POWER TO TEACH
Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. Matt. 28:18, 19.
The morning newspaper states that a very criminal person has been "let off the hook" because of some legal technicality. And taxes have been raised again, to support government spending. You do not approve. Under your breath you mutter, "If I were in control, things sure would be different!"
Each of us has experienced, to one degree or another, such sentiments. In the days of Christ it was the overriding consensus of the Jewish nation. Roman control was galling. But God had promised a Deliverer! He would rid them of their heathen rulers! He would come with power! Yes, things surely would be different then! So they waited, and they hoped. And One walked among them in the common garb of the day. His feet were as dusty as were theirs. He paid taxes. His hands were the hands of a lowly workingman. Yet...
In His eyes were the fires of nobility. His voice was strong, certain. He neither flinched from the piercing reproaches of the Temple priests nor recoiled from daily contact with the Roman guards that ever intruded into Jewish affairs. His unstated authority was worn as naturally and as unpretentiously as was His homespun mantle. Excitement mounted among the people.
When would He assert Himself? When would He take over? Even as He rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, such questions were exploding in the heart of those who shouted and praised God along the way. The disciples felt it all. Perplexed, they whispered among themselves. What was He waiting for? And then came Gethsemane. Then Calvary. "Use Your power!" He was taunted.
Beloved Master, You were using Your power! In the most prudent ways, You revealed God's choicest use of power--to enlighten darkened minds and heal the sin-weary spirit of mankind. Rather than simply controlling the sin problem with divine firepower, You revealed that God desires to resolve it by giving us truth. The truth about Himself.
Later, just before You left this earth to take up Your continuing ministry in the courts above, You made it absolutely clear. As if to dispel any lingering doubts as to the quality or quantity of the power available to You--and, in turn, to us--You assured Your disciples that all power had been given unto You. Then You said, "Go ye therefore, and teach..."
Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. Matt. 28:18, 19.
The morning newspaper states that a very criminal person has been "let off the hook" because of some legal technicality. And taxes have been raised again, to support government spending. You do not approve. Under your breath you mutter, "If I were in control, things sure would be different!"
Each of us has experienced, to one degree or another, such sentiments. In the days of Christ it was the overriding consensus of the Jewish nation. Roman control was galling. But God had promised a Deliverer! He would rid them of their heathen rulers! He would come with power! Yes, things surely would be different then! So they waited, and they hoped. And One walked among them in the common garb of the day. His feet were as dusty as were theirs. He paid taxes. His hands were the hands of a lowly workingman. Yet...
In His eyes were the fires of nobility. His voice was strong, certain. He neither flinched from the piercing reproaches of the Temple priests nor recoiled from daily contact with the Roman guards that ever intruded into Jewish affairs. His unstated authority was worn as naturally and as unpretentiously as was His homespun mantle. Excitement mounted among the people.
When would He assert Himself? When would He take over? Even as He rode triumphantly into Jerusalem, such questions were exploding in the heart of those who shouted and praised God along the way. The disciples felt it all. Perplexed, they whispered among themselves. What was He waiting for? And then came Gethsemane. Then Calvary. "Use Your power!" He was taunted.
Beloved Master, You were using Your power! In the most prudent ways, You revealed God's choicest use of power--to enlighten darkened minds and heal the sin-weary spirit of mankind. Rather than simply controlling the sin problem with divine firepower, You revealed that God desires to resolve it by giving us truth. The truth about Himself.
Later, just before You left this earth to take up Your continuing ministry in the courts above, You made it absolutely clear. As if to dispel any lingering doubts as to the quality or quantity of the power available to You--and, in turn, to us--You assured Your disciples that all power had been given unto You. Then You said, "Go ye therefore, and teach..."
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