Written in Sand
Date: April 03, 2009 | Author: Albert Kienle
Written in Sand - by Albert Kienle
World War 1 is raging near Passchendaele, otherwise know as the Third Battle of Ypres, it is 1917. Canadian Sgt. Michael Dunne rushes a hail of bullets into enemy territory to save young David Mann who, under mental stress, breaks rank and attacks the German line. An explosion occurs and Mann is impaled upon what looks like a door frame.
Upon seeing this Dunne with Canadian firepower backing him runs into the fray. Wounded he reaches the youth. His courage and bravery stops the Germans dead. The war, if only for a moment, stops. Men are ordered and assists Dunne in retrieving Mann, still impaled. The scene captures the moment: Dunne stumbling back to Canadian lines with Mann and broken boards carried on his back, so remindful of Christ's last walk. Dunne, when asked why he'd returned to the war zone, replied, "For love." The love of Mann's sister Sarah. Mann survives, Dunne dies of his wounds. He leaves a moving historical legacy in the blood soaked mud of Passchendaele.
This month we'll consider three events in the life of Jesus and those around Him which greatly impacts our lives today. Life, all of life, hinges upon Jesus Christ, so let's begin ...
The Walk to the Cross
Imagine the following. Imagine following Jesus with His disciples, and perhaps others, as they leave ministering in Galilee and begin their journey towards Jerusalem. Listening to His teachings as He seeks to prepare the disciples for His approaching death and to strengthen their ministry in carrying on His work. They arrive during the national Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. Imagine the crowds, the hustle and bustle, the make-shift leafy booths.
In the city He teaches and confronts. It is a time of mixed emotions among the Jews. Some are busy trying to have Jesus arrested, while others are convinced by His teaching and miracles that He is the Messiah. Imagine this chaotic time and the evenings when Jesus retires outside the city, perhaps to a friend's house or to a booth pitched there, only to return the next day.
The John 8 Drama
Imagine this live drama:
Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. "Teacher," they said to Jesus, "this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?" They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, "All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!" Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest (Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last NKJ), until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to her, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" "No, Lord," she said. And Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more." (John 8:1-11 NLT)
The Plot
The Conspiracy: To trap Jesus into saying or doing something that could be used against Him in the Jewish religious system and the Roman legal system.
The Charge: In their wild hysteria to arrest and destroy Jesus the 'teachers of religious law and Pharisees' devised or stumbled upon an ideal situation for their evil plot.
The Challenge: What would Jesus do? The trap was ready for the kill. However, one miscalculation was made. Only the woman of the guilty pair was delivered to the temple court scene. According to the Mosaic Law the man of the adulterous affair was also to be presented for judgement and stoning. (Lev. 18:20; Deut. 22:22) Therefore Jesus was not legally bound to decide the case. The trap backfired, catching the accusers, vindicating Christ, and freeing the guilty.
The Condemnation Lifted: What He did was one better! Jesus 'stooped' to lift the guilt-ridden woman to heights of forgiveness and freedom. Mercy triumphs over judgement.
What Was Written ...?
The Judeo-Christian Scriptures are the outbreathing of God's thoughts written in human form by more than 40 authors and over a period of 1,600 years; diverse yet unified in spirit, outlook and inspiration.
Four times, however, Scripture records God taking pen (actually, finger) in hand and writing a personal message.
1) The Ten Commandments. "When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God." (Ex. 31:18)
2) The Handwriting on the Wall. "Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote ... (God) sent the hand that wrote the inscription." (Dan. 5:5,24)
3) The Engravings of the Holy Spirit. "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." (2 Cor. 3:3)
4) The Handwriting of Jesus. "Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger." (John 8:6b)
It is up for conjecture as to what Jesus wrote, but imagine. Was it perhaps words of denunciation for the accusers? Words of commendation for the penitent? If the other three instances give any indication we may conclude it was words of instruction, judgement, or grace. In no way was it mere doodling or forecasting next day's weather!
I'd like to believe that His spoken words were for the religious leaders and His written message for His guilty creature who cowered in the dust trying to cover her nakedness if not her shame waiting for stones to fall. Imagine. Jesus, as part of His condescension and foreshadowing the Cross, stooping to her level to deliver a message of hope. When we couldn't come to where Jesus is, He came to us. Both covered in dirt; reminiscent of Creation when the Creator took earth, formed it and blew life into it. Jesus blew life into this person, not animal as some may identify her sinfulness, and she became a living, not dead, soul. Ever after when referring to Jesus to others she'd say in awe, That's Him! Living with the life of God in her; living with the lights on!
We can be sure that as with Jesus' written words being blown away by wind and time, so her sins were blown away, never to be seen again. Is this a word perhaps for you? "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." (Psa. 103:8-12) The Cross and Blood of Christ still works wonders in the lives of sinners. Jesus is the healer of a life that's broken, a heart that's hurting, of shattered dreams gone away. While He's calling, whispering your name, let Him into your brokenness.
A Moment in Time
Such stories reveal those moments when lives are forever changed. All of us in some way will experience a moment in time when, as a pastoral letter suggests, we come up against the unmistakable reality of what is truly important and of ultimate value. These moments of grace shake us to the core as you sit up late at night knowing that God's call has changed everything you had planned for your life, or when overwhelmed by events solace comes in the awareness that God does exist, and is in control; when deep reassurance is found in a hymn, a little chorus, or time spent in prayer.
Moments of truth can come when a loved one is struggling with a serious illness - or they failed to allow God to lead, resulting in some poor decisions. It may, as the letter concludes, be crushing financial difficulties, or some other truly momentous crisis, when, almost too late, we realize the value of what is truly important. Moments chiseled not in stone or plastered upon the wall. Neither written in sandy dust to be soon forgotten, but upon human hearts by the Spirit of the living God!
Remembering the Meal
Several months pass and Jesus returns. Another moment takes place when the lives of all present are forever changed in the light of what is truly important. It is Passover in Jerusalem. Every Jew saw it as a separation from their past, a coming of age as a people and nation, and a messianic future.
The streets are filled with locals and strangers. The marketplace overflow with sights, sounds, and smells. The priestly service takes on added meaning. As the sun slowly sinks into the western horizon families hurry home. Preparations have all been made. They gather around the table meal to answer, once again, the age-old question, "Why is this evening different from all others?"
At a guest-house preparations are also being made. The guests arrive. Jesus comes. Matthew. John. Andrew. Peter. Seven others. The betrayer too. They're all there. Yes, you are there too. So am I. Somehow, humanity is watching this unfolding scene, along with 586 stars. Roast lamb hangs in the air. Raw anticipation fills the room. A sense of uncomfortableness settles over the tight-knit group. This night will be unlike any other.
Jesus raises His voice over everything else. "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." (Luke 22:15, 16, 19, 20)
His words caught their breath two-fold: 1) " ... before I suffer". Suffering; the cross. They have heard this theme often lately, and it was bothersome. 2) This suffering would initiate a new day, a new epoch, a new covenant. Jesus took the Passover and established the New Covenant in His blood. As Jesus broke bread and drank the wine He was answering the human question, "Do you really believe that one man may bear the burden for all sin?" And saying, This I do to save you.
The Passover is a microcosm of Jesus' entire life. Every facet is represented: His life. The Cross. Death. Resurrection. Furthermore it was to those around Him a call to discipleship, a call to follow. Written in red! Would they understand and seize the moment?
Beach of Dreams: John 21
The Crucifixion was a total success! For His enemies, Jesus was dead and His followers silenced. For God, this was just the beginning. The foes tried to put Jesus down but in reality they helped raise Him up to highest honour. "And when I am lifted up on the cross, I will draw everyone to myself." (John 12:32)
The cross now is empty, and so is the tomb! The tombstone could not hide the Rock of Ages. Jesus showed Himself alive many times and in many ways. And after each time the exclamation was the same: That's Him!
The Resurrection was hard to believe and harder to explain. The followers of Jesus vacillated between faith and doubt. They wavered in mind and opinion. They tottered between hope and despair. They staggered when looking at themselves but were emboldened when seeing Jesus. That's Him! They hesitated to follow but was commissioned anyway! Because in reality, That's Him! And so it is today.
This indecisiveness creates our last scene. In the growing cover of night Peter led the way and the others unsteadily followed. In the distance they saw something familiar, something they knew so well, something comfortable: the beach, boats and fishing-nets, the smell of fish. At the moment this was more real than was Jesus. So they stumbled forward to the only thing that seemed stable in their lives.
Smelling the sea air Peter couldn't resist. "I'm going fishing," he said aloud. In unison the rest chimed, "We will come too." And as at earlier times the net result was zero; for their all night vigil they caught nothing. As daylight stole across their vision someone spotted a somewhat familiar figure up on the beach. The stranger called out, "Friends, have you caught any fish?" To their negative reply he replied, "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get plenty of fish!" The net result this time was a net-breaking boat-sinking haul of fresh fish. Here was a stranger that knew them well enough to call them 'friends' and what to do to get their desired result.
Suddenly light bulbs began blinking and John, out of the blue, spits out, That's Him! Jesus! Peter spins around, and in turning he turned his whole life around. Those words gripped Peter and he did the unusual, somewhat foolish. I have no idea why Peter did what he did, except to say it got him where he wanted to be, first. As they dragged the loaded boat ashore, they saw that a charcoal fire was burning and fish frying over it, and there was bread with the invitation, "Now come and have some breakfast!" The burning question turned to burning hearts, That's Him, really Him!
This is a loaded scene. Breakfast! There's nothing like a hearty meal to clear minds, break down barriers, and start rebuilding relationships and friendships, trust and forgiveness. In a word, fellowship. Koinonia! No put-downs or pretty come-ons. Just a prepared breakfast for a lot of unprepared, broken-faithed friends. With an invite to contribute some of their fish to the meal. They were part of the whole! What could be better or more convincing! They all had a future, with Him!
Truth often is stranger than fiction. Not only is breakfast prepared but then Jesus does the unexpected! Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. Jesus goes to each one and serves out the food. These whom others did not give the time of day, Jesus served. These who deserted, denied, and waffled, Jesus served. Reminiscent of a few day earlier when Jesus bathed their unwashed feet. That was then, this was now. Then, they were confident; their world was confused but going in the right direction. Now, they weren't certain of the certainties. Their dreams were sand-castles. Their lives needed reconstructing. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. Jesus always knew just what to do.
Jesus' action of service showed:
- the Grace of God: God giving Himself in full acceptance to those who do not deserve it, can never earn it, and will never be able to repay.
- restoration, relationship, and reemergence.
- community, communion, and embodying proof of fellowship.
Only after this hearty morning meal did serious conversation take place. Jesus challenged these men with their past, their present and their future. Haltingly they accepted their challenges and carried the Gospel to the world. Faith always rides somewhere between the heartache of Good Friday and the triumph of Resurrection Sunday. Faith is always on a journey, never inactive or motionless. It moves almost unnoticed at times from total unbelief to total devotion.
We move along as we are confronted by truth and decide to believe or not to believe. Where truth is the choice, the steps continue to the next point of acceptance or rejection of truth. Everyone, believer or non-believer, is somewhere on this continuous series of faith steps. And Christians, as we struggle along our faith journey, discover, as did Peter, the privilege of working with God to help others take their next step.
OK. This Easter, this month, today, where do you find yourself? In the dust and dirt of life, beaten, bruised, broken by choices of your own or of others. Life may seem like a tomb but Love can come and fill every corner of the room with the fragrance of His Presence. And you'll exclaim, That's Him! There is redeeming love and grace written in the sands of time. You have tried the rest, now try the best.
Do you need to remember what is truly important and of ultimate worth? Sit awhile before God, before the Passover, before the Supper of the Lord. Eat the bread of His Word. Drink the blood of His life-giving Spirit. There is redeeming love and grace written in the bloody sands surrounding the Cross.
Or, are you living with shattered dreams and a disillusioned, even skeptical, faith? Then take a walk with the living Jesus along the beach. Commune with Him. Let Him serve you. You can reemerge with a renewed growing faith, to tell your world the Good News of Jesus Christ and what He has done for you. To you the resurrected Lord says: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Rev. 3:20)
Don't delay; do it today.
I wish you and yours a Blessed Easter!
