The Risen Healer

Good Friday and Easter is a great reminder of the death of Jesus on the cross and His subsequent resurrection.  The body of Jesus, marred beyond recognition, would be raised victorious in divine glory.

I have heard it said "Time heals all wounds," but even cursory thought reveals this to be a myth.  Not only is time incapable of healing anyone in itself, it offers no hope of genuine comfort.  How did this cliche hold up as stones crushed the skull of Stephen?  What would it profit to wax poetical over the body of Paul as the executioners blade decapitated him?  Say, "Time heals all wounds" to the mother whose infant son was stolen or to the husband whose wife has left him.  Employ this view to the boy or girl who has been raped by a supposed friend.  Go ahead and say it, but it doesn't mean it is true.

During His life Jesus Christ healed many people, many of them suffering from incurable conditions and illnesses.  He opened the eyes of men born blind, healed the flow of blood from a poor woman, healed the lame, cleansed lepers, cast out demons, and even raised people from the dead.  I wonder what people thought when the Healer bled out on a cross and was buried in a tomb.  "He healed others but could not heal Himself," they may have sneered.  Yet all the scorn and mockery was revealed to be unfounded when Jesus Christ rose from the dead after three days.  He accomplished more than the healing of His physical body but was resurrected in a glorified, immortal form.  How glorious is the empty tomb and our risen LORD!

Time heals no wounds, but Jesus who is the same yesterday, today, and forever remains a Healer.  He is able to administer a cure no medicine can boast, the forgiveness of sins and granting of eternal life.  The dead are still raised to life as the love and power of Jesus Christ is perpetuated through the Gospel.  In Jesus is redemption, reconciliation, and everlasting hope.  Christ does not offer sentiment but salvation, and He lives forevermore!

Jesus and Heart Transplants

I was recently made aware of a young woman who needs a heart transplant.  While considering her life-threatening condition, it struck me that for her need for a new heart to be supplied someone else would first need to die.  As we approach Good Friday and Easter, the words of Jesus Christ come to mind in John 12:24-25:  "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. ²⁵ He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."  The woman waiting for a heart transplant undoubtedly hopes for a "new lease on life," but only Jesus provides abundant and eternal life without disease, pain, or medication.

Jesus did not demand His followers die to prove their loyalty to Him:  He willingly chose to die for those who despised and rejected Him.  Jesus Christ was willing for His blood to be poured out like water and His skin to be ripped into ribbons in obedience to the Father for the joy which was before Him.  If I was to offer my heart as a transplant for someone else, I could at best help one person.  Often a heart transplant isn't successful because the rejection of the transplanted organ is a common complication.  But Jesus, when He laid down His life by being lifted up on Calvary's cross, provided new life for all people who will repent and believe in Him.  This is the Gospel truth for all people we celebrate this day and every day, that by faith in Jesus who was broken His followers are made whole.

The life Jesus Christ gives is not just better but a new life lived with the benefit of a new heart.  The promise of God was spoken by the prophet to the nation Israel under Law has been expanded to all people by the New Covenant in Christ's blood in Ezekiel 36:26-27:  "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."  A recipient of a heart transplant needs to take medications for the remainder of her life to prevent the body from rejecting the heart, and God gives us a new heart and the Holy Spirit.  Our unregenerate heart spiritually resembled stone:  hard, stubborn, without feeling, and incapable of supporting life.  When we are born again through the Gospel, Jesus gives us a heart of flesh that is soft, tender, and full of life.  The life is in the blood, and it is the blood of Jesus which washes us from all sin.

Loving your unregenerate life leads to loss of it, but those who are willing to deny self and follow Jesus discover new, abundant, and eternal life through faith in Him.  Have you been brought to a place where you can say, "I hate my life in this world?"  Do not despair if this describes well your feelings and thoughts concerning your life, for there is hope in Jesus.  The curse of sin is dragging you to eternal damnation and torment in hell, but Jesus came to set the captives free!  After dying on the cross, He rose from the dead victorious over sin and death - and that is the victory He provides for all who repent and trust in Him.  Do you need a new heart?  Only Jesus can give you the new heart you need.  A heart transplant only prolongs life on earth, but Jesus gives eternal life which is for today and always.

The Value of Disagreement

Agreeing to disagree is harder said than done.  Tolerance "puts up" with differences without accepting or valuing others as we ought.  Instead of breeding arrogance or indifference, the genuine love of God draws near to those who are misunderstood to convey kindness, compassion, and care.  When I have substituted tolerance for love it is a terrible weight to carry which burdens beyond strength.  When I consider the love of Jesus Christ which was not offered to receive anything good from me but is all of grace, it realigns my perspective with His.

I just finished reading Jesus Among Secular Gods by Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale.  I would highly recommend it for Christians and all seekers of truth.  I found the book useful, encouraging, and thought provoking.  I believe it would be a compelling read for willing Christians, skeptics, and atheists alike.  It illustrates well how and why the claims and qualities of Jesus Christ are unique and concrete truth in a world of relativism and other "isms" which resemble sliding sand unsuitable for life and logically unsustainable.  One of the most impacting sections on the book for me personally was a fresh perspective on disagreement.  We have all disagreed with others, and typically holding contrary views does little to draw people together except to argue, become defensive, grow angry, and either raise our voices in frustration or retreat into silence.  Vince Vitale wrote in the chapter titled "Love the Truth:"

"Academic philosophy has its vices, but, at its best, one of its virtues is that it places a very high value on truth.  And one result of this is that disagreeing with someone about their core beliefs is seen as a compliment and an act of service.  It's a way of saying that the other person's ideas are promising enough to take seriously, so much so that you are willing to invest time and effort into them yourself...If a scholar takes the time to critique my research in print, that is a great gift.  And the more extensively she critiques my work, the greater the gift.  Something similar is true in sports.  Extensive critique by a good coach means that the coach sees potential in you,, and therefore believes that putting extra time into you is a good investment....Sadly, because truth so often has been abused as power play, experience has taught us that disagreement goes hand in hand with devaluing.  We have learned that the trajectory of disagreement is from disagreement to devaluing to intolerance to violence.  In fact, the opposite should be true...Because truth has so often been used as a weapon to manipulate, abuse, and control, many have stopped valuing truth altogether.  We have lost the ability to disagree in love.  Even more, we have lost the ability for disagreement to be itself an act of love." (“Love The Truth.” Jesus among Secular Gods: the Countercultural Claims of Christ, by Ravi K Zacharias and Vince Vitale, FaithWords, 2018, pp. 211–212.)

How might your interactions with people change if you viewed disagreement with them as an intentional act of love?  Perhaps even more relevant for a Christian living in a secular world, are you willing to view others who disagree with you as a gracious gift?  We do not need to be professional philosophers to glean and apply this profound truth.  Others may not see your disagreement as a gift, but we do well to view it in this fashion.  May our friendly demeanour and kind tone edify so the sensible will not assume it is a personal attack.  When we feel opposed or attacked for our stance, let us decide it is good for us to put our postulates through their paces.  It is not only our views which are being better distilled and purified, but God will do a mighty work in and through us as we humble ourselves.

Wax and Hearts

After my car blew a head gasket, I recently purchased a replacement which is much newer.  I would occasionally give the old car a wash and vacuum, but there was little reason to spend much effort or time on detailing.  The paint at some point had been dusted with overspray, and I wasn't willing to invest the time or expense to have the old car professionally detailed.  What happened under the bonnet was more important to me to maintain with regular servicing, and this was done without fail.

To preserve the finish of the newer car, a investment of time and money to buy necessary supplies was required.  Maintenance is an expense, but to neglect a vehicle is far more costly in the end.  My experience with owning vehicles over the last twenty plus years is the older the vehicle or the longer I have owned it, the less attention I give to maintain the exterior.  Once the shine starts to wear off, I'm just not as interested to invest the elbow grease required to restore the lustre.  A well-maintained engine is the most critical part of a vehicle to invest in, as the purpose in owning a car is to transport me from here to there - not to look shiny.

As I buffed a thin layer of wax from the car today, I started thinking about how maintaining the exterior of my cars tends to start strong but can wane over time.  Then I considered how it is possible to do the same thing in our relationships with people and even with God.  Knowing I have clean, quality oil in the crankcase to move me from here to there is a good feeling, and it is also wonderful to know because of the Gospel I am heading for heaven.  But is it possible I can become lax with my relationship with God, that over time I can become less likely to invest time or energy to seek intimacy with God?  Could my spiritual health resemble a rusted out jalopy because all I care about is under the bonnet?  Sure it can.  All healthy relationships require work and personal investment, and this is also true concerning our relationship with God..

So what is the takeaway of these musings?  In a short amount of time a great deal of dust, bug guts, and grime collects on the finish of a car and these must be washed.  As we navigate through this life, there are all sorts of things which pollute our hearts and minds, sins which only God can cleanse when our hearts are exposed to Him in repentance.  Our impure thoughts and motives are hidden from men, but they are exposed before the Almighty, Living God.  We must be willing to approach God humbly and seek forgiveness, walking in obedience to God's Word.  The Pharisees looked like cherry red Ferraris but lacked an engine (all show no go); we should not be confident in our well-maintained motor but habitually park under trees where the flying foxes roost.  Sin sticks and must be confessed and forsaken.  An engine has no power to wash and wax a car, and our salvation does not guarantee advancement in our sanctification.  If we will be saved, God then holds us responsible to keep our lives free of sin.

Even when our lives are bogged in the mud or we've ignored the bugs and grime, God remains gracious to us.  At the same time God's goodness and mercy are no excuse for neglect.  Our lives are gifts from God and He is worthy to be served and praised with our whole hearts, holding back nothing He requires of us.  As long as Christ tarries may we be about His business, investing in the regular maintenance of our hearts and lives.  Forgiveness is free for us, but Jesus paid for it with His own blood.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Wax properly applied guards paint, and may we be vigilant in the power of the Holy Spirit to guard our hearts.