Many of us are familiar with the event of Jesus calling his first disciples, Peter and his brother Andrew, who were fishermen by profession and in that call, Jesus expressed unto these two the following – Follow me (or Come after me) and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:17).
What is the difference between fishermen and fishers of men?
Fishermen catch that (fish) which is alive and they die.
Fishers of men catch that (men/souls) which are dead and they live.
The call remains open to all who believe in Jesus, even today but it is important to note that in both cases, the call to ‘follow Jesus’ comes first. It is this step we need to first take toward Jesus. Our taking then yields to his making.
Have you/me taken the step toward Jesus?
Jesus can make you to be the means by which, people come to know Him – Life, Life eternally.
Matthew 28:19 (KJV) 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Mark 1:17 (KJV) 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
I have shared this story given below several times in my preaching and teaching engagements. The original Author remains unknown. I am not sure if this is a true account or not, but each time I read or hear this story, it warms my heart and evokes a response to love God even more with all my heart, my soul, my strength and my mind. I pray that it is the same response that you are led to as well …
A mother of a 9 year old boy, Mark, received a phone call in the middle of the afternoon. It was the teacher from her son’s school.
“Mrs. Smith, something unusual happened today in your son’s third grade class. Your son did something that surprised me so much that I thought you should know about it immediately.”
Mother’s seldom want to hear from their child’s teacher in the middle of the day. The mother was uneasy and nervous by such a beginning to a phone call. “What now?” the mother wondered.
The teacher continued, “I have been teaching for many years and nothing like this has happened until now. This morning I was teaching a lesson on creative writing. And as I always do, I tell the story of the ant and the grasshopper. The ant works hard all summer and stores up plenty of food. But the grasshopper plays all summer and does no work.
Then winter comes. The grasshopper begins to starve because he has no food. So he hops to the ants house and begins to beg. ‘Please Mr. Ant, you have much food please let me eat, too.’ Now boys and girls your job is to write the ending to the story.
Your son, Mark, raised his hand. “Teacher, may I draw a picture?”
“Well, yes, Mark, if you like, you may draw a picture. But first you must write the ending to the story.”
The papers came in. As in all the years past, most of the students said that the ant shared his food through the winter and both the ant and the grasshopper lived.
As always, a few children said, ‘The ant said, “No, Mr. Grasshopper. You should have worked in the summer and not played. Now, I have just enough food for myself.” So the ant lived and the grasshopper died.
But your son ended the story in a way different from any other child, ever. He wrote, “So the ant gave all of his food to the grasshopper; the grasshopper lived through the winter. But the ant died.
“And the picture?
At the bottom of the page, Mark had drawn three crosses. “Jesus gave up his life so that we might live eternally”
Matthew 20:28 (KJV) 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
When one thinks about Post-Resurrection of Jesus, three questions that surface are
What happened after the resurrection of Jesus?
What will happen when the resurrected Jesus Christ returns? and
What are we to do until the return of Jesus?
The events that occurred after the resurrection of Jesus are APPEARANCE (Acts 1:3; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6), ASCENSION (Acts 1:9) and ANNOUNCEMENT of his imminent return (2nd Coming) (Acts 1:10-11)
The events that are to happen until the return of Jesus Christ is for each one of us who know Him as Lord and Savior is to be faithful to the ASSIGNMENT (Matthew 28:18-20) given unto us.
The event that will occur when Jesus returns is ACCOUNTING, wherein each one of us will have to give an account unto God (Romans 14:12).
As we await his second coming, how are we doing on our assignment? When He returns will He find us faithful of the assignment given us? This is a question that none of us can take lightly … Let’s try to live in such a way that it can be said of us, that for us to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21); as those who fight the good fight and who have finished the race. This determines the answer to the question – How will our account stand up, a.k.a., when the account is tallied, how do you think you will fare?
Romans 14:11-12 11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
As I pondered over the word ‘broken’, I wondered as to what are some of the things that were broken in order to crucify, or in the crucifixion of Jesus. Some that surfaced are given below,
The Law was broken The 9th commandment (law) which said that you shall not bear any false witness (Exodus 20:16) was broken, for when those who tried Jesus found no fault in Him (Luke 23:4, Mark 14:55), many bore false witnesses with contradictory accounts against Jesus (Mark 14:56-59).
Jesus’ body was broken In describing His manner of death (by crucifixion), Jesus informed His disciples, in the event that we familiarly know as the Lord’s supper, that His body will be broken, by symbolically breaking the bread and presenting it to His disciples with the following words “Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). Though this may seem contradictory to the verse that states that none of His bones were broken (John 19:36), we must recognize that the breaking of one’s body need not necessarily mean that one’s bones need to be broken as well. There is absolutely no doubt however that his body was scourged, beaten, pierced and marred (literally broken) in the events preceding his crucifixion.
Jesus’ heavenly relationship with God the Father was broken When Jesus the sinless became sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), a Holy God (the Father) who could have nothing to do with sin, had to severe the Unitarian relationship that He had with with His Son, Jesus, which leads to Jesus crying in agony, “My God, My God, why have YOU forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34).
Jesus’ earthly relationship with his mother was broken From the Cross, Jesus refers to Mary, his earthly mother, not as mother but as woman, when he hands over responsibility to his beloved disciple John to care for Mary (John 19:26-27). When the penalty for sin was paid by Jesus, the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei), Mary’s boy child demonstrated and vocally expressed that He was indeed the foretold seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15), the Son of God (Isaiah 9:6).
What are some of the other things that you can think off that were broken in the redeeming and saving act of Jesus, in the events that led to and in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?
Earthly laws against God, heavenly and earthy relationship of Jesus, including His body was broken. Why? Jesus was broken, so that the broken relationship of God with man could be restored. He would rather be broken for you and me, than be broken without you and me.
Luke 20: 17-18, records some profound and contrasting words by Jesus in which He proclaims that the stone (referring to Himself, the ROCK) which the builders (people) have rejected is become the cornerstone (foundation of God) and whosoever falls upon the stone (Jesus) shall be broken; but on whomsoever the stone (Jesus) shall fall, the stone will grind him to powder (will be crushed).
While the exposition to this text may seem at first as a little difficult to understand, the hidden treasure in these words of Jesus is quite simple. It is as plain as Jesus expressed it.
Whoever falls on (commits their life to) Jesus shall be broken (of their self, the bondage of sin and the seduction of the world). They ironically will be the ones who will be saved.
On the contrary, on whomsoever Jesus (the ROCK) shall fall (as a means of God’s righteous judgment), they will be totally ground to powder (face the full wrath of God’s judgment for not having fallen on (believed in) Jesus).
What does it mean to Fall on Jesus?
It means it is to acknowledge the Lordship of the Sovereign God, and believe that Jesus is the son of God, the savior of the world and confess, so that we are broken from our self, the bondage of sin and the seduction of this world, and totally TRUST in Him. But then again, I think it still falls short of the eloquence and simplicity in which our beloved and wonderful son, Reuben put it – You be the judge of that.
What does it mean to fall on Jesus?
To fall on Jesus means “there is nothing to be worried about, because he will catch you” – Reuben Abishai Paul (Age 3)
Luke 20:17-28 (KJV) 17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?
18Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
As I pondered over what I should write on the aspect of ‘brokenness’ for Hidden Treasures today, I was reminded of the poem, Humpty Dumpty, that we are all probably at least aware of. And then, the poet in me was quickened and given below is what resulted, provided for your reading pleasure.
The premise of the poem is based on the scripture verse found in Psalm 51:17
Psalm 51:17 (KJV) 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Mano Paul sat on a wall
Mano Paul had a great fall
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Could not put Mano Paul together again
But then THE KING said, Come on here
I cannot bear to see your eyes tear
My potter hands mend and My Spirit will restore
Your shattered and broken life stronger than before
Now Mano Paul has leaped over the wall
And Mano Paul has no fear to fall
For each time he does, he looks up to see
That he is indeed in the King’s hand and his heart fills with peace
Now I reckon that you personalize this by re-reading this poem by replacing my name with yours.
Line by line explanation of the poem, for those interested –
Mano Paul sat on a wall
(Life on a wall with God on one side and the world on the other) Mano Paul had a great fall
(Toward the side of the world, falling in sin and living under its bondage) All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
(All of the world’s efforts) Could not put Mano Paul together again
(were futile in restoring the relationship back to God, putting you back on the other side of the wall)
But then THE KING said, Come on here (Jesus, THE KING of Kings beckons, come follow me – Luke 18:22) I cannot bear to see your eyes tear
(Jesus will wipe away all your tears – Revelation 7:17) My potter hands mend and My Spirit will restore
(We are clay in the potter’s hand to be fashioned according to God’s plan – Jeremiah 18:6; The blind man sight was restored, and he saw clearly when Jesus put his hands on his eyes – Mark 8:25) Your shattered and broken life stronger than before
(And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies – Psalm 105:24)
Now Mano Paul has leaped over the wall
(Moved from sin unto salvation, from the side of the world to the side of God, when you believe in the restoration by Jesus – Hebrews 9:28) And Mano Paul has no fear to fall
(The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down – Psalm 37:23-24) For each time he does, he looks up to see (I will life up mine eyes … my help comes from the Lord – Psalm 121:1-2) That he is indeed in the King’s hand and his heart fills with peace (For the Lord upholdeth the good man in his hands – Psalm 37:24; Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.- Isaiah 26:3)
Mano Paul sat on a wall Life on a wall with God on one side and the world on the other
Mano Paul had a great fall Toward the side of the world, falling in sin and living under its bondage
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Could not put Mano Paul together again The world efforts (king’s horses and men) were futile in restoring the relationship back to God
But then THE KING said, Come on here Jesus (THE KING) beckons, come follow me (Luke 18:22)
I cannot bear to see your eyes tear Jesus will wipe away your tears (Revelation 7:17)
My potter hands mend and My Spirit will restore We are clay in the potter’s hand to be fashioned according to his plan (Jeremiah 18:6); After that Jesus put his hands again upon the blind man eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly (Mark 8:25)
Your shattered and broken life stronger than before And he increased his people greatly; and made them stronger than their enemies (Psalm 105:24)
Now Mano Paul has leaped over the wall Moved from sin unto salvation, from the side of the world to the side of God, when you believe in the restoration by Jesus (Hebrews 9:28)
And Mano Paul has no fear to fall The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down (Psalm 37:23-24)
For each time he does, he looks up to see I will life up mine eyes … my help comes from the Lord (Psalm 121:1-2)
That he is indeed in the King’s hand and his heart fills with peace For the Lord upholdeth the good man in his hands (Psalm 37:24); Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:3)
Though this article’s title may make one wonder if its contents are about M. Night Shymalan’s mystery thriller with supernatural overtones that revolves around a man who learns something extraordinary about himself after a devastating accident, I can assure you, it is not.
This title is taken from the Holy and infallible word of God, wherein it is recorded in the book of Ecclesiastes, where the speaker before the assembly (ekklesia) states in chapter 4 verse 12, that a threefold cord is not easily broken. The imagery I have when I read this text is the rope that is made up of coir (coconut fibers) and in order for me to break that, I need to separate the strands from one another before attempting to break it. Failure to separate the strands before trying to break the cord is usually futile.
I remember sharing from this text in the wedding reception of my brother, Remo’s and also in the wedding reception of a family friend. The premise of the message from this text was this. With a divorce rate so high and ever increasing, homes are broken and lives are shattered. Why is something that God hates (and yes God hates divorce) so prevalent in our times today? The Bible has the answer and we can see the relevance to this in this text. You and your spouse are two persons made one (in marriage) and the two of you should be inter-twined with God and made one. It is God who is the third person in your marriage, but he needs to be wrapped in with you two, so that your relationships with Him and with each other is solidified. We should not let God, the third person in your marriage be a third person in our lives as well. This is the grounds for separation and weaknesses in marriages. It is only befitting that I share the words of a song by Cliff Richard that I used to listen to when I was growing up –
You and me and Jesus; Jesus, me and you
On our own, we’d break; with Him we will make it through
Jesus, take us, make us what you want us both to be
I give myself to her; she gives herself to me.
However, note that this does not apply only to a marriage relationship but to any relationship. It may be a parent-child relationship, a business partnership, an employer-employee relationship, a teacher-student relationship, etc. In all of these, it is imperative to ensure that the one who wraps around the relationship and strengthens it must be God.
Isn’t it interesting that even in the very essence of God, we see this to be evident – One God, three persons as God the Father, Jesus the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
The question that remains then is “Are you/Am I unbreakable?”
Ecclesiastes 4:12 (KJV)
12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
My beloved wife, Sangeetha, in a conversation about inculcating the principles of saving in our much loved son, Reuben, expressed to me how in India, piggy banks are usually pots made of clay and in order for someone to get the contents from within, the only way they could do so was by breaking the pot. Interestingly, ‘pygg’ in Middle English referred to the clay used to make jars and kitchen pots and in the 18th century, the term ‘pygg jar’ was the changed into ‘pig bank’.
As she shared, I was struck with a profound revelation hidden in the Scriptures. Like the piggy banks made of clay, we are made in the image of God from the dust of the earth and the Bible refers to our bodies as jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7). Just as within the piggy bank, is stored content of high value, so we store in our jars of clay, THE TREASURE of high value, which is the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). But what is really the most important for us to not lose track of, is that whatever is present within the piggy banks is of little value and cannot be used as long as it remains within the piggy bank, however, when the piggy bank is broken, the valuable contents are now made available for use. Similarly, unless we break ourselves down, the treasure of Jesus Christ in us, just remains within us, but when we break ourselves, He is made available for the use (of salvation) to many. We need to be broken, humbling ourselves, becoming meek and decreasing in our self, so that He (Jesus) will increase.
The question then to reflect upon is Are you/Am I ready to be broken?
2 Corinthians 4:7 (KJV) 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels (jars of clay), that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
It is the eight anniversary of the infamous and heinous attacks by kamikaze terrorist groups commonly referred to as the September 11 attacks or the 911 attacks. Although superficially it may seem as if the attacks were orchestrated against the American public, when America had to surrender its innocence of the nation’s invincibility, on deeper thought, it was an attack against all those whom the terrorists deemed as ‘infidels’; those who did not belong to their faith. It came with the slaughter of many innocents and eight years later, we remember the fallen.
But in our remembrance, let us NOT just remember those fallen on the day of the 911 attacks, but let us also remember those who are under the bondage on THE fallen (Satan and his angels).
In the wake of the 911 attacks, the then President of the United States, George W. Bush Jr., said the following words in his Radio address to the nation – “This will be a different kind of conflict against a different kind of enemy. This is a conflict without battlefields or beachheads, a conflict with opponents who believe they are invisible”. While President Bush eluded this reference to the physicality of the war at that time, it is nonetheless accurate of a war that began centuries ago, when God cursed the fallen one (Satan)in the garden of Eden who had tricked God’s priceless of creation to fall from their relationship with God (Genesis 3:15).
We are in a conflict (at WAR) in spiritual realms with an enemy that is invisible to the human natural eye. But this INVISIBLE enemy is NOT INVINCIBLE as God has equipped us with an armor (Ephesians 6:10-18) and endowed us with weapons of warfare(2 Corinthians 10:4).
We are all called to work for God and sadly many of us stop at being just workers for God. We are not to be mere workers but warriors as well, engaged full time in spiritual battle, snatching those under the clutches of the fallen one so that they no longer are fallen. We are asked to beat our plowshares (workman’s items) into swords (warrior item) and our pruninghooks (fisherman’s item) into spears (warrior item) and let those who are weak proclaim that they are strong (Joel 3:10). Those who were commissioned to work and rebuild the Temple of God under the leadership of Nehemiah, held in one hand the materials for the building and in the other hand a weapon (Nehemiah 4:17). We are called not to be just workers but warriors as well.
Equipping ourselves with the armor of God, let us affirm to engage in spiritual battle this day, and when we win this day, the 11th of September will no longer be known as an American memorial day, but as the day all followers of Christ Jesus declared in one voice: “We will not go quietly into the night (darkness)! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on (abundantly)! We’re going to survive (death has no power over us)! Today we celebrate our Independence Day (by no longer staying fallen or under the bondage of the fallen one)!”
Points to ponder:
Are we engaged for spiritual warfare? Are we equipped with the Armor of God? Let not just work, but fight as well.
Joel 3:10 (KJV) 10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
2 Corinthians 10:4 (KJV) 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
For your viewing pleasure, our 3 year old son telling us the Armor of God. Note how he ends it with, “the word of God, the Bible” 🙂
Although God does not operate necessarily under the principle of “do unto others what you would like them to do unto you”, in the aspect of being set apart for God, He expects and has commanded us to do the same – that is to set him apart.
While the Psalmist exclaims that God has set up apart for Himself (Psalm 4:3), the patriarch Moses writes that God want us to set apart for Him that which is first and foremost (Exodus 13:12).
A youth pastor once said that “What God has done FOR you, he wants to accomplish THROUGH you.” In other words, God sets us apart so that we can set Him apart (and above all).
We must set God apart in our lives, that those who view our lives will see Him not only stand out, but as outstanding and THE Standard by which our lives are based.
Points to ponder: Have you/I set God apart so that He is the very first and foremost, not just a priority but also preeminent?
If not, what is it that we need to do to follow his commandment and if yes, let us show Him off.
