Saturday 02 September 2023

Psalm 113

 Background

You might prefer to translate 'advocate' with another word such as 'comforter' or 'counsellor' but here 'advocate' is most apposite since the Holy Spirit will be alongside the disciples in their forthcoming struggles in legal courts or otherwise. Of course, 'advocate' is a judicial title describing someone aiding a legal argument, so the Holy Spirit will not only dwell within the disciples' hearts but will also enable them to recall the words of Jesus standing alongside them and will support them either literally or figuratively in the trials ahead.

But this passage is also a call to action, to stand up and be counted. The disciples can’t sit back and leave all the witnessing to the Holy Spirit. There is a definite command for the disciples themselves to testify. They, after all, have seen the whole story unfold. They have witnessed all the amazing teaching and the miracles and have lived alongside the most remarkable person ever to walk the earth. They have a divine duty to speak the truth of what they have witnessed with their own eyes.

Much as I love 'Dr Who', when he asks his companions what part of the history of the universe they would like to visit, I always find the answers disappointing. I wouldn’t want to see the end of the world, or the end of time. I would want to go immediately to 1st century Palestine and be in the company of Jesus, so I could see first-hand what he did and I could hear what he said and dispense with the layers of interpretation that have accumulated over the centuries. The Tardis would be able to translate Jesus' Aramaic into perfect English and then I would know for sure…. But with such privilege, as the disciples had, would come the huge responsibility to bear witness, to risk my life to proclaim the truth. In the words of Charles Wesley's hymn: “Preach him to all and cry in death 'Behold the Lamb!'"

 To Ponder:

• Apart from 1st century Palestine, if you had a Tardis to where in time and place would you travel and why?
• If you could choose one moment in Jesus' life and ministry to witness what would it be?