“…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:20b NASB)
No one in Christendom will argue against Jesus’ ascension, but, as the Messiah offers the above Great Commission promise, neither should anyone deny Jesus’ presence among us. From fifty days beyond the pre-crucifixion Passover, the Spirit of the Messiah has been with us. Thus, I propose a new mindset: Because Christ came to us and is still with us, let’s stop asking Christ to re-enter a world in which He already exists to smooth out our troubles and prohibit our deaths, and instead bring ourselves, our troubles, our circumstances, our sicknesses, our pains, our mortality to the Savior Who has already overcome all these things. In Jesus’ beatings, humiliation, death, burial, and resurrection every sickness, death, and disease has been defeated, so each must remove his/her hands from the wounds the Messiah has already received and overcome. We are only responsible for bearing the Messiah Who bears our wounds.
While we will always be in the throes of sickness, disease, hardship, and death, Messiah has provided an exit from the full force of their destructive effects. As it pertains to sickness, disease, and hardship, Isaiah prophesies, saying, “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4, 5 NASB) And, as to death, Paul counsels Timothy, saying, “But now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, Who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.” (2 Timothy 1:10 NASB)
Isaiah writes during a time when both Assyrian and Babylonian enemies are bearing down upon Israel’s Northern and Southern Kingdoms. And, Paul is suffering in prison as a result of his Gospel ministry, when he pens his words to Timothy. While waiting in unfavorable conditions for the Messiah’s ultimate return, neither Paul nor Isaiah would ever deny pain and death. Only a blind fool does such a thing. Still, contrastingly, both point to freedom, and life, and, dare we say, immortality as the dominant conditions declaring victory. Both, from their own frames-of-reference, say the Messiah, through beatings, humiliation, death, burial, and resurrection, has forever defeated every sickness, death, and disease; and, now, available to all through Messianic portal are freedom, life, and immortality. Eternal calls to Everlasting and says, “While this world’s winds will howl until your flesh is blown away by them, you, Everlasting, never have to leave Eternal Immortality’s hand again.” This is the promise all have Messianic access to while living in this buffeting world.
The forces of sickness, hardship, injustice, and mortality possess great power to divert our focus from Messiah’s victory over such things. But, we must remember, while each is still present until the end of the age, they are defeated foes. How do we access victory while living in such a present dichotomy? Four examples of exit are offered.
As a child I stayed over at my grandmother’s many a summer evening. There were two conditions that proved to be unfavorable to my getting a good night’s sleep: Granny’s house did not have air conditioning; and, I was a restless little boy. My saving grace came in my grandmother who was a counselor and a purveyor of peace. In that hot upstairs bedroom, I would thrash about in an attempt to cast the heat from myself. All my restlessness was accomplishing was an even greater generation of heat. Granny would place her gentle hand on my back, quietly speak words of peace, and I would begin to be very still. Somehow, some way, amidst the heat, Granny called me to the untroubled cool of slumber. I learned at a very early age heat’s effects were alive and well, but I did not have to give in to their powers.
In the fourth chapter of his Gospel, John Mark records the account of a calmed storm. His testimony says Jesus, one evening, suggested to His disciples that they go over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Who were they to argue with the beginning-to-be-believed-to-be-Messiah, so they followed His lead, got in the boat, and headed to the other side of the lake? There were many seasoned fishermen among the band of merry men, so when Jesus fell asleep in the stern their was no cause for alarm. Jesus was a fine rabbi, but the jury was still out as to the Nazarene’s sea-worthiness. Then, all of a sudden, a storm arose with a force strong enough to kill all of them. Mark reports there was great panic, and their open fishing boat was already filling with water. As they were looking down the barrel of their final sea-faring days, where was Jesus? The Teacher was still sleeping on a cushion. It prompts the question: If a storm is so powerful that it can bring panic and the knowledge of impending death to old school fishermen, then how could a Teacher of the Torah be at such peace He could remain asleep in a boat filling with water? They wake Jesus up. They reprimand Jesus for sleeping and beg Jesus to use His power, saying, “Save yourself and us!” Jesus says, “Shhhhhh,” to the winds and the waves. Then the Messiah turns to His disciples and questions them, saying, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40 NASB) The Rabbi Savior’s lesson rings true then and now: Even amidst panic and death-bringing storms, it is wiser to peacefully lie down next to the sleeping Savior and His declaration of a completed journey to the other side.
No parent should ever have to bury her child. Jesus’ mother had to do so. And long before Sunday’s resurrection, Mary had to watch her Son be beaten, humiliated, deserted by nearly all His friends, unjustly sentenced, paraded through the streets of Jerusalem, and be mocked while hanging in a disgraced and death-bringing crucifixion. Mary’s pain was real, and the mother of the Lord had only an over-the-horizon idea of her Son’s potential resurrection. Bearing such pain, resurrected life was not on her mind. Michelangelo’s Pietà reflects Mary’s pain as she holds her Son’s wound riddled corpse. Yet in the great artist’s sculpture, there is an even greater message. Jesus Messiah’s death, burial, and resurrection initiated a new reality. No longer is anyone responsible for carrying her own wounds, sicknesses, diseases, or mortality. The wounds and death of her Son Mary were carrying no longer had to be carried by her. Yes, Mary had to weather the three-day Gospel storm; but, Michelangelo’s sculpture’s greatest declaration is this: Mary had to hold her Son, and not the wounds her Son was holding. While receiving pain, and deterioration, and death, all are welcomed to only hold the Christ, because the Christ holds all for us. He does not need our assistance. He only desires us to receive His healing grace.
Jesus says to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” (John 20:27 NASB) Jesus said these words to Thomas, not only so Thomas would believe Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus also wanted Thomas and all those in attendance to understand the wounds He bore were both His and theirs. Isaiah’s prophetic words had been fulfilled. Jesus Messiah is the One Who, “[Bore our griefs], and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4, 5 NASB) As Thomas touches the wounds of Jesus, Jesus declares to all creation we are no longer responsible for carrying wounds, sickness, decay, injustice, and mortality. The resurrected Messiah has forever taken this responsibility. We are only responsible for holding Christ, and not our wounds and death the Christ has defeated and bears.
Heat must acknowledge its defeat when each surrenders to the stillness of a gentle hand and the cool of slumber.
Storms can either rage on or still themselves when each chooses to lie down next to the sleeping, faithful Christ.
And be you a mother or a friend, you are no longer responsible for bearing your own wounds, but only the Messiah Who bears them.
Comments