No Unpunished Attributes
I was thinking recently about how Jesus used His senses and bodily attributes to help people and what happened to His attributes later.
He used His eyes to see people oppressed by poverty, disease and demonic possession and He healed and encouraged them [Mat 8 :1-3].
Later, He was mocked and struck in the face while blindfolded [Luke 22:63-65].
His ears which heard the cries of the Canaanite woman whose daughter was dying, led Him to her and to the healing of the daughter [Mat 15:22-28].
On the cross, His ears heard the crowd mocking Him along with moans of pain uttered by the thieves beside Him and the weeping of His loved ones [Mark 15:29-32].
He used His sense of touch in touching the untouchables, lepers and also when He felt the touch of an unclean woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years. She with great faith, risked touching the hem of Jesus’ garment and He healed her [Mat 9:20-22].
Later, Jesus felt the searing pain of literally being savagely whipped on all parts of His body. The Shroud of Turin records each blow.
He had tasted the sweetness of the wine at the marriage in Cana where His first miracle occurred [John 2:1-11]. Later, on the cross, he cried out in thirst and was then given gall and vinegar instead of water [John 19:28-30].
He smelled the woody, earthy and spicy fragrance of Spikenard when Mary lavished it upon His feet as an offering; its heady bouquet was inescapable [John 12:1-3].
Later on the cross, the smell of blood, His and those around him dominated His sense of smell [Mat 27:38].
Jesus used His feet to walk to the distant villages to share the good news of the Gospel to the multitudes [Mat 4:23]. Later, His walking days were over because His feet were nailed to the cross [Mark 15:24-25].
He used His hands to touch and heal lepers, the deaf and blind. He used His arms to pick up and hold the little children so he could bless them [Mark 10:13-16]. Later, His hands and arms were restrained, nailed to the cross [Luke 23:33].
He used His voice to calm the storm on the Sea of Galilee and the storm of fear inside His disciples because they believed that drowning was their immediate certainty [Mark 4:36-41].
On the cross, His voice said, “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing [Luke 23:34].” And to the believing thief, “This day you will be with me in Paradise” [Luke 23:40-43].
So in every conceivable way, all of Jesus senses and abilities were affronted and disabled, but not for long. After three days in the grave, to the chagrin of the Roman and the religious authorities, life entered Him once again and multitudes saw him several times in His upgraded body before he made His final exit. [1 Co 15:3-8].
Its interesting that even today, that Jesus still saves, heals, comforts and strengthens. Meanwhile, the eternally saving Gospel of Christ worldwide is largely ignored, shunned and belittled. Christians in many countries are persecuted, hunted down and killed. Why? What is so awful and threatening about Christians and the Gospel of Christ? Metaphorically, we smell as the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Cor 2:14-16
So, what about all this?
For believing Christians, including me first, how are we using our senses and bodily abilities? Are we blessing and helping people and encouraging both fellow pilgrims and strangers treading on difficult paths? Are we giving God the credit and thanks for our very lives? Are we sharing the good news of the Gospel of Christ and His love which completely fills the God shaped hole in every human; creating it into a heart overflowing with peace? The work of Jesus goes on, are we Christians doing our share?
To the unbeliever, everyone has an opinion about Jesus but don’t let your eternity be decided be someone else’s opinion. If you are looking for purpose and meaning in life that makes sense in your life’s experiences, investigate who Jesus is for yourself. Read the Gospel of John, John is one of the eyewitnesses of the things that Jesus said and did, and determine for yourself who Jesus was and is. You will never find what you are looking for in life if you never search [Jer 29:11-13]. When it comes to the Gospel of Christ, the more you search, the more you will find that shows that Jesus is indeed, The Way, The Truth and The Life [John 14:2-6].
In the Bible, God revealed many specific attributes about a special Servant that He was sending, hundreds of years in advance.
Who He is – Creator, God’s Son and Servant (The Word) [John 1:1-3, Psalm 2, Isaiah 25:13].
When He was coming [Daniel 9:24].
Where specifically He was coming – Bethlehem [Micah 5:2].
How He would arrive – born to a virgin [Isaiah 7:14].
What He would do – heal [Isaiah 42:5-9] and the reaction to Him – rejection [Isaiah 53:3.]
What He would accomplish – paying for the sins of others and rising from the dead [Isaiah 53:11 and Isaiah 53:10].
These are just a few, there are hundreds of other prophecies foretelling about Jesus.
If you care or dare, read Isaiah 52:13-15 and Isaiah 53, (written 700 years before Christ) and consider the attributes of Gods Servant, Isaiah wrote about. Then, read the Gospel of John and see if Jesus was the One Isaiah wrote about, read it for yourself.
Isn’t your eternity worth a bit of time and effort in finding God? Deu 4:7 says that if you search for God with a whole heart, you will find Him, start the search, knock on The Door [Rev 3:20].
A – Admit that you have sinned, Romans 3:23.
B – Believe on Jesus Christ, John 3:16.
C – Confess Jesus as your Savior publicly, Romans 10:9-10.
And you will be saved.