2 Sept 2014 - focal pointed

Jesus invites us to know him. But we can't do it on our own. To understand what Peter understands, that he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, we need something more than flesh and blood.

no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.

Jesus is with the Father from the beginning. He is with God and he is God (cf. Joh. 1:1). He is in the form of God (cf. Phi. 2:6). In "him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily" (cf. Col 2:9).  He is God blessed forever (cf. Rom. 9:5). Where would our human minds even begin? He is utterly without limits.  He is completely unbound by change. Yet he is not capricious. He is merciful and just. He is love itself. The incarnation makes this at once harder and easier to grasp. Now he looks like us. Now he accepts apparent limits by which God is not bound. He even accepts death. Yet here, within these limits, he reveals that the greatness of his love. It is love that only God can have.

To hold all these apparent contradictions within our minds at once we need help. Without help we will imagine a Jesus that is simply human and not God.  Or else we will imagine a God who will never choose to become man for us.  But the Spirit comes to our aid in our weakness.

We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may understand the things freely given us by God.

Christ reveals to us everything that the Father tells him (cf. Joh. 15:15). But to do this he first has to give us his own mind.  Hence, "we have the mind of Christ." So how do we actually get that mind, practically? Well, we have it! Our minds are regenerated in baptism. We are "enlightened" by the waters of the Spirit. But we have to let that mind transform us. And Jesus helps us with this, too. It is by "the riches of his glory" that we are strengthened in this way (cf. Eph. 3:16).

He is the one who speaks with authority to the demons that still clamor for dominance within us. We all still have the voices of the old self trying to shout down the voice of Christ. May we not listen to those voices. Jesus enters our very minds so command all that is unclean within us to come out. We need fill our minds with his words so that the words of demons can find no room.

They were all amazed and said to one another,
“What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out.”

We need to "take every thought captive to obey Christ" using the very strength he gives us to do so. Our focus determines so much. Jesus is within our hearts trying to shift our focus to God. Let us not stubbornly fixate on the words of demons who try to bring us down.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

When we do this we join the crowds who are amazed at his word. We give him thanks and bless him.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.