Lenten Devotion for 14 April 2011 Anno Domini

Lenten Devotion for 14 April 2011 Anno Domini
34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. 36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. (John 12:34-43)
The Jewish people saw the written Word but missed the Incarnate Word. They had learned well that Christ would live forever, but their perspective was limited both spiritually and prophetically. Two hundred years ago, Bishop Berkeley observed a fly on a pillar of St Paul’s Cathedral - "It requires," he says, "some comprehension in the eye of an intelligent spectator to take in at one view the various parts of the building, in order to observe t heir symmetry and design. But to the fly, whose prospect was confined to a little part of one of the stones of a single pillar, the joint beauty of the whole, or the distinct use of its parts, was inconspicuous. To that limited view the small irregularities on the surface of the hewn stone seemed to be so many deformed rocks and precipices." Our mortal vision is often like the short, contracted vision of the fly. We can see very little beyond our noses. We could never grasp the beauty of Holy Scripture did we not have perspective given us by the Holy Spirit. The Jews knew Messiah would live forever, but they missed those prophecies which made reference to His first being offered a sacrifice for our sins.
“Who is this Son of man? Do you know Jesus? It is not enough to have an historical understanding of the fact of His Coming, His life, His birth, His death. These are only statistical minutia! Do you know the Man, Jesus? Do you know Him better than your best friend, for Christ is certainly more friend than he? Do you love Christ with a fervency that demands more and more acquaintance? A casual acquaintance will not suffice; you must have a deep heart-knowledge of Him. The crowd did not realize that Christ Himself was the answer to their question!
“Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth” If we were to blot out the Sun, our world would die. Without the Redeemer Christ, the world is left to pollute in its own sin-infected blood. He is the Light of the World – our Day Star and our Sun of Righteousness! Are you wise to know Christ? “The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness…….” (Eccl 2:14) I am afraid that the greater part of the world is blind and walks in darkness. If we were serving our purpose as Lower Lights, I’m sure there would be specks of light everywhere to illumine the way of fools and draw them away from the abyss. If we are the children of light, how great is our prospect for the life to come! Light begets light; therefore, if our Light is Christ, He has begotten us as His own.
“These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.” Jesus withdrew from the crowds to be alone and to contemplate, perhaps, the profound events about to occur. “But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him.” There was no shortage of Old Testament prophecies of Christ. Many precious souls of the Old Testament Age were saved through the hope and faith of that which was promised and fulfilled in Christ. But many more were blind to those prophecies: “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” (Luke 16:31) Had God not blinded them further, they would have been forced by the evidence to believe against their wills. This Christ does not need!
They were willingly ignorant and blind. As a result, God allowed their blindness to be complete. There is no space for luke-warm believers in the company of Christ. “He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.” This does not, in any way justify, but rather convict, their failure to receive Christ at this hour. In our day, the love of truth is lacking among those of the world and, even, far too many who are ‘respectable’ church attendees. It is the lack of love for truth that blinds – a willing blindness. “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” (2 Thess 2:10-11). Look at the increasing delusional forms of worship and lifestyles infiltrating our churches! We need not lose hope….continue to the helm with a full mast of sail. The storm is most severe just before the calm. Remember the eight souls sheltered in the Ark as great cataclysms were occurring without. This was the greatest storm ever to strike the earth, but these eight souls, secure in the Ark, remained safe from the devastation without.
Isaiah, 700 years earlier, saw Christ’s glory! Yet those who see face to face often are so miserable in their doubts that they cannot believe. “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” A terrible sin it is to believe and not confess! Do we love so very much the approval and recognition of the world that we forego the greater salvation of our souls in confessing Christ? Friend, is your faith the kind of faith that goes all the way and not part way? Do your friends and neighbors know on which side of Eternity you stand?