Highest Priority

BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

February 20 “It is necessary for me to work the works of Him who sent Me while it is still day. John 9:4  (J. Green, TR)

It is necessary – What is your highest priority?  What defines your life so that if everything else were taken away, you would still be about doing what you were born to do?  What is necessary for you?

Yeshua understood the dei of the day.  The Greek word dei means “what is inevitable given the nature of things.”  It was inevitable that Yeshua perform the will of the Father.  That will defined who He was.  Dei is not  simply a sense of duty, although that is included in this concept.  It is also a sense of what is the right thing to do, what is proper as prescribed by custom, law or moral imperative.  Dei is what ought to be.

Most of us are described by “woulda, coulda, shoulda.”  It is very unusual to meet someone whose life is determined by unwavering ought.  Perhaps that’s why the disciples had such a hard time understanding the strategy of Yeshua.  He walked away from local fights and yet He marched right into the center of His enemies.  He spent no time with the influential but never flagged in His compassion for the powerless.  And no one could deter Him from what appeared to be a death wish.  Yeshua was defined by what ought to be.  It was His necessity, His highest priority.

What is your necessity?  What propels you to the combination of duty and moral imperative?  What makes you who you really are?  When you need to make a decision at a branch in the road, do you know which way leads toward your fully productive purpose?  Or are you deciding according to the circumstances of the moment?

Perhaps this is the day for fearless reflection.  Perhaps this is the day when you and I look at our highest priorities, not what we say we hold dear but what our actual behavior shows that we value most.  Perhaps we start with the simplest of all questions,  “What is absolutely necessary for me to do?”  It is still day, but it won’t be day forever.  The night is coming when no man can fulfill what is necessary.  Now is the dei time.  Make use of it while you can.

Topical Index:  necessary, dei, priority, John 9:4

Translation note:  Some popular English translations of this verse change the words to “we must do” rather than “it is necessary for me.”  The reason for this is the change in the Greek text.  The translation above is based on the Textus Receptus.  Modern English translations are based on the NA 27th.  But notice what happens with this change.  It shifts the focus from Yeshua’s clarity of purpose to some general principle of spiritual work.  Furthermore, it buries the greater impact of dei behind this general principle, concealing the intensity of commitment in Yeshua’s statement.  Which Greek version is more accurate is a question for textual criticism scholars.

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Kees Brakshoofden

‘Dei’ comes from the verb ‘deomai’ which also means ‘to bind’.
Jesus is ‘bound’ to do what He did. This is what He came to earth for.

Michael

“Some popular English translations of this verse change the words to “we must do” rather than “it is necessary for me.”

Hi Skip,

I might add that for me there is a subtle difference between “we must do” or “I should do.”

And “it is necessary for me.”

We tend to say “I should do” or “we must do” something, more often than not.

Right before we are about to “put off” doing something that we must or should do.

It is a form of what the existentialist, philosopher Jean Paul Sartre (one of my favorites).

Referred to as “mauvaise foi” (bad faith).

From Wiki:

“The phenomenon wherein one denies one’s freedom to choose, and instead chooses to behave without Authenticity.”

With the phrase “it is necessary for me,” Jesus is shown to be taking responsibility for his actions.

Most determined to do what he is going to do and fully conscious of the potential consequences.

Skip Moen, Ph.D.

Great point. In this case, although the Textus Receptus is usually not considered the best Greek text, there is a principle of textual criticism which says that the more difficult reading (that is the reading less theologically convenient) is more likely the original since it is the tendency of transmitted material to be watered down, rather than strengthened. That principle could apply here. The readings of the NA27th certainly are more palatable than the idea that Yeshua takes the full responsibility for his actions with complete awareness of the consequences.

Roderick Logan

There are 3 questions I regularly ask my clients who seek my counsel. (1) What do you believe? (2) What motivates you? (3) What do you want/ desire? The context for these questions vary according to the client, their issues, and the session topic. This “Today’s Word” speaks directly to question #2. Asking “What is your necessity?” is another way of phrasing the question; and in an even more probing way. Skip, this is effective therapy. Thank you.