In ancient times the outstretched right arm was an emblem of authority while the shortness of the arm or hand spoke of authority that had been diminished and extended only to a certain point. King Artaxerxes eventually reigned over an empire that was so far reaching that he was named "Artaxerxes Longimanus" which means long-handed, because the far reaching boundaries of his empire encompassed the known world.
It was common custom that a king would reduce the reach of his right hand after a covenant or concession to a neighboring kingdom was made, thus showing that he was willingly reducing his authority and strength over that land and people.
There are over sixty references to the right hand of God in the O.T. and the N.T. Many of these references are specific. In many cases they refer to the strength of God to save, heal, provide, and to destroy.
It is important to differentiate between the left and right hand. For instance, Ecclesiastes 10:2 says:
“A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.”
thus indicating a real difference in import between the two.
samal Left. The left hand represents wickedness and a resource of diminished strength and ability. The left hand is the hand utilized for functions considered impolite to discuss. One who was left handed was considered a wicked person, and use of the left hand was discouraged (and is still discouraged) in children. The text of the Hebrews and other cultures of ancient derivation are read from right to left because the result of the tools used to write in the clay or stone were observed best when writing in that direction. It was difficult to have precision when using the left hand on the tool. It is also interesting to note that in the ancient script, the word “left” begins with the letter “sin”
The “right hand” is translated form the ancient word yamiyn:
Right: The right hand or the direction of the right hand.
This word literally means toward the south. Because east is the principle cardinal direction, when facing east this implies the right side points to the south. The correct translation is, since this is “toward the south”, is the right side. This word is a child root of miyn. All child roots share the basic meaning of the parent root from which they derive. Child root formation is to produce grammatical changes such as gender, verb tense, nouns, and pronouns form the parent verb.
The parent root miyn is defined as: action of verb form: Firm concrete concept: Kind abstract meaning: Sure: The pictograph of mem is a picture of water or other liquid such as blood, the nun is a picture of a seed representing continuance. Combined these mean "blood continues" and gives the meaning of strength through the blood. Each species (kind) continues by passing its blood to the following generation, which comes from the parent.
Another child root of this word is aman which is literally to be firm like a pillar commonly translated as faithful.
The Biblical reference to the strength of the Right Hand is a common idiomatic phrase in Hebrew writing meaning “enough strength to accomplish any task and a continuing supply of it”.
It is important theologically and doctrinally in that this phrase is used to describe Jesus Christ. Many assume it means that Jesus is in heaven seated next to the Father, this is completely wrong. There is no other referent anywhere in the Bible that suggests there is a physical seat next to the throne, or that there could be anyone seated there. This word, throne, is also idiomatic and refers to the seat of power and authority. To have a second one would diminish the authority of the actual throne, and this contravenes the Bible which states emphatically that all authority in heaven and Earth is given unto Jesus. This would then be a complete contradiction in the bible.
The right hand of God, as it applies to Jesus Christ, must mean that He is the holder of all the power and authority of God in himself. Jesus is not seated next to the Father in heaven as the Bible declares he is the Father.
An example of that power in His right hand is related in that situation where the Apostle found himself in a stormy sea:
Mat 14:30-32 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
The power to heal was in His hand as well:
Mar 1:41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
Jesus used this physical expression of reaching out the hand indicating that there is no limit to His authority, and He can grant forgiveness, and has power over death. To the Jewish leaders this was a blasphemous thing, using this physical expression and thus identifying Himself as the Almighty.
Mat 26:64-65 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
The High Priest was charging Jesus with blasphemy because he made himself God. How did he say that? Jesus was claiming to be the right hand of God.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Self-Deception
Dignity in humans involves the earning or the expectation of personal respect or esteem - Wikipedia, a public domain encyclopedia.
As a member of the faculty at a University, I must represent the discipline of my trade in a dignified manner. It is a requirement of all who teach the public that they hold themselves in a position of dignity, that is, to expect to receive the acknowledgment of their students as experts and authorities in a particular discipline. Without this respect or esteem, it is impossible to impart the difficult lessons required to master a subject. Our classrooms would be full of chaos, and students would become argumentative rather than carefully listening and learning. In essence, dignity is a status requirement for any professor who is successful at teaching. This may have been earned, or it may be false, but it is essential and is part of the training received while earning the recognition of a University to teach and practice a discipline.
You can have false dignity because you are not really competent at a job and are merely pretending to be an authority, or you have a false illusion of your ability and character which can lead to a rise in arrogance and self deceit. In any case, dignity is a pretense. Perception is a powerful tool as it can discount even the most obvious facts in the minds of people and lead them away from reality. It is a form of falsehood that is portrayed by your actions.
In society one must hold others in esteem or in a dignified manner when certain events transpire. Funerals are the best example of dignity in action. The staff of a funeral establishment respects the privacy and rights of the family and of the deceased in order to alleviate certain psychological problems associated with grieving. To be dignified is to act or strive to be esteemed worthy of special consideration and attention. The staff must regard the family members as people who are dignified. This allows the family to accept respect from the staff in a subtle way. The family can grieve openly without fear of insult or other offensive responses from those around them, and this environment must be nurtured by the funeral staff so that emotional healing might take place in the family members who are left behind to grieve. This is a mark of professionalism in the funeral staff.
The word dignity however is not really a positive thing. For instance, when the Chaldeans were given power to overcome Israel as a judgment for giving themselves over to evil, the prophet Habakkuk utilized this word dignity in a fashion that gives an impression of disdain or disgust:
Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs.
They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of
themselves.And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every stronghold; for they shall heap dust, and take it. (Habakkuk 1:2-7, 10)
These Chaldeans are an arrogant and self-centered lot with only one goal in mind. They are dignified by their own evaluation, but not upon any success or worthy attribute. They are characterized as bitter and hasty and regard no other authority but their own. These are not positive attributes, but they are the attributes of a spirit that allows us to think of ourselves in a way that produces dignity in us. These attributes will show up in any person with a dignified mindset. Even earned dignity will allow a person to react negatively to authority if they believe in their own right to do so.
A further example of the negative connotation of dignity is found in Ecclesiastes 10:5, 6:
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler: Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
This is interpreted as accepting dignity as an important measure of a person, while success marks a person as undesirable. We see this twisted thinking very often in the world of today, and this is a trend associated with an ungodly mindset and lifestyle which intends to bring only pleasure and happiness from that lifestyle. The prophet called this behavior folly.
The history of European Elizabethan civilization suggests that dignity was held as the great social attainment of the times. If you were of lowly descent and poor, as long as you held yourself in a dignified way, you were acceptable. It is common in British folklore that a true citizen of Britain would hold dignity dear unto death and not waver from the fixed heart and set jaw so as to face their death square on. This is the form of the hero mindset in the UK, even today. This is also typical of many modern societies.
Present society relies on dignity to differentiate between acceptable public social behavior and that which is derived from a crass and diminished person. If you do not behave in a dignified manner, you may be considered socially unacceptable. If you do not follow this norm of behavior in our society, you become uncomfortable around those who value it to the point of being personally alienated and uncomfortable.
The Bible holds a somewhat different viewpoint of dignity; it seems dignity is not something to be coveted or nurtured.
Why would such a useful social context be so negative in the Bible? A look at the definition of the Hebrew word for dignity (marom) is very revealing. It means lifted to a height to deceive or to be deceived. Dignity can deceive those who observe it in others, and most often the person who portrays dignity is deceived in their own mind!
When Israel began to drift from the righteousness of the law, they moved the sacrificial worship from the temple to the high places (so that travel to the temple was not necessary!). The high places were historically used for the worship of gods who reside in the heavens and other idolatrous figures. The deception for the people of Israel came about because it seemed that the worship was correct, it was just done in a different place, that’s all. Later, the method of the sacrifice became further corrupted until it became the worship of false gods.
A person who possesses great dignity is very often operating under self deception. They may have a wrong self image, or they may have had a success which leads them to believe incorrectly about their own abilities and merit or other personal or self-obtained characteristics. In any case this is a personal attribute to be shunned for a Christian.
A particular reason to avoid dignity on a personal level is because of self-deception. When we worship God, people are to be wholly dependent upon His will and not their own. Dignity is a way of exerting personal will, and leads to false worship, or otherwise hinder worship. You excuse yourself from demonstrations of worship because that just isn’t acceptable for a person of your status and responsibility. You can easily express concern about those who may run laps around the building, or dance in the aisle in a spirit of worship and regard them as being un-dignified. They are indeed un-dignified in a social context, and rightly so, for the Lord of heaven requires us to forfeit our pride, dignity, and self aggrandizement in order to place Him above us. When people exhibit restraint in worship for this reason, they hide themselves from Him. This is the same response that Adam and Eve had in the garden after they sinned. You hold back our worship in order to prevent someone recognizing you as un-dignified because internally you feel that we deserve to be dignified.
Nothing could be further from the truth. A Christian should lay no claim to dignity because the essence of being a Christian is to be a servant (of low esteem in society) and completely dependent upon His ability to allow us to exist in the kingdom of God. We have absolutely no saving merit at all of our own effort and ability in the kingdom of God.
The spirit of antichrist is the one which elevates above God. It belongs to the spirit of self-will and to the opponents of the kingdom of God. It is a very dangerous attribute for a Christian.
A Christian must recognize that dignity is the antithesis of Christianity. It is in fact the spirit of antichrist (opponent to the Messiah) to be of dignified demeanor for some personal reason. The scripture states this by the Hebrew word translated as dignity. It means a high place, a place to deceive or beguile, and is the attitude of those who resist God. The concept of being lifted up in any way, except by God, is to be elevated above God. An individual cannot afford to let this spirit into the heart or it will lead to personal destruction.
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.(II John 1:7)
Worship of God is a sign of obedience and allegiance to Him. You must not refrain from whole hearted worship, regardless of how uncomfortable you feel. If you are so uncomfortable that you cannot openly rejoice and worship, then there may be something deceiving you. Search your heart and ask God to reveal to you any and all deception so that you can freely worship God. Pray for conviction. David said it best:
Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. (Psalms 19:12)
An example of righteousness refusing to obtain dignity is King David who was dancing before the Ark of the Covenant as it was returned to Israel. His dance was so undignified that his wife was offended. Why would David do such a thing? Because he was giving God his best worship, indicating to God that he was completely obedient to Him and dependant upon Him. The only way for a King to show the people and God that he was completely sold out to God was to dance before God and the people with an undignified, whole hearted dance in worship; something a king would never do. The word that is translated “fear before the lord” in this passage is “Khaool Kaheel” which literally means to twirl or dance about in a circular motion. It was in David’s heart to love God, and he wanted God to know that this was everything he had to give. David knew that God had already given him everything else!
It may be possible to be a dignified person and get to heaven, but you must leave that aside when it comes time to worship God. A side effect of the dignity involved in keeping employment is to bring your dignity to the house of the Lord and you may begin to believe it. Resist the tendency to regard yourself as something you really are not and search regularly to notice when this may be occurring. Then, throw your dignity to the wind, as it can become the spirit of Antichrist within you, and then begin to worship the Lord with all your heart. Like David, we must worship with everything we have; it is what God wants from us. God responds to the meek, the contrite, and the lowly and returns to them joy and peace. The only thing God seeks is people on Earth who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.
As a member of the faculty at a University, I must represent the discipline of my trade in a dignified manner. It is a requirement of all who teach the public that they hold themselves in a position of dignity, that is, to expect to receive the acknowledgment of their students as experts and authorities in a particular discipline. Without this respect or esteem, it is impossible to impart the difficult lessons required to master a subject. Our classrooms would be full of chaos, and students would become argumentative rather than carefully listening and learning. In essence, dignity is a status requirement for any professor who is successful at teaching. This may have been earned, or it may be false, but it is essential and is part of the training received while earning the recognition of a University to teach and practice a discipline.
You can have false dignity because you are not really competent at a job and are merely pretending to be an authority, or you have a false illusion of your ability and character which can lead to a rise in arrogance and self deceit. In any case, dignity is a pretense. Perception is a powerful tool as it can discount even the most obvious facts in the minds of people and lead them away from reality. It is a form of falsehood that is portrayed by your actions.
In society one must hold others in esteem or in a dignified manner when certain events transpire. Funerals are the best example of dignity in action. The staff of a funeral establishment respects the privacy and rights of the family and of the deceased in order to alleviate certain psychological problems associated with grieving. To be dignified is to act or strive to be esteemed worthy of special consideration and attention. The staff must regard the family members as people who are dignified. This allows the family to accept respect from the staff in a subtle way. The family can grieve openly without fear of insult or other offensive responses from those around them, and this environment must be nurtured by the funeral staff so that emotional healing might take place in the family members who are left behind to grieve. This is a mark of professionalism in the funeral staff.
The word dignity however is not really a positive thing. For instance, when the Chaldeans were given power to overcome Israel as a judgment for giving themselves over to evil, the prophet Habakkuk utilized this word dignity in a fashion that gives an impression of disdain or disgust:
Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs.
They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of
themselves.And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every stronghold; for they shall heap dust, and take it. (Habakkuk 1:2-7, 10)
These Chaldeans are an arrogant and self-centered lot with only one goal in mind. They are dignified by their own evaluation, but not upon any success or worthy attribute. They are characterized as bitter and hasty and regard no other authority but their own. These are not positive attributes, but they are the attributes of a spirit that allows us to think of ourselves in a way that produces dignity in us. These attributes will show up in any person with a dignified mindset. Even earned dignity will allow a person to react negatively to authority if they believe in their own right to do so.
A further example of the negative connotation of dignity is found in Ecclesiastes 10:5, 6:
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler: Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
This is interpreted as accepting dignity as an important measure of a person, while success marks a person as undesirable. We see this twisted thinking very often in the world of today, and this is a trend associated with an ungodly mindset and lifestyle which intends to bring only pleasure and happiness from that lifestyle. The prophet called this behavior folly.
The history of European Elizabethan civilization suggests that dignity was held as the great social attainment of the times. If you were of lowly descent and poor, as long as you held yourself in a dignified way, you were acceptable. It is common in British folklore that a true citizen of Britain would hold dignity dear unto death and not waver from the fixed heart and set jaw so as to face their death square on. This is the form of the hero mindset in the UK, even today. This is also typical of many modern societies.
Present society relies on dignity to differentiate between acceptable public social behavior and that which is derived from a crass and diminished person. If you do not behave in a dignified manner, you may be considered socially unacceptable. If you do not follow this norm of behavior in our society, you become uncomfortable around those who value it to the point of being personally alienated and uncomfortable.
The Bible holds a somewhat different viewpoint of dignity; it seems dignity is not something to be coveted or nurtured.
Why would such a useful social context be so negative in the Bible? A look at the definition of the Hebrew word for dignity (marom) is very revealing. It means lifted to a height to deceive or to be deceived. Dignity can deceive those who observe it in others, and most often the person who portrays dignity is deceived in their own mind!
When Israel began to drift from the righteousness of the law, they moved the sacrificial worship from the temple to the high places (so that travel to the temple was not necessary!). The high places were historically used for the worship of gods who reside in the heavens and other idolatrous figures. The deception for the people of Israel came about because it seemed that the worship was correct, it was just done in a different place, that’s all. Later, the method of the sacrifice became further corrupted until it became the worship of false gods.
A person who possesses great dignity is very often operating under self deception. They may have a wrong self image, or they may have had a success which leads them to believe incorrectly about their own abilities and merit or other personal or self-obtained characteristics. In any case this is a personal attribute to be shunned for a Christian.
A particular reason to avoid dignity on a personal level is because of self-deception. When we worship God, people are to be wholly dependent upon His will and not their own. Dignity is a way of exerting personal will, and leads to false worship, or otherwise hinder worship. You excuse yourself from demonstrations of worship because that just isn’t acceptable for a person of your status and responsibility. You can easily express concern about those who may run laps around the building, or dance in the aisle in a spirit of worship and regard them as being un-dignified. They are indeed un-dignified in a social context, and rightly so, for the Lord of heaven requires us to forfeit our pride, dignity, and self aggrandizement in order to place Him above us. When people exhibit restraint in worship for this reason, they hide themselves from Him. This is the same response that Adam and Eve had in the garden after they sinned. You hold back our worship in order to prevent someone recognizing you as un-dignified because internally you feel that we deserve to be dignified.
Nothing could be further from the truth. A Christian should lay no claim to dignity because the essence of being a Christian is to be a servant (of low esteem in society) and completely dependent upon His ability to allow us to exist in the kingdom of God. We have absolutely no saving merit at all of our own effort and ability in the kingdom of God.
The spirit of antichrist is the one which elevates above God. It belongs to the spirit of self-will and to the opponents of the kingdom of God. It is a very dangerous attribute for a Christian.
A Christian must recognize that dignity is the antithesis of Christianity. It is in fact the spirit of antichrist (opponent to the Messiah) to be of dignified demeanor for some personal reason. The scripture states this by the Hebrew word translated as dignity. It means a high place, a place to deceive or beguile, and is the attitude of those who resist God. The concept of being lifted up in any way, except by God, is to be elevated above God. An individual cannot afford to let this spirit into the heart or it will lead to personal destruction.
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.(II John 1:7)
Worship of God is a sign of obedience and allegiance to Him. You must not refrain from whole hearted worship, regardless of how uncomfortable you feel. If you are so uncomfortable that you cannot openly rejoice and worship, then there may be something deceiving you. Search your heart and ask God to reveal to you any and all deception so that you can freely worship God. Pray for conviction. David said it best:
Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. (Psalms 19:12)
An example of righteousness refusing to obtain dignity is King David who was dancing before the Ark of the Covenant as it was returned to Israel. His dance was so undignified that his wife was offended. Why would David do such a thing? Because he was giving God his best worship, indicating to God that he was completely obedient to Him and dependant upon Him. The only way for a King to show the people and God that he was completely sold out to God was to dance before God and the people with an undignified, whole hearted dance in worship; something a king would never do. The word that is translated “fear before the lord” in this passage is “Khaool Kaheel” which literally means to twirl or dance about in a circular motion. It was in David’s heart to love God, and he wanted God to know that this was everything he had to give. David knew that God had already given him everything else!
It may be possible to be a dignified person and get to heaven, but you must leave that aside when it comes time to worship God. A side effect of the dignity involved in keeping employment is to bring your dignity to the house of the Lord and you may begin to believe it. Resist the tendency to regard yourself as something you really are not and search regularly to notice when this may be occurring. Then, throw your dignity to the wind, as it can become the spirit of Antichrist within you, and then begin to worship the Lord with all your heart. Like David, we must worship with everything we have; it is what God wants from us. God responds to the meek, the contrite, and the lowly and returns to them joy and peace. The only thing God seeks is people on Earth who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Rabboni
John 20:15,16
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
In the day of Jesus, the term Rabbi was common as a reference to individuals of respect and authority who were teachers of the law. In Hebrew the word is “Ravi” (pronounced Rahbee) and the Greek form is Hrabbi. They both mean “my Master” or “my Teacher”.
There were three levels of this terminology. Rabbi is actually a term of intermediate level used much as the degree levels in America for an education: Bachelor, Master, and Doctor. The terms were developed about 30A.D. and Gamaliel was the first in history to own this title.
The first level of title is Rav (Rab) meaning “Master”. Derived form Babylonian custom, This was bestowed upon a man who had been anointed by the laying on of hands in the rabbinic school.
The next level bestowed was from Palestinian custom: The teacher was sat upon a high stool above the people and then through elaborate ceremony, given a scroll, and a key that was worn about the neck that was also buried with the teacher upon death. The key represented the authority of the Master teacher, and the scroll represented his devotion and ability in his studies. The teacher was now called “Rabbi”.
The third an highest level was the Title “Rabboni”(Rabonee)which means “My Great Master”. The difference between the two highest titles was with respect to Disciples: a Rabbi was expected to have Disciples who followed him. These Disciples were expected to help recruit other Disciples. A Rabbi who had seen the second Generation of his Disciples was called Rabboni “My great Master”.
In the passage above Jesus was speaking to a woman who had no good reputation among the people, even among the Disciples of Jesus she was treated poorly. She was looked down upon by other women, and scorned for her lifestyle. She was woman who was vilified for her low social status.
Jesus received this woman without the negative treatment given her by all others. He placed upon her a special status. It was this woman who was given the part of seeing Jesus first after His ascension. It was this woman who discovered the missing body, was spoken to by the Angel, and then spoke to Jesus first. It was this woman who received the truth of the newly resurrected Lord, and therefore forever superseded the privilege of all of the women and Disciples in that it was her lot to know before all humanity what had happened to Jesus who had given her life, and whom she loved.
It was this woman who referred to Jesus as “Rabboni”, a form of honor and respect that went beyond the title used by all others. She was claiming the place of a second generation Disciple, the hallmark of which would be love, adoration and highest respect and honor along with special privilege. She worshiped the Lord out of the love and acceptance that drove her to follow Him.
Just like Mary Magdalene, when we “discover” the Great Teacher we are made a part of that second generation of Disciples. We become a worshiper, a lover of the Lord because He saved us and gave us a special status that we did not deserve.
Herein is the source of our love of the Lord, that while we were yet in our sins He loved us (read IJohn 4:19)
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
In the day of Jesus, the term Rabbi was common as a reference to individuals of respect and authority who were teachers of the law. In Hebrew the word is “Ravi” (pronounced Rahbee) and the Greek form is Hrabbi. They both mean “my Master” or “my Teacher”.
There were three levels of this terminology. Rabbi is actually a term of intermediate level used much as the degree levels in America for an education: Bachelor, Master, and Doctor. The terms were developed about 30A.D. and Gamaliel was the first in history to own this title.
The first level of title is Rav (Rab) meaning “Master”. Derived form Babylonian custom, This was bestowed upon a man who had been anointed by the laying on of hands in the rabbinic school.
The next level bestowed was from Palestinian custom: The teacher was sat upon a high stool above the people and then through elaborate ceremony, given a scroll, and a key that was worn about the neck that was also buried with the teacher upon death. The key represented the authority of the Master teacher, and the scroll represented his devotion and ability in his studies. The teacher was now called “Rabbi”.
The third an highest level was the Title “Rabboni”(Rabonee)which means “My Great Master”. The difference between the two highest titles was with respect to Disciples: a Rabbi was expected to have Disciples who followed him. These Disciples were expected to help recruit other Disciples. A Rabbi who had seen the second Generation of his Disciples was called Rabboni “My great Master”.
In the passage above Jesus was speaking to a woman who had no good reputation among the people, even among the Disciples of Jesus she was treated poorly. She was looked down upon by other women, and scorned for her lifestyle. She was woman who was vilified for her low social status.
Jesus received this woman without the negative treatment given her by all others. He placed upon her a special status. It was this woman who was given the part of seeing Jesus first after His ascension. It was this woman who discovered the missing body, was spoken to by the Angel, and then spoke to Jesus first. It was this woman who received the truth of the newly resurrected Lord, and therefore forever superseded the privilege of all of the women and Disciples in that it was her lot to know before all humanity what had happened to Jesus who had given her life, and whom she loved.
It was this woman who referred to Jesus as “Rabboni”, a form of honor and respect that went beyond the title used by all others. She was claiming the place of a second generation Disciple, the hallmark of which would be love, adoration and highest respect and honor along with special privilege. She worshiped the Lord out of the love and acceptance that drove her to follow Him.
Just like Mary Magdalene, when we “discover” the Great Teacher we are made a part of that second generation of Disciples. We become a worshiper, a lover of the Lord because He saved us and gave us a special status that we did not deserve.
Herein is the source of our love of the Lord, that while we were yet in our sins He loved us (read IJohn 4:19)
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