One Day
“One day…” Two simple words. Six letters in all. Just about two weeks ago we dropped off our son Carter at Liberty University for his… Sophomore. Year. Of. College. It seems like it was just the other day that Jami and I were saying, “One day we’ll be dropping Carter off at college” as he was starting high school. Our youngest, Morgan, is entering her senior year of high school. One day very soon we’ll be dropping her off at college too. If you’re in any stage of parenting you know, or you’ll soon come to understand, that the days are long, but the years are short. I can’t remember who said it, but it’s true.
One day
We’ve all said these words at one time or another. We see these two words show up in Scripture as well. Check this out:
“One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, ‘You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.’” (Mark 1:9-11 New Living Translation)
You see, this day, this one day went from being ordinary to extraordinary. The day we dropped our son off at college and drove home ten and a half hours away went from being a typically normal day to an extraordinary day. It was anything but normal! And this day, the day when Jesus went from being an unknown carpenter to starting His public ministry was anything but normal.
One day
We’ve all had these “one day” moments. Some of these one-day moments are crazy amazing and great. Some of these one-day moments come and they are some of the most horrible moments of our lives. And no matter what kind of one-day moments we’ve had, we can all learn from this one day when Jesus appeared on the scene.
First, Jesus arrived humbly. Check this out:
One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. (Mark 1:9)
This is Jesus arriving on the scene ya’ll. This was His first public appearance. You’d think that His entrance would be more hype. Afterall, He had spent years in Nazareth preparing for this moment. You’d think it would’ve started with a cool hype video, then His hype men would’ve come out first to get the crowd… you know… HYPE! But it wasn’t like that at all. Instead of Jesus arriving on the scene and start baptizing the probable thousands waiting, He instead humbly let John baptize Him. This, of course, fits the nature of who Jesus is. He was born in a barn around animals. He lived in Nazareth. He grew up and worked as a carpenter. Jesus walked in humility His entire life up unto this point. And His first public appearance would be no different. Jesus’ first act within His public ministry was to humbly submit to God, His Father, in obedience.
This act of humble obedience to God was done as a sign of fulfilled prophecy, and more importantly to identify with you and I. Jesus, who was without sin, was identifying with us so that He could represent you and I as He would eventually hang on the cross. This baptism is a symbol of commitment and surrender. In essence, Jesus was publicly committing to His mission.
Second, God recognizes His Son. Check this out:
As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove.” (Mark 1:10)
This must have been a crazy sight to see! The heavens literally being split apart. Typically, when the heavens open it is usually a sign that God is about to speak or do something so that we can get a glimpse at His purposes. This sight of the heavens splitting apart is a sign that God is about to do something amazing! The Old Testament prophet this very thing…
“Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence!” (Isaiah 64:1)
This prayer of Isaiah was fully answered in this one day. Not only did the heavens split apart, but the Holy Spirit came down like a dove and rested on Jesus. Can you imagine being at the Jordan River in this moment? Not only did everyone who was there see this take place, but Jesus Himself also saw the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descend. Listen. Listen. Listen. Jesus not only saw the glory of God in this moment. He could also see the suffering He would experience three years later. Yet He would still go through with everything in obedience to the Father’s will for the restoration of humanity… for the possibility that you and I could be restored back to the Father through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. And so too, we through Scripture and the testimony of others can see the victory and glory both for the future and now as we place our faith in Jesus Christ.
And third, Jesus received His Father’s love. Check this out:
“And a voice from heaven said, ‘You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.’” Mark 1:11
God the Father let Jesus know, and everyone else in earshot and those who can read Scripture now, that despite having taken on human flesh and coming as a humble servant, He still loved Him. This love of God the Father for Jesus makes His love for us possible. God declared from the heavens His love for Jesus. And as this voice from heaven spoke to Jesus one day, this voice from heaven still speaks to each of us today through Scripture, the Bible. The Word of God, the Bible, Scripture, is the voice of God speaking to each one of us today. We can trust it. We can depend on it. What it says is true. When God spoke to Jesus that one day, it was significant. And when God speaks to us through His Word, the Bible, it’s still significant today. This great joy that God the Father has in Jesus, is the reason we have hope today.
“So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.” (Ephesians 1:6)
So what does this mean for each of us? It means that because Jesus arrived humbly… Because God recognized and loved Jesus as His Son… And because received His Father’s love… we have the possibility to experience new life that makes us whole if we give our lives to Jesus, the one who gave His life so that we might have life. So why not make this the one day an amazing day by transforming your life through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for the cleansing of your sin by the grace of God?
Listen. Listen. Listen. There is a danger in trying to live your life by your own rules. Jesus’ baptism is His recognition that He was submitting to His Fathers will. The greatest gift you can ever receive is to humble yourself… Recognize Jesus as God’s Son… And to receive God’s love by trusting in Jesus as the One who saves your soul and gives you new life.
Make this one day, your day.
“For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” (Romans 6:4)
Right Before My Eyes
I love to hike and explore. I hate camping. I don’t want to camp. But I absolutely love to explore, hike and even climb around on the side of a mountain. Whether it’s in Israel climbing up the face of a rock to get to a cave, wandering around Charleston, climbing rocks at Joshua Tree, climbing down the side of a mountain in Palm Springs, or walking out to the edge of a cliff in the Grand Canyon, I love to explore and hike. For me, there’s just something about hiking, especially on a mountain to get a whole new, different view of what I've seen before.
As I was reading my Bible, I came across someone named Elijah who also found himself in a cave on the side of a mountain. Check this out:
There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” – 1 Kings 19:9
On the surface, this seems pretty straightforward. I mean, many people have spent the night in a cave after a long hike, right? But for Elijah, this was no normal hike. You see, Elijah had been on the run for some 40 days and nights from someone who wanted to kill him, Queen Jezebel. So, desperately afraid, Elijah took off and went on the run and eventually found himself at Mount Sinai. Now, check out Elijah’s answer to God’s question:
Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” – 1 Kings 19:10
And here we see why Elijah is on the run. Elijah was one of God’s prophets. And because He loved God, he took on all the prophets who worshipped the false god, Baal. After the Lord, God, proved that He was and is the God of Israel by sending fire from heaven, Elijah had all of the prophets of the false god Baal rounded up, and he killed them… all 450. Let me spell that out for you… Four Hundred and Fifty. The courage and faith that it took to take on 450 people who worshipped, not only a false god, but the false god that the queen worshipped, had to be massive (1 Kings 18). But once Elijah heard that the queen wanted him dead, something changed, and fear took over his life.
Maybe that’s where you find yourself today. Maybe you’re facing a job change and you’re fearful, feeling like you aren’t qualified to do the work. Maybe you’re a student, looking at moving away for college for the first time, and you’re fearful because you’ll be by yourself. Maybe you’re a parent who’ll be an “empty nester” and you’ll be by yourself or by yourselves for the first time. Maybe you’re facing a health crisis and you find yourself living in fear. I don’t know what your situation is, but there you find yourself. Look at what God told Elijah:
“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. – 1 Kings 19:11-13
Here's what’s interesting to me about this specific passage of Scripture, this area that Elijah finds himself in is the same Mount Sinai where Moses had received the two stone tablets of the 10 Commandments from God Himself! Look at Exodus 33:
The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. – Exodus 33:19-22
When 1 Kings talks about Elijah coming to a cave, it is alluding to the “crevice of the rock,” or cave in Exodus 33. But more importantly than the cave, in the first part of the Exodus passage in verse 19, God told Moses, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you.” Both of the passages, the Exodus passage and the 1 Kings passage, mentions God’s “passing by” and connects the two together. As a result, we get a better picture of God’s relationship to Elijah during this time. You see, the desperate prophet of God, Elijah, needed exactly what Moses had received from God. He needed a whole new view of the living God as God caused His presence and His attributes to pass by Elijah as a reminder of who and what He is. And maybe, just maybe that's where you find yourself today.
Maybe you need a whole new view of the living God in your life.
And like Elijah and Moses before him, God wants to remind you of who and what He is, namely, the Lord of all creation. He wants you to know that, even in your fear and desperation, He will care and provide for you in a way you might not expect. Maybe that’s what He wants to remind you right now, that He has sent His presence to us that will give us the strength and peace we need to go forward.
If you don’t know about God’s presence or have never received this gift from Him, it’s found in giving your life to and trusting in Jesus as the One who saves you from yourself and your sin. As you do, God leaves with you His Holy Spirit to fill you will the strength, peace and hope you need for today and tomorrow. So, stand so that the presence of God may pass by you as you get a renewed view of who God is in your life today.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. – John 14:27
And Runnin' Runnin' and Runnin' Runnin'
Have you noticed that young kids run everywhere? Maybe it was just our kids, but when they were younger, they ran everywhere. It didn’t matter where we went. We would drive them to a friend’s house, and they’d get out of the car and run to the door. We’d go to church, and they would run into the building. We’d drop them off at practice and they would run to their team. It didn’t matter where we were at, who we were with or what we were doing, they ran everywhere at all times! They were so filled with joy that they couldn’t help it! Morgan, to this day, at 17 years of age still runs places. It’s awesome.
As we read Scripture, we get another picture of a person running. It’s not a young child. It’s an older man and it’s found in a story that Jesus told in earshot of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you know the really “religious” people. You see, Jesus was teaching and eating with tax collectors and other notorious sinners. Pause. Stop. I love those two words… “notorious sinners” and the fact that Jesus took time to reach even “those people.” Well, this made the really “religious” people angry. So, Jesus, knowing that the Pharisees and other religious teachers were actively complaining, told two quick stories and one longer story. Maybe you’ve heard of them… The parable (story) of the Lost Sheep, the parable of the Lost Coin and the parable of the Lost Son. In one story, a shepherd has a 100 sheep and loses one at which point he leaves the 99 to find the one. In another story, a woman has 10 coins, loses one, and goes about the entire house until she finds the one. In both stories, there is rejoicing in the finding of the lost sheep and the lost coin.
This now, brings us to the story of the Lost Son. This one is a bit more complicated. It’s familial, it’s relational and it’s conditional. You see, in this story, a father has two sons. The younger son gets fed up with his life and his circumstances, and he demands that his father gives him his share of the estate now before he dies. What a brat, right! Isn’t that what we’re all thinking? Pause. Stop. The request, this demand of the son to the father to give him his share of his inheritance, would likely have been interpreted in that culture as a wish for his father’s death. It would have created a large rift between the son and his family, and most likely the whole town. Talk about a family beef! But, his father, upon hearing his younger son’s demands, decides to divide up his wealth and give it to his son’s before he dies anyway. The younger son gets his cash and says, “Bet,” and dips out to parrrrrtayyyyy. (Insert a Miami Vibes Spotify playlist and Will Smith here)… “Party in the city where the heat is on. All night, on the beach till the break of dawn… Bienvenidos a Miami." (Todd Stop). Okay. You get the point. He turnt up in the place. (Really Todd, stop).
So, the younger son wastes all, and I mean, ALL of his money. He had nothing left. After trying to make it on his own, starving on the streets feeling hopeless and stressed out, he decided to go back home. Pause. Stop. Maybe you’ve been there… Maybe not starving or left on the streets… But feeling hopeless and/or stressed out… Decisions you’ve made that have had horrible consequences… Maybe you’re there now… Or worse yet, maybe it’s the result of someone else’s decisions… Keep reading… The story gets better.
As the story goes, the younger son decides to go back home and throw himself at the mercy of his father. As he’s still “a long way off,” his father sees him. Check out what happens next…
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.” – Luke 15:20
You see, when it comes to grace and forgiveness, it’s not necessarily us running to the Father, it’s that the Father has run to us.
This. Is. Massive. The fact that the father ran to his son is crazy. As Americans in our American culture, we miss this cultural note. In our culture we see running as simply as an expression of joy. But, in the Middle East, especially in rural areas, a man of this age would be expected to always walk slowly, with dignity. This father didn’t do that… He ran to his son… And he did so most likely to protect his son from the children of the town who might have decided to meet the son by throwing stones at him. The father humbles himself as he reconciles with his youngest son and becomes a powerful picture of the God of grace. Can you imagine the tax collectors and other notorious sinners hearing this message? Those were the most hated people within that culture. And hearing that story, maybe for the first time, now have hope.
Can you imagine the Pharisees and other teachers hearing that story? There’s one other son in this story… The older son. He too accepted his father’s inheritance early. He knows the beef his younger son created and accepts his own share of the inheritance and actually shares in the sin of his younger brother. The drama in this family would have made the drama of the Kardashians seem small! So, when the younger brother comes back, you might think the older brother would be happy and want to share in the celebration that his father is asking for. But he doesn’t. He becomes angry and throws a baby fit.
“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.’” – Luke 15:28-29
And his father, who humbled himself to reconcile his little brother back to the family, replies to the older brother with just as much grace. Check this out…
“His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’” – Luke 15:31-32
And in this moment, the Pharisees and other teachers would have likely known that Jesus was comparing them with the older brother’s attitude. And here’s the thing, whether you see yourself as the younger son, without hope and stressed out… Maybe you’ve strayed away from your relationship with God… Like the father in this story, He has humbled Himself enough to be born in the flesh, live among His creation, die at the hands of humanity, and rise again in victory.
Jesus is the humble grace that God has offered to us.
Maybe you’re the older son or the Pharisees in this story. You’ve stood in anger at people. You’ve sinned in your own way or maybe have stood in judgment over others. While we don’t know how they responded, this same grace is offered to you. Jesus has come to change lives and reconcile each one of us to God.
One more serious question… If you’re a follower of Jesus, is this the type of grace you’re offering to others? Are you willing to humble yourself… To look like a fool and extend the grace we see in this story to others?
No matter who you relate to in this story, God the Father has brought the possibility of reconciliation between all of His children.
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” – Ephesians 2:8-9