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Wonder 1 - Intro ...
Monday, August 24, 2009. A week about the topic “wonder”. The bible is full of wonders. When the Israelites left Egypt, there was an abundance of wonders. Wonders are linked to the names of David and Solomon, they are linked to many prophets. Wonders have been an important part of the life of Jesus. And when the apostles founded the first churches, they experienced God's wonders in their life. Wonders are an integral part of the message of the Old and New Testament.
We want to talk about the framework and purpose of wonders in the bible. When and why do people experience wonders? The Israelites have been in Egypt for 400 years. There are not many wonders recorded during this period of time. There are times in the Old and in the New Testament, when wonders seem to be rare. Jesus lived for 30 years before he started to perform wonders. Everything has its time.
We will need to talk a) about the goals of God, when we want to understand wonders. We need to understand b) the power of God. And c) do we need to talk about our understanding of this world, about laws and events, about science and how wonders fit into our image of our life and surrounding. Further, wonders play an important role in the theology of some parts of christianity. We want to talk d) about the emphasis on wonders as well.
First, wonders are important for that what happens around Jesus. Jesus himself told the disciples of John the baptist (Matthew 11, 4): Go and let John know what you have seen and heard about 5 that blind people can now see, that lame people can now walk, people have been healed of leprosy, deaf people can now hear, dead people have come back to life, and poor people are hearing good news. 6 Gods favour is on people who are not upset by what I am doing.
Wonders around Jesus are a sign of something important to happen. Wonders take place where people of faith are moving forward to carry out the mission of God. Wonders here are a sign to confirm and show that the claims of Jesus are valid. Wonders here indicate the healing which Jesus is supposed to bring: it is a healing of our relationship to God. That will be our first topic. [R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]
