Apple of your eye

My daily reading yesterday included the following verse from the Psalms. 

Keep me as the apple of your eye, 

    hide me under the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 17:8 (NIVUK)

I've blogged before about the imagery of the apple, as this has come up in my readings over the years. The words leapt off the page at me - it still means something.

The reference to the apple of the eye refers to the pupil at its centre. The Hebrew phrase i'son bat ā'yin literally means "the blackness of the eye." This is the most closely protected part of the body. I've always linked this with a target motif, as if I'm associating it with the legend of William Tell in my mind. 

The following phrase has David using the imagery of God's care to a mother bird protecting her young. Chicks find shelter and safety under their mother's wings from sun, rain, or the eyes of predators. 

Plenty to unpack here over the next few days. 

Are naps good for our health?

Having an afternoon nap is a daily ritual for many. The Spanish usually enjoy a siesta and Japanese workers indulge in a lunchtime sleep, known as hirune, or "afternoon nap". Some office workers recommend a power nap to quickly boost alertness. Us Brits tend to favour an hour or so napping in the comfy chair after Sunday lunch or the big Christmas family meal. We tend to catch forty winks or indulge in a catnap.

Since retiring, so many have asked me whether I'm having a regular lie-in in the morning. No, not really - however I'm rediscovering the health benefits of napping during the day. 

A study by researchers at University College London (UCL) and the University of the Republic in Uruguay in 2023 analysed data from 35,000 people, aged 40 to 69, who had taken part in a study by UK Biobank, a biomedical database ad research resource. The brains of people who napped several times a week were more than 15 cubic cm (0.9 cubic inches) larger than the brains of people who never had a daytime nap.

This equates to delaying ageing of the brain by between three to six years, says lead author Victoria Garfield, a senior research fellow at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL. "The big finding was that daytime napping is, quite robustly, causally linked to having a larger brain volume," says Garfield. 

"Anything you can do to preserve your brain size for as long as possible is a good thing," says Garfield. "It's a really positive message that having a nap could help the brain."

God still has work for me to do

It's now been three months since I retired from full-time employment. Three whole months. And the world has, remarkably, kept on spinning.

Yes, I am still enjoying my retirement. No, I'm not having a lay-in every morning. In fact, I'm still getting up at the same time - that's the natural time for me to wake up. I do now have time for a midday nap from time to time...

No, I don't miss the work, or the commuting, or the politics that always makes work life so *interesting*. No, I'm not spending every other moment at the Army hall. Yes, I have enough money to live on - I'm not rich by any extent, however I have enough to get by.  Yes, I am rediscovering hobbies from the past and finally getting to read all those books from the large wobbly pile in my study!

And, yes, I am still excited for the future. Because God has so much for me still to do. He still has a purpose for my life, and God is still not finished shaping me or using me. 

Philippians 1: 3-6 (NIV)
3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Wedding Clothes?

The meeting at the Hall last Sunday was based on The Parable of the Wedding Feast, found in Matthew 22:1-14 - here's the NIV version:

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

4 ‘Then he sent some more servants and said, “Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.”

5 ‘But they paid no attention and went off – one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, ill-treated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8 ‘Then he said to his servants, “The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.” 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 ‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, “How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?” The man was speechless.

13 ‘Then the king told the attendants, “Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

14 ‘For many are invited, but few are chosen.’

 

One detail from the account is that the king notices a man not wearing wedding clothes. When the man cannot give an excuse for the fact he is incorrectly dressed, the king has him tied up and thrown into the outer darkness. 

It's the reference to wearing the proper clothing which has stayed with me this week. Modern day weddings would have guests supplying their own clothing (or hiring their clothes from Moss Bros - other retailers are available), so are we missing some detail which needs further explanation?

The Wedding Feast was one of the most joyous occasions in Jewish life and the event could last for up to a week. Thus, it was traditional for the king or lord to provide clean wedding garments for all of his guests. 

The only modern equivalent to this tradition relates to the bridesmaids' dresses, which are usually paid for by the wedding organiser. The only other adornment provided would be a corsage or a buttonhole for the other guests. Everyone else who need to source their own fancy clothing ...

To clarify, hosts at weddings in biblical times provided guests with a full change of clothes. These garments weren’t about fashion. They symbolised honour, purity, and belonging. This also ensured that everyone, regardless of their background, had the proper clothing for the occasion.

The question is raised in verse 11 because the wedding guest in question isn't wearing the wedding clothing.  He is inappropriately dressed ... and it's pretty obvious. Did the servants failed to screen the wedding guests carefully, or did the man sneak into the back of the hall in some way? It is queried and clarified that the man was on the guest list, however he has deliberately refused to wear what was given to him. It’s about someone who rejected the host's provision and tried to enter on his own terms. 

You might feel that the subsequent eviction from the Wedding Feast is not particularly nice - particularly after the earlier passage of inviting the whosoever to the feast! However, remember God is good.

This is because the parable confirms the wearing of wedding clothing is symbolic of being covered by the righteousness of Jesus (see Romans 3:21–31). Participation in the feast requires accepting God's provision rather than relying on one's own goodness.

Cleansing of the Temple

The famous incident of Jesus cleansing the temple is actually recorded in all four Gospels: 

• Matthew 21:12–13
• Mark 11:15–18
• Luke 19:45–48
• John 2:13–17

I will leave you to review each of these passages.

John's inclusion of the making a whip out of cords means Jesus' actions were deliberate, leaving us with no mistake about his intent. This wasn't a spur of the moment incident.

Given that such an act in a temple could be seen as a capital offence by the Romans, Ben Witherington III says that "It is very unlikely that the early church, while involved in evangelism and seeking acceptance at all levels of society, would make up a tradition about Jesus performing some sort of violent action in the temple."

Again, the question remains: was Jesus 'nice'?

More on the topic of 'niceness'

Just following on from yesterday's blog entry. If we are to be like Jesus, remember he calls us to be good, however that doesn't mean we should be nice. 

A few weeks ago the Sunday meeting was on the topic of Lazarus, and on Jesus' response to hearing that his friend had recently fallen ill. I've blogged on this before, however never from this particular angle. Just listen to this:

John 11: 1-7 (NIV)
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

Now, it seems to me that Jesus didn't do the thing that any nice person would have done. He did not drop everything to rush back to his friends to see if he could help. When he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed exactly where he was for two more days. The nice thing to do would be to come back to support the sisters. He didn't. Not straight away. 

Why? Exactly the same question that the sisters asked Jesus when they eventually saw him. This is the part which challenges me at the moment; why did Jesus act in this way? What is this detail teaching me?

To break this down further, the message from Martha and Mary was coming from Bethany, some two miles from Jerusalem. Jesus was in Bethabara, just across the Jordan River, about 20 to 25 miles (32 to 40 kms) away.  This was approximately two days away by foot; involving a steep descent and climb across desert terrain and the Jordan Valley. It also wasn't safe to travel by night. So the message probably took a full two days to reach Jesus. 

Jesus then waited a further two days; then he started to travel back. From the moment that the sisters called for Jesus a likely period of six days had elapsed before Jesus returns to Bethany, by which time it would be too late. This intentional delay meant Lazarus was already dead by the time Jesus arrived - which, with hindsight, we now know set the stage for a greater miracle.

Jesus was not uncaring -  he showed his feelings by crying with the grieving family, giving us the famous short verse "Jesus wept" before he raised Lazarus from the tomb. However, he acted with deliberate purpose to stay away - a decision that confuses his friends. 

By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, there was absolutely no doubt that Lazarus was dead. In fact, scripture records that he arrives four days after Lazarus was buried and in his tomb. Even if he had left immediately that he had got the news, it would still be after Lazarus died. 

Remember - Jesus wasn’t denying Mary and Martha when he waited those two additional days. He had a different agenda. Jesus was preparing them for something far better than they could have ever imagined. 

Is Jesus 'Nice'?

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." 

"Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"...

"Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”

C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

So, if we are to be like Jesus, we are to be good. However, does that mean we need to be nice?

So, purely from the biblical records that we have, was Jesus nice? 

The word nice is not to be found in the Bible. While both nice and good are positive words, nice focuses on being outwardly (and superficially) pleasant and polite, whereas good runs much deeper, pointing to moral character, real care for people, and inner integrity. 

We know from scripture that Jesus was loving, compassionate, and kind. However, modern definitions of niceness - avoiding conflict, being inoffensive, having a polite demeanour - do not fit with what we know of Jesus. 

Not sure? Why not re-read the Gospel accounts of Jesus with this in mind?

Rest In Peace, Dolly

Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80 after a phenomenal life. In addition to her prolific career in country music singing and songwriting, there have been memorable appearances as an actor and her incredible life filled with philanthropy and advocacy. 

I can't share any of her music here, however here are a few of her quotes which will give you an idea of her character:

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."

"You have to work at being happy. Some people work at being miserable. If I wake up in the morning and don’t feel great or things are not great, I try to think about what I can do to make things work better, rather than just falling into that deep hole, because then you just go deeper and deeper."

"I always love working with children. I never had children of my own. God has his purposes. God didn’t let me have children so everybody’s children could be mine. That’s kind of how I’m looking at it."

"Storms make trees take deeper roots."

"Love is something sent from heaven above to worry the hell out of you."

"I think everyone should be with who they love. I don’t want to be controversial or stir up a bunch of trouble, but people are going to love who they are going to love. I think gay couples should be allowed to marry. They should suffer just like us heterosexuals."

"I just depend on a lot of prayer and meditation. I believe that without God I am nobody, but that with God, I can do anything."

"When I'm done, I can rest in peace knowing I've done my best. I hope that when my time comes, I'll leave something behind that others can use to lift themselves up."

Z is for Zenith

zenith, noun

1. : the point of the sky that is directly above the observer
2. : the highest point reached in the sky by a heavenly body
3. : the best or most successful point or time.

The word developed from an Arabic phrase meaning "the way over one's head".  During the 1300s, English speakers used the term to describe the highest point in the celestial heavens, directly overhead. By the 1600s, zenith was being used for other high points as well. 

Y is for Yogurt

yogurt (noun):  a slightly sour foodstuff made from fermented milk, sometimes eaten plain and sometimes with sugar or fruit added. Alternatively spelt yoghurt in some countries. 

Yogurt is mentioned several times in Scriptures, translated as curds in older translations. In ancient Middle Eastern traditions, milk was cultured and fermented to preserve it, yielding a yogurt-like food. Some modern English translations use the word yogurt to make the culinary imagery clearer for modern readers.

Finally, Yogurt is one of the major characters in Mel Brooks' SF comedy film Spaceballs, being a parody of Yoda from Star Wars. He is played by Brooks himself.