As Easter Sunday fast approaches, this week my thoughts have been drawn to contemplation of the contrast of Jesus as being God made human versus his role as a Godly human. Though I am no theologian, in my mind there is equal value in pondering both. Without the former, we have no pathway to eternal life. Without the latter, we lack the example for living a life worthy of his promise of redemption and immortality.
In Chapter 17, verses 6-9 of the Gospel of John, just prior to his arrest and subsequent passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus prayed:
Father, I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them.
Here, on the verge of his suffering and death, Jesus prayed for us. I see this as a powerfully instructional moment. So often, our prayers are centered around our own needs; our own sufferings; our own wants. It is a Godly human who, amidst his or her own anxiety, would ask for divine intervention on behalf of others. Would such a loving and unselfish act be reserved only for “God made flesh” or is it a virtue indicative of a Godly person? Truly, I believe this to be an appropriate point to ponder as we traverse our worldly path of faith.
I think the following parable might better illustrate the point I am trying to make:
Two good friends were vacationing together on a cruise ship when an awful storm suddenly arose and the ship capsized. All of the fellow passengers and crew were lost, but somehow both friends were able to survive and swim to a nearby deserted island.
With literally nothing but the clothes on their backs and not knowing what else to do, they agreed they would both pray to God for deliverance and, in so doing, they would find out whose prayer was most powerful. To facilitate this they divided the island up equally between them and agreed that each would remain separated in both body and prayer and would stay on opposite sides on island until one or the other’s prayer was answered.
Before parting, the first thing they decided to pray for was food. After praying all night, as dawn approached, one of the survivors noticed a fruit bearing tree on his side of island. He hungrily ate those fruits and immediately began to feel good, not only bodily, but also in his fullness of pride because as he glanced at his friend on the other side of the island, he noticed that the land there was barren. Surely, he thought, my prayer was more worthy in God’s eye. Still, he did throw some of the fruit onto the island half occupied by his friend calling out and boasting to him that apparently he would need to pray more fervently inasmuch as God was obviously more open to answering his prayer rather than that of his friend.
After several weeks on the island without rescue, the one whose prayer had been “answered” was becoming distraught with loneliness so he knelt and prayed for God to send him a female companion. The next day his prayerful wish was fulfilled as another ship wrecked and the only survivor of that ship, a woman, washed up on his part of island. As the couple now huddled together, the man glanced toward the other side of the island and noted that his friend was seated on the beach alone. “Hmm,” he mumbled, “seems like God has still found only one on this island whose prayers are worthy of answering.”
Finally, the first man prayed for the ship to rescue himself and his new companion so that they might leave the island and enjoy the rest of their lives together. The next morning a ship docked on his side of island and the couple boarded the ship.
It was then that the man decided to speak nothing of his friend, thus abandoning him to the island. He considered that his friend was not worthy to receive God’s blessing of rescue since it appeared that none of his prayers had been answered.
As he was about to leave on ship he heard God’s voice from heavens, “Why are you leaving your friend on island?”
He replied, “Generous Father, my prayers alone were worthy of your attention, since we have both equally prayed to you for weeks on end and my friend’s prayers all remained unanswered. I can only surmise from this that he does not deserve anything from me, even rescue.”
God’s voice then angrily replied, “You fool! You are mistaken! All this time, your beautiful friend prayed fervently only one prayer which I joyfully answered. If he had not done so, you wouldn’t had received any of my blessings.”
The man fell to his knees and asked God, “Tell me, Lord, what did my friend pray for that I should owe him anything?”
God answered, “HE PRAYED THAT ALL YOUR PRAYERS WOULD BE ANSWERED.”
“Beauty is not who you are on the outside, it is the wisdom and time you gave away to save another struggling soul like you.” ? Shannon L. Alder
Have an AWE-full Easter holiday weekend!
William J. “Bill” Bacqué