We Need to Talk! As I stand cradled within the sanctuary of these four walls, I wanted to high light this headline during this period of proclamation. We need to discuss — “How Jesus Views Instigators Of Sin.”
The Text I have tagged and targeted for teaching is Luke 17:1-2 (read).
In1:1, Luke titles his account of the Gospel concerning Jesus Christ as “a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us.” I like to think of Luke’s Gospel Narrative as “A Declaration of Settled Beliefs.” For the facts of Jesus’ miraculous and immaculate conception and birth, His ministry as Messiah as evidenced by His authoritative words and mighty deeds of power, His substitutionary death on the Cross, and His burial, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God the Father, Luke says that these are Settled, Irrefutable Beliefs among the Servant-Saints of the Savior: in spite of apostasy, splits and heresy, these beliefs have remained constant and clear thru two millennia up to this present day. They have out-lasted the prancing horses and militaristic empire of Rome. They have outlasted the icy beauty and architectural splendor of Greece. Outlasted the goose-stepping, Nazi regime of Hitler’s Germany. Outlasted the communistic, militarist union of the Soviet Union. And they shall outlast the capitalistic democracy of America. The faith that was once delivered to the saints is A Declaration of Settled Beliefs.
In Acts 1:1, Luke views the Gospel as “all that Jesus began both To Do and Teach.” The Good News is both Jesus’ Doings and Doctrine, His Acts and Assertions, His Works and Words, His Service and Sayings. I think we do well to remember that, for some of us divorce His Works from His Words, while others of us focus on His Words to the exclusion of His Works. But the Gospel is “all that Jesus began both to do and teach.”
So, in this declaration of settled beliefs, Luke not only high lights The Doings of Jesus, he also underscores the Sayings of the Savior. And in our Target Text (17:1-2), we are confronted by the Sayings of Jesus; for in verse 1 Luke writes, “Then said He unto the disciples.”
Now, as far as I am concerned, these Sayings of Jesus have to do with His Ebonics rather than with His Phonics or Phonetics. Meaning, What He Says rather than with How He Says It; with the Substance and Meaning of His Statements and not with the Form and Pronunciation of His Words; with Content rather than with Construct. It is His Ebonics, His Content that is important.
The reason I am stressing Ebonics is because, in our move to be assimilated into this American culture, many of us have mastered, to a great extent, the construct, form and structure of the King’s English, yet we lack substance in our conversation. But Grandma was short on syntax, isagogics and style but long on getting over what she was saying. Communicating, conversation is basically making one’s self clear, divulging substance and meaning. If once you get close to God, you’ll become concerned with Ebonics rather than with Phonics.
Now you must understand that these Ebonics or Sayings of Jesus are not Suggestions or Proposals or Recommendations or Hints or Opinions or Theories, Hunches or even Wishes. No, no! In John 7:16-17 Jesus says, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me. If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of Myself.” In John 12:49 Jesus says, For I have not spoken of Myself; but My Father which hath sent Me, He gave Me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” And then in John 5:30 Jesus says, “I can of Mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge.” These, then, are not suggestions or personal opinions nor educated guesses. In these Sayings, Jesus discloses the mind and will of God the Father as it relates to a right relationship with Him in regards to salvation and the kingdom. These, then, are Declarations or Statements detailing how human beings are to relate to the rule and reign and reach and righteousness of God as Lord and Savior.
The content of these Sayings of Jesus are housed in various constructs. They take the form of Parables, Sermons, Lectures and just Casual Conversation. And these Sayings are addressed to various persons or groups of people. For instance, in this 17th chapter of Luke, Jesus addresses His Saying to Three different groups of individuals. Beginning at verse 11 and ending with verse 14, we have the Sayings of Jesus to a Casual Conglomeration of Contemporary Folk in the person of Ten Disenfranchised Lepers. In verses 20 & 21, we have the Sayings of the Savior to a Snide and Stuck-Up Sect known as the Pharisees. And in verses 1-10, we have the Sayings of the Savior to His Selected Servants on the subjects of Sin, Faith and Duty.
So, in our Target Text, we are confronted with the Sayings of the Savior to His Selected Servants, and by implication to all the saved. The Ebonics of His message to the church has to do with His Attitude toward the Instigators of Sin. First, Jesus makes A Divine Declaration: He declares that Stumbling-Blocks Are Inevitable. Then Second, He discloses How God Views the Instigators of Sin.
Jesus turns to His Selected Servants in all ages and declares “It is impossible but that offences will come.” Therefore, I submit to us, First of all, the Declaration that —
I. STUMBLING-BLCIKS ARE INEVITABLE.
This is a word of serious warning to all who have been saved by grace thru faith, as well as to all those who are yet to be saved. There are those among us, particularly those who have yet to face any real trial of their faith and even those who have been tried and have flunked but yet act as if they are guiltless, who are hypercritical of those among us who have stumbled and fell as a direct result of sin. Now these, our friends and brothers, cannot see how it is possible for any saint to fall so low after having been lifted so high. Their personal cry is, “That could never happen to me!” For instance: they were the loudest critics and condemners of Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggart. These are the hardest and harshest critics of Preachers and Pastors. Whenever we fall into anything that resembles sin, they are the ones who point it out to all who will listen. It is beyond their comprehension how any saint could stumble or fall. They wrongly believe, sometimes willfully believe, that they are above sin. In their own eyes, they live daily free from sin and its temptations.
But, to you, the sinlessly perfect Savior has a Sobering Saying. In verse 1, the KJV translates it, “It is impossible but that offences will come!” The NIV translates the verse as: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come.” In the Modern Greek Text, from which I have studied this passage, it literally reads: “It is not possible that the stumbling blocks should not come.” Or it could be translated: “It could not happen that the stumbling blocks should never come.” The gist of the Savior’s Saying is this: Perhaps the stumbling blocks have yet to come or have not come in your path in the past or up till now; but it is not possible that they should not come in the future. In die time the Stumbling Blocks Will Come!
Thus, the Savior is dealing with what is Inevitable, Unavoidable, Inescapable; that which is Bound to Happen any how no matter what you do to prevent it! I think we need to look at this word translated “offences.” It is necessary to focus in on this word in order to arrive at a proper understanding of what Jesus is saying about its inevitability.
The noun translated “offences” in the KJV is the Greek word ta; skavndala. Syntactically ta; skavndala is a definite noun, the skandala. The word “skandala” is an Abstract Noun, so the definite article [the] is added to lay emphasis on the quality of the skandala spoken about. It is neuter in gender, meaning the skandala is a thing. And it is plural in number, meaning it is two or more things. So we know that the skandala has to do with a certain quality of things that is plural in number.
But the issue is, What is this certain quality of things? What does the word mean? What did it mean then to the disciples, and what does it signify today? Well, the noun skandalon originally stood for the name of that part of a trap which the bait was attached to; hence the movable stick or the “tricker” of a trap, or “the trap stick,” or “the trigger.” The tricker triggered the trap into operation. Then this tircker stick or trigger was used to mean the trap, snare or net itself. Literally meaning any impediment placed in the way and causing a man or living creature to stumble or fall; thus a Stumbling Block.
Thus, the disciples could easily relate to the concept of Skandalon. For some of them were fishermen and for them it signified “bait, lures and nets” which were used to snag, lure, catch, trap the fish. At least one of them was a “zealot” or a “patriot” who was a soldier. As a soldier, he understood skandalon to mean “a trap set for the enemy as an ambush or a base of operation from which a battle was waged.” A few were businessmen: tax-collectors and small time merchants or entrepreneurs. And to them skandalon meant “different ways of luring customers to do business with them thru the lure of advertising, slick salesmanship or crafty means.” But all of them understood the basic meaning of skandalon to mean anything used to catch, trap or snag people or creatures.
So with that in mind, they knew Jesus was speaking in a figurative sense of things used to hinder others or cause people to stumble or fall by the wayside. Anything used to cause believers in Jesus to stop following Him, to drop-out, to quit; anything that would arouse prejudice against Jesus. So, in order to prevent a person from continuing to follow Jesus, stumbling blocks would be placed or thrown in his/her way to cause them to stumble and fall, and to be so seriously injured or hurt that he/she could not or would not consider getting up to continue one’s journey!
Thus, it is obvious that Jesus views the Stumbling Blocks as Instrumental Causes. Meaning, stumbling blocks are the instruments used to bring about stumbling. Hence as instruments or as things used, stumbling blocks, in the moral or spiritual sense, mean Words and Deeds. Words and/or Deeds are the instruments used to bring about the fall of others from continuing to follow Jesus. In order to prevent a little one from continuing to follow Jesus, things said and/or things done would be placed or thrown in his/her way or life to cause their fall, and to be so seriously injured or hurt by that fall that he/she would be discouraged from getting up to continue.
Thus, now you see the quality of things spoken about. To cause that type of effect, the things spoken of could only be of an evil, bad quality. Hence, these stumbling blocks are “Evil, Hurtful and Damaging Words and Deeds.” Hurtful and Damaging Words will be hurled at you and in your path to trip you up and bring you down. “Evil, Hurtful and Damaging Things shall be done to you to bring you down.”
Now, Jesus says, This is to be expected; this is normal operating procedure. It is inevitable that both evil, hurtful and damaging Word and Deeds will be placed or thrown in your life to hurt you so badly so that when you fall, you won’t even think about getting up to continue to follow Jesus!
The Evil Words and Deeds that shall be used to bring about your fall may consist of temptations to sin against the 10 commandments (no other gods; no making graven images or likenesses; no bowing to serve or worship idols; no taking of the Lord’s name in vain and keeping the Sabbath a holy day — honor father & mother; no killing; no adultery; no stealing; no lying; no coveting neighbor’s wife, house, field, employees, livestock or anything that belongs to him).
The Evil Words and Deeds used shall be enticements to Apostasy (departing from the faith by giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils).
The Evil Words and Deeds used shall be enticements to accept false teaching or beliefs (refusing to marry, abstaining from eating meats; submitting to a woman pastor when the Scripture teaches that Christ gave some [and the some and the positions spoken of all are in the masculine gender in the Greek Text], apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ).
So Jesus says to all of us, Stumbling Blocks Are Inevitable: they shall be placed or thrown in our way!
And it is equally clear from this sane Text the fact that All of Us Shall Fall At Least One Time in our lives as Saved Saints. This truth is brought out in the NIV’s translation. It says: Things that cause people to sin are bound to come….” Yes, it is inevitable that all of us shall stumble and fall as a direct result of evil, hurtful and damaging Words and Deeds! Yes, it is still a settled and irrefutable fact that we have sinned and will sin as long as we are in this body of flesh. It is still an irrefutable fact that “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). And it is still an incontrovertible fact that “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him [God] a liar, and His word is not in us.” So, all of us have and shall stumble and fall in the future because of evil, hurtful and damaging Words and Deeds. That too is Inevitable!
But we must also understand that we have a wise and merciful heavenly Father who takes evil, hurtful and damaging words and deeds aimed at our destruction and uses them for our good. Yes, He “works in all things for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” How does He do that? Well, First, by getting us to view our falls into temptations as occasions for rejoicing. That is what James teaches in chapter 1 verses 2 & 3 of his epistle. There he exhorts us to “count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” Second, God works in all evil things for the good of us by being merciful even in our unrighteousness. That is what John teaches in 1 John 1:9 where he wrote: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And this corresponds to God’s promise to us in Hebrews 8:10-12 where it is written: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” And Third, God turns evil words and deeds into good for us by demonstrating There Is Lifting Up for those who Stumble and Fall. That is what Micah is conveying in Micah 7:8. He is saying there to an unnamed woman who is his enemy, Don’t You Dare Shout Yet! In verse 8 he says: “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy!” Why Micah? He continues in verse 8 saying because “When I fall [it is not a question of If; he says I know I shall fall—When I fall], I Shall Arise” - God shall Lift me up again on my feet. Yes, there is Lifting Up for those who Stumble and Fall Down! God shall not allow us to stay down in sin; He will Lift Us Up Again. Our destiny is not down in sin, but Up to Glory and honor and praise. Oh yeah, you’re gonna get up, for nobody or nothing can keep down what God has determined to raise up. Perhaps that’s what Maya Angelou was saying to us in her poem entitled “I’ll Rise!” She wrote:
“You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll Rise!
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll Rise!
Out of the huts of history’s shame, I’ll Rise!
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain, I’ll Rise!
I’ll Rise! I’ll Rise! I’ll Rise!”
Yes, Stumbling Blocks Are Inevitable, even our Falling Into Sin Is Unavoidable, but yet, Our Lifting Up From Our Stumbling Is Predestined. But what is more amazing than all of that is this. Jude, in his epistle at verse 24, uttered this shocking statement. Said he: “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” Then Jude identifies Him as “the only wise God our Savior”; that’s who He is!
Now, we have seen How Jesus Views Stumbling Blocks; but we need to wrap this matter up by determining What Is The Attitude of Jesus Towards the Instigators of Sin? So Second and Last, let’s scrutinize —
II. HOW GOD VIEWS THE INSTIGATORS OF SIN.
The Modern Greek Text basically translates Jesus as saying this: “Though stumbling blocks are inevitable; nevertheless, that does not negate the doom of that person by whom they come.” So, God’s attitude of the instigator of sin is expressed in this public denunciation of that person. Says Jesus “Woe to him!”
You need to understand that prior to this declaration, there was a calm tone and gentle demeanor in the voice of Jesus. But suddenly that was interrupted and replaced by heated emotion. No longer clam, Jesus raises His voice and seems to be acting out of character. For according to the prophecy of Isaiah 42:2&3, God’s chosen servant would “not strive, nor cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. And a bruised reed He would not break, and the smoking flax He would not quench.” But here in Luke’s Gospel, He raises His voice and cries out with great emotion expressing God’s mood and inclination toward the instigator of sin. He cries out “Woe!” Which means that Jesus has found fault with a certain individual, and now renders a public declaration of His unqualified, final and unfavorable judgment, which was Eternal and Irreversible Condemnation.
This final, unfavorable, public condemnation of judgment is upon the individual who Jesus calls “that one, or that man, or him.” This demonstrative pronoun is emphatic, meaning, the emphasis of this declaration is on “him or that man.” Says Jesus, “the one there, that man, him!” Implying that the person spoken of was not in His immediate presence but was some distance from Him. “That man, the one over there” was not close to Jesus either in company or in fellowship. So that rules out Judas Iscariot. Furthermore, the term “him, or that man, or the one over there” carries the connotation of “a notorious person” in a bad sense. “That notorious man, the one over there who is well known for his wicked deeds.”
Therefore, since this person was not in the immediate presence or company of Jesus, and since he is identified as being notorious for causing the stumbling and fall of people, then we are left with only one conclusion: that the person whom Jesus publicly denounced was none other than Satan himself. Satan Is The Instigator Of Sin! Says Jesus, “Woe is destined to the one over there”; meaning, “him who is positioned against Me as adversary. He is not here with us, so he is against us—over there! He is the one there, him who is not in our company and in our fellowship!”
Jesus implies that Satan was standing over there because the prince of darkness could not possibly be yoked together with the Light of the world. For there is absolutely no fellowship between righteousness and unrighteousness and no concord between Christ and Belial; therefore, there is no communion between light and darkness, for God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all. So Jesus says, Satan has to stand over there!
I, therefore, submit to us that Satan is the Principal Efficient Cause of Sin; he is the producer of stumbling and falling, every fall comes by his agency. He uses stumbling blocks as instruments in his hand to bring about stumbling. He thoughtfully and strategically places his snares, traps, nets, ditches and trickers in our pathway. He is the author of stumbling blocks as well as the author of the evil words and hurtful deeds thru which the offences come. He is the one who causes the downfall of the righteous and the demise of the wicked. He is the inventor of every hurtful device, the maker of every weapon formed against the righteous, the author of every trick and the father of every lie.
Therefore, lest Satan should get an advantage of us, we must not be ignorant of his devices, that which is thought out by him, his purposes and plans and strategies. We must recognize all stumbling blocks, in whatever form they may appear, as his devices and not man’s! He taught Balak how to put the stumbling block of idolatry in Israel’s path. He taught Cain how to use the stumbling block of intimacy to slay his brother Abel. He taught Jacob how to use the stumbling block of trickery to get both the birthright and the blessing from his bother Esau.
Thus, he does use people as agents thru whom he works his evil words and deeds. It is his spirit that activates their acts and attitudes. In Ephesians 2:2 Paul calls it “the spirit [evil spirit] that now works in the children of disobedience.” To disobey God is to obey Satan. Disobedience renders you and I prime candidates to be used of Satan. Also, all unsaved individuals are agents or servant of Satan. They are dead in trespasses and sins, thus dead to God but alive to Satan. They live being governed by the times and fashions and customs of the world, and this age is governed by the prince of the power of the air. Unsaved People are used by the devil! Whenever we yield our members as instruments of unrighteousness, stumbling blocks are coming thru us, but Satan is the author! So, we must yield ourselves to God and our members as instruments of righteousness thru which God might operate.
Jesus reminds us here that our God is the God of Justice. He will not let the instigator and perpetrator of offences go free. Says Jesus, “Woe unto him, through whom they come!” The prince of this world and all of his fallen angels have already been judged. Said Jesus to the Seventy, “I beheld, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Thru His death on the cross, Jesus has destroyed the devil who had the power of death; so Satan has already been judged and sentenced. Said Jesus, “the everlasting fire has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” Peter said, “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.”
Not only shall God punish Satan and his angels, but all those who are Satan’s unrepentant human agents. For I hear John saying: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Moses reminds us that “the Lord our God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and mercy with them who love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations. But that He also repays them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them: He will not be slack to him that hates Him, God will repay him to his face” (Deut. 7:9-10). Our God is the God of Justice!
And as such, Jesus reminds us of the Severity of His Justice. Says Jesus in Luke 17:2, “It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.”
Since Jesus chose the analogy of a Millstone, let’s examine the concept of a Millstone Drowning for a moment. There were two types of millstones in use at the time of our Text. There was a Hand-Mill, a mill operated by hand, that consisted of two round stones, one above the other, the lower one being fixed; and these two stones were from 18” to 2’ in diameter. From the center of the lower stone a wooden pin passed thru a hole in the upper stone, and into this hole the grain was thrown. A handle for turning the upper stone was inserted into the wooden pin. Small stones of this type could be turned by one woman. The larger handmills were turned by two women or slaves. Incidentally, mill grinding was considered fit work only for women and slaves; and thus in Matthew 24:41 Jesus said: “Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” The second type of millstone was called an Ass-Millstone. An ass millstone consisted of two larger stones from 4’ to 10’ in diameter, and could only be turned by an ass. It is this type of millstone that we confront in Judges 16:21. When Samson was captured and enslaved by Philistines in Gaza, that Scriptures says that they “Put out his eyes, bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.” It is this type of stone that is used by Jesus in the Greek Text. A large stone from 4’ to 10’ in diameter with a hole in its center that was large enough to accommodate a man’s head. So Jesus said: “It were better for him that a millstone [ass-millstone] were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea.”
Now there is no evidence on record to show that this mode of punishment was ever practiced by the Jews. However, it was used by the ancient Syrians, the Romans, the Macedonians and the Greeks. Ass-Stone Drowning was inflicted on the worst class of criminals, especially on parricides (those who murdered their parents or close relatives), and it was used on those who were guilty of sacrilege (those who ‘dissed’ their gods). Thus, to point out the seriousness of the crime of offending members of the household of faith, Jesus used this analogy.
But as horrible and violent as this death is, Jesus says “This Death Is Better!” Jesus says that Ass-Stone Drowning is more attractive, favorable, preferable and advantageous than the Doom of Offending! Ass-Stone Drowning says Jesus is more tolerable, more comfortable than the judgment that awaits the Offender. He says in verse 2 “It were Better for him…!” Why Jesus ? Because Ass-Stone Drowning would sink a person’s body in the depths of the sea beyond the possibility of recovery, and would mean immediate and overwhelming death. Ass-Stone Drowning is Immediate, Quick, relatively Painless and does not involve a long period of suffering. Oh, but the punishment that awaits Offenders is Long, Protracted, Intense, Never-Ending and Pregnant with Pain, Agony, Torment and Suffering! That’s why Jesus said, “It were better for him!”
Let’s look at this from Mark’s perspective in Mark 9:42-49 (turn there and read).
It ought to be crystal clear to all of us by now that Offending even one of the Least of God’s children yields no advantageous returns or results. Offending yields no improvement of health or mental attitude. It promotes no advancement in social status. It yields no returns on one’s monetary investments. To Invest in Stumbling Blocks is playing the wrong Stock Market! “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself or be cast away?” Jesus says “It were better for him!”
As I’m on my way to my seat, I think I will go there reminding us of Jesus’ great love for his family members as it is demonstrated here in His Concern for the Less-Than-The-Least of Us. Pointing to those of us who are least esteemed, unimportant and irrelevant, have little influence in the world and no political, social and economic power, He says You really don’t want to mess with “one of these little ones!”
Which high lights the fact that JESUS CARES! I am cognizant of the fact that past and present dilemmas have caused us to question His care and concern at times. Observing week after week within the inner sanctum of our Chocolate Cities the Black Preacher being forced by compassion to lead an entourage of disconsolate and disillusioned tribal mourners to a hole dug in the earth to house the dead, just might cause us to wonder whether Jesus Cares or not! Witnessing too many Black children being born out of wedlock and knowing these youngsters will spend most of their growing years with a single parent, and realizing that these youngsters know that tensions between men and women sometimes bears a violence and
bitterness that can take an awful toll, just might cause us to wonder whether Jesus Cares or not! And knowing that one can work all day long in a hostile and racist environment, and get gas at a store or station that is subject to be robbed at any time, and drive home on dangerous and deadly highways, loops and streets in the Hood, and then make it home safe and sound only to face a greater likelihood of being killed in one’s own house by one’s own family members, just might cause us to wonder whether Jesus Cares or not!
Oh, but when He pointed to the least in that crowd that followed Him and elevated him/her to a place of prominence and importance, He demonstrated His Care. Said Jesus: “one of these little ones.”
So, to the foolish and fickle disciples storm-tossed on the waves of affliction who are asking, “Master, careth Thou not that we perish?” The answer is - HE CARES! To the Serving Marthas angry with the Sitting Marys who ask “Carest Thou not that I am left alone to serve?” The answer is - HE CARES! To the Frustrated Elijahs hiding out in caves of solitude who are wondering If its really worth it all? The answer is - HE CARES! To the Destitute Widows and Single Mothers who are asking “Who is concerned for my welfare now that my food stamps are spent and my cabinets are empty?” The answer is - HE CARES!
To those of you who are so poor that you have to reach up just to touch bottom - JESUS CARES! To our Gifted Children who, like flowers in the wilds, are born to blush unseen and waste their sweetness on the desert air - JESUS CARES! To those with great potential in Black skin who see only the ceiling and do not know of the boundless dimensions of the sky - JESUS CARES!
To that battered wife, that bruised husband, that abused child - JESUS CARES! Whatever condition you are in as a direct result of some Stumbling Block, in spite of what it looks like, JESUS CARES!
Our Savior is not an other-worldly God so transcendent that He is beyond our reach. He is the God who created this world and then touched down in it in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He is so gracious a Savior as to take up the “stuff” of this world into His own existence and expose Himself to the elements and stumbling blocks of this world in the form of a Child in Bethlehem. He is a Savior who is concerned with more than judgment, for the trouble and turbulence of our lives are more than a distant thing to be observed in an unconcerned fashion by Him. They became the place where He took up His abode.
He then exposed Himself to all those forces that threaten and overwhelm us with their presence. They are so real that the apostle Paul could speak of them as principalities and powers, rulers of this world’s darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. These are more than mere accidental infringements on our humanity that happen upon us; they are forces that assault and bind us as demonic powers; something has laid seize on our existence and threatens to devour us one by one and as a whole unless something or Someone equal to that overwhelming power comes to our rescue and saves us. And so, on the Cross He laid! During that strange mortal combat the Creator became the whipping boy, the Accuser became the Accused, the Holy One became the Penalized One for sin. That day all the roles were reversed, and sin was given its day while God submitted to its charges and accusations.
You know how the day ended. It ended with God’s Son in the grave. Three days later the forces that put Him there were smashed. The powers of God’s life forced death and all its allies to their knees in submission. Now my point is: He who can claim life out of death must also have a Word that can be our Judge as well as our Salvation. If He would place Himself into this path of stumbling blocks and suffering that leads to the death common to all mankind, then surely He wants to be more than our Judge. There must be something about Him that offers Life in the middle of death if He has been willing to travel this road. So He turn to His little ones and expresses His Love and Concern!
Isham Reynolds was right when he wrote -
“When the sun shines bright and your heart is light - Jesus is the friend you need. When the clouds hang low in this world of woe - Jesus is the friend you need. If you’re lost in sin, all is dark within, God alone can save thro’ the Son He gave - Jesus is the friend you need. He notes every teat, He will banish every fear - Jesus is the friend you need.”
