Moving from Vanity to Meaning

Sean has been studying Ecclesiastes this week, which speaks of the vanity of life. He said, “[Ecclesiastes] speaks on how wisdom will help you prosper. Then [it] speaks on how nothing matters.” That certainly points out vanity and meaninglessness, doesn’t it?

Sean further says of Ecclesiastes, “The author said that a Jewish tradition is to read Ecc. once a year at the festival of tents. He said they pitch tents and relive the times in the wilderness. During this someone reads Ecc. from start to finish.” I guess that wilderness wondering was a reminder of the vanity of life without (or in disobedience to) God.

Tyler spoke of Jeremiah being known as the weeping prophet because “he [poured] his heart out for his homeland." Many today are concerned about the direction of our country. Some of that concern has to do with the understanding of “vanity” and how it affects our nation.

Jesus came that we might move from vanity to meaning. Jesus, however, did not come in the way that people expected. Tyler pointed out that one of the themes of Isaiah is "Messiah as suffering servant.” Ed commented, “I just finished up chapters 5 & 6 and found it to be amazing how all that Jesus did and all that he taught could not [convince] the Jewish people he was not the son of God.” Part of the reason they did not recognize Jesus as who he really was had to do with the fact that they thought he would look and act more like a king.

Ed pointed out how dramatic a change some people made in their lives when they became Christians. He asks, “Can you imagine going to your family and telling them I am now a [Buddhist] and a citizen of India.” Basically, that was how radical the change in a person’s life was when they came to Jesus. Why are people willing to face such drastic changes, and if need be, persecution? I think part of the reason has to do with the fact that we can move from a life that is full of vanity to one that is full of meaning.

Let’s look into this a little deeper as you reflect on your content. How does what you read relate to vanity, meaning, or changed life? If you have some answers to this question post them in one of the topic areas.

Visitors may comment by clicking on the word, “comments” below this post or below any of the posts in Sean’s, Ed’s, or Tyler’s topic areas.