A Day of Mourning

First of all...

Dear Lord, please tell me, someone, that I did not wake up this afternoon to see that the dreaded Evil Empire had once again beaten the Beloved 5-0 to sweep this series?? Please??

Sigh.

Oh, well. *hitches up pants* The Red Sox are still the best team in baseball for now. And there is a three game series left at Fenway next month.

Ok. Now for some serious stuff.

I'm reading in the Gospel of John this afternoon, and I read the passage where the soldiers, led by Judas, come to arrest Jesus. I used to be really tough on Judas, until I realized that the poor man was nothing more than a pawn in God's plan. Yes, me made a choice, but that choice was pretty much cosmetic. Jesus, himself, said that it would have been better for Judas if he had never been born.

Anyway, over the years, I have heard people of the more "charismatic" persuasion use this passage as an argument for the mythical condition of "slain in the spirit." Mind you, it is my firm opinion that this is one of the most unbiblical of all of the "charismatic" beliefs. As I was reading the passage this afternoon (you know, where all the soldiers fall down to the ground when Jesus announces that "I am he!"), it occurred to me that it is impossible for this to be an example of "slain in the spirit." There are several reasons for this. First, the "Spirit" was not there yet. Jesus just said two chapters earlier that he had to leave for the Spirit to come. Second, these soldiers were not "in the spirit," anyway. In order for someone to be "in the spirit," they must be believers in Jesus Christ. In fact, at this point in history, the only person who existed who could be said to be "in the spirit" was Jesus Christ, himself! So there you go. Can I explain what happened to these soldiers at this point? Not really. But that doesn't matter. I can certainly explain what did not happen to them. And they most definitely were not "slain in the spirit."

TTFN, y'all!