Of MBAPPE, PELE AND THE “ORIGINAL PELE”!!!
Well, the Football fiesta in Russia has ended. However during any Football WC, the name of Pele would invariably do the rounds. In 1982…one Diego Maradona was branded as “White Pele”. The exploits of Romario in 1994 WC and those of Ronaldo in 2002 edition were compared with the “Greatest” to kick the leather sphere. So no one was surprised when the new kid on the block…France’s Mbappe's was being heralded as the new Pele after some of his heady feats on the field particularly so in the crucial game against Argentina in the QF and Croatia in the title-decider. Now for a moment forget Mbappe and even Pele the Footballer who was originally born Edson Arantes Do Nascimento!!! Let’s switch tracks and concentrate only on the word “Pele”. Now it may astonish you that nobody knows how Pele got the name Pele. No, not even Pele (though there has much speculation on the subject) nor for that matter is there any meaning for the word Pele in Brazilian or Portuguese language (remember Portuguese ruled Brazil for a long time).
Now coming to the spiritual realm, ever wondered what is the meaning of the word “Pele” in Hebrew? Well it means “Wonderful” as this portion culled from the Interlinear Bible testifies. What’s more, it is a one of the many “titles’” used to describe Lord, the Messiah (Isaiah 9:6)…
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Wonderful
I wonder if there is Divine providence in the World’s greatest footballer ever acquiring the name Pele but I have no doubt whatsoever that performing wondrous works-befitting His Name- is part and parcel of our Lord’s character.
Coming to bare human sentiments…honestly what causes “wonder”? Is it not when we get something substantially more than what we actually bargained for? Imagine my wonder, when I ordered for Andhra meals in a certain hotel in Vizag and lo and behold was greeted by a glass of refreshing grape juice and Meetha Pan at the end of the main course!!! Talk of Customer delight leapfrogging Customer satisfaction by several notches (a marketing cliché???Ever the marketing man, Yours Truly ). I make it a point to patronize that Hotel (want to guess it’s name…well it’s name begins with D) whenever I visit that age-old port city of Andhra Pradesh. In this message, I want to train my spotlight not only on those instances’ in the Scriptures where we see the wonder-working One at work but (…boy… gear up…there is a twist in the tale too…) but also on those episodes (savory and unsavory) in the Bible, where we see puny, irreverent, finite human beings…YES WE…causing “wonder” in the “Wonderful” One.
Firstly actions’ of the Wonderful One in helping two helpless women from “behind the scenes”, as it were, for in both these cases the Scripture does not explicitly state that God “DID IT” but for the spiritually discerning ones’, His Divine Hand would be a bit too obvious to miss…
Ah…permit me a privilege of alliteration (we started with “F”ootball right?) when it comes to choosing my sub-topics with words beginning with an alphabet…what else… “F”. Permit me too repetitive use of the word “Wonder”. Speaking of repetition ever wondered why Martin Luther King in his immortal speech “I have a dream” in Washington on Aug 28th 1963 used the title of his message again and again in his speech or for that why he used the phrase “Let freedom ring” and “Now is the time” repeatedly in that unforgettable discourse? Repetition facilitates registration…Ladies and Gentlemen!!! Eons before Martin Luther King, a lowly Prophet Amos emboldened and empowered by the Lord authoritatively repeated the phrase “For three sins, even for four” (Amos 1-2 NIV) in his Earth-shaking message at Bethel, Israel. Now who taught this uneducated, poor Prophet the nuances of eloquent oratory? The Wonderful One!!!
Family…
While , my main topic , is “Wonder” , I would be failing in my duties if I miss out on one single truth, which runs across the pages of the Bible which is that God has not left in the Scriptures any issue untouched in the vast panorama of human relationships. Another “wonderful” act of our Wonder-working God? You bet!!! Oh yes, He has not left untouched even the most sensitive relationship between a mother-in-law & a daughter-in-law often dubbed in Indian colloquy as a 'Tu Tu Main Main' relationship which has been a theme of many a TV Soap opera (in the Indian context).
In fact in the short, delightful story of Ruth we see the portrayal of an ideal mother-in-law (Naomi) & a selfless daughter-in-law (Ruth) who instead of asserting their rights gladly seem to sacrifice them for the benefit of the other.
Nowhere in the Scriptures does the truth that God 'is the helper of the helpless' (Psalms 10:14) ring more true than in the lives of these 2 widows, who begin their long, arduous task of re-building their lives after the shattering loss of losing their husbands to untimely deaths wrought by sicknesses’. The news of good crops in her native land draws Naomi -an immigrant Jew-in the land of Moab back to the land of her fathers’ along with a determined widowed daughter-in-law (of a different nationality) in tow. Now this blessed daughter-in-law of Naomi would not let her mother-in-law experience the travails of widowhood all alone (Ruth 1:6-17)!!! The inspiring words of Ruth steeped in agape, self-sacrificing love recorded in verse17 would make any person taking his or her marital vows proud.
I want to die where you die and be buried there. May the Lord do terrible things to me if I allow anything but death to separate us.”- Ruth 1:17 (TLB)
Also by stating 'Your people shall be my people & your God shall be my God' (verse16), she was walking effectively into the loving, strong, supportive arms of her Creator, who true to His nature would not let her down…once under His protective care. So much, for the theory that God in Mosaic law times loved only the Jews!
Now how does the story of Ruth end? We see Ruth not only being happily married to Boaz (her kinsman redeemer - a pointer towards the ultimate redeemer the Messiah) but also gifting her aged mother-in-law a precious grandson (Obed), who eventually was going to be an ancestor of that great king David…whose promised son is the Messiah himself.
What did Ruth get from the Lord after she spoke those unforgettable words “Your God shall be MY God”? More than she actually bargained for from the Wonderful One who stirs up “wonder” in our hearts? Absolutely!!!
Also let us never forget, how “wonderfully” the good Lord set-up the very first “meeting” of Ruth & Boaz. The Scripture says that one day poor Ruth with the permission of her mother-in-law to glean in some fields during the barley harvest (the poor were allowed to take “the leftovers” in the field as per the benevolent Jewish Law- Leviticus 19:9-10), went in search of a field & walked by Divine providence straight into the fields of Boaz (Ruth 2:3) or should I say into the heart of her future husband itself. The key operative words in the entire book of Ruth, are enshrined, as it were in verse 3 'As it happened, she found herself in the field belonging to Boaz, this relative of Naomi's husband'. Is it a mere coincidence, an accident? NAY! At a time when she could have landed up in any other field, without meeting Boaz all her life, it was the good Lord, who led her straight into the fields of Boaz. The Wonderful One, who Ruth accepted 'as my God' true to His nature ENSURED this poor hapless widow would eventually have the protective ring of a caring husband and a family amongst whose descendents one answering to the Name Jesus Christ would be born on the First Christmas.
Well, does God take care of our property? Something materialistic, not concerning soul or spiritual life? Yes and if you permit me to add, He does take care of it in His own, inimitable wonderful way as the short, moving story of the Shunemmite Lady enshrined in the Scriptures (2 Kings 8:1-7) so clearly illustrates. Well for the uninitiated, here’s a quick recap of this hospitable lady of the City of Shunem (this town which was originally allotted to the tribe of Issachar after the Canaan conquest - Joshua 19:18 - lies in the plain of Esdraelon, 4 miles north of Jezreel).
There may not be an account of she personally 'accepting the Lord' in the manner of Ruth. However, from her God-honoring actions in line with the spirit of Jesus' teachings in Matt: 10:40 of extending hospitality to men of God (in her case, it was Prophet Elisha), one can gauge her devout nature.
Initially, we see her as a barren lady (being barren carried with it a social stigma - barren Jewish women despaired in not having played any role in the lineage of the Messiah), however, as a Divine reward for being hospitable to Saints, we see her being blessed with a baby boy (II Kings 4:17). The blessing of having a son contributed to this erstwhile barren woman's social well being. Later when that boy succumbs to a sun-stroke, we see Prophet Elisha bringing him back to life (II Kings 4:32-36).
Now fast-forward to our main Scripture portion II Kings 8:1-6, we see her going away to live amongst the Philistines away from her native land, as she had been forewarned by Prophet Elisha about the impending famine in her native land. As the famine ended, knowing very well that somebody else would have been occupying her land & property & that it would not be an easy task to recover the same, we see her going directly to the court of final appeal, which was King Joram, the ruler of Israel, in her case (II Kings 8:3&4). Incidentally, she took her son along with her. Dear friends, those of us, who have had a tug-of-war with the tenants of our homes, who would not simply vacate, despite we having served them notice well in advance, can well sympathize with this lady. We can also wonder what anxious thoughts were going through her mind, as she went to petition the King. How would she represent her case? Would she find proper words in placing the problem before the King in proper light? Would the King be in a mood to lend a sympathetic ear to her problems, especially as she carried no recommendation letter with her? Doubtless, all these questions would have been playing in her troubled mind, as she entered the King's presence. But she was in for a major surprise. A very pleasant one at that! Let us pick-up the action as it were directly from the Scriptures, as I cannot put it in a more apt manner than that …
verses 4-5 of II Kings 8th chapter 'Just as she came in, the King was talking with Gehazi, Elisha's servant & saying
"Tell me some of the stories of the great things Elisha has done" and Gehazi was telling the King about the time when Elisha brought a little boy back to life at that very moment, the mother of the boy walked in. " Oh, Sir!" Gehazi exclaimed. "Here is the woman now, & this her son-the very one Elisha brought back to life!"
Realizing in an instant that she was a VIP (a person whom mighty prophet Elisha himself held in high regard - mind you, Elisha had a crucial role to play in the affairs of King Joram's Kingdom), we see the King taking personal initiative in NOT ONLY restoring her property but giving her an unexpected bonus… Boy…of handing her all the accrued income from her Land during her absence (Verse 6) . So did the Shunemmite Lady get more than she desired? Undoubtedly for the wonder-working One saw to it!!!
Now let’s replay that scene of Gehazi, Prophet Elisha's servant SPEAKING ABOUT THIS VERY LADY, 'just' as she entered the King's chambers with presumably worry lines creasing her forehead. Was that a coincidence? An accident? NO! It was the handiwork of the Wonderful One who cares infinitely about all those who simply handover the reins of their lives into His wonderful hands.
Fortune…
“Lord give me wisdom to rule Thy Vast Kingdom properly” sought a young Jewish King (all of 19 years) when the good Lord appeared to him in a dream one night and asked him to seek whatever he wants. By now, you would have guessed, whom I am referring to. So how did our Wonderful God respond to young King Solomon’s request?
Let the Scripture take over…
“Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people and haven’t asked for a long life or riches for yourself or the defeat of your enemies— yes, I’ll give you what you asked for! I will give you a wiser mind than anyone else has ever had or ever will have!And I will also give you what you didn’t ask for—riches and honor! And no one in all the world will be as rich and famous as you for the rest of your life! (1 Kings 3:10-13)
Proof of our Wonderful God’s words coming true vis-à-vis King Solomon riches’? Again the let the Scripture answer…
All of King Solomon’s cups were of solid gold, and in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon his entire dining service was made of solid gold. (Silver wasn’t used because it wasn’t considered to be of much value!)- 1 Kings 10:21
So King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king in all the earth.- 2 Chro 9:22
Now for some “third party certification”…hmmm…the words of Queen of Sheba… “…Your wisdom and prosperity are far greater than anything I’ve ever heard of! “- 1 Kings 10:7 (TLB)
And to think…King Solomon asked merely for wisdom. No wonder, Apostle says thus of our Wonderful God…
Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far morethan we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.- Eph 3:20
Now for a twist in the tale…coming to those instances’ in the Scripture where humans have caused “wonder” in the Wonderful One both for negative and positive reasons’…
Familiarity…
Over to the Scripture...
And he(Jesus) went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands. Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he MARVELLED because of their unbelief…- Mark 6:1-6 (KJV)
How true is the saying that familiarity breeds contempt! A true Prophet who is seen as a normal human being day in and day out gets (nine times out of ten) rejected by His OWN GENERATION, later on however with passage of time “wisdom” would dawn upon the next generation (who face no danger from the dead and gone, forthright Prophet) that the World had not given its due to that poor Saint. Passage of time bestows a halo upon the departed Saint. During Jesus’ time were not OT Prophets who had been persecuted by their contemporaries such as Jeremiah venerated (Matt 16:13-14)? The Son of God (more than anybody else, at least He deserved to be treated better) also had to swallow the bitter pill of rejection by His own people.
Even mighty miracles and teaching exuding Divine wisdom failed to impress the hard-hearted lot, so much so it limited Son of God from performing greater miracles. Lesson within a lesson. The wholesome power the Almighty is willing to unleash is directly proportionate to the faith of the beneficiary. To our own detriment we can end up limiting the power of our Divine benefactor by displaying a distinct lack of trust. The Lord would no doubt MARVEL, on how the doors can be closed even on ONE extending a helping hand.
Times have not changed. Though Jesus may not be physically around, His power/wisdom can be seen as clear as daylight in His Servants in whom His Spirit dwells (I Cor 3:16). However when His genuine ambassadors of the present generation give the altar call hoping that people helplessly drowning in sin would put their hands in the extended Hand of the Saviour who is oh-so-eager to save them, sadly response mostly is one of negativity and indifference. Surprising, isn’t it that the spiritually sick in sin, prefer to remain in fallen condition without ever putting themselves under the care of the Divine Doctor!!! How true are these catchy saying sayings oozing wisdom and also guaranteed to create “negative” wonder in the Wonderful One!
We can forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.
For a small reward, a man will hurry away on a long journey; while for eternal life, many will hardly take a single step.
Is not Christian Salvation all about taking one step of faith initially?
Hmmmm...Scripture again...
For salvation that comes from trusting Christ—which is what we preach—is already within easy reach of each of us; in fact, it is as near as our own hearts and mouths. For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord and believe in your own heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in his heart that a man becomes right with God; and with his mouth he tells others of his faith, confirming his salvation. -Romans 10:8-10 (TLB)
Speaking of “negative wonder”, now coming to the other side of the coin, forget for a moment the hard-hearted unbelievers, one can only wonder about the sentiments of our Wonderful Lord if the Born-again Christians, oh yes saved believers despite receiving several spiritual showers of grace (Heb 6:7-8 -KJV) show stunted spiritual growth (1 Cor 3:1-3 -KJV) grossly putting to neglect the elements (prayer, Bible-reading, fellowshipping and witnessing – Acts 2:42 -KJV) which facilitate growth. Worse, the Wonderful One would watch in absolute wonder, if the Chosen Lot too backslide (Galatians 1:6 / Galatians 3:3 -KJV) ending up in the World of flesh, after having begun their walk with the Lord in Spirit. Without being too vindictive, say Christian (I am addressing myself too) where would you be without the Lord’s infinite grace and patience? Time to take stock and thank Him out of wonder for His immeasurable grace and patience. Resolve not to grieve Him again as far as possible (2 Peter 3:14 TLB).
Faith…
In sharp contrast with the “negative events” which evoked “wonder” in our wonderful Lord, now let’s look at some “positive” events evoking joyous wonder in our Wonderful One. Let the Scripture take over again…
Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard these things, he MARVELLED at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.- Luke 7:1-9
Amazing isn’t it? The Roman Centurion (a Gentile at that) did not even insist that our Lord should place His healing hands upon his prized slave but speak only one word of healing far away from the sick one. While the faith of a foreign Roman Centurion made our wonderful God appreciate his faith with genuine wonder, what did our Lord do in response? Our Wonderful, wonderful Lord did not even speak a word. HE MAY HAVE UTTERED ONE WORD IN HIS HEART OF HEARTS. That’s all. What happened? Verse 10 brings the whole account to a climactic end…
And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick
2000 years later, the unchanging Jesus (Heb 13:8) is ever so willing to unleash His power to help us in our times of need (Psalm 50:15), the question is are we willing to let Him to do it in style, the way the Roman centurion did.
Now how about making the motto of that great Servant of God-William Carey - our own all in the spirit exemplified by that Roman Centurion
Attempt great things for God
Expect great things from God
No wonder, the good Lord entrusted William Carey with the onerous yet stimulating task of translating the English Bible into so many vernacular languages of our Country.
Do you know that in his honor, the Indian Government released a stamp in 1993, while the British authorities of his day treated him as “an unnecessary pest”? Yet another case of a Prophet rejected by His own generation? Yes Sir!!!
Finally, how about causing people around us wonder for good reasons… bringing glory to our Wonderful God all the time.
Firm…
Uncompromised Gospel Preaching by the Early Apostles to the Jewish Religious leaders
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they MARVELLED; and they took knowledge of them, THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS. – Acts 4:13 (KJV)
What a matter of justifiable pride and joy, it would be (personally) if people marvel at our firm stand for the Lord at all times even while acknowledging that the “power” (it can be in areas’ such as patience and perseverance too) they see in us is wholly on account of our association with the Saviour (John 15:1-5)!!!
In conclusion let us resolve to create wonder in the people who notice us day in –day out (our unsaved friends, relatives, colleagues, co-students and even fellow passengers in long bus/train/plane journeys’) with our God-dependence traits and how about causing wonder even in our God of wonder by attempting for His glory those tasks which can be accomplished by His Divine power alone!!! Let’s go one better than the Roman Centurion…let our prayer be
Lord speak one word…NAY…just THINK one thought I would be enabled to fulfill all Your purposes’ in my life…Amen.
Now this kind of Faith-driven prayer would cause more joy and wonder to our Lord and the angelic hosts than “a curling Pele freekick” which is guaranteed to leave the opposing goalkeeper bemused and the Brazilian fans (and may I add even fans of the opposing team) in raptures!!! Let’s never forget that the inspiration behind ALL that is truly wonderful is our “Wonderful God”…the Original “Pele”!!! Hallelujah!!!
Yours in His service,
(Suresh Manoharan)
