Thoughts for another day

Mar. 10, 2008

Today's verse: Jn. 12:32. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

Reading Genesis ch. 3, my attention riveted on vvs. 1 - 7. I wondered: in just 7 verses, the entire God given status to humans was lost; because Eve saw that the forbidden tree was good for food, she took some of its fruit, ate it and gave some to her husband Adam. Then were we driven away from Paradise. Then did we die, for in that act, we abrogated the glory that shone upon us, the glory that emanated from the face of the only God, Yahweh and brought about the consequence that He had foretold…death (2:16,17).

Some of us might say, ‘If only I were there instead of Adam or Eve…’ But my friend, the deception of the deceiver is so strong that succumbing to it is bound to happen. But, you may ask, did God not know about it and couldn’t He do something about it? Well, God did know yet allowed it to happen because He wanted to demonstrate the extent of His love for us. In His scheme, the failure of man was ordained that His love might be poured forth on us. This process, God knew, entailed that He take the form of a mere mortal, come down to earth; live as us and then die for us, a death so miserable and crass that it would send a shudder down the spine of men witnessing it!

When Jesus descended down the heights of heaven, as a little babe, He was enrobed with the same weaknesses as in us. Jesus made Himself so vulnerable in assuming birth in a stable that He suffered the fate of the poorest of the poor. His taking on the mantle of the lowest in Israel ensured that the smallest of men could approach Him with no fear nor awe! In the Gospels, we see that the least of people approached Him - right from the outcasts like beggars, to sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes even to the extent of Samaritans (one of the ten lepers). None were hindered because they were comfortable in His presence. Though He was a Man of authority (not the ruling types, of course) He endeared Himself to all and made everybody welcome.

When He uttered the Words of our verse above, Jesus spoke of the truth of His being crucified and raised up on the wood of the cross. As a symbol of salvation, an icon of hope in the hearts of the hopeless and the ultimate proof of God’s love for us! It is for us to savor His being raised up, for in it, is the guarantee of salvation. In the cross lies the force of His immense and eternal love, which acts as a magnet drawing all humans to Him…across ages, across boundaries and across nations.