EXTRAVAGANT LOVE: GOD'S WAY VS OUR WAY
Our OT lesson in ISAIAH 43: 16-21 offers a window into the life of Israelites in Babylonian exile. It is hard not to imagine their spirits totally broken by the harsh realities of exile. God’s word in Isaiah assured them that God will be with them in their trials, and promised them protection no matter what they go through, be waters and rivers, or fire and flame. What is interesting is that God is saying that this new thing that He was about to do, will be an astonishing thing: His rescue will be spectacular in the same way that He rescued their ancestors by creating a way where there was no way. (They were reminded how their ancestors had crossed the Red Sea on dry land) That in itself should create peace and hope in their hearts. That is God’s way. He is our redeemer and rescuer. We are again here In the Gospel of John (12:1-8), introduced to God’s way in Jesus who was a week away from going to the cross to redeem humanity. We learn God’s way in everything he did and said in farewe...