Bible
Study: Joel 3, 12 to 21. And Luke 11, 27 to 28.
A woman
met Jesus and in deep admiration said, “how blessed is the womb that bore you…”
It was not flesh and blood that put these words into her mouth. It was just a
confirmation of what had already happened in the Luke, chapter one.
When the
Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he said, “Hail, O favoured one, the Lord is
with you!” Going further he said: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour
with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you
shall call his name Jesus.”
As it this
was not enough, Mary visited Elizabeth. “And when Elizabeth heard the greeting
of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy
Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb!’.
In her
song of thanksgiving for God’s choice of her, Mary herself said: “My soul
magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has
regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth ALL
GENERATIONS WILL CALL ME BLESSED.”
It is
important to note that the Greek word for “blessed” (i.e. makarios), also
translates as “happy.” That is to say, each time we see the word ‘Blessed’ in
the New Testament, we can as well read it as ‘happiness’ and not just happiness
as in sense pleasure but a happiness that is far more deeper than what we can
feel at the level of the flesh; a joy that only the heart can experience, a joy
that we shall fully enjoy permanently in heaven.
Now,
having said that, it is interesting to note how Jesus responded to this woman
when she spoke about how blessed (happy) his mum should be for bringing him to
life. Jesus said: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep
it.” Wow! Just reflect for a moment and allow these words to sink in….
Do you
realise that each time you do the right thing, each time to obey God and act
according to his word, you are actually putting yourself in a position equal to
that of Mary herself? Do you realise that by living a righteous life, you are
catapulting yourself into true happiness?
Many
times, I hear people say: “I just want to be happy.” But unfortunately, what
they are saying in earnest is: “I just want to feel pleasure.” And often, the
desire for pleasure in itself leads them to get involved in sin. Pleasure is
not happiness. And each time pleasure is sought for itself, it always leads to
its direct opposite, which is pain.
Just name
it, any activity that people engage in to find pleasure, always brings about
pain. This is because, pleasure is shallow, it only begins and ends in the
flesh and this flesh we have is not real, one day, we shall die, drop the flesh
and it will decay, then our true nature as spirits will emerge. Spirits do not
need pleasure, they need something deeper than that, happiness or put in
another way, spirits need peace lest they become restless. That is why no
amount of bodily pleasure ever satisfies you and when you are troubled from
within, all the things that tend to tickle your flesh suddenly become totally
ineffective.
You are
not just flesh, you are a spirit and you need happiness. Now Jesus is saying,
this happiness can only be gotten by hearing God’s word and keeping it. In fact,
there is nothing your spirit needs more than the joy of knowing you are living
a sinless life, knowing that you are at peace with the God who is himself also
a Spirit. Every time we sin, we pacify the flesh but injure the spirit. Yet,
again, because the flesh is not real, (that is, because the flesh we die one
day), whatever we give to it only lasts momentarily. Give the flesh food, you
will be hungry again, wash it up, you will be dirty again, clothe it, the cloth
will soon start smelling, and so on and so on! Hence Jesus asked: “What shall
it profit you, if you take care of what is not lasting and lose that which is
everlasting???”
The above is
the very truth which Joel tries to relate to us in the first reading. However,
Joel makes use of allegory. He speaks in terms of human language; the language
of the flesh so that we can all understand. In Joel 3, 18 he says: “And in that
day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk,
and all the stream beds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall
come forth from the house of the LORD and water the valley of Shittim.” Referring
to happiness for those who live righteously. Then in verse 19, Joel says: “Egypt
shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness, for the violence done
to the people of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.”
Referring to pain and sadness for those who live only for their flesh.
Let us
pray:
Lord Jesus,
open my heart to understand what it really means to be happy and show me how to
seek for it without ever having to offend you. Amen.
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy Weekend.
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