From the Brown Leather Journal- First Timothy

So, in Barbarians, we're reading 1 Timothy. I'm around ch. 3 in my NLT, where I read it first, and sometimes, I follow up in my Message translation, just to get a little more from it. This morning, I stumbled upon this...

1 Timothy 1:5 (Message)
The whole point of what we're urging is simply love—love uncontaminated by self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God.

When I got down to vs. 13, in the NLT, it says:
In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.

But in the Message, it is read this way:
But I was treated mercifully because I didn't know what I was doing—didn't know Who I was doing it against!


We all think we know Jesus. Even people that don't accept Him think they know Him. People who don't know who Jesus is- people that don't ahve a relationship with Him- have no idea what they are doing with and to Him. But then you have vs. 5 that tells us how we should treat other who don't know Jesus in a relational way. Mercifully, as if they don't know what they're doing. Not in a holier-than-thou way, but with love- love uncontaminated by self0interest and counterfeit faith.

Just something that I discovered in the middle of the pastor preaching in Matthew. Something else I'm thinking about to add to the list.

and, this is the second time I've read or had my attention drawn to 1 Timothy 1:5 this weekend. Hmmm....