Real Leadership
Bob Wickizer
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Back in the days when a bunch of fun-loving engineers and scientists developed CT scanners for medical imaging (some of us took rides spinning around in the gantry for fun), we used to joke that we should teach the radiologists to read the raw data instead of mashing it all together in a complicated formula to produce the image. I'm beginning to feel that way about the Bible. If people just knew a bit more about Greek, a lot of things would be much easier.
In this case it is that key phrase after Jesus heals her. The text actually says ''She straightened up and began continuously praising God without ceasing.'' The Greek has a verb tense we don't have in English so we get these lame translations that don't really tell the whole story. She didn't just thank God one time for her new life, she praised God without ceasing. How does a person do that?
Since the psalms in her day were like popular music today, everybody knew all the words, I imagine that after 18 years of crippling pain the first part of psalm 103 might have been part of her praise.
1 ''Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits-
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.''
The text tells us that the woman was bent over and ''quite unable to stand up straight.'' This meant that for the past 18 years she could only see the ground. Seeing people's faces would require great effort and was usually only something she could ...
Bob Wickizer
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Back in the days when a bunch of fun-loving engineers and scientists developed CT scanners for medical imaging (some of us took rides spinning around in the gantry for fun), we used to joke that we should teach the radiologists to read the raw data instead of mashing it all together in a complicated formula to produce the image. I'm beginning to feel that way about the Bible. If people just knew a bit more about Greek, a lot of things would be much easier.
In this case it is that key phrase after Jesus heals her. The text actually says ''She straightened up and began continuously praising God without ceasing.'' The Greek has a verb tense we don't have in English so we get these lame translations that don't really tell the whole story. She didn't just thank God one time for her new life, she praised God without ceasing. How does a person do that?
Since the psalms in her day were like popular music today, everybody knew all the words, I imagine that after 18 years of crippling pain the first part of psalm 103 might have been part of her praise.
1 ''Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits-
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.''
The text tells us that the woman was bent over and ''quite unable to stand up straight.'' This meant that for the past 18 years she could only see the ground. Seeing people's faces would require great effort and was usually only something she could ...
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