The Book of Revelation gives us many names for Jesus Christ, all of them designed to teach us something about Him. In the first chapter He’s called “the faithful witness” (v4), and repeated in 3:14. A witness, in a legal setting, is someone who confirms the truth of something they have seen. In the New Testament, a witness is someone involved in preaching what he has seen and knows. The apostles were witnesses of the resurrected Jesus, and as Peter explained in Acts 10:41-42, they were ordered to preach and testify this truth. This was often difficult because apostolic preachers regularly faced violence, opposition, and threats of imprisonment and death if they continued to preach as witnesses. Therefore Jesus urged them to be faithful in their important work as witnesses, despite the dangers. Continue reading
Christ
A Dark Yet Magnificent Contrast
In one of Peter’s early sermons in Jerusalem, he spoke of the man they released from prison – Barabbas. (Acts 3:13-15). “You disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, but put to death the Prince of life.” Have you ever thought about the contrast between these two men?
Barabbas was a murderer; he had no regard for human life. He is the one the Jewish people liberated and welcomed back into society, but turned their backs on Jesus. Continue reading
Mercy is Tough
Half the books in the library seem to be about tough people who solve crimes. They’re always good-looking, muscular, and have interesting personalities; but most of the time they don’t care about people. Jesus taught us to do something that’s even tougher to do: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36).
Why is it tough to be merciful? Because it goes against everything we normally want to do. The easy thing is to take revenge, gossip about somebody, or refuse to forgive. It’s much harder to show some mercy to someone you don’t like, or who has done something against you. We want to react in kind. Jesus commands us not to. That’s the tough part. Continue reading
The Courage of Love
Some days it seems that the world is very cold. It feels like you are in the way and everyone wants to run over you. No one seems to care. Days like that cause us to seek refuge in those whom we know love us: family, good friends, and those who depend on us.
However, Jesus once again surprises us. He said, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” (Luke 6:32). There is nothing admirable about loving people who are willing to return the same love to you. Everybody does that. Jesus challenges us to love those who won’t. Continue reading
The Good Thing About Snow
After two weeks of green grass and bare sidewalks, snow blew back into Barrie Thursday morning. My next-door neighbour shouted, “I hate this!” Despite all the grumbling and complaining from those who shovel it and drive through it, let me point out something good about snow.
Isaiah said to his fellow citizens, “Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow” (Is.1:18). Their nation was horribly corrupt and soon to be invaded and judged. But God would forgive them if they would only repent. Sin-stained hearts could be white as snow.
The colour of snow is certainly dazzling. When the sun shines on it we want to protect our eyes. Skiers wear sun block and heavily-tinted goggles. A dull world suddenly gleams. The browns and grays of late fall suddenly turn to bright white. Snow also has the ability to cover up the ugliest messes. The worst-looking yard in your neighbourhood suddenly looks fresh and clean after a decent snowfall. All that junk seems to disappear.
God knew what He was doing when he used the imagery of snow to describe His ability to forgive a sinful life and create something brand new all over again. All the decaying rot of a sin-infested life can be forgotten, as if buried under bright snow. Everything is transformed. God does that for us through Jesus Christ.
The next time you have to deal with great drifts of snow, remember that it’s a picture of what God has done for you. “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow.”
– Tim Johnson