“... and you are all brothers'' Matthew 23:8b
I read and watch my blogs and videos several times. I do it because I know that the insights in them did not come from me. I talk about things I did not know about till the Lord showed them to me. I speak wisdom that leave me in total awe of the Lord. I learn from the things I write and for this I am immensely grateful.
I had always thought Jesus was so loving and close to the people of his time and his disciples because he had come as a human like them. I felt it was his mission to make YHWH accessible and he that fulfilled that. I also felt that now that he is in heaven in all his glory, he can be that close to us only by his holy Spirit that lives in us. After all, he had said:
''And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.''John 14:16 -17
Hence, I believed that we relate with YHWH and Jesus through their holy Spirit which is given to us. While all that is true, the Lord would like me to share what he shared with me this afternoon.
When Jesus revealed himself to John (his follower) in the last book of our Bible, this is what he saw:
''and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.'' Revelation 1:13 -16
And this was John's reaction in the next verse:
'' When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead....''
This was Jesus now in his glory in heaven. The same Jesus who had walked with them, eaten and slept in the same house with them no longer appeared as ordinary as he had.
This picture of the Lord Jesus is not new to me. What is new, is that he wanted to point out that irrespective of how glorified he had become, he always presented himself to his 'brothers and sisters' as one of them. He wanted me to show us that his glorified state did not change the closeness he (-as himself-) had with his followers.
He wants us to see and present ourselves to one another as he did even after he was glorified.
So he directed me to John 20 and Luke 24.
Those are accounts of Jesus as he related with his followers AFTER his resurrection. He showed me that the forms in which he showed himself to them were not his glorified form even though this was now his actual form. He came to them in a way that they could still touch him, eat with him and speak with him as they had always done even though he was no longer in the same state he was before he died on the cross.
The only occasion he did not allow himself to be touched was when he had just risen from death and for this he gave his reasons to Mary Magdalene:
''Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” John 20:17
He was going to offer himself to YHWH the Father first. But his emphases was on the fact that his sacrifice (of death) now meant equal access to God and a real brotherhood with himself that was indisputable.
Later on, he walked with his disciples on the Road to Emmaus, ate with them, cooked and comforted them just as he had before he died - even though he was now glorified. In this same way we (his brothers and sisters in this generation) will relate with him when we see him face to face. And in this way, he wants me to tell us, we must relate with each other irrespective of our status right now in the Kingdom.
Though John collapsed in awe on seeing Jesus in his glorified form in the book of Revelation, he (Jesus) was eager to reassure him with his touch : ''Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.''
This was still the same personal Jesus: 'The Master' that is closer than a brother, a friend and still the devoted advocate. One who is for you no matter what. This is what he wants us to be to each other.
Today 23rd April 2024 is St George's Day in England.
St George is the patron saint of many organisations, christian institutions and at least 14 other countries in the world. The story is that he was a Roman Soldier who refused to kill Christians because he was also a Christian. He was martyred for this stance. He refused to persecute his fellow believers in Jesus. St George knew where his loyalty lay: he knew who was his real family and he was willing to die for them.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34
''The greatest among you will be your servant.'' Matthew 23:11
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