A Note of The Life of Jonathan

The story of Jonathan is written in 1 Samuel. He does not seem to be the main character in 1 Samuel compare to his father, Saul or his best friend, David. However, it does not mean that Jonathan was not a great man. Jonathan was actually a truly great man. Just because he didn’t raise to the throne of Israel does not mean Jonathan is not a great man. He is great not in human standard, but even in the higher standard: God’s standard.

The name Jonathan, son of Saul, is first found in 1 Samuel 13 : 2. Jonathan name is first heard in a battleship.  Not so long after mentioning his name, the bible records his military greatness. Jonathan attacks the Philistines and wins the battle. In next chapter we read even more amazing story about Jonathan. Together with his armor bearer -and only together with his armor bearer, Jonathan attacked the Philistines in their own refuges and also killed twenty men. This initial attack, led to the victory of Israel.

After 1 Samuel chapter 14, the bible does not tell us the military greatness story about Jonathan anymore. Instead, the bible records another aspect of Jonathan’s greatness. As King Saul’s firstborn, Jonathan is the heir of the throne of Israel. But besides his heredity factor, Jonathan is also worth to be next king by his character. Unlike his father, Saul who had very little faith, Jonathan was a man of faith. His braveness to attack philistine that was by any human point of view stronger than Israel, showed his faith to God. We read that the reason of his attack because he believed that nothing could restrain God from saving either by many of by few. He was a military leader that led through examples. He was loved by the army of Israel that they were stopping Saul to kill Jonathan in order to fill Saul’s vow.  But besides all of these, he had to face a fact that the throne Israel wouldn’t be his and it was not because his fault but because his father’s fault. He had to face a fact that in spite of his faith to God, God chose David to be the next king. What a bitter fact he had to face.  But, we never read Jonathan complains about these situations! What we read even more strange, Jonathan supports David to be the next king. He made a friendship to David, kept loyal to him and never supported his father’s plan to kill David. What an amazing character. A rightful prince of the throne of Israel was ready to be the second!

There is no question about how big Jonathan’s faith is. Just look his deeds when attacking a greater enemy because his believe in God. But, there should be also no question about how loyal Jonathan is. Look what he did both to his best friend and to his father. Jonathan never supports his father’s plan to kill David, he even works to save David’s life. Although he knows where David hid, he never betrays his friend by telling his father such information. On other side, we also read the unquestionable loyalty of Jonathan to his father. His father is totally not a good father to be an example. His father is full of envy, very self-centered that he even tries to kill Jonathan when he is trying to change his mind of killing David. But, Jonathan never leaves his father! He was there in last battle of his father. He died in side of his father and again because of his father disloyalty to God. Jonathan’s father is a self-centered individual but Jonathan never copies his father’s character. However, he did respect his father in spite of his dishonorable character. This loyal character is very beautiful in sight of God, like it is written in Proverbs 3:3,4.

Beside becoming an example of faith and loyalty, Jonathan is also an example of self-abnegation. Must be hard for him to know that God set him aside from the throne of Israel. But, Jonathan refuses to  pamper his feeling, instead, he supports God’s plan to set David to throne of Israel. These all could happen only because Jonathan loves God and David more than he loves himself. At the end of his life, Jonathan may no receive what is worth for him. But his story stands firm to be a witness about the existence of faith, loyalty and self-abnegation love in this sinful world. Like John the Baptist, he vanished in the silence. But like John the Baptist also, I believe about him Jesus Himself would testify that among all men that is born from the womb of woman there is no greater man than him.

SINGA DARI SUKU YEHUDA

Sumber: www.joyfultoons.com

What does Rom 5: 20 mean?

Rom 5:20 has been a quite difficult verse in the bible. It says:

The law added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more. (NIV)

At first glance, this verse is like to mean that the function of the law is to increase sin, so, when the sin is increased, grace will increase all the more. Does it mean that the law is given to make us sin?

Answering this question is not easy though. But, understanding what the whole idea of the book Romans is might help. The main idea of the book of Romans, which is also what the gospel is, is Salvation by faith (Rom 3:28, 1:17). If we add more detail to that short phrase it would be: Salvation by faith through the grace of The Lord. That’s all. Salvation has not something to do with our deeds; it depends on the grace of God only. It even has nothing to do with law; it depends on our faith in Jesus Christ. Well, don’t get it wrong, to mean that now we can do everything since the law is not needed anymore. In fact, this is what Rom 5: 20 try to explain.

The law of God was there even when Adam was not created. But, it was first publicly proclaimed in the Mount of Sinai. In Mount of Sinai, human race for first time, heard the voice of God proclaiming his law and then not only was being proclaimed, the law was also being written. We can see this moment as the time when the law was added. Why was it added? To save Israelites? Absolutely not. Like in the New Testament, so it was in the Old Testament that Salvation comes only from the Grace of The Lord. God didn’t wait the Israelites to live a righteous life until he saved them from the bondage of Egypt. He saved them first before they realized how big their sins were. After saving the Israelites, God then gave His law. Why? To make them know how great their sin are. The law was given to make the Israelites knew their position; knew their trespass that might never be realized if God’s law has never been given. The law acts like a mirror to show our sins. The more knowledge we know about the law the more we realize how extent our sins are. In this term, we could say: “The law added so that the trespass might increase”. But it doesn’t stop there. It continues with: “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more”. This next sentence is as important as the previous one. Because, this sentence gives us the other purpose of law given that is to make us seek the grace of God that indeed has already been there. The law-giving purpose is not only to make us realize our sins but also to encourage us to hold on God tightly because He offers us the grace that abounded enough to deal with our sin.

Note:
For deeper bible study, you may find this link useful.

Why does the idea that we can save ourselves through our works leave us so open to sin?

This question is very interesting for me. Before going to the answer, maybe it is proper to question is it true that if we believe in the idea that we can save ourselves through our works leave us so open to sin? The short answer: Yes. Why then? And what is the evidence? Well, I won’t go to any theological thoughts. My answer is simply based on one story that is written in the bible. That is, the story of Cain and Abel.

Cain and Abel were told how to worship God; how to offer sacrifices to God. As we know, Abel obeyed God’s command to offer Him a lamb while Cain tried another way; fruits of the soil. The act of these two men, in my opinion, shows us the two ways that the men of all ages will try in order to get justification: by faith or by works. Abel obeyed God’s command and God accepted it. Cain tried his own way, or his own works, and God ignored it. The interesting part is what happened after that. Having been rejected by God, Cain planned to kill Abel and then he did. He became the first murderer in the earth! The idea of being justified by his own works, led Cain to kill Abel when he saw that God rejected his works. This story gives us an evident that believing in the idea that we can save ourselves through our works leave us so open to sin.

The next question is, why then? In my opinion, it goes like this: when we believe that we could have the justification by our own works, then the center is now ourselves. We focus to ourselves to make it rightful for the justification. But, it won’t work. The bible tells us that all men have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (roman 3:23). By our own power, no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to satisfy the demands of the law. As long as we try to obey the law by our own power we will always fail and fail again. We will sin and sin again. We are so open to sin. In other hand, if we confess that we couldn’t save ourselves through our works and thus, need some external powers, we will come to God to get His help. We need God to make it done for us, and as the result, the center is not ourselves anymore but God. We depend on Him to get the justification; and, the result of this dependence is closer relationship to God that off course, will give us a power to obey the law of God in turn.

This is what would it be

Have you ever asked yourself what the benefits are of having filled the Holy Spirit which most likely to have so many rules? Well, this time I want to highlights some stories of the bible that tell us what would it be if we are filled by the Holy Spirit and what would it be when we are filled by the unclean spirit. Let’s start it from the Book of Mark chapter five.

One day, Jesus and his disciples came to the region of Gerasenes. This arrival got an unusual welcome. They were welcomed not by Gentiles nor by Pharisees nor by people who were looking for miracles nor by people who were interested in Jesus’ teaching, instead, they were welcomed by a man who had unclean spirit ruled his mind.

The condition of this man was very pathetic. He was a very strong man. In verse 4, Marks records that no one was strong enough to subdue him. The spirits who were in him gave him a special power. We may imagine that with this special power he could do many things that could make him be honored. He could have used his power to gain an authority at that territory for example, by subduing roman soldier maybe, so then he could arise as a hero, loved and honored by his people. But the bible does not tell us about that, instead, the bible says that he did so many destructive things. He even destructed his own body. Instead of living in the comfort living place as it should be for a strong man, he lived in the tombs. Instead of covering himself with beautiful clothes, he went naked; very pity. He made a friendship with an evil spirit but when the evil spirit became a part of him, what the spirit did was just to lead him to cut his body. He, maybe, interested in Satan’s way because it seemed to promise much more freedom than God’s way. But when he was on that way, he found himself just a kind of prisoner. Instead of having done many things he liked, he even was unable to do basic things for human to retain his life. He was unable to take care himself. He even was unable to speak for himself. What a very pity condition; and this actually what would happen to anyone who is controlled by an evil spirit. This is what would it be when one is controlled by an evil spirit! The more spirit in the body the more pathetic one would be!

From this very pathetic situation, let us jump to another story; to the story of a man who is recorded as man with the Holy Spirit inside him. There are so many men that can be the example of what it would be when one is filled with the Holy Spirit. But, among all of them, I specially put attention on Daniel. It is not less than six times that the bible records Daniel as a someone that in whom is the spirit of holy gods (Dan 4:8-9,18; Dan 5:11-12,14). These six acknowledgments come from three different persons. What a wonderful recognition, especially if we notice that those there person (which are King Nebuchadnezzar, Queen of Belteshazzar, and King Belteshazzar) are important persons who are also non believers.

Daniel is an important man in his time. From the young age, he seated on the elite government chair. He worked for the at least two kings, and all the kings that he worked for were always satisfy with his work. But interesting enough, that Daniel was not only known as a man whose intelligence had no match with, Daniel was also known as a man whom in him is the” spirit of the gods”. From the first chapter of the book of Daniel, we are told how Daniel keeps the pureness of his body. How he refuses to defile his body (Dan 1). How he gives the glory to God only and keeps himself away from receiving a glory that belongs to God only (Dan 2). Later on, we also find how Daniel always keeps his relationship with heaven through a constant time of prayer (Dan 9). With all of those things that Daniel did, it is no wonder if his body becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. And what are the results of having the Holy Spirit stayed in our body? All the achievement that Daniel had tells us what the results are! Instead of making people scary with his deeds, Daniel was called to calm down a frightened king. Instead of living in the tombs, Daniel was living in king palace. Instead of saying perplexed words, Daniel spoke wisdom. Daniel is recorded as an intelligence man, a wise man, the faithful one, a man that the kings can rely on. He is also recorded as a prophet, even one of the five big prophets. Those are the results of having filled with the Holy Spirit! That is what it would be when the Holy Spirit is in our body.

From the very beginning of time, the process of man creation teaches us what makes us have a very high value, what makes us become “a little lower than God” (Psalm 8:5). Our basic material is just the dust of the earth. What is the value of the dust of the earth? Almost nothing! It is almost worthless. Which one of us should expense his money just to buy the dust of the earth? None! So, if our basic material is so worthless what then makes us become a little-lower-than God being? Is it because the dust has been formed into some kind of artworks that has a form like God’s image? No. When Adam had been formed in the image of God, he did not automatically become a living being. A bird in the sky was more valuable at this moment. We become the most valuable creation in this earth not because our basic material nor even because we are physically formed in the image of God. Adam became the most valuable creation when he became a living being; and when did it start? It started after God breathed into his nostrils. When Adam inherited God’s breath, he became the most valuable creation in the earth! When Adam inherited the breath of God, the spirit of God, he became a little-lower-than-God being.

All these stories, the story of a man in Gerasenes, Daniel and the process of the creation of the man should have taught us the differences between having filled with the Holy Spirit and having filled with the Evil spirit. God loves us. He always wants us to become precious, glorious and honorable. Even more, He wants us to inherit His own glory and the everlasting nature. On the contrary, what Satan always wants is to humiliate us. Even more, he wants us to inherit the everlasting perish. The power to choose is always ours. We may choose to be ruled by the unclean spirit and then inherit all humiliation that will come with it or choose to be ruled by the Holy Spirit to inherit all kind of highness that come with it.

Are you Jesus?

Suatu hari ada serombongan pria, berjumlah tujuh orang yang tergabung dalam Full Gospel Bussinesman Fellowship International dari Boston hendak pergi ke suatu tempat untuk mengadakan pertemuan tahunan. Ketujuh pria ini sedang dalam keadaan panik karena mereka sedang ditunggu pesawat yang hendak menuju ke kota di mana pertemuan itu diadakan.

Dari jauh terdengar panggilan agar mereka segera naik ke pesawat, karena kalau tidak mereka harus menunggu lima jam lagi untuk keberangkatan berikutnya. Dan menunggu pasti adalah pekerjaan yang paling membosankan. Jadi ketika turun dari mobil, ketujuh pria ini berlari sekuat tenaga agar mereka tidak ditinggal pesawat. Sementara jarak dari lobby, ke ruang tunggu dan ke lapangan pesawat sangat jauh. Mereka saling berteriak satu sama lain agar berlari lebih kencang lagi supaya segera sampai ke pesawat. Tidak ada tujuan lain dalam benak mereka, selain berlari secepatnya sampai di pesawat dan tidak tertinggal.

Seperti biasa, di bandara Boston banyak sekali orang berjualan, termasuk seorang gadis kecil buta yang berjualan buah di pinggir koridor jalan menuju ke ruang tunggu. Ketika ketujuh pria itu sedang berlari sekencang-kencangnya, tiba-tiba salah satu dari mereka menabrak meja apel milik gadis kecil ini sehingga meja itu terbalik dan susunan apelnya jatuh berantakan ke lantai. Apel itu berserakan di lantai bahkan berguling-guling jauh meninggalkan meja gadis buta yang malang itu.

Sementara itu, tujuh pria itu terus berlari tanpa memperdulikan apa yang sudah terjadi. Mereka berkata, “Cepat, jangan pedulikan, kita akan segera tertinggal!” Mereka benar-benar tidak mau menunggu lima jam berikutnya. Sementara itu gadis buta yang malang itu menangis sambil meraba-raba mencari buah apelnya yang jatuh berserakan. Ia tampak begitu sedih. Sambil menangis ia berkata kepada orang-orang disekitarnya, “Help me! Help me!” Namun tidak ada seorangpun yang tergerak untuk menolongnya.

Namun tiba-tiba salah satu dari tujuh pria tadi, (bukan orang yang menabak meja gadis penjual apel itu), menengok ke belakang dan melihat gadis kecil itu sedang meraba-raba ke lantai sambil menangis, mencari buah apelnya yang berserakan. Tampak tidak seorangpun yang memperdulikan. Di tengah larinya yang kencang tiba-tiba langkahnya terhenti ketika melihat gadis tersebut. Sementara ke enam temannya sambil berlari berkata, “Ayo cepat! Kenapa kamu berhenti? Kita akan segera tertinggal!” Di tengah pergumulannya mau meneruskan perjalanan ini atau berbalik menolong gadis malang itu, akhirnya ia berkata kepada teman-temannya, “Kalian berangkat duluan saja, saya akan menyusul dengan pesawat berikutnya.”

Namun teman-temannya mengatakan bahwa pertemuan itu sudah dimulai jika ia harus menunggu lima jam lagi. Tapi sekali lagi ia berkata, “Tidak, kalian berangkat saja duluan, saya akan segera menyusul dengan pesawat berikutnya. Kalian berangkat saja sekarang!”

Akhirnya keenam temannya itu meninggalkan dia. Kemudian ia segera berlari menghampiri gadis kecil itu karena hatinya tidak tahan melihat kesulitan gadis itu. Pria ini kemudian segera membantunya memungut apel-apel itu. Setelah itu dia berkata kepada gadis kecil ini, “Saya minta maaf karena teman saya sudah menabrak meja apel Anda. Saya datang untuk menyusun kembali apel yang berserakan, dan sekarang apel tersebut sudah tersusun seperti semula. Tapi mungkin ada apel yang rusak. Saya tidak tahu berapa harga yang harus saya bayar untuk apel yang rusak itu, tapi terimalah pemberian ini”. Kata pria itu sambil mengeluarkan sejumlah uang. Pria itu telah menggantikan jauh lebih besar seandainyapun seluruh apel itu laku terjual. Kemudian sambil menangis dan terharu, si gadis kecil ini berkata, “Are you Jesus?” Are you Jesus, Sir?

Pertanyaannya, kapan terakhir kali kita mendengar kalimat itu di telinga kita? Gadis kecil buta itu hanya tahu dalam hidupnya bahwa orang yang baik itu adalah Yesus. Sebab itu ia bertanya, “Are you Jesus?” Karena baginya hanya orang yang namanya Yesus yang dapat berbuat seperti itu. Mungkin ia tidak kenal bahwa Yesus adalah Tuhan, tapi ia pernah mendengar bahwa ada Seseorang yang bernama Yesus. Orang itu adalah seorang pribadi yang suka menolong. Yang dapat menangis ketika melihat orang lain menangis.

Seringkali dalam hidup kita, kita sering lupa dengan orang-orang di sekitar kita yang sangat membutuhkan kita. Karena kita hanya terpaku mengejar keinginan kita, impian kita, ambisi pribadi kita atau mungkin target hidup yang sudah kita susun. Dan tidak boleh ada yang menghalangi kita untuk mencapainya. Sehingga kita lupa sebenarnya untuk apa dan untuk siapa kita hidup dan kita lupa siapa diri kita sebenarnya.

Kapan terakhir kali Anda mendengar sebuah kata terucap dari mulut seseorang yang sedang mengharapkan pertolongan, “Are you Jesus?”

Dikutip dari suatu sumber.

“namun aku hidup, tetapi bukan lagi aku sendiri yang hidup, melainkan Kristus yang hidup di dalam aku. Dan hidupku yang kuhidupi sekarang di dalam daging, adalah hidup oleh iman dalam Anak Allah yang telah mengasihi aku dan menyerahkan diri-Nya untuk aku”
Gal 2 : 20

Allah yang Setia dan Suka Mengampuni

Saya katakan amin pada ayat-ayat ini. Allah kita baik.

8 TUHAN adalah penyayang dan pengasih, panjang sabar dan berlimpah kasih setia.
9 Tidak selalu Ia menuntut, dan tidak untuk selama-lamanya Ia mendendam.
10 Tidak dilakukan-Nya kepada kita setimpal dengan dosa kita, dan tidak dibalas-Nya kepada kita setimpal dengan kesalahan kita,
11 tetapi setinggi langit di atas bumi, demikian besarnya kasih setia-Nya atas orang-orang yang takut akan Dia;
12 sejauh timur dari barat, demikian dijauhkan-Nya dari pada kita pelanggaran kita
13 Seperti bapa sayang kepada anak-anaknya, demikian TUHAN sayang kepada orang-orang yang takut akan Dia.
14 Sebab Dia sendiri tahu apa kita, Dia ingat, bahwa kita ini debu.
17 Tetapi kasih setia TUHAN dari selama-lamanya sampai selama-lamanya atas orang-orang yang takut akan Dia, dan keadilan-Nya bagi anak cucu,
18 bagi orang-orang yang berpegang pada perjanjian-Nya dan yang ingat untuk melakukan titah-Nya.

Mazmur 103

Tuhan itu baik

Tuhan itu baik. Ia selamanya baik terhadap makhluk ciptaan-Nya.
Tuhan itu baik. Dia memberi kehidupan kepada mereka yang akan menyembah-Nya dan kepada mereka yang akan menista-Nya
Tuhan itu baik. Dia menyokong kehidupan mereka yang memuja-Nya dan mereka yang menghina-Nya.
Tuhan itu baik. Dia selamanya sabar terhadap kemurtadan manusia.
Tuhan itu baik. Ia acap kali menahan diri dari melakukan tindakan pemusnahan terhadap mereka yang menghujat-Nya.
Tuhan itu baik. Dia menerima dengan sukacita sekecil atau sebesar apapun pemberian yang diberikan kepada-Nya dengan rasa syukur.
Tuhan itu baik. Dia mudah ditemui oleh orang-orang yang bersungguh hati kepada-Nya.
Tuhan itu baik. Dia mendengar setiap doa.
Tuhan itu baik. Dia mengampuni segala dosa.
Tuhan itu baik. Dia memenuhi kebutuhan manusia.
Tuhan itu baik. Dia tidak membenci mereka yang menolak dan menghina-Nya karena mereka tidak memperoleh yang mereka inginkan.
Tuhan itu baik. Dia perhatian terhadap semua makhluk ciptaan-Nya bahkan kepada burung-burung kecil sekalipun.
Tuhan itu baik. Ia memukul mereka yang dicintai-Nya yang berbuat kesalahan karena Ia ingin menyelamatkan mereka dari kebinasaan.
Tuhan itu baik. Ia turut menangis pada setiap pukulan yang diberikan-Nya kepada mereka yang dicintai-Nya.
Tuhan itu baik. Ia menerima semua pertobatan dan bersedia bekerja untuk memperbaiki kerusakan yang telah terjadi.
Tuhan itu baik. Ia ingin kamu mengetahui bahwa Ia baik karena Ia ingin kamu sadar bahwa Ia ingin bersahabat denganmu

“Bersyukurlah kepada TUHAN, sebab I baik! Bahwasanya untuk selama-lamanya kasih setia-Nya”

LT Yohanes 1 : 35 – 42

Kalau saya perhatikan, perikop ini bercerita tentang kedua murid Yohanes yang mengikuti Tuhan Yesus. Mereka rupanya membututi Tuhan Yesus. Mengetahui hal itu, Tuhan Yesus mengambil insiatiaf pertama untuk menyapa mereka. “Apakah yang kamu cari?” adalah pertanyaan yang diajukan Tuhan Yesus. Ada banyak kemungkinan jawaban yang bisa diberikan untuk pertanyaan Tuhan Yesus itu. Namun, mengapa murid-murid itu malah menanyakan “dimana Engkau tinggal?”? Mengapa mereka tidak mengaggap itu sebagai kesempatan untuk menyakan apakah mereka boleh menjadi murid Tuhan Yesus atau tidak. Saya hanya bisa menduga-duga tentang mengapa mereka menanyakan pertanyaan seperti itu ke Tuhan Yesus. Mungkin mereka ragu-ragu atau mungkin mereka gugup sehingga tidak percaya diri. Tetapi satu hal yang pasti; jawaban Tuhan Yesus atas pertanyaan tempat tinggal-Nya bukanlah “alamat” Dia tinggal. “Mari ikut Aku” adalah jawaban dari Sang Juruselamat. Dengan jawaban seperti itu, terbukalah kesempatan untuk mengadakan suatu hubungan jangka panjang.

Sampai saat itu, kemungkinan besar tidak ada seorang pun yang tahu dimana Tuhan Yesus tinggal. Ia tidak punya rumah tetap, Ia juga belum terlalu dikenal sehingga kebiasaanNya bermalam di taman juga belum diketahui. Demikian juga dengan saya, saya tidak tahu dimana sorga itu. Tidak seorang manusia pun tahu dimana sorga itu. Hanya Tuhan Yesus yang tahu. Namun jika saya bertanya kepada-Nya : “dimana sorga itu Tuhan”? Maka saya yakin, Ia tidak akan memberikan jawaban berupa sebuah koordinat. Ia akan beri lebih daripada itu. Ia juga tidak akan hanya memberi tahu cara ke situ. Ia akan berikan lebih daripada itu. Karena yang akan diberikan-Nya adalah diri-Nya; diri-Nya yang akan menuntun, langkah demi langkah, setiap orang yang mau pergi ke sorga.

LT Yohanes 1 : 29 – 34

Pada pelajaran yang lalu, saya diingatkan bahwa Yohanes adalah seseorang yang diutus oleh Allah untuk menyatakan, mempersipakan jalan, bagi Tuhan Yesus. Oleh karena tugasnya itu, pekabarannya penting bukan hanya bagi orang Israel dulu tapi juga bagi saya. Kesaksian Yohanes tentang Yesus adalah bahwa Yesus adalah “Anak domba Allah, yang menghapus dosa dunia.”. Cukup menarik bahwa ditengah-tengah harapan kedatangan mesias sebagai penyelamat dari perhambaan Romawi, Yohanes malah memberi kesaksian bahwa Tuhan Yesus adalah anak domba. Yohanes tidak memberi kesaksian bahwa Tuhan Yesus adalah raja segala raja, penakluk atau gambaran-gambaran lain yang menggambarkan keperkasaan (seperti yang diidam-idamkan oleh bangsa Israel). Diilhami oleh Roh Allah, ia memberi gambaran bahwa Yesus adalah anak domba, suatu hewan yang identik sebagai hewan yang dikorbankan untuk pengampunan dosa. Demikianlah Allah menurut saya, dalam cara-Nya berusaha untuk menyadarkan umat Israel tentang harapan-harapan mereka yang salah tentang mesias. Namun demikian, hal ini tampaknya tidak diperhatikan oleh bangsa Israel.

Berbeda dengan orang Israel yang tuli terhadap suara Tuhan, Yohanes peka terhadap suara Tuhannya. Ia sanggup membedakan Sang Mesias diantara ribuan orang Israel pada waktu itu. Tuhan Yesus belum memulai pengajaran maupun mujizat-mujizat-Nya namun Yohanes sudah tahu bahwa Tuhan Yesus adalah Sang Mesias. Ini tentu saja bukan karena kesanggupannya sendiri namun karena ia memiliki hubungan yang hidup dengan Allah yang hidup. Inilah yang menyanggupkan Yohanes mengenal suara Allah. Inilah yang membuat Ia mendapat pernyataan Allah tentang tanda yang akan diberikan kepadanya untuk mengetahui Sang Mesias. Hubungan yang hidup dengan Allah yang hidup adalah kunci keberhasilan Yohanes mengenali Sang Mesias. Hal yang sama juga terjadi pada Simeon dan Hana. Seperti yang dikisahkan Lukas 2, mereka sanggup mengenali Sang Mesias bahkan ketika Sang Mesias itu masih dalam keadaan sebagai bayi yang lemah.  Kuncinya tetap sama, keduanya memiliki hubungan yang hidup dengan Allah yang hidup.

Satu aplikasi bagi saya adalah bahwa hubungan yang hidup dengan Allah yang hidup adalah cara untuk mengenal Tuhan Yesus. Saya tidak akan mengenal Tuhan Yesus tanpa itu. Tidak, sekalipun Ia menyatakan mujizat-mujizat besar. Hanya hubungan yang hidup dengan Allah yang hidup  yang memungkinkan saya mengetahui siapa Tuhan Yesus itu. Lagi pula, bukankah ada tertulis:

“Umat-Ku binasa karena tidak mengenal Allah..” Hosea 4 : 6

Jadi, jika pengenalan akan Allah itu begitu penting untuk kelangsungan hidup saya, betapa saya harus tetap menjaga hubungan yang hidup dengan Allah yang hidup.