Our Work As Disciples – Part 2

A true disciple longing to walk so close to his rabbi that he becomes covered in the dust of his master desires one thing – to do that which makes his master pleased.  Jesus exemplified this when he said:

“I glorified you on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.”

The question of a disciple then, is “What is the work my Lord gave me to do, and what does it mean that He “gave” it to me?”  In my previous post I looked at what doing his work really means.  Essentially Jesus’ assignments are meant to chip away at the chaos of our fallen world one righteous act at a time.  That is his “work.”

But the fact that he gave it to us is also revealing.  The Greek word Mr. Strong gives us for this word “gave” is didomi.  Since Jesus said it, and since he was Hebrew, he would probably have used the word natan (H5414).  The word picture story of natan is: nun (sprouting seed = life, growth, heir) +  tav (cross = sign, covenant) + nun again.  This Hebrew “cartoon” could be interpreted as saying, “A covenant of life, and a promise of a future.”

The Hebrew word for work (see part 1) was melakah.  The root word of melakah is malak (H4397).  Malak is translated as messenger or angel; someone who bears an important message or runs an errand for the master.  When we do the work he gives us, we are bearing a message for all to read; a message of life, a message of promise, a message with a bright and glorious future.

A disciple controls chaos and reveals his master when he accomplishes the work Jesus gives.  Acting obediently as a malak, a messenger, the disciple is delivering what Jesus gave (natan), a covenant of life and a promise for a future for the entire world to see.

The task you were created to do is important, so important that Jesus gave it to you personally.  Get started disciple!

Copyright © 2013 Andy Madonio – Patriarchs, Philosophers, & Phlip Phlops

Our Work As Disciples – Part 1

I had lunch with a friend recently who stated the desire of a true disciple of Jesus.  His own personal fulfillment hinged entirely on the elusive certainty of doing in life what Jesus wanted him to do.  That touched a cord with me, as the passage of Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17 was a recent study topic.

“I glorified you on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.”

What is the “work” my Lord gave me to do, and what does it mean that He “gave” it to me?

Since the New Testament was given to us from the Greek, I started with the word work in Greek – ergon, from which we get the contemporary word ergonomics, describing the scientific study of work.  But since Jesus was a Jew, he would have used a Hebrew word, not a Greek one, so he probably would have used melakah (H4399), which means the principle business or occupation of one’s life; the service we perform in life.

The Hebrew pictures of the letters in melakah work out to be: mem (water = power, chaos) + lamed (shepherd staff = control, guide) + alef (ox = leader, strength) + kaf (open palm = cover, protect) + hey (window = reveal).  This Hebrew word picture could therefore mean, “Chaos is controlled and revealed by the strength of the protector.”

The work Jesus gives us to do for him controls the chaos that Genesis 3 wrought.  Properly doing this work means utilizing his strength, and ultimately revealing his presence in the work to the world.

We bring him glory, and it is revealed to those that need it – the world – when we do the work in his strength.  We actually reign in chaos and effect real repair to our present-day world, and we do it like he did, one simple act at a time.

[Next, what it means that the work was “given” by him for us to do.]

Copyright © 2013 Andy Madonio – Patriarchs, Philosophers, & Phlip Phlops