Is it me, or are there a lot of scarecrows standing in pulpits of formerly mainline churches, that are now sideline churches at best, pointing their congregations in all kinds of directions, with the assurance that all ways lead to the Emerald City?
I don't know about you, but I don't live in Oz, my goal is not the Emerald City, and my path is no Yellow- Brick Road. And I find it deeply disturbing that so many folks are getting direction in life from scarecrows. No offense, but a head full of straw hardly seems qualification for proclaiming the Word of God. But then, scarecrows very rarely, if ever, actually proclaim God's Truth.
Last week I had a Certified (Or is it certifiable) Presbyterian Lay Preacher proudly describe the "pulpit" he built at a Boy Scout camp complete with a cross, a Star of David, and "Allah" written in Arabic. Only someone with straw for brains could conclude that Allah and Yahweh are one and the same. And, with a head stuffed with fluff, why stop with the so-called "Abrahamic" faiths? Did that scarecrow mean to insult Buddhists, Hindus, and Zoroastrians, or was it an oversight?
I realize I come across as extremely arrogant and exclusive when I answer the question, "After all, don't we all worship the same god?" with "NO!" I have no use for inter-religious activities which in reality amount to irreligious activities. There is nothing reverent about reverence directed to that which is not to be revered. And, sorry, you fans of three "Abrahamic" faiths, Yahweh has made it quite clear that there are no other gods beside him.
People may find the idea of a Yellow-Brick Road of their choosing that goes wherever they want to go appealing. But for any who want to make God the Father their destination, there is but one way, Jesus Christ the Son (See John 14.6).
Jim
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Jesus Everlasted
What Did Jesus Do?
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of the LORD endures forever.
Isaiah 40.8
I got to see The Book of Eli last night. The violence and the f-bombs turned off the rest of the family, and, I confess, were it not for a friend’s assurance that the film had a very important message I too might have shut it off and gone to bed. But the Fahrenheit 451-type ending was worth it. In a day when the whole earth was withered and humanity had faded God enlisted Eli (Not the fat old priest of Israel who tutored Samuel) to help see that the Word endured.
A long, long time ago the Father entrusted his Word to the Son. Every word the Father spoke the Son not only heard, but, even more, embodied, brought to life, incarnated. The Son is all about the Word because, well, the Son is the Word. And, even if all the rest of creation should fall and pass away, the Son is going to assure the Word of His Father is everlasting. In fact, the only hope of a creation that withers and fades is the everlasting Word.
When an “economic downturn” throws millions out of work, their hope is not in the government’s plans for economic recovery. Or hadn’t you noticed that all kinds of government-type experts have been announcing the end of the economic slide while the millions still have no jobs? When a tornado flattens a town in the Midwest, their hope is not in the Weather Channel’s forecast of clearer skies to come. Or hadn’t you noticed that even the most silver of linings is inevitably followed again sooner or later by dark and destructive clouds? When death claims a family member our hope is not in this life. Or hadn’t you noticed that all who are born into this life one day die? The best of economic policies will always leave some out of work (The poor will always be with us; see Matthew 26.11). Accurate forecasts can only warn of storms, they never prevent them. (Hail and destructive winds, and overflowing floods cannot be turned back; see Isaiah 28.2). Death claims all who draw breath, as Man returns whence he came (Those formed of the dust of the earth return to the dust of the earth; see Genesis 3.19). It is enough to make a preacher despair (See Ecclesiastes 1.)
But all is not in vain as long as the Word lasts, and the Word is everlasting. From eternity past, through this present world, unto eternity future, all things have their beginning in Jesus, the Alpha; and the end of all things (As in their purpose and destiny) is in none other than Jesus, the Omega. (See Revelation 1. 8, 18) Our help in ages past, Jesus everlasts; He is our only hope for all the years to come:
“From everlasting Thou art God, to endless years the same.”
--Oh God, Our Help in Ages Past
To people who are perishing, living in a world that will itself one day pass away, the Father has sent the Son, that his everlasting Word should be our hope. Though the world thought the cross and the grave had made an end of Him, the everlasting Word rose in glory and in victory, bringing everlasting hope to the world. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of the LORD endures forever.
Isaiah 40.8
I got to see The Book of Eli last night. The violence and the f-bombs turned off the rest of the family, and, I confess, were it not for a friend’s assurance that the film had a very important message I too might have shut it off and gone to bed. But the Fahrenheit 451-type ending was worth it. In a day when the whole earth was withered and humanity had faded God enlisted Eli (Not the fat old priest of Israel who tutored Samuel) to help see that the Word endured.
A long, long time ago the Father entrusted his Word to the Son. Every word the Father spoke the Son not only heard, but, even more, embodied, brought to life, incarnated. The Son is all about the Word because, well, the Son is the Word. And, even if all the rest of creation should fall and pass away, the Son is going to assure the Word of His Father is everlasting. In fact, the only hope of a creation that withers and fades is the everlasting Word.
When an “economic downturn” throws millions out of work, their hope is not in the government’s plans for economic recovery. Or hadn’t you noticed that all kinds of government-type experts have been announcing the end of the economic slide while the millions still have no jobs? When a tornado flattens a town in the Midwest, their hope is not in the Weather Channel’s forecast of clearer skies to come. Or hadn’t you noticed that even the most silver of linings is inevitably followed again sooner or later by dark and destructive clouds? When death claims a family member our hope is not in this life. Or hadn’t you noticed that all who are born into this life one day die? The best of economic policies will always leave some out of work (The poor will always be with us; see Matthew 26.11). Accurate forecasts can only warn of storms, they never prevent them. (Hail and destructive winds, and overflowing floods cannot be turned back; see Isaiah 28.2). Death claims all who draw breath, as Man returns whence he came (Those formed of the dust of the earth return to the dust of the earth; see Genesis 3.19). It is enough to make a preacher despair (See Ecclesiastes 1.)
But all is not in vain as long as the Word lasts, and the Word is everlasting. From eternity past, through this present world, unto eternity future, all things have their beginning in Jesus, the Alpha; and the end of all things (As in their purpose and destiny) is in none other than Jesus, the Omega. (See Revelation 1. 8, 18) Our help in ages past, Jesus everlasts; He is our only hope for all the years to come:
“From everlasting Thou art God, to endless years the same.”
--Oh God, Our Help in Ages Past
To people who are perishing, living in a world that will itself one day pass away, the Father has sent the Son, that his everlasting Word should be our hope. Though the world thought the cross and the grave had made an end of Him, the everlasting Word rose in glory and in victory, bringing everlasting hope to the world. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Jesus Starred
What Did Jesus Do?
And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3.29
No, the above does not refer to the Lord having “top billing” in the Bible, nor to His place as the principle character around whom the entire biblical narrative is built. Rather, the Son was the one who delivered on the Father's promise to Abraham, that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. (See Genesis 15.5) The host of Abraham's offspring might not twinkle in the night sky, but they nonetheless shine, as we would expect “children of light” to do. (See Ephesians 5.8)
Of course, Jesus does have top billing in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek. Israel's Messiah is the Gentile's Christ, and though there are many fine “actors” who have a part in the Bible, there simply would not be a Bible, nor anything else for that matter, without Jesus; His name is rightly above all other names. (See Philippians 2.9) Jesus starred.
Were it not for Jesus the Bible would be merely an anthology of religious writings, an admirable literary collection, worthy of study along with the works of, say, Shakespeare. It is the Lord who makes the Bible the “Holy Bible,” the Word of God, the repository of all Truth, and the sacred history of God's redemptive plan for a fallen humanity. Jesus starred.
But for today I want us to consider what Paul wrote to the Galatians about the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham. Abraham was “as good as dead,” and the womb of his aged wife Sarah was as barren as the desert (See Romans 4.19); the opportunity to have even one son was gone, making the promise of offspring as numerous as the stars and the sand of the seashore (See Genesis 22.17), seem unlikely to ever be fulfilled. Yet, Abraham believed, which the LORD accounted to the patriarch as righteousness. And so it was that a righteous seed (singular) would descend from Abraham, so that the promise of seed (plural) too numerous to count would be fulfilled. Jesus starred.
When Jesus told His followers they were the light of the world (See Matthew 5.14) they didn't realize that the Lord was making them “stars,” shining children of Abraham, who, by faith, would illuminate a world lost in darkness without the light of Jesus Christ. Well, it is not as if it was the first time Jesus starred. After all, who do you think it was who created the myriad of lights in the night sky that Abraham stared up at as he wondered how it could ever be that his descendants should ever be so numerous.
Here's the thing, stars are still being made, and I am not speaking of Hollywood or American Idol. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Seed of Abraham, births children of Abraham every day. Carl Sagan declared in Cosmos that we are all “star stuff,” meaning that there is one chemistry, and one set of elements, from which all tings in creation are made. Sadly for Sagan, he refused to believe that, more than “star stuff,” we can be “stars”; children of light who are offspring of Abraham, and who reflect the light of the Father by virtue of their faith in the Son. Shining the Light of God's glory and grace, his majesty and mercy, his word and will, upon those who otherwise live in darkness, can transform lost sinners into stars. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3.29
No, the above does not refer to the Lord having “top billing” in the Bible, nor to His place as the principle character around whom the entire biblical narrative is built. Rather, the Son was the one who delivered on the Father's promise to Abraham, that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. (See Genesis 15.5) The host of Abraham's offspring might not twinkle in the night sky, but they nonetheless shine, as we would expect “children of light” to do. (See Ephesians 5.8)
Of course, Jesus does have top billing in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek. Israel's Messiah is the Gentile's Christ, and though there are many fine “actors” who have a part in the Bible, there simply would not be a Bible, nor anything else for that matter, without Jesus; His name is rightly above all other names. (See Philippians 2.9) Jesus starred.
Were it not for Jesus the Bible would be merely an anthology of religious writings, an admirable literary collection, worthy of study along with the works of, say, Shakespeare. It is the Lord who makes the Bible the “Holy Bible,” the Word of God, the repository of all Truth, and the sacred history of God's redemptive plan for a fallen humanity. Jesus starred.
But for today I want us to consider what Paul wrote to the Galatians about the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham. Abraham was “as good as dead,” and the womb of his aged wife Sarah was as barren as the desert (See Romans 4.19); the opportunity to have even one son was gone, making the promise of offspring as numerous as the stars and the sand of the seashore (See Genesis 22.17), seem unlikely to ever be fulfilled. Yet, Abraham believed, which the LORD accounted to the patriarch as righteousness. And so it was that a righteous seed (singular) would descend from Abraham, so that the promise of seed (plural) too numerous to count would be fulfilled. Jesus starred.
When Jesus told His followers they were the light of the world (See Matthew 5.14) they didn't realize that the Lord was making them “stars,” shining children of Abraham, who, by faith, would illuminate a world lost in darkness without the light of Jesus Christ. Well, it is not as if it was the first time Jesus starred. After all, who do you think it was who created the myriad of lights in the night sky that Abraham stared up at as he wondered how it could ever be that his descendants should ever be so numerous.
Here's the thing, stars are still being made, and I am not speaking of Hollywood or American Idol. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Seed of Abraham, births children of Abraham every day. Carl Sagan declared in Cosmos that we are all “star stuff,” meaning that there is one chemistry, and one set of elements, from which all tings in creation are made. Sadly for Sagan, he refused to believe that, more than “star stuff,” we can be “stars”; children of light who are offspring of Abraham, and who reflect the light of the Father by virtue of their faith in the Son. Shining the Light of God's glory and grace, his majesty and mercy, his word and will, upon those who otherwise live in darkness, can transform lost sinners into stars. That's what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Jesus Perceived
What Did Jesus Do?
But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them,
“Why put me to the test?”
Mark 12.15
Because I used to rise at five a.m. and shower, shave, dress, and eat breakfast without turning on any lights, my wife used to joke that I could see in the dark like a cat. Actually, I don’t even see very well in the daylight anymore, much less in the dark! But, at least in the familiar surroundings of our home, I am able to perceive, without actually seeing, where things stand. Jesus perceived where people stood. When it came to faith, hypocrisy, the thoughts of the mind, and the feelings of the heart, Jesus perceives with 20/20 “vision.”
Jesus saw right through the group of Pharisees and Herodians, who tried to slyly trap Him with a question they thought He could not answer without their being able to use it as evidence that He was either an anti-Roman insurrectionist or a traitor to the LORD. His answer shut them down so completely that the Sadducees had to take the next crack at Jesus. A question about the arcane laws of Levirate marriage, arising from the Sadducees belief that there is no afterlife, permitted Jesus to show that He perceived both their lack of knowledge of the Scriptures, and their lack of belief in the power of God. (Mark 12.18-27)
Lest we think that His insight was limited to the hearts and minds of His adversaries, it is important for us to note that Jesus “knew all people” and “what was in man.” (John 2.24-25) The Lord’s perceptive power is no less today than it was in the days when He walked this world during the Incarnation. Our every act He sees; but He also perceives our every intention, motive, and thought. He thoroughly “searches and knows” each one of us, “discerning our thoughts from afar.” (Psalm 139.1-2) Not even the deepest darkness, physical, or in the recesses of our heart, can turn away His searching gaze, for darkness is as light to Him. (PS 139.12)
Understanding this, we have two choices, we can follow the example of the Pharisees and Herodians and the Sadducees, and try to conceal from the Father and Son what is in our heart and mind; or we can, like the Psalmist, openly invite God to both search and try us, to expose any and all evil in us, that He might then lead us in the one everlasting way. (Psalm 139.23-24)
Jesus’ perception cautioned Him to not trust himself to man, even those who believed in His name. (John 2.24) The critical question is, are we perceptive enough to not just believe in His name, but to put our trust completely in Him? Even if we struggle with that question, and the mastering of our own heart and mind, Jesus perceives the truth about us which the Father has ordained from before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1.3-10) Only the Son, who truly perceives the Father’s will , who knows us, better than we know ourselves was willing to die for us. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministrie.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them,
“Why put me to the test?”
Mark 12.15
Because I used to rise at five a.m. and shower, shave, dress, and eat breakfast without turning on any lights, my wife used to joke that I could see in the dark like a cat. Actually, I don’t even see very well in the daylight anymore, much less in the dark! But, at least in the familiar surroundings of our home, I am able to perceive, without actually seeing, where things stand. Jesus perceived where people stood. When it came to faith, hypocrisy, the thoughts of the mind, and the feelings of the heart, Jesus perceives with 20/20 “vision.”
Jesus saw right through the group of Pharisees and Herodians, who tried to slyly trap Him with a question they thought He could not answer without their being able to use it as evidence that He was either an anti-Roman insurrectionist or a traitor to the LORD. His answer shut them down so completely that the Sadducees had to take the next crack at Jesus. A question about the arcane laws of Levirate marriage, arising from the Sadducees belief that there is no afterlife, permitted Jesus to show that He perceived both their lack of knowledge of the Scriptures, and their lack of belief in the power of God. (Mark 12.18-27)
Lest we think that His insight was limited to the hearts and minds of His adversaries, it is important for us to note that Jesus “knew all people” and “what was in man.” (John 2.24-25) The Lord’s perceptive power is no less today than it was in the days when He walked this world during the Incarnation. Our every act He sees; but He also perceives our every intention, motive, and thought. He thoroughly “searches and knows” each one of us, “discerning our thoughts from afar.” (Psalm 139.1-2) Not even the deepest darkness, physical, or in the recesses of our heart, can turn away His searching gaze, for darkness is as light to Him. (PS 139.12)
Understanding this, we have two choices, we can follow the example of the Pharisees and Herodians and the Sadducees, and try to conceal from the Father and Son what is in our heart and mind; or we can, like the Psalmist, openly invite God to both search and try us, to expose any and all evil in us, that He might then lead us in the one everlasting way. (Psalm 139.23-24)
Jesus’ perception cautioned Him to not trust himself to man, even those who believed in His name. (John 2.24) The critical question is, are we perceptive enough to not just believe in His name, but to put our trust completely in Him? Even if we struggle with that question, and the mastering of our own heart and mind, Jesus perceives the truth about us which the Father has ordained from before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1.3-10) Only the Son, who truly perceives the Father’s will , who knows us, better than we know ourselves was willing to die for us. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministrie.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Jesus Survived
What Did Jesus Do?
Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forth day…
he ate nothing during those days.
Luke 4.1-2
I have never watched any of the Survivor series that keep recurring on television, all I know of them is what I have seen on the promos. As best I can understand it, a group of men and women survivor wannabes are dropped off in some exotic, sometimes quite desolate, but always challenging location with the goal of determining who will be the last man (or woman) standing. Then they proceed to vote each other out of the wilderness. If you are a Survivor fan please forgive me, but I just don’t get what is so fascinating about the whole premise. If you want to marvel at some real survival skills, take a look at Jesus.
Granted, the Holy Spirit was with Him, but then those Survivor contestants have all those cameramen and the production crews around them. And there were angels ministering to Jesus. (Mark 1.13) But Jesus had to face something more daunting in the wilderness than the T.V. contestants ever do. Oh, for sure they have to deal with snakes and scorpions and the like, but Jesus had wild animals to contend with as well. (Mark 1.13) Still, none of the modern day Survivors, to my knowledge, has had to endure a one-on-one confrontation with Satan.
The truth is, from what I have heard about it, the television program reveals that all the contestants give in rather quickly to the temptation to be rid of rivals and eliminate losers from among the group. On Survivor it’s “dog eat dog.” When Jesus was tempted the only one who faced “elimination” was the Lord himself, and it wasn’t so much a matter of Him besting Satan; that truly would have been no contest—Jesus had to master himself.
First, Jesus had to prove his hunger would not get the better of Him. Though He had to have been insanely hungry, the temptation of bread made from stones He refused, conquering His physical hunger by “surviving” on the spiritual food of every word of His Father. (Matthew 4.4)
Next, Jesus showed, unlike the driven Survivor participants, that He worshiped and served not His own interests or that of anyone but one master, the Lord God, His Father. Though all the world was in effect laid at His feet, Jesus passed up the opportunity for glory and power. (Luke 4.5-8) The one thing that makes Survivor work is the desire of each candidate for fame and money, two masters among who knows how many, that they desperately serve.
Finally, Jesus refused to show off how much His Father loved Him by throwing himself off the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem. (Luke 4.9-12) Not so much as His heel would have been bruised, but God is not to be tested; and besides that, Jesus had nothing to prove to the devil. Survivor is nothing but showing off and proving yourself, and, if you will, putting God to the test continually by willingly undergoing one risky scenario after another.
I am not saying that everyone should stop watching Survivor; but we would all do well to spend more time with Jesus, taking a close look at all He did and said. Jesus mastered temptation, endured a brutal trial, suffered the cruel cross, experienced death itself, and He rose from the grave; and all to glorify the Father and save us. So much more than a mere survivor, Jesus alone is our Redeemer! That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forth day…
he ate nothing during those days.
Luke 4.1-2
I have never watched any of the Survivor series that keep recurring on television, all I know of them is what I have seen on the promos. As best I can understand it, a group of men and women survivor wannabes are dropped off in some exotic, sometimes quite desolate, but always challenging location with the goal of determining who will be the last man (or woman) standing. Then they proceed to vote each other out of the wilderness. If you are a Survivor fan please forgive me, but I just don’t get what is so fascinating about the whole premise. If you want to marvel at some real survival skills, take a look at Jesus.
Granted, the Holy Spirit was with Him, but then those Survivor contestants have all those cameramen and the production crews around them. And there were angels ministering to Jesus. (Mark 1.13) But Jesus had to face something more daunting in the wilderness than the T.V. contestants ever do. Oh, for sure they have to deal with snakes and scorpions and the like, but Jesus had wild animals to contend with as well. (Mark 1.13) Still, none of the modern day Survivors, to my knowledge, has had to endure a one-on-one confrontation with Satan.
The truth is, from what I have heard about it, the television program reveals that all the contestants give in rather quickly to the temptation to be rid of rivals and eliminate losers from among the group. On Survivor it’s “dog eat dog.” When Jesus was tempted the only one who faced “elimination” was the Lord himself, and it wasn’t so much a matter of Him besting Satan; that truly would have been no contest—Jesus had to master himself.
First, Jesus had to prove his hunger would not get the better of Him. Though He had to have been insanely hungry, the temptation of bread made from stones He refused, conquering His physical hunger by “surviving” on the spiritual food of every word of His Father. (Matthew 4.4)
Next, Jesus showed, unlike the driven Survivor participants, that He worshiped and served not His own interests or that of anyone but one master, the Lord God, His Father. Though all the world was in effect laid at His feet, Jesus passed up the opportunity for glory and power. (Luke 4.5-8) The one thing that makes Survivor work is the desire of each candidate for fame and money, two masters among who knows how many, that they desperately serve.
Finally, Jesus refused to show off how much His Father loved Him by throwing himself off the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem. (Luke 4.9-12) Not so much as His heel would have been bruised, but God is not to be tested; and besides that, Jesus had nothing to prove to the devil. Survivor is nothing but showing off and proving yourself, and, if you will, putting God to the test continually by willingly undergoing one risky scenario after another.
I am not saying that everyone should stop watching Survivor; but we would all do well to spend more time with Jesus, taking a close look at all He did and said. Jesus mastered temptation, endured a brutal trial, suffered the cruel cross, experienced death itself, and He rose from the grave; and all to glorify the Father and save us. So much more than a mere survivor, Jesus alone is our Redeemer! That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
Friday, June 11, 2010
Hypocraticus.6
hypocrisy--Condemning someone's "joyful noise" unto the Lord while sitting in glum silence because you are sure God doesn't want "contemporary" and "worship" used in the same sentence.
-Hypocraticus
-Hypocraticus
Jesus Kept
What Did Jesus Do?
He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion
Mark 4.38a
I doubt if any of have never had, for one reason or another, a sleepless night. Though our bodies, and minds, and souls as well (See Matthew 11.29), definitely need rest, there are times when rest is hard to come by. Anxious parents spend a night waiting for a son or daughter to come home from a date that has gone way past curfew. Students pull “all-nighters” cramming for exams. Doctors and nurses maintain bedside vigils with critically ill patients. Truckers run all night on coffee to get their loads delivered on time. Jesus had his sleepless nights too: consider his night of travailing in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. But, like the rest of us, Jesus also slept, for His body, mind, and soul required refreshment and rest just as ours do. A Jesus who was not fully human would not have needed to sleep.
But God has no need to take naps, much less turn in for the night. Indeed, the LORD “neither slumbers nor sleeps” (Psalm 121.4), but is ever wakeful, ever watchful, keeping (guarding, protecting) the lives of those he loves 24/7. Baal might have been slumbering when his priests desperately sought to call down fire to consume the sacrifice (1Kings 18.27), but the LORD who kept Israel answered Elijah, as no false idol such as Baal ever could.
Now, when Jesus, quite fatigued from the work of His ministry to the crowds, fell sound asleep in the stern of the small fishing boat He and the disciples were using to cross Galilee, it was amply evident He was giving in to the necessities of mortal flesh. The disciples were incredulous; they could not understand how someone could lie asleep in the midst of a storm that threatened mortal peril. (Mark 4.38b) Jesus to them was still “Teacher”; the many works they had witnessed had still not convinced them that He was more than a man. But no mere mortal man could command wind and wave with a word, and calm a storm in an instant.
Again, they could only wonder, just who was this who a moment before had been soundly asleep, and now caused the tempest to obey Him? (Mark 4.41) Clearly, He was a man, as human as they; but, just a clearly, He had to be more than fully human. Could it be that He was also fully divine? Could it be that he who slept in the stern of the boat, was He who kept Israel? This was more than the poor disciples could yet grasp with their minds, their faith had not caught up with all that they had seen and heard.
Many still question, “Who is Jesus?” Was He a man? Was He God? Could He have been both man and God? The brief passage in Mark 4 supplies the evidence that, as orthodox Christianity has affirmed against all challenges and heresies for two millennia, Jesus is fully human and fully divine. No one less than fully human could have atoned for humanity’s sins. No one less than fully divine could have risen from the grave.
Jesus, sleeping or waking, kept His disciples; just as the LORD kept Israel night and day. Waking or sleeping, we abide still in the care of the Son, who, just as the Father does, keeps us now and forevermore. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion
Mark 4.38a
I doubt if any of have never had, for one reason or another, a sleepless night. Though our bodies, and minds, and souls as well (See Matthew 11.29), definitely need rest, there are times when rest is hard to come by. Anxious parents spend a night waiting for a son or daughter to come home from a date that has gone way past curfew. Students pull “all-nighters” cramming for exams. Doctors and nurses maintain bedside vigils with critically ill patients. Truckers run all night on coffee to get their loads delivered on time. Jesus had his sleepless nights too: consider his night of travailing in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. But, like the rest of us, Jesus also slept, for His body, mind, and soul required refreshment and rest just as ours do. A Jesus who was not fully human would not have needed to sleep.
But God has no need to take naps, much less turn in for the night. Indeed, the LORD “neither slumbers nor sleeps” (Psalm 121.4), but is ever wakeful, ever watchful, keeping (guarding, protecting) the lives of those he loves 24/7. Baal might have been slumbering when his priests desperately sought to call down fire to consume the sacrifice (1Kings 18.27), but the LORD who kept Israel answered Elijah, as no false idol such as Baal ever could.
Now, when Jesus, quite fatigued from the work of His ministry to the crowds, fell sound asleep in the stern of the small fishing boat He and the disciples were using to cross Galilee, it was amply evident He was giving in to the necessities of mortal flesh. The disciples were incredulous; they could not understand how someone could lie asleep in the midst of a storm that threatened mortal peril. (Mark 4.38b) Jesus to them was still “Teacher”; the many works they had witnessed had still not convinced them that He was more than a man. But no mere mortal man could command wind and wave with a word, and calm a storm in an instant.
Again, they could only wonder, just who was this who a moment before had been soundly asleep, and now caused the tempest to obey Him? (Mark 4.41) Clearly, He was a man, as human as they; but, just a clearly, He had to be more than fully human. Could it be that He was also fully divine? Could it be that he who slept in the stern of the boat, was He who kept Israel? This was more than the poor disciples could yet grasp with their minds, their faith had not caught up with all that they had seen and heard.
Many still question, “Who is Jesus?” Was He a man? Was He God? Could He have been both man and God? The brief passage in Mark 4 supplies the evidence that, as orthodox Christianity has affirmed against all challenges and heresies for two millennia, Jesus is fully human and fully divine. No one less than fully human could have atoned for humanity’s sins. No one less than fully divine could have risen from the grave.
Jesus, sleeping or waking, kept His disciples; just as the LORD kept Israel night and day. Waking or sleeping, we abide still in the care of the Son, who, just as the Father does, keeps us now and forevermore. That’s what Jesus did.
S.D.G.
Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4
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