A massive Bible, the Greek word “Zotanos”, stories about family and faith were all part of Spiritual Renewal Week with Rebecca W. Tyson February 17 to 21, 2020.

Each day, Rebecca dug deep into scripture with students, pulling from commentaries and the original language to invite students to do more than just “hear” Gods word, but to truly “listen.”

She asked, for example, what kind of reaction students might get if they called their mother “Woman” like Jesus does Mary at the wedding at Cana. Quoting from John 2:4, she read: “And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.'”

The Hebrew word for “Woman” used in that scripture is actually the most honored way to refer to a woman in that culture and language, Rebecca explained. “It’s a little like you saying ‘Ma’am’ in the most respectful way,” she explained. This explanation changed the tone and meaning of the scripture, and was just one example of how deep Bible study can make the Bible come alive and be “Zotanos.”

In wrapping up the week, Rebecca reflected:

If you truly want God’s Word to become real to you,
If you really want to listen and not just hear,
If you want to be healed by your faith,
If you want to be aware of Who is in your boat, regardless of the storm,
If you want to have incredible landmark moments and become who God wants you to be,
If you want to be a team member with whoever is raising you so you can grow up well,
If you want to step into your Bible and be fully there,
If you want a Zotanos relationship with God…
Then we need JESUS.

Jesus is Zotanos.

View all of Rebecca’s presentations on the EMS chapel channel on YouTube.