I Shall be Perfected (Giungo al Termine della mia Corsa)

I was never much of a runner; at least not a very fast one. But late in my teens, I discovered something I was better at… running distance. I may have lacked speed but I did have some endurance. This is similar to how our Christian walk is. As we mature in Cristo we learn that this is not a sprint but more of a long distance marathon.

And not only is our walk like a marathon, it's also like an obstacle course. We see an example of this in the life of Christ.

In Luca 13:31 Jesus, Gesù, received a warning that Herod was out to kill him. (I'd say that qualifies as an obstacle.) But He didn't respond in fear. He knew that these "obstacles" were an unavoidable part of His mission. Gesù remained confident because He also knew that He had entered His final lap.

Today and tomorrow I cast out demons and heal, He said in versetto 32. And the third day I shall be perfected. But what did He mean when He said I shall be perfected?

Full of Light (Illuminato)

During Week 9 of our journey through il Nuovo Testamento, we looked at Marco 13:24 which talks about not just the light of the moon but its splendore, splendor. 

(See: The Moon and its Light/La Luna e il suo Splendore)

I love it when the Word, la Parola uses grand words like these to describe God and the things of God. Sometimes I think that in our demand for everything to be simple, quick and easy, we unknowingly strip away the full meaning of things which make God's word so… well splendido, splendid. Don't get me wrong, simple and easy definitely has its place. But if we are ever going to grasp the greatness of God in this life (as much as possible anyway), then sometimes we're going to need some adjectives that at least try to capture how awesome our God and His Kingdom really are.

So here in Luca 11, we see la Bibbia once again teaching us about the wonders of God's light, la luce.

Luca 11:34  tells us that the lamp of the body is they eye, so that if your eye is good, your whole body will therefore be full of light. And Luca 11:36 adds that when you are filled with light on the inside, it's like a bright shining lamp or candle that when lit gives off its light to the space it's in. But again as in Marco 13:24, the Italian version of  Luca 11:36 uses the phrase il suo splendore. God's light within us is no ordinary light but one that is full of splendor.

She Brought Forth her Firstborn (Diede alla Luce)

The second chapter of Luca, Luke, tells the story of the Birth of Christ. Specifically, Luca 2:7 tells us that Mary gave birth to, or brought forth, her firstborn son.

But if you read Luca 2:7 in an Italian version of the Bible, you won't see a literal translation of gave birth or brought forth. It says, diede alla luce.

This phrase literally means, she gave to the light, her firstborn son. What an awesome way to describe Christ's birth into this world. Now lest you think this is a specific way of describing the entrance of the Son of God into the world, let me point out that Luca 1:57 uses this same phrase, diede alla luce, when speaking of the birth of John the Baptist as well. In fact, this wording is used throughout the Italian version of the Bible and throughout Italy in general.

The Moon and its Light/La Luna e il suo Splendore

La Bibbia, the Bible, constantly reminds me of how awesome God is.

God can take a single passage of scripture, and from that one passage, reveal to us multiple truths. A single verse can hold different meanings for different people. And a single story can hold many additional gems that aren't really the main focus of the story.

For example, Mark 13 speaks of the last days. But in v. 24, I found a little gem of truth buried like hidden treasure.

It talks about a time when the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. But the real treat is in how the Italian version describes the moon's light. It's called il splendore of la luna, the moon.