Finding Him

 “Then Pilate said to him, ‘ So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth.’” (John 18:37)

           Wise men hold the distinction of asking great questions. The magi are no exception. When they came seeking Jesus, they posed one of those perfectly intelligent questions that even today begs for an answer. “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?”(Matthew 2:2)
           Herod the fool sought counsel and directed the travelers to Bethlehem. But in the unfolding events of the Gospel, the complete answer becomes apparent. Where exactly is he who was born king of the Jews? The Scriptures’ reply is plain enough.
           There he is in Galilee, “teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matt 4:23).
           Watch for him as “great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan” (Matt 4:25).
           See him in Capernaum as the Roman centurion appeals for healing for his paralyzed servant. Jesus’ compassionate response exposes his true character. Inundated with enormous responsibilities, pressurized by endless needs, the king of the Jews willingly responds, “I will come and heal him.”
             Read Matthew’s account in chapters 14 and 15 and see his divine movements as he, “withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place…went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon…went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee…” Jesus fulfilling the Father’s will far from the crowds, on his surrendered march toward Jerusalem.
           Now where is he who was born king of the Jews? At a place called Golgotha where they crucified him, divided up his garments, and nailed the criminal charge directly over his head: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19). The very phrase the magi used thirty-some years earlier is written now in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. No one need miss the message.
           But the answer to the probing question doesn’t end at the cross. On the third day when the women came to his tomb two dazzling angels explained, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen” (Luke 24:5b-6). Breaking the barriers of sin and death, the King of the Jews forever unlocked the answers to life eternal.
           Ask yourself the wise men’s question. Where is the King of the Jews in your own life? Is he sidelined as irrelevant or inconvenient, or is he the central figure in your daily existence? Where you place him is really still a matter of life and death.

Elizabeth A. Mitchell

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Gracious Mercy

“Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father 

has put treasure in your sacks for you” (Genesis 43:23). 

      Scattered across the Epistles we notice the phrase “grace and mercy” as inseparable vines twisting their way around the solid trunk of Scripture. 

      But these are not concepts sprouting anew from the blood soaked earth beneath the cross. Through the ages their roots run deep, from the very beginning of the grand story of Creation they are vividly portrayed in that interchange in the garden, when God covered the shame of Adam and Eve with a slain animal’s coat. And because our Father is consistent and unchanging, because his passionate love for his people cannot be disguised, he poignantly reveals his uncompromising nature throughout his living Word. In obscure scenes and in recognizable passages he unveils himself and his endless redeeming love.

      In the familiar story of Joseph in Genesis 43, the brothers have returned to Egypt a second time to beg bread from the very one sold into slavery years before. Joseph is unrecognizable in stately attire, Egyptian tongue and appearance masking his Hebrew origin. Each time the sons of Israel prostrate themselves before Joseph they fulfill his dream, but cannot erase the thirteen years they stole away, or the anguish their hard hearts forced him to endure.

       Joseph had every right to hate his brothers, and he had the powerful Egyptian forces at his disposal to unleash the cruelest forms of revenge. When the ten treacherous men showed up on his prestigious governmental doorstep, it would have been effortless, a mere trifle, to order them dragged away, punished, and executed. Nobody would have ever known where those starving Hebrews ended up. Who would fault him for measuring back punishment in equal measure?

       But we see a picture of God’s grace when Joseph has the grain bags on each brother’s donkey filled the first time, and filled again, with their money returned in full. We learn a measure of God’s mercy when rather than throwing them in well deserved iron chains, and casting them in a dimly lit, rat infested dungeon, he speaks with them, invites them into his own home, and lays food before them from his own table. 

       In Joseph’s response we get a taste of God’s endless forgiveness. Mercy is God withholding the punishment we rightly deserve. Grace is God’s abundant provision that we are totally incapable of securing for ourselves. 

      Joseph reflected both characteristics to his undeserving family. On the cross our beloved Savior poured out grace and mercy in abundance, free for all, overflowing from the storehouse of our Father’s love. Our sacred Brother endured the greatest humiliation, chained himself to our sins, to be in the perfect position to free us and feed us forever.

Elizabeth A. Mitchell

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Directions

“And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and they prepared the Passover” (Matthew 26:19). 

     They often got it wrong.
     Jesus’ band of followers usually ended up making poor choices, succumbing to sleepiness when he desperately needed companionship, running away like frightened mice when he could have used a little lion-hearted intervention.
     His time had come, and it seemed everyone was eagerly plotting his demise. The chief priests, the elders of the people, and the high priest himself, were all concocting devious plans to arrest and kill Jesus (Mathew 26:4). Greedy Judas, rubbed his grubby paws together and asked, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you? (Verse 15) But in their midst, Jesus’ closest friends wisely obeyed his simple instructions for preparing the Passover. At least this time they got it right.
     He loved them regardless. He was on their side when they followed his directions and ensured their last meal together was a success And he loved them unconditionally when they tucked their garments between their knees and deserted him to face the enemy alone.
     Wanting to prepare them for the tumultuous events that lay ahead, he had warned them, “You will all fall away because of me this night” (Verse 31). In a rousing chorus they vowed to die rather than betray him (Verse 35). But he knew their hearts, knew they were weak, and understood implicitly that they would not withstand the pressure. And because his love was rooted in forgiveness, he reminded them again that after it all went awry he would meet back up with them in Galilee (Verse 32).
     He did not scold them or rebuke them for their frailty. Jesus understood their fears would paralyze them, ensnare the Galilean fishermen, transforming their muscles to mush. But the shepherd’s sacrificial devotion would triumph even while the sheep scattered from the blow.
     On occasion, disciples will get it all wrong. Sometimes we follow the Master perfectly. But always he loves us graciously, showers us with mercy, forgives our deficiencies, and calls us to faithfully continue the journey, our feet on the same path he chose all those years ago.

 Elizabeth A. Mitchell

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Refocus Realign

 “Your way O God is holy. What God is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples” (Psalm 77:13). 

On most days we pursue a frantic treadmill pace, constant tumultuous noise ringing in our ears from a multitude of compelling sources. Distracted by this hectic combination it often proves difficult to focus on exactly who is in charge, who actually is calling the shots. 

 But if for a moment in the darkened stillness we crane our eyes toward the night sky, or gaze with slackened jaw at the unceasing slapping of wave water against rocky beach front, we may recall the Creator who works wonders without an ounce of our contribution. To consider the awe-inspiring grandeur of his sovereign rule is antidote for anxious thoughts on multiple levels. 

The Psalmist straightens out our crooked thoughts and realigns our pace: “For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?” (Psalm 89:6-8) 

Our God is Sovereign King and we bow to his majestic control over every last detail of his realm. As his Beloved subjects we recognize his authority and rest in the assurance that our High King reigns supreme, completely capable of managing our affairs along with the rest of the universe that he balances in his hands. 

“Cease striving and know that I am God,” he reminds us over and over again, as we maneuver through the Kingdom of Earth, with his Kingdom of Heaven in full view. 

Elizabeth A. Mitchell

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