tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736427810720155529.post2269435351149514835..comments2023-08-09T07:48:53.962-04:00Comments on Bear Witness to the Light: From Heaven The LORD Looks Down Upon The EarthFr. John L. Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16167510362871783781noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736427810720155529.post-64284686376005208832011-02-17T03:25:15.084-05:002011-02-17T03:25:15.084-05:00'I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign...'I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.'<br /><br />With its seven traditional shades (the covenant number) the rainbow is a beautiful sign. I expect that when the Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign, something like a rainbow would probably have satisfied them! But the cross is actually related to an arc. In geometry, if you want to construct a perpendicular (as you must to draw a proper cross) you draw two intersecting arcs in the form of the fish symbol. There are two arcs in the story of Noah: one on the water (his Ark arc) and one over the water (the rainbow arc). So, in a geometric sense, the Cross is already implicit in the story of Noah. You could even say that the Mosaic covenant with its ark concealed the same implicit, geometric message.<br /><br />'Get behind me, Satan.'<br />Satan's temptation at the beginning of Christ's public life was the possibility of accomplishing His mission without the Cross. This temptation continued right to the end with the bad thief tempting Jesus to cause people to believe by abandoning His Cross. Peter, with the best of intentions, is also trying to do away with the Cross. But if the Cross was already implicit in the rainbow, it is the necessary fulfilment of God's covenant with humanity. To deny the Cross goes against all the good things God has planned for His creation.<br /><br />There are good scientific explanations for rainbows, so we tend not to see them as signs from God any more. Our modern skies are also just littered with crosses - aeroplanes - which owe their form to the science of aerodynamics and plane geometry. So, no signs here - or are we like those who 'look and look but do not see'?Sarah in the tenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14652265020101487633noreply@blogger.com