for you. In this understanding it should translate as loving your brother. Not meaning to cause harm, but rather to build them up, encourage, support them in their time of need. We are not to be a people of selfish motive but a people who out of God’s selfless act of love and mercy towards us, act out of selfless love and mercy towards our brother’s and sister’s in Christ. This is a statement of what the church should look like.
Father, forgive us for we are a selfish people. We need only to look inwards and realize this. You call us to look inward only after we have looked outward towards You. Seeing ourselves through the lens of your eyes. Using the mirror to not recognize ourselves but who we are in the image of God. That is to be what we reflect. Help us today to look to Your word and be conformed to your image. Seeing less of us and more of you. That it is not just our image that bears resemblance but our hearts and minds as well. For Christ’s sake, amen.
Whoever says he is in the light and )hates his brother is still in darkness.
1 John 2:9 (ESV)
John starts his next sentence with whoever says. This is an affirmation by the one speaking. John is laying down the basis for the next argument. He is reminding us of the state of understanding. He here returns to the metaphor of light and dark. They are not equal forces and one is superior to the other.
Light is the Greek word phós, and is translated as light, a source of light or radiance. It is more than simply an understanding of truth. It is what is sometimes called an ascension to truth. It is an illumination brought about by the Holy Spirit. It is God’s saving truth that has been placed within us.
Darkness once again is the Greek word scotia and is translated as darkness but it also figurative for spiritual darkness. It is a lack of faith in Christ. One who is in Christ is in the light and those who are not are in a state of darkness.
John gives us the test for this argument and that is to hate his brother. Hate in this context is a verb which Websters 1828 edition defines as follows:
1. To dislike greatly; to have a great aversion to. It expresses less than abhor, detest, and abominate, unless pronounced with a peculiar emphasis.
It is not to dislike, it is to love less. Love is John’s argument in his gospel. It is God’s plan of salvation, the love of Christ.
A brother is a member of our family and in this instance John is referring to God’s family. If we are in Christ we have the same Father.
The last part of this sentence is still, negates the affirmation of the individual. However this is in regards to the present. This does not mean they will not be in the light, but at the moment, they are not.
Observation: John likes to give clear cut argument. It is things like truth and lies or light and dark. He wants us to see, it is not enough to know something but that the knowing has in fact changed us. Only God changes the heart, and apart from Him, we cannot love as we ought to. We love ourselves first and our neighbor less. Christ calls us to the Lord our God first and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. He puts ultimate importance on loving God and equal importance on loving our neighbors. If we just look at those around us at this exact moment, how many of those can we say we love that much? What would we sacrifice for our own selfish motives and what would we sacrifice for them? This picture of brotherly love is for those who are in Christ and it is how we grow. We lay down our lives for the ones we love.
Father, love is so often misquoted and misrepresented as being a feeling. But your word says love is a verb. It is an action demonstrated on the cross for sinful man. Hate is so often used as a feeling and expressed as the opposite of love, but it also a verb and it means to love less. Forgive us Lord for we do not love as we ought to, and we are act with apathy to those around us. We do not care for them as we ought. We may tell them we will pray for them in their times of trouble, but often we simply offer no more words than that. We may see a need which may cause us to stretch, and instead we stay within our boundaries or we may even look the other way. Lord fill us with your love as we head into Easter weekend. Remind us of Your love for us. Teach us to love as Christ loved the church, that we may bear the fruit of love. For Christ’s sake, amen.
At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
1 John 2:8 (ESV)
John here is expounding upon the fact that this is nothing new, but at the same time it is. New is the Greek word kainos which can also be translated as fresh. It is also used in a way to speaks to that which was recently made is superior to what it succeeds.
John once again is stating this is true what I am telling you, and it is true in him, Christ. Once again if we look at the preposition in, it is to be inside or to be the state from which it operates. This commandment is a fresh look at the law of God because we can see the fulfillment of it in Christ and that is where it comes from.
The next statement is the argument or proof for what John has stated. The Greek word for because is hoti, which can also be translated as since or that. John once again brings us to the usage of light and dark.
Here John speaks of the darkness as passing away. Darkness is the Greek word scotia which HELPS explains this way:
Cognate: 4653skotía (a feminine noun) – darkness, a brand of moral, spiritual obscurity (i.e. which blocks the light of God when faith is lacking). See also 4655 /skótos (“darkness”).
Passing away is the Greek word paragó which can also be translated at to pass by or depart.
John uses the term light, reiterating the truth of this light. He had given us a description of this light on John 1:4:
In him was life,a and the life was the light of men.
john 1:4
Already or édé in Greek, has a couple different meanings. HELPS offers to explain it as follows:
2235ḗdē (a temporal adverb) – already now, even now, referring to what is not yet strictly present but already (now) impacts the present (= “already now”). [2235 (ḗdē) is “a point of time preceding another point of time and implying completion – ‘already'” (L & N, 1, 67.20). It often factors in something strictly future, but can include anything that is not strictly present.]
Phainó can be translated as to bring to light or to cause to appear. It is that something has become clear or visible.
Observation: John wants his readers to understand and to be convinced that what he is telling them is true. He builds upon language which he established in his Gospel account of Jesus. He uses the term truth over and over and he uses the parallel of light and dark. He wants us to see, and for us to understand that we can see evidence of the work of Christ in men. It is evident. The darkness is passing away and the light is being revealed. This was first seen in Christ and is now seen in those who put their faith in Christ.
Father, we as a people love the darkness more than the light. We desire change under our pretenses. We are willing to when we are willing to. We feel entitled and our sin clouds our vision. Lord we ask that the light of Christ would break through the darkness within us, and you Lord would search us know us. Help us Lord to see ourselves in relation to who You are. Lord forgive us for desiring the darkness. Forgive us for avoiding Your light. Grant us faith that we would desire Christ and that our lives would be transformed, seen in a new light as it were. Thank You Lord for you are faithful. In Jesus Name, amen.
Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
1 John 2:7 (ESV)
John start’s this next sentence addressing the Beloved. Beloved is the Greek word agapétos which is defined as beloved. What does it mean to be beloved? It is from the Greek word agápē and it refers to those who have experienced God’s agape love or to be divinely loved.
He next tells us that this command he is writing is not new, but something that was there all along. The word for beginning is arché and it is the beginning or origin. HELPS explains it like this:
746arxḗ – properly, from the beginning (temporal sense), i.e. “the initial (starting) point”; (figuratively) what comes first and therefore is chief (foremost), i.e. has the priority because ahead of the rest (“preeminent”).
Command comes from the Greek entolé and is an injunction or order. In this context it is meant of the ethical or moral precepts of Christ and the apostles. These commands were from the Old Testament and it was taught and lived amongst the people of Israel. It was observed by Christ in perfection.
John uses the word akouó which is translated as hear. It is not just to hear but to comprehend. It is an understanding which is taught from the teacher or narrator.
Observation: John wants us to understand he is giving us something new from God. This is something inspired by the Spirit and at the same time it is nothing new at all. It is the same yesterday, today and forever. God does not change. Though it may be new from a time standpoint, this commandment is what was given at the very beginning of time. If we are truly in Christ, we know this.
Father, thank you for you are unchanging and trustworthy. We can depend on You to do what you have said. Your instruction for our life is for our own benefit. That we may live a life pleasing to you and glorify you in the process. In this we have hope. You show us how man was intended to live and any of us, believers or unbelievers if we look at this, something inside knows it to be true. Lord let us understand and comprehend with our hearts and our minds. Let us walk us Christ walked. Loving You and loving our neighbors. In Jesus Name, Amen
whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
1 John 2:6 (ESV)
This statement actually ties into what John previously said in verse 5:
“By this we may know that we are in him:”
1 John 2:5 (ESV)
This is a test for believers. Whoever says he abides in Him, ought to. The Greek word for ought to is the word opheiló and is actually defined as I owe. HELPS gives us further insight as follows:
3784opheílō (a primitive verb, NAS dictionary) – to owe, be indebted, i.e. obliged to rectify a debt (“ought”). 3784/opheílō (“owe”) refers to being morally obligated (or legally required) to meet an obligation, i.e. to pay off a legitimate debt. [3784 (opheílō) “originally belonged to the legal sphere; it expressed initially one’s legal and economic, and then later one’s moral, duties and responsibilities to the gods and to men, or to their sacrosanct regulations. . . . opheílō expresses human and ethical responsibility in the NT” (DNTT, 2, 662.663).]
The subject of what we ought to do is to walk in the same way. Walk is not simply to put one foot in front of the other but it is how we should conduct ourselves. It is how we regulate our lives. The word same here is used in the as according to the manner in which. The person referenced here is Christ.
Observation: God desires something of us. He has paid our debt and we can never repay it. However we can live in a manner worthy of our Savior. Jesus paid it all, and in that way we owe our lives to Him. Should we not live from that gratitude? Should we not give everything we have to Him? If we are indebted to Him, how come we cannot simply operate from His grace, instead of living as if our lives are our own. John says to walk as He walked. Our eyes are to be fixed on Christ, our minds captive to His ways, our hearts surrendered to Him. Let us not glance at Jesus, but seek Him with all of our hearts, mind and strength, so we may follow in His steps. This is our responsibility to Christ.
Father, thank you for your Word. There are days where it can be confusing and there are days when it is simple as can be. Lord enable us, empower us, give us everything we need in order that we may walk as Christ walked. That we would have grateful hearts surrendered to the one who has bought us. Praise be to you. In Jesus name, amen.
STEADFAST 