Father and Sons

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.  – Galatians 1:15-17 (Emphasis added)

The passage above is quoted from my usual translation, the English Standard Version.  A margin note on the phrase “to reveal his Son to me” says that the actual Greek preposition is “in”.  This is what the KJV and most other translations say.  Young’s Literal Translation reads “to reveal His Son in me, that I might proclaim him good news among the nations, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood”.  Wuest’s Expanded Translation says “to give me an inward revelation of His Son that I might proclaim Him.” 

This reminds us of Colossians 1:27-28, “…this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  Him we proclaim …”.

I talked about the persona a while back.  What I normally think of as “me” is the mask.  I become, through the processes, interactions, and relationships of this world, so identified and attached to the temporal self that I cannot believe there is anything else to “me”.  Yet there is a part that is permanent or eternal.

Paul, like the Mission Impossible team, was given an assignment.  I’m not sure he had much choice as far as accepting it, and it far exceeded the limits of even his great intellect and ability.  He was chosen to convey to all generations this truth that had been hidden, hinted at, obscured, and occulted:  the mystery of Christ in us.  We can argue about the appropriateness of the prepositional choice in Galatians 1:16, but there is no question about what the same, careful, highly educated writer says in Colossians. 

It seems that during his sojourn in the desert, Paul received the full impact of what the Incarnation, the Cross, and the Resurrection meant.  Forgiveness is not the end; it is the means.  Clearing the deck of sin is necessary in order that we might have Christ revealed – not only to us – but in us, and it is Him abiding in us that we proclaim.  The Babe in the manager, the Teacher, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb Slain, all of this is genuine, true and essential.  Jesus is Lord, and, like Thomas -- my favorite disciple, in His presence we can't help but fall to our knees and cry, “My Lord and My God.” 

Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, made a way for us where there was no way.  We could never jump higher than our heads, never even begin to reach up to God, no matter how tall our tower of bricks and slime.  But in Him, God descended the ladder, came down to where we could know Him, face to face, and where He could know us. 

The Bible calls Jesus our elder Brother, and us those adopted as His younger siblings.  The older shows the younger how to be a son. 

So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. (John 5:19)

Signals

So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. – John 5:19

In response to a comment Rick made a couple of days ago, I said I have found that, though I theoretically believe the miraculous is possible, I don’t necessarily give it much thought on a practical basis.  Perhaps what I should have said is that I don’t depend on miracles most of the time.  Other people seem to have a different approach. 

Though I think the miraculous is really all around us, we cannot necessarily get a demonstration on demand.  Herod thought, as a ruler, he could command Jesus to perform some sign:  When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him (Luke 23:8).  I recall this scene depicted perhaps in Jesus Christ, Superstar with Herod saying something like, “Jesus prove that you’re no fool.   Walk across my swimming pool.”  Herod was disappointed. 

A lot of us are disappointed when our loved ones aren’t healed, when evil seems to triumph, when our lives fall apart in various ways despite our fervent prayers and our professions of trust and confidence in God.  Any time there is a tragedy of any sort it seems someone demands to know where God was. 

Football season is over, and I’m glad.  We can now move on to real sports like ice-dancing.  In football, the most important man on the field is usually the quarterback, the signal caller, the field general.  While a team can have the best, most accurate passer who ever lived, if there is no one to catch the pass, or if the receivers are inept, in the wrong place, playing as if they were wearing oven mitts, all the quarterback’s efforts are for naught.  You have to have a receiver who knows what the quarterback is going to do, who goes where he is supposed to go, runs his route, gets open and catches the ball. 

That’s where God is.  He’s calling the signals.  Sometimes He calls an audible on the line of scrimmage on fourth down.  He needs somebody out here to get open, somebody to run the route and make the catch.  There is the Giver, and there is the receiver. 

Jesus said, I only do what I see My Father doing.  I do not run around down here with no purpose or direction.  I’m not out of place or running up and down the sidelines waving and yelling.  I don’t need to do that.  I have been in the huddle.  I have heard the call.  I know what I’m supposed to do, and I do it.  Miracles happen.  There is a supernatural reception. 

So, I would say, first, I’m not going to ask for a miracle based on selfish motives.  This is not about me.  God will give me what He wants me to have.  But, if I see someone who is bound up and needs to be set free, I need to get in touch with my Father.  I need to get the play.  I know already the general idea that God is Good, and He will do good for all who are oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38).  But I need to find out how He wants to do it, what route He wants me to run. 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

The purpose of the miraculous is liberation – liberation from spiritual, psychological, and physical bondage, spiritual poverty and blindness.  God blesses us in many ways, but only the supernatural can set us free.

 

Finally, I may not be the intended receiver.  I may just be called on to run my pattern to set someone else up, to open up the defense. 

I’ve told this story before, but it seems applicable.  A long time ago, I used to work with convicts in a prison, and I got along with most all of them pretty well.  It was a great opportunity to witness to people both by words and actions.  I was talking to one man who wanted to study theology and the Bible, not that uncommon a thing in prison.  A lot of people become penitent in the penitentiary.  He asked me if I knew any way to get him a couple of resources, a Bible dictionary and another book or two.  I told him I knew some people who would probably help and that I would contact them.  The next day, before I could call anyone, I was in the shower.  I don’t want to say “God spoke to me”.  What happened was that I suddenly knew something that I did not know before.  I knew that someone else was going to provide my prisoner friend with all the resources he needed.  The next time I saw him, that’s what I told him. 

As you might imagine, he thought I was just trying to get out of helping him.  I understood that, but I insisted that we had to let God do it His way.  A couple of days later, the prisoner came up to me, grinning and said, “You won’t believe what just happened.”  Someone had visited the prison chapel and brought in, not only the books the man had requested, but books he would never have thought of asking for.  That person was the intended receiver.  My job was to help set things up.

If you need a miracle, or more precisely, if someone you know needs to be released from oppression and bondage, see what your Father is doing.