At a time when we are being obedient to social distancing, it is easy for some Christians to become distracted by the events of the day and to forget that we are not alone.
In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve choose to believe the serpentās lie and disobey God, the LORD God says to the serpent,
āBecause you have done this,
āCursed are you above all livestock
and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.ā
And generations of Godās people looked forward to the day that evil would be defeated and His people would reign again in the presence of, and in partnership with, God. Yet, story after story of manās history repeatedly confirms manās inability to overcome sin. Godās own chosen people were waiting for that promised messiah. Then a prophet, Isaiah, speaking to the leaders of the divided kingdom, delivers Godās word ā both warnings and promises. He writes in Isaiah 53:1-6,
Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Enter Jesusā¦ announcing the Kingdom of God is here and identifying himself with Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lordās favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zionā
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
He heals the sick, he welcomes the outcasts, he feeds the hungry, he brings the dead to life. Yay ā lots of people are happy and believe. He also calls the proud to be humble and challenges the injustices that are prevalent among the religious authorities. He calls out hypocrisy, selfishness, and insincerity. Oh no ā lots of people are not happy; they refuse to believe despite His miracles. He calls people to love God and love their neighbor, embrace both humility and forgivenessā¦ and lots of people just donāt want to commit either way ā they are safe in a wait-and see attitude. His teachings are hard to accept ā He is calling them to a different way of life.
On the day of his crucifixion, most of His followers are absent when He declares, ātetelestai.ā It is finished ā the debt is paid in full.
But on Sunday, with His resurrection, we see the fulfillment of Godās promise in Genesis.
On Friday, that evil serpent struck His heelā¦ Oh! But Sunday! Jesus crushed the serpentās head.
Donāt put The Book down now! The story is not over. All believers, all the children of God, are to be reborn. Reread that conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus in John 3:1-16!
Jesus had promised his disciples, in Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, John 14:16, that he would send the Holy Spirit. In fifty days, we celebrate Pentecost. That incredible time when the Spirit can transform someone like Peter into a bold, courageous, and inspiring orator. That incredible time that reverses the Tower of Babel story ā suddenly everyone hears in their own language and different nations are brought together!
Spend the next fifty days with the 3rd Person of The Trinityā¦ The Holy Spirit. He is already living in you ā that was a guarantee when you believed. But, have you begun to listen to Him? Have you made an effort to align your mind, will, and emotions with His Will?
If your efforts have failed, try surrender! š It is the same power that resurrected Jesus that is the power that can transform us into the new humans God created us to be. It is the Holy Spirit that will give us back our life. It is the paradox that is so often found in the Scriptures ā we must surrender our lives to Him, the Creator of life, in order to get that life returned to us in abundance.
May you find His Peace and Joy in your Easter celebration – and keep your head, heart, and mind focused on Him – The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.