White Washed Tombs

Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” And in John 1 it reiterates, “all things were made through Him, and without Him not any thing made that was made.” He is the only uncreated being who has been forever and will be forever. He took the waters, expanded them, and created earth. Why?  He was completely in union with the Godhead. There was nothing that He lacked and yet He created night and day and all plants and birds of the air. But again, why? And then He created man in His own image (whatever that image might look like, ponder that for years) and gave him dominion over everything. He gave man a perfect dwelling spot, the most beautiful oasis ever known. And then man is deceived and falls and sin enters the world that will one day be redeemed by the blood of His only Son. But remember—God is the only uncreated thing. Everything else, this entire world—sin, darkness, freewill, the cross, was all known by God.  While I do not believe that God created sin, He did create man and an angel Satan knowing that both would fall out of perfect holiness with God. So again why? He was completely satisfied without us. He knew Jesus would die because He created it that way. How can anyone who experiences this truth not fall down in worship? And to think He did this because He simply desires a relationship. That’s it. That’s the answer to all of this. He wants the glory of us choosing Him. He wants us to enjoy the process of loving Him. He created freewill because all He wants is for each of His creations to choose Him over everything else.  He knew Satan was going to fall from Heaven; He even gives Him authority to tempt Jesus for 40 days. In Isaiah 53 it says that it was the “will of the Lord to crush [Jesus]”; that He delighted over the cross. This at first seems crazy. And to flesh eyes it is. But put on the lenses of the Kingdom and learn that this is so God’s personality. He loves us.  And the only way we could be with Him is if His son brought death to sin. (Where there is light, darkness can not enter). We were enemies and He never leaves. The cross gives life. It leads many to be “accounted as righteous” as “we were redeemed without money.” 

His kingdom is completely upside down; backwards from anything that we know (or think we know). I mean we sing it in songs, talk about it while standing in line waiting for coffee, but when we actually come to know what it means everything changes. When we get small chips of revelation there is no time for half-meaningless singing, no strength to stand in lines, there is only room in our hearts to cry out to God. Society has corrupted us. We believe success is based off of strength. Satisfaction based off of fun. Happiness obtained in the fruit of the “here and now” But in truth that is nothing. In truth, if we go back to that gem of a book known as Genesis we will learn that we are prisoners to God’s rules and by His reign alone we are supposed to live. He calls the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful to claim the Kingdom of Heaven. When we finally realize we have literally nothing to give is when God smiles down and says, “Finally now put down everything and follow me.” In those daily abandonments to Him true joy can be produced through the process of relationship and time. Like trees that do most of their root growth in the winter when it does not bear fruit, so does God do with our hearts towards Him. They are greenhouses at which He cultivates. Though we cannot see the fruit in the beginning God is still moving in our hearts.

 Immediate rewards give us nothing in the end. Like the sower who’s seed was devoured by the birds and scorched by the sun because there was no root. As humans (both believers and non-believers alike) we tend to lean on the same process. We’ve been taught to grow up and out; more money, extreme intelligence, even bigger churches is ultimate living. But it leaves us with a house built on sand and when the wind blows the humpty-dumpty house falls down. Jesus is our cornerstone, the first and strongest part of the foundation. Without Him we have nothing. He desires our hearts more than our outside appearance and riches.  That is why He stops the healing revival and preaches the Sermon on the Mount. That is why He called the scribes and Pharisees whitewashed tombs for they appeared beautiful on the outside, but their insides were dead. He’s offensive, but it is because He wants us to go deeper and grow roots that will withstand the persecutions and not just appear to be strong through knowledge.  God cleanses out the toxins from our greenhouse hearts and takes time to root us in love so that we may bear the healthy fruit of His kingdom. He does this to create encounter, to plow a space in us so that we may be able to walk with Him in the cool of the day like in the days of old.