Word becomes flesh

Click here to read I Kings 18:41-46

There had been no rain in the land for three and half years. The Word of the Lord comes to Elijah saying, “Go, and present yourself to Ahab. I will send rain on the earth” (1 Kings 18:1) Elijah thus becomes an heir of a promise – a promise of rain; a Word from the Lord. Most of us have a Word from the Lord - you may call it your vision, or a prophecy over you, or your dream, or your destiny. However, it takes a process for that Word to become flesh i.e. for that Word to manifest itself physically. If you are a recipient of a spoken Word from God and in the process of waiting for that Word to be manifest physically, then please take into consideration the principles listed below:

1. Spoken word – never needs a “battery change”

It eventually rained after three and a half years. Regarding this incident, James writes in Chapter 5, verse 17 “…the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest” Notice two keywords in this verse .i.e. “gave” and “its.” Both these words indicate a sense of personal belonging. Heaven gave rain – which means heaven had rain within itself to give. The earth yielded its harvest – which means the earth had harvest within itself to yield. Both the earth and the heaven had it in them to prove the spoken word of God to be true. Hebrews 1:3 says “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word…” In other words, there isn’t a single thing that God has created, for which He does not have the power to sustain. Appliances manufactured by the spoken Word, do not need a battery change. If God has spoken a Word into your life, He will not only do it, He will sustain what He does too.

2. Sound or light – which travels faster?

On a stormy day, one may get to witness both thunder and lightning. I am told that because light travels faster than sound, I will see the lightning before I hear the thunder. It reaches the eye before it reaches the ear. However, I see the opposite principle operate with respect to the spoken Word. Elijah said to Ahab that there is a “sound of rushing rain.” (I Kings 18: 41) However, Elijah did not see the rain until much later. It reached his ear, before it reached his eye. Since the spoken Word operates this way, it is often difficult to convince people around us, about what God has spoken to us, because you are trying to get them to “see” what you have “heard.” The people around us will continue to confess “there is nothing,” just like Elijah’s servant did all those six times he went up to look toward the sea, until they “see” what you have “heard.” If you have “heard” God’s spoken Word in your spirit, rest assured that it will soon be manifest in flesh, both for you and for those around you to “see.”

3. Party and prayer – a paradox

“Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of rushing rain.’ So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; there he bowed himself down upon the earth and put his face between this knees.” (I Kings 18: 41, 42) When God opens up the heavens and sends down rain, both Elijah and Ahab are beneficiaries. Both of them had lived through the drought. However, this spoken Word about the impending rain sends Ahab to party and Elijah to prayer. Since a child of God is involved in His universal purposes, the spoken Word over his/her life will have other beneficiaries too. Although it is reason enough for the beneficiaries to party, it will cost you time on your knees in prayer. Be aggressive in prayer over God’s spoken word.

4. Sea or sky – where will you look?

Elijah tells his servant to go look “toward the sea.” Why would anyone who is expecting rain look toward the sea? It would make sense if he looked toward the sky! But why look toward the sea?? His servant eventually tells Elijah that he sees “a little cloud no bigger than a person’s hand” rising out of the sea. They tell me that the source of rain is the water evaporated from the sea, which eventually form clouds. In other words, Elijah’s focus was on the “source” (sea) and not on the “means” (clouds). It is one thing to “look toward” God when in poor health, but it is totally another to still keep looking toward God when the doctor says “you’ll be fine as soon as you pop this pill.” It is one thing to “look toward” God when in lack of resources, but it is totally another to still keep looking toward God when someone comes along and offers help with the resources. Even though Elijah had the “offer” through a “means” his eyes were still on the “source” If God has spoken a Word into your life and you are eagerly expecting its manifestation, continue to keep your eyes on Him, Who is the source (sea) of all blessing and not on the means (clouds) through which He may provide (rain).

5. Hope and pray – inseparable

Elijah is on his knees - this represents prayer. His servant shuttles between “looking” and “reporting” and “looking” – this represents hope. When a report comes back saying “there is nothing,” Elijah does not quit his position on the knees. Neither does he quit sending the servant back to “look.” Often Christians lose hope after the first report which in turn causes prayer to lax. A lax in prayer will cause a lax in hope. If you have received a spoken Word from God, continue praying in hope and hoping in prayer.

6. Lagging behind – a common worry

One of the common causes of concern for the Christian is the feeling of “lagging behind” due to delayed answers to prayer. You feel others are better equipped and far ahead of you in the journey of life. Ahab had the chariots of the palace to transport him – Elijah had his legs. Theoretically, Ahab is supposed to finish the race first. Some may trust in horses, some may trust in chariots, but we will trust in the name of our Lord. Elijah had what Ahab didn’t - the hand of the Lord upon Him. What was supposed to be a lag was turned to a lead when hand of the Lord came upon Elijah. I fondly remember a statement Dr George* once made during my college years in one of his teaching sessions – “The Bible says ‘our times are in His hands.’ How dare then, we say ‘it is too late’?” God’s word will be fulfilled in God’s time.

7. Take heart - you are not alone

I hope an understanding of the above six principles helps in throwing more light into what James really means by saying “Elijah was a man just like us” He went through every possible emotion you and I go through. “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; He'll never let you be pushed past your limit; He'll always be there to help you come through it.” (I Corinthians 10:13, The Message)

“In a little while, the heavens grew black with clouds and wind; there was a heavy rain…” I Kings 18:45. It is only a “little while” before the Word becomes flesh. The God of Elijah is also your God and my God.

*Dr George is a Professor of Mathematics at the college where I studied. He spent time teaching us the Word almost every Tuesday evening.

The principle of contribution

“One day Jesus sat down opposite the temple treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then He called His disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44

Upon reading the above text, I decided to do a study on how much money this widow really had. A more accurate understanding of the currencies and the denominations used can be gained by looking into the original Greek text. For example the word “penny” appears in the New Testament a few times in most modern translations (“farthing” in traditional translations), but the root word has several meanings. I would like to illustrate how much money this widow had by comparing two verses: i.e. Mark 12: 42 and Matthew 10:29.

Matthew 10:29

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny [in Greek - assarion]? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

Mark 12:42

But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, [in Greek - two lepta] worth only a fraction of a penny. [In Greek - kodrantes]

A total of three denominations are mentioned in the above two verses, namely – assarion, lepta and kodrantes. There is another common denomination we find in the bible – denarius (plural denarii), which is the normal daily wage for a labourer. The following are the conversion rates that relate them.

1 assarion = 1/16 denarius

1 kodrantes = 1/64 denarius

1 lepton (plural lepta) = 1/128 denarius

Based on the above equations and according to Jesus in Matthew 10:29:

The price for 2 sparrows = 8 lepta.

Therefore I assume the price for 1 sparrow = 4 lepta.

The money the widow had = 2 lepta.

In other words, all that the widow had could not even buy a sparrow! Jesus used that illustration in Matthew 10:29 to emphasize that even the smallest, most insignificant creature is taken care of by the Father – Not one of them will fall to the ground without the Father. The object Jesus picked up, to depict the lowest “value” was a sparrow. What the widow contributed was lower that than the lowest as per Jesus’ example. Yet, Jesus considered that the most profound contribution over all the contributors to the treasury.

Legalistically speaking, her contribution really bothers me because she does not have enough resources for any of the “offerings” that would put her in right standing with God. The price for a sin offering was that you had to sacrifice a lamb. If you could not afford a lamb, you could sacrifice two doves or two young pigeons. How can she afford any of these if she cannot even afford a sparrow? Can you imagine her pain and sense of unworthiness? When a woman has her menstrual period, she is considered ceremonially unclean for seven days. On the eighth day after the bleeding stops, she must bring two turtle doves or two pigeons and present them to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle. The priest will offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. Through this process, the priest will purify her before the Lord for the ceremonial impurity caused by her bleeding. How can she afford any of this if she cannot even afford a sparrow? Can you imagine her shame and helplessness?

Has it ever occurred to you that you have been “poor” – poor in availability, poor in strength, poor in finances, poor in talents, poor in gifting, poor in ministry, poor in service, poor in receiving opportunities and so on and so forth? Has that brought on you a sense of “disqualification”? The widow does not “qualify” in more ways than one. And yet, even though she lacks the resources that will aid her to rid herself of sin and uncleanness, she makes a contribution which Jesus says is greater than all. She lacks the resources to minister to her own needs, yet according to Jesus, her contribution has been the greatest. Could it be possible that I can be so helpless that I cannot even help myself and yet contribute to God’s temple in manners kings and rulers can’t?

Why was this widow’s contribution considered great? Jesus says “she put in more than all that have contributed” Notice the word “all”. Jesus does not use the word “any.” He used the word “all.” If Jesus had said, “she put in more than “any” that have contributed” it would mean she is the highest individual contributor. However, the manner in which Jesus said it suggests that she contributed more than all of them put together! Such a statement requires us to study the definition of “contribution” as per Jesus’ vocabulary. As per His vocabulary, the greatness of a contribution does not depend on what you give, or how much you give, but on how much you have left, after you give. The lesser you have left after the contribution, the greater the contribution! The widow did not have anything left. The widow did not have anything left!!!

If that is how Jesus defined contribution, I begin to see the glorious gospel through the light of that definition. How? You see when the widow contributed, she had nothing left. Likewise, when Jesus shed His blood for me, he did not have any more blood left. When Jesus gave up his life for me, He did not have any more life left. When the Father gave up His Son, he did not have any more Sons left. When I was forgiven of my sins, I did not have any more un-forgiven sin left. When He erased the record that stood against me, there were no more records left. When He rose again, death no longer had any power left. When He stripped the principalities and powers, they had no more authority left. Oh! What a contribution! What a glorious gospel! Oh I am not ashamed of it because it is the power of God unto salvation to every man that has faith!

Jesus says the widow “put in everything she had, all she had to live on” In other words, after she put in what she did, she had nothing to live on. Nothing to live on. Nothing to live on. The greatest contribution we can make to God is not our preaching, because we can still live on after we give Him that. It is not our money because we can still live on after we give Him that. It is not our talents because we can still live on after we give Him that. If we can ever give Him something after which we have nothing left, then that is the greatest contribution. If we give him our life – all of it, we have nothing left. Am I reckoning myself daily to be crucified with Christ so that it is no longer I that lives?

On my 21st birthday, a friend of mine gifted me a copy of My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. On the inside of the front cover, my friend had written the following:

"This is true:

For God so loved the world that He gave up His Son for Sujith

This also must be true:

For Sujith so loved God that he gave himself up for Him"

His pain, my gain.

Click here to read Mark 8:22-25

"...Jesus led him..." Mark 8:23

One day, some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged Him to touch him. “Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village…” (Mark 8:23) Notice two things that Jesus did:

1. He took the blind man by the hand

2. He led the blind man out of the village.

I was studying that line very carefully and I realized that:

It DID NOT say:

A. “Jesus took the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village.”

It said:

B. “Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village.”

The “object” of attention in Statement A is “the blind man’s hand.” However the object of attention is Statement B is “The blind man.” Mark 8:23 does not use Statement A, rather it uses Statement B.

I am glad that when I encountered Jesus, He did not take only a few components of me – rather He took all of me. He did not take my hands alone, but he took ME by my hand – and that means a lot to me. It means a lot to me that He did not take my hands alone to serve His purpose – rather He used my hand to take ME – and then work out His purpose through me. He did not take my successes alone, or my failures alone - my strengths alone, or my weaknesses alone - my dreams alone, or my fears alone. He took me. “Jesus took the blind man…”

One of my favourite passages in the Bible is Exodus 12:12a-13: “For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night…The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” Notice those two words in the beginning of verse 12 i.e. “that night” That night! That night! Which night? The night the Passover Lamb was slaughtered! That very night a spotless lamb, without any blemish, was slaughtered in each of the houses in Israel. It bled to death slowly, bleating helplessly, suffering intense pain, for no wrong it had committed. Some of that blood was taken and smeared on the doorposts and the lintels of the houses. That night! That night! What happened that night? The angel of death “passed over” them!

What does any of the above have to do with Jesus taking a blind man by the hand? After all that is the central subject of our meditation. There is something about two people holding each other’s hand that is quite simple, yet profound. Question: What is it? Answer: Two people, who hold each other’s hand, can never do so, standing far apart from each other. If anyone has to hold the hand of the other, it can only be done so if they are NEAR each other. If the two parties move far apart, they will cease to hold hands. In other words, Jesus and the blind man can hold hands, only if they are NEAR each other.

What does this observation have to do with the blood of a slain Passover Lamb? Simply this: “Remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought NEAR by the blood of Christ” Ephesians 2: 12, 13. Brought NEAR! Brought NEAR! What brought us NEAR to God? The blood of Jesus, who is our Passover Lamb! The blood brought us NEAR to God and now He holds our hand! It would have never been possible for God to hold my hand unless I was brought NEAR Him. For that to happen, my Passover Lamb had to be slain.

When I think of the goodness of God, who chose to crush His Son with pain and kill him publicly on a cross - so that on account of the blood of His Son, I can be brought NEAR to God, I cannot help but give Him thanks. Christ could have only taken the blind man by the hand if they were NEAR each other. I was far away from God. On account of the blood of my Passover Lamb, I was brought NEAR to God. He took me! Oh, he took me! Not just some of me – all of me. That night! That night! The very night when God saw the blood on my ‘house’, the anger of God passed over me and death passed over me too! I was brought NEAR! NEAR to God.

Whenever I go through life and I feel that God is ‘far away,’ I think of the blood of my Passover Lamb. Why? Because God said “the blood shall be a sign for you…” A sign that His wrath is satisfied. A sign that death passed over me. A sign that I have been brought NEAR. A sign that He took me because I have been brought NEAR by the blood. The Bible says that the blind man was brought NEAR by “some people.” I wonder how many people. Two? Three? A dozen? I will never know... The Bible says that I was brought NEAR by the blood. I wonder how much it cost Him. I will never know, how much…

Now after the blind man is brought “NEAR,” the two hold hands and start walking together. After a while, Jesus lays His hands on him and asks him the strangest question i.e. “Can you see anything?” Why in the world would Jesus ask that? Like He didn’t know in the first place whether the blind man could see or not! Jesus knew everything! He even knew the secret intentions in the heart of the Pharisees! Surely, He should know whether the blind man can see or not! Mark 8:24 “And the man looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.”

The blind man’s response reveals two things about him. I have stated them below:

Argument 1

He once had sight but then lost it – otherwise how could he recognize that he was seeing people who looked like trees. It indicates that He had prior knowledge of how trees and people look like.

Allegory 1

There is an allegory that can be drawn from the above argument that pertains to Adam’s race. The blind man lost what he once had. Adam also lost what he once had. The blind man’s need was to gain back what he once lost. Adam’s need was also to gain back what he once lost.

Argument 2

His posture prior to the question was such that he faced the ground – otherwise how would he see people, after looking “up”? Assume his posture was already upright prior to the question. The Bible says that upon hearing the question, he looked “up.” If that is so, he would have only seen the sky and not people! In other words, his posture straightened, in response to the question.

Allegory 2

Let me narrate the allegory that can be drawn from the above argument with an illustration. Imagine I lose my car one day and as a result I do not drive for a very long period of time. Now imagine I regain my car again. Although I have regained what I lost, there is something else I have lost over time i.e. the confidence and familiarity to drive. It will do me no good to regain my car, yet lack the ability to operate it. It was important for the blind man to adjust his posture in order to operate what he would regain i.e. his sight. Jesus asked that question, not because He didn’t know the man only had partial sight, but to aid and prepare him to operate what he would regain. Adam’s race lost a lot in the Garden of Eden. It would do me no good if I regain all that Adam lost, if I cannot “operate” it. Everything that the “Last Adam” regained is only useful for me, if it can be made real in me. How can be made real in me? - By the receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will help me “operate” everything that I regained in Christ.

And so, I conclude my thoughts on the glorious gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ – Calvary that helped me regain every thing the First Adam lost and the Holy Spirit that helps me “operate” everything the Last Adam gained.