I
am currently teaching an online class on the Letter to the Hebrews. While discussion
of any passage in this letter needs to involve careful and sometimes lengthy
examination of the context and background, there are still some gems from this
fascinating letter that I want to share in these short weekly notes. For several weeks we will look at some of
these. More careful study on your part is always recommended.
In Hebrews, the writer quotes from the Psalms
describing how all things are put under man’s feet and how everything is made
subject to him, and then he adds: “Yet, at present we do not see everything
subject to him. But we see Jesus” (2:8-9).
Most great mind-changing thoughts
include the word "but" and this one is no exception. The writer takes note of the fact we don’t
yet see everything in submission to man or to the man that was written about in the psalm, and yet he adds, ‘but
we see Jesus.”
There is a great lesson in this for us.
We sometimes come away from Scripture with certain expectations. We come away
from our times with God looking to see certain promises fulfilled on our time
table. However, those expectations are not always met and the promises are not
always realized as we thought they would be. If our faith wavers a bit, that is
a time to remember, “but we see Jesus.” Sure, we thought certain things would
happen in a certain way. Then, they didn’t. But still, we see Jesus. We still
see his life, his teachings, his miracles. We still see his trust in God, his
cross and his resurrection. Yes, we have questions, “but we see Jesus.”
There are plenty of times when we don't
understand, when we don’t see all things working together for good, when we
wonder just where God is, but even in those moments we can see Jesus and
remember that there are truths about him that are undeniable. There may be some
"unbelievables," but the "undeniables" are greater. Yes,
there are plenty of things we don't understand, but our faith can remain, even
if a bit disturbed, through challenges, disappointments and perplexing times
because "we see Jesus."
Amen! Thank you for reminding us of this important truth. I remember reading in a DPI book some time ago (maybe one of yours, Tom!) that what makes the difference is whether God comes before or after the "but"--whether we say, "Yes, God is here, but there's a problem," or "Yes, there's a problem, but God is here." I really needed this encouragement to fix my eyes on Him today!
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