Mystery Of God Analysis

The Mystery of God can be identified through an array of forms. This complex notion can be unveiled and examined by looking at the Gospel. The Bible can help humans develop their understanding of the Mystery of God by providing them with a diverse range of representations of the ‘other’. As, these representations can assist the readers to explore the complex mysterious nature of God. Although, God is a Mystery as we cannot see him, we can still feel his existence and presence within our daily lives. The Bible exemplifies two juxtaposing representations of the Mystery of God, throughout the Old and New Testament. The first one is a Shepherds Staff and the second one is a Teacher. These two depictions are still meaningful and applicable to a

King David had a reputation for writing and performing music with his lyre. The Psalms was made to lead the Israelites in worship and it was a collection of poetry and songs made to reflect the experiences throughout Israel’s existence. There is no specific date of when Psalms was written but people roughly assume that it was around 1000 B.C As, King David reigned from around 1055-1015 B.C.E. The intended audience of Psalms was that nation of Israel, the book of Psalms was a reminder of what God had done for them. The symbolism of a staff is shown in the scripture verse Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort and protect me”. The Valley of the Shadow of Death mentioned in Psalms was reckoned as one of the most dangerous places to travel to. They could slip and fall from dangerous cliffs or be attacked by wild animals. Therefore, the sheep totally relied on the expert skills of the staff to securely guide them across this dangerous terrain. They had learnt to entirely depend on this instrument as their ultimate source of direction, safety and guidance. In the passage, King David used a staff to represent God and his spirit because it indicated his gentle care, leadership, compassion, support and protection. The rod speaks

The history and background of the Gospel of John can be uncovered through the Historical and Cultural realms. There is some speculation that the author of John was in fact the disciple John. However, all we know, is that the author was a member of the Christian community. The intended audience were the Jewish Christians-Gentiles, Jews and Samaritans. (Marybeth Haydon, 2013) The date of when John was written is unknown but it is assumed around C.E. period. There were two main festivals the Jews celebrated. The first one was the Passover- Jews celebrated this tradition as a commemoration of their liberation by God from slavery. The second ritual was the Sabbath day. It was the seventh day of the week commanded by God to be set aside as a sacred and holy day used to rest and worship. The rabbi (teacher) was viewed in society as middle class. Their status didn’t give them any special authority to conduct religious services. (John D. Clare, 1993) The imagery of the teacher is illustrated in the verse John 3:2. Nicodemus a Pharisee, approached Jesus by night to keep his meeting secret from the other Pharisees. And said, “Rabbi, we know and are certain that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs (miracles, wonderworks) you are doing if God were not with you.” In the