Like the Garden of Eden
A reading for Friday, May 9, 2014: Matthew 4:12-17.
Josephus Flavius, the best historian of the 1st century and leader of the Jewish revolt against the Romans, wrote about Capernaum.
He wrote of a sort of paradise in Capernaum, where the air is temperate but also cool and the soil is so fruitful that virtually every known tree can grow there. He wrote: "One may call this place the ambition of nature, where it forces those plants that are naturally enemies to one another to agree together." Josephus also wrote about the bountiful fishing in Capernaum. Some people compared the region to the Nile region of Egypt, so abundant with fish and fruit. Of all the cities in the region of Palestine, Capernaum was the most like the Garden of Eden.
This is where Jesus made his home. From Capernaum the Kingdom of God would be proclaimed from every tree, every fruit, and every fish. The abundance of creation was on display in Capernaum, and perhaps demonstrated even for Jesus the grace and abundance of God the Father. Only 1500 people lived in Capernaum. It was a small town. Yet it was a great blessing for the world.
It's spring in Middle TN, and across the nation. The abundance of creation is on display. The trees bloom and flower, the birds sing, the chipmunks play alongside the deer, and all of it proclaims the Kingdom of God. This too is where Jesus dwells.
What great blessings we enjoy in the abundance of God's creation and the grace and peace found in Christ Jesus... even when it rains!
Josephus Flavius, the best historian of the 1st century and leader of the Jewish revolt against the Romans, wrote about Capernaum.
He wrote of a sort of paradise in Capernaum, where the air is temperate but also cool and the soil is so fruitful that virtually every known tree can grow there. He wrote: "One may call this place the ambition of nature, where it forces those plants that are naturally enemies to one another to agree together." Josephus also wrote about the bountiful fishing in Capernaum. Some people compared the region to the Nile region of Egypt, so abundant with fish and fruit. Of all the cities in the region of Palestine, Capernaum was the most like the Garden of Eden.
This is where Jesus made his home. From Capernaum the Kingdom of God would be proclaimed from every tree, every fruit, and every fish. The abundance of creation was on display in Capernaum, and perhaps demonstrated even for Jesus the grace and abundance of God the Father. Only 1500 people lived in Capernaum. It was a small town. Yet it was a great blessing for the world.
It's spring in Middle TN, and across the nation. The abundance of creation is on display. The trees bloom and flower, the birds sing, the chipmunks play alongside the deer, and all of it proclaims the Kingdom of God. This too is where Jesus dwells.
What great blessings we enjoy in the abundance of God's creation and the grace and peace found in Christ Jesus... even when it rains!
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