Our faith and belief, our religion, our hope, our salvation, our lives are centered on the life of one man. A man who lived on this earth for only thirty-three years, and in those years, changed the world. A man whose life is familiar to the entire western world. A man called Jesus. This man is the most extraordinary person who ever lived. He is unique. And yet his life in many ways was ordinary. The first thirty of his thirty three years were so ordinary that only two incidents were worth recording (his birth, and a trip to Jerusalem at age 12). The events which changed history occupied only the final three years of Jesus’ life.
What is it about Jesus that makes him unique among all men who have lived and died on this earth? Jesus is unique in many ways. But the one way in which he most differs and on which our hope is founded is that, though Jesus was born almost 2,000 years ago, he is alive today. Yes, He died, just as all men descended from Adam must die. But Jesus alone of all men, did not stay dead. He was raised from the dead and is now alive forever. We have been offered the opportunity to follow Jesus. His death and his resurrection have led the way. Now we too can hope to rise from the dead and live forever. We need not be bound by the allotted threescore and ten years of hopeless existence on this earth.
We Must Keep Our Map Open
But if we wish to follow Jesus into a new life to come, we must also follow him in this life. Jesus’ thirty three years of life on this earth were also unique. If we wish to follow Jesus we must first see where he has been. We must search out his footsteps. We must know that narrow path he walked. We must keep our map open before us, marked with his instructions, and we mustn’t be distracted or stray from the way. We must never be discouraged by the difficult climb, for he is still with us to pull us along when we ask for help. We would like to point out some landmarks on Jesus’ path. These landmarks may point out the path if you
have not yet started on the way. Or they may keep you on the path if you are already following it. Or, they may point out the right way if you have momentarily strayed and lost your way. Now if you have ever followed someone’s instructions in travelling, say to a house where you’ve never been before, you know that landmarks or instructions are needed at a change of direction, at an intersection, at a curve. You may follow a straight road for miles without further instructions, but you need instructions on where to turn. So, the landmarks we will point out will all be symbolized by the letter “S” as for a highway sign warning of a curve or a winding road. We will look at four signposts, four landmarks which Jesus passed and which we must always keep in sight as we follow Jesus. These four “Ses” are attributes of Jesus’ character. They are four ways in which he was unique. And they might be taken as divisions or turning points in Jesus’ life.
The first 30 years of Jesus life were spent in very ordinary circumstances. Jesus was a man, and, like you and I he had to grow up, to mature, to learn to prepare for his ultimate tasks. We should be encouraged by the ordinariness of his life for our lives are not greatly different than his. He learned the trade of his supposed father Joseph, a carpenter. And we assume that he helped with the business. It may be that Joseph died somewhere between Jesus’ 12th and 30th years. If so, Jesus became the supporter of his mother and his brothers and sisters. He lived in the town of Nazareth, which has no other particular claim to fame. It was not a seat of learning or a center of government; just a country town with farmers, shepherds and tradesmen. There was a synagogue where Jesus learned to read and write and where he studied the scriptures. And so Jesus lived what would seem to be, as far as we are told, a life like you or I. We are not told that God called on him for any extraordinary duties. He did no miracles, nor did he have the power to. He never went further from home than to the passover at Jerusalem. He did no preaching or missionary work. He was not a leader in the community. He was not recognized as being special. To his neighbors he was merely Joseph the-Carpenter’s eldest son.
He was not idle during those years. In simple faith, total trust and complete obedience to his heavenly Father, he was preparing himself intellectually and spiritually. He equipped himself with a knowledge of the scriptures that would confound the most learned scholars. He knew the law, not as a lot of technical details and arbitrary rules, but with a loving recognition of it’s beauty, it’s justice and the meanings behind it. It was not a theoretical study only for he was completely obedient to that law.
If he had continued to live his life in that fashion we doubtless would never have heard of him. Faith and obedience are not perfected until put to the test. To continue the life of Nazareth would be to merely live out the normal human existence, getting out of life whatever joy or pleasure he might find in it.
Jesus saw his Landmarks
At the age of thirty he came to the bend in the road. This bend is our first “S”. Submission. Jesus went to the river Jordan where John was preaching and baptizing. The baptism was in repentance for the remission of sins. Jesus, being sinless, had no need of repentance, as John pointed out to him saying “I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?” To which Jesus replied, “Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.” Baptism, then as now, was a requirement of God, and, as such, Christ dutifully obeyed. In so doing he symbolized the submission of his will to the will of his Father. He was baptized into his own death. He knew that baptism was effective only because it symbolized Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. For Jesus to be baptized was to symbolically declare that he was willing to submit to the death on the cross. He was indicating to himself and to God that he knew what would be required of him and that he willingly gave himself. He was turning off the highway of death onto the narrow pathway of life. But on the pathway to life lay death before life everlasting. Jesus knew exactly what lay on that path. He clearly saw his landmarks. There would be no turning back, no change of mind, for his mind was not his own. He submitted his life, his goals, his being to the will of God.
Have you submitted to God’s will? Have you submitted to that symbolic death of baptism ? Have you given your will to God ? If not, you have not yet started to follow Jesus. You are still on that broad highway that leads to death. You are cruising down the freeway at deadly speed and haven’t found the off-ramp to that friends house yet. Have you read the instructions he gave you? Do you understand the instructions ? Are you looking for the turnoff? Baptism was Jesus’ turning point. It put behind him the life of Nazareth. Just as it became Jesus to fulfill the righteousness of Baptism, so it becomes us. If we wish to follow Jesus’ path and gain that everlasting goal, we must begin with Baptism.
Submission did not end with a symbolic ceremony. It was not a mere form without substance. The ceremonial and symbolic declaration was followed immediately by a real and concrete test.
He went into the wilderness to contemplate, to commune with his heavenly Father. Possibly to get under control once again the human feelings of pride or self-righteousness which might stem from God’s public proclamation after 30 years preparation that this was God’s beloved son in whom He was well pleased. Yet, even in the wilderness, Jesus could not isolate himself from those passions and emotions common to us all. He was tempted three times. He was tempted not to submit after all. He was tempted to use his new power for his own purposes; to satisfy his own hunger, to glorify himself, to make the path easier for himself. But each time he knew that his will was not his own. He subordinated his own desires to the commandments of God. He submitted himself into his Father.
We Must Submit to God
If you have already submitted to the ritual of baptism, you have seen that sign at the off-ramp. You recognized the turning point and got off the highway. Now you must orient yourself in the right direction. You know how real, how typical, was Jesus’ temptations, for no sooner did you step from the waters glowing with new sinless life, than the temptations beset you. Self righteousness tried to get in. The body of flesh would not let you go. Pride was still there. And you fell. You gave in to the temptation. We all did. We are not like Jesus. He was unique. He alone could withstand the temptations. He alone truly submitted his will to God. The rest of us still have to conquer our will. We must submit to God. We needn’t be discouraged by our halting and stumbling. Jesus knows the way. He’s not dead, he’s right here with us. We are not good enough to go before God. But Jesus Christ is. He stands between God’s justice and our unrighteousness. He will hide from God’s view the mud and dirt we have gotten on ourselves in straying from the way. But we must keep crowding out those desires of our own and let in only what God wants. The new direction in our life, is the direction of Submission to God’s will.
Having proved his submission to God’s will, Jesus was ready for the major phase of his life. That is, the next turn in his life and the next S curve on our map. Service. The rest of Jesus’ life was filled with the work of teaching the Gospel. It was not an easy job. He had to take twelve “unlearned and ignorant” men and prepare them in less than three years to carry on the work without him. He had to endure the ridicule of his adversaries and, perhaps worse, the adulation of the crowds who wanted to make him king. He had, no place to call home. As he said “The Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.” He was rejected by the people of his home town of Nazareth. We suspect that even his mother, Mary, did not understand what he had to do. For when she came to talk to him he turned her away, saying that those who do the will of his Father are his mother and sister and brother. Jesus carried out a speaking tour which would tax any public speaker. He saw suffering all around him and he had the power to cure it. Yet he could use that power only when it suited his Father’s purpose. He tried to bring a message of hope and joy for all the Jews. To make them understand before it was too late. Jesus could not make use of radio or television or newspapers to carry his message. He had to carry the message in person. Yet, one suspects that there were few if any in the land of Israel who did not hear his message. Even the insane and the blind knew who he was. He traveled hundreds of miles on foot. He indeed let his light shine before men. He lit a beacon that still shines today, through us. Are we ready to follow in his footsteps of service? Are we busily trying to help our neighbors in the only way which counts. God is not looking for obedience which follows rules but accomplishes no good. We have brethren and sisters who need our help. They may not always ask for it but if we look we can see the need. We have Sunday School children who need teaching. Elders who are alone. Weary who are falling by the wayside. Are we serving them or are we too busy with other things, embarrassed, scared of rebuff or ridicule. We must not sit back idly or go about our own business. Jesus said “Know ye not that I must be about my father’s business” . . . To put it another way, “Life is like a Tennis Game —you can’t win without serving.” Service to other’s is basic to the life of a Christian. We recall also the example set for us when Jesus washed the disciples feet. “If then your Lord and Master have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one an-other’s feet.” (John 13:15) Our idleness or hesitancy may stem from lack of appreciation. Yet Jesus didn’t look for appreciation. On the contrary. He could see that last turn in his pathway clearly. That last curve and our third S is Sacrifice. Jesus knew that he was the being prepared as the unblemished lamb for that cruel and horrible sacrifice on the cross. He knew both the time and the manner of his death. He agreed to it willingly. The sacrifice of the cross was merely the culmination of a life of sacrifice. Throughout the entire life of Jesus, it is impossible to find one single selfish act. He never took a weekend off to have a good time. He never once utilized his power for his own comfort or to ease his way. Pleasure was not a part of his life. He did not share his life with God. He gave his life to God, in total Sacrifice. His life was given long before he was killed on the cross. He died completely the day he was baptized.
Have we sacrificed our lives? Are we still engaging in those selfish pleasures of the world? Are we trying to share our life with God rather than giving ourselves completely? Sacrifice is the basis of life for those who follow Jesus. As he said “He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”
Jesus Gave His Life Completely
Yes, sacrifice is that last bend in the road. But not the last landmark. There is one S left. It is the goal. It is Salvation. Salvation is what Jesus is all about. The name Jesus means Saviour —that is—one who saves. Salvation means the state of being saved. Preservation from death. . . This is what Jesus achieved. He gave his life completely. He gave it in service to his fellow man and submission to his heavenly Father and at last in sacrifice for both. And in so doing he broke the chain of sin and death which has bound mankind since Adam. As we are told in I Corinthians 15:20-22 “But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept, For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” Jesus was saved from death, because he did not deserve death. Death is the wage of sin. Christ did not sin. Because of his life of submission to God’s commands he deserved not to die. The mercy and justice of God would not permit him to remain dead. He was raised to life again the third day after his crucifixion and appeared to his disciples and followers to show himself alive. For forty days he was with them after his death and rebirth. It is one of those undeniable facts which tells us that the Bible is true and is the word of God. The men of the New Testament; the writers and missionaries, were men who had themselves seen Christ raised from the dead. They put their lives in jeopardy to tell others about it with no possible hope for personal gain except through the truth of what they taught. It would be incredible to believe that so many otherwise rational and intelligent men would be deceived. They were not relating heresay or the evidence of others. They knew of Christ’s resurrection by the sight of their own eyes. Who were those men? They were the Twelve apostles, including Peter, James and John, and doubting Thomas. There was James, Jesus’ own brother who had apparently not believed during Jesus’ life, and who probably was the author of the Epistle of James. And we are told, Jesus appeared to 500 others. That so many men should base their life and hope upon a lie is not reasonable. Based upon their belief and knowledge of Jesus those men endured suffering and martyrdom to follow his road. They went through the same things that Jesus did. They followed lives of submission, service and sacrifice to gain the salvation which they had seen with their own eyes. Not only did they see him alive again, but in the first chapter of Acts we are told that they saw him received into heaven, where he now acts as our help and our mediator to bring us along the road to our own salvation.
We Cannot Avoid Death
Is salvation a worthwhile goal? Is it worth following Jesus’s path to get to that mysterious goal? What does salvation offer to us? Why should you throw away your life on a goal that you can hardly understand or comprehend? The word Salvation is perhaps a bad one because it is used almost exclusively in a religious context. It brings to mind visions of evangelists and revival meetings. Perhaps it is difficult to keep in mind that its simple meaning is “saving your life.” No one wants to die yet we all face death. Some sooner, some later. We can ignore it, but it will not go away. We cannot avoid death. A man would give anything he possesses, any fortune he has amassed, all that he can get, to avoid death. Because when he is dead everything is worthless to him anyway. A man will work all his life for a secure retirement, but find that there is no social security, no pension plan, no insurance that does him a bit of good when he dies. My company publishes a monthly newspaper for its employees, and each month there is an obituary column. There is a certain amount of black humor in reading the ages of the deceased and seeing how few lived long enough to get a piece of the company retirement plan. All that a man does in this life becomes pointless and useless when he dies.
By following Jesus’ footsteps we can avoid the end which is common to all animals. We can rise above the beasts and make our life have meaning, worth and direction. Yes, Salvation is a truly worthwhile goal. In fact it is the only worthwhile goal. Of all the paths we can follow we have only two choices. We can follow Jesus’ path to life, or we can follow anyone else path and get to the only other goal. Death — Cessation of existence. Nothingness. Destruction. Which would you prefer? Jesus’ footsteps are not easy to follow. The other paths are easy. You don’t even need a guide. Just follow your own wishes. Go any way you want. All roads lead to death, it doesn’t make any difference which one you take. But if you want something better, follow Jesus. You won’t be alone, because Jesus is always here to help you. He knows the way. He has already travelled that path. He will light the path. He will pull you along. He will guide your feet. Just remember the landmarks along the way. Submission, Service, And Sacrifice. And always keep the goal in front of you. Always remember that you are following the footsteps of the man who is our savior, the footsteps that lead to Salvation.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One