Today we come to the concluding part of the Series on predictable unpredictability of men contrasted with eternal consistency of the ever consistent One … Remember the woes of Jim Thorpe the greatest Olympic athlete of his generation who had to contend with “changing colors” of Olympic authorities of his times:
From Oblation to Obituary …
There they were the people of Lystra … all oblation one moment regarding the Apostle Paul (along with his missionary mate Barnabas) following a miracle and can you believe it (!), hell bent on writing his obituary as it were the very next moment (Acts 14:8-20), courtesy insidious, insinuation of some Jews. Even a chameleon may not have changed its colors so fast. But did Paul, propelled as he was by unchanging Divine love, change his commitment as to the spiritual welfare of this touchy town? No! Why he selflessly visited Lystra not once but twice (Acts 14:21/16:1) and selected most trusted aide of his … Timothy … FROM THAT VERY TOWN!
From Hosanna “howls” to Crucify cries …
Only a week before His crucifixion, as Jesus rode into Jerusalem humbly on a donkey’s colt loud Hosannas’ (Hosanna in Greek -cry of adoration) reverberated in the air in expectation of deliverance from the Roman rule. Jews looked upon Jesus as their Freedom-fighter, the One who would wield a sword and use His miraculous powers to liberate them from the Roman tyranny but their hopes were dashed as Jesus without as much as lifting even a little finger against the Romans focused more on His spiritual mission of liberating people from the tyranny of much more dangerous rule … SIN. More than ruling from a throne in Jerusalem, Jesus’ First Coming was all about ruling in the hearts of men! No wonder, with their expectations belied, when Jesus’ enemies (jealous, insecure the religious hierarchy of that time) sought public support for His crucifixion before Pontius Pilate, and the very same people who yelled Hosanna now shouted “crucify Him” (Matt 27:11-23). Talk of U-turns for the worse …
What was Jesus’ response to the wavy ways of His fellow Jews, who in a way represented mankind in general? Accepting God’s sovereign plan to be a “Lamb slain for this World” (I Peter 1:19-20), He went to the cross, knowing fully well that the people He was dying for, would still be fickle in their devotion for Him (which includes you and me!). To be honest, does not our love for Him blow hot and cold at various times? Yes, we are all guilty of vacillating in our devotion, yet amazingly He remains unchanged in His love for us!
Conclusion …
As one Biblical scholar put it creatively and insightfully “If you are you not feeling close to God? Guess who moved…” In this World, where it is said that only permanent thing is CHANGE, let us all rejoice that we have an UNCHANGING GOD (Heb 13:8)! More than worshipping God for the bountiful blessings, He pours into our lives let us learn to worship for His unique attributes. Have we ever praised Him for His constant, unchanging nature? Say along with me. HALLELUJAH! More loudly please …
Suresh Manoharan
(To access the entire “Unpredictably Predictable” mini-series, please click here.)