John the Baptist

The other night I was reading John 1 and was struck by John the Baptist's testimony of Jesus. John was a young man who lived in the wilderness, eating wild honey and locusts. He was a wild man. I'm pretty sure the hell-fire-and-brimstone preachers of the 18th century had nothing on John the Baptist!

He had a strong sense of his calling to 'prepare the way for the Lord'. Although he had recognized the Jesus as the Lamb of God while still in the womb, in John 1:31 he says, "I myself did not know him," This gives me a picture of John and Jesus as cousins. They probably spent some family time together - just conjecture on my part but his mom was the one Mary told when she knew she was pregnant with the Messiah. Even though he knew Jesus, until God told him (verse 33) that the one whom the Holy Spirit descended upon was the Messiah, he apparently didn't know that about Jesus. But then, in verse 34, John the Baptist says, "I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." Can you imagine what a huge revelation that must have been?! 'Hey cuz! Woah!!!'

But then we find John the Baptist in Luke 7. He is in prison when he sends two of his disciples to ask Jesus, his cousin, "Are you the one or should we look to another?" Jesus answers by performing many miracles and says, "Go and tell John what you have seen and also tell him blessed is the one who is not offended by me."  This spoke to me so deeply. I feel such sadness for John in that moment! He knew Jesus was the answer to his life's purpose before he was born and then the Holy Spirit revealed Jesus to him by descending on him as a dove, after the Holy Spirit had told John to expect that as a sign to him. Yet in his darkest hour, from the dungeon in which he would soon be beheaded, John asks again and Jesus says, "blessed is he who is not offended by me."

This is so encouraging to me and also convicting. Even John the Baptist questioned things God had directly revealed to him. Jesus settles John's longing heart by doing great miracles that confirmed what he had heard and also calls him out on being offended at God's ways. Then he honors John to those listening by saying, "among those born to women, none is greater than John the Baptist."

Do I get offended at the way God fulfills his promises and his call on my life? My offense doesn't offend him. As a matter of fact, if I will ask him about it, he will beautifully confirm truth to my heart. And then he will correct me on the offense and remind me to be 'blessed' or 'happy' at the truth he is showing me.

Longing for Beauty

“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

I hold in my mind a picture of a number scale called 'Holiness'. On that scale I see Hitler sitting on my right side and Mother Teresa sitting on my left; representing the whole of humanity's holiness from the very worst of us to the very best. The scale then ranges to the left all the way to the moon and there I find the Father's holiness.

This picture came to me as I pondered why it might be true that even the best of us must forgive even the worst of us for the 'hundred denarii' they owe to us because of the 'ten thousand talents' we have been forgiven for (Matthew 18:23-35). We are called to be holy like our Father is holy and miss that mark so badly that nothing anyone ever does to us will compare with our own offenses against God.

Today I am contemplating another truth that is similar to this one. C. S. Lewis said that the hunger for something better that we experience in this world gives us hints that there is something better and I believe it also gives a clue that this world is far more broken than we first believed.

My experience is that sorrow, trials, and tragedies are partly terrible because i don't expect them and they don't line up with my view of a beautiful world that is mostly good. This view of the world is partly true. God created an incredibly, indescribably beautiful world. With each day that he brought beauty from the void, he stated 'it is good.'

And it is good isn't it? Waterfalls and children's laughter, mountain breezes and ocean roars, jungle flowers and puppies; they all tell us that this world is good.

But what do I do with terrorism and the frequency with which the medi-flight helicopters leave the hospital? What about child abuse and pollution and selfish ambition? And what about earthquakes and tornadoes and cancer and amputations?

I find an answer in Romans 8:18-25. This passage tells me that creation has been subjected to futility and waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God and that we ourselves grown as we await the redemption of our bodies.

This brings to mind the number scale. Let's call this scale 'Beauty' and think about our longing for a world without cancer, without terrorism, without a need for mediflights or ambulances. Picture your experiences on that scale, from the very worst, most putrid or horrifying thing you have seen or known about in this world to the most gloriously beautiful experience or sight you have ever heard of or experienced. They seem so far from one another, don't they? Yet, I am coming to believe that what God has prepared us for and is preparing for us is so far beyond the most beautiful thing this broken world has to offer that you could condense that scale to the size of your sofa, with your current experience in the middle, the worst on your right and the best on your left and then expand the scale to the left beyond the moon and you might begin to see the glory of what God intends for us to experience.

We were made for more. We were made for beauty without shadows and joy without sorrow. And we wait for it patiently.

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,    nor the heart of man imagined,what God has prepared for those who love him”—1 Cor 2:9 ESV

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for the adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? but if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
Romans 8:18-25