Awaken The Dawn

On the Potter’s Wheel

What would an average pastor do if he knew that on a certain day of teaching, church leaders, seminary pro- fessors, and leading theologians would be present in his audience? I would probably spend all my time polishing up my thoughts, researching for choice, impressive information, and practicing the right gestures and artic- ulation of words. In a similar situation, Jesus did not worry about explaining the kingdom of God. Yet, He proceeded to amaze the Pharisees and doctors of the law (“which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem”) by demonstrating the kingdom. This is the epitome of Jesus’ sojourn into the wilderness to pray. Luke records the event simply, but profoundly: “and the power of the Lord was present for Him to per- form healing.” 4 The Distinctive Word “Abba” Concept 4. The distinctive word “Abba” characterizes the relationship Jesus enjoyed with His father, and shows how His emotions and faith found clearest expression. The average reader of the Bible in English translation will find certain words hard to understand, even after it has been explained. I had this trouble with the word “Abba.” My research helped me intellectually, but not emotional- ly. I learned that the word was an Aramaic form of the Hebrew, transliterated into Greek in the New Testament and then into English. I found that the word neither appears in the Hebrew Old Testament nor the Greek Septuagint Version of the Old Testament, but it does appear in three New Testament prayers. 5 I was enlight- ened by Ralph P. Martin’s comment:

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