Young Again

Writing & Thought

of one who hopes.

Tag: jesus

  • The Suffering Servant

    The Suffering Servant

    Part Two: Which Jesus Do you worship?

    “The mob went along with the Sadducees and Pharisees, the philosophers and the moralists. It went along with the imperial magistrates and the sacred priests, the scribes and the soldiers, that one universal human spirit may suffer a universal condemnation, that there might be one deep, unanimous chorus of approval and harmony when Man was rejected by men.” — G.K. Chesterton

    Jesus of Nazareth climbs up the muddy banks of the Jordan river and sets his gaze towards the wasteland. What awaits him are wild beasts, physical and spiritual alike.

    Millenia before, the first man and the mother of all living were gifted a luscious paradise to dwell in. In close proximity to their Creator and surrounded by fruit of every kind, they still fell for the lies of a hissing rebel who offered the succulent forbidden couched in terrible half-truths.

    Now the Last Adam, stumbling through a parched wilderness, his body wracked with hunger pangs and mouth intolerably dry, also faces the tempter. The “angel of light” offers Jesus a dazzling package of satanic sustenance, self-willed supremacy, and frivolous fame . But this time, the serpent turns tail and slinks away, banished by the swift, clear-eyed response of the obedient Son. “Away with you Satan! For it is written…”

    The Servant, mentioned repeatedly by the prophet Isaiah, wanders in the wilderness one day for every year which the rebellious generation in Moses’ day had suffered. Jesus passes the test that all before him had failed. Now angelically refreshed and full of the Spirit, the Son of God turns back towards Galilee to begin a mission.

    Operation The Kingdom of Heaven Is Here commences with the calling of His disciples- a ragtag group of fishermen, zealots, a tax collector, and otherwise.

    He opens the scroll of Isaiah in the little hometown synagogue and declares his mission before a bewildered, soon to be enraged keepers of the law who are incensed by the gall of this son of Joseph “whose mother and brothers we know”.

    “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
    Because He has anointed Me
    To preach the gospel to     the poor;
    He has sent Me     to heal the brokenhearted,
    To proclaim liberty to the captives
    And recovery of sight to     the blind,
    To     set at liberty those who are oppressed;
    To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

    “Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,” Jesus says. The Nazarene church-goers are confounded…then infuriated. They mob and push him to the edge of cliff with intent to kill.

    Sitting here at my computer in 2026, surrounded by bookshelves filled with multiple Bible translations along with many and varied theological and historical resources, I no longer have the disdain for those people that I did as a youth. Instead, I am humbled and grateful that I have been given the perspective that enables my belief. Would I react any differently to a homeboy with messianic hallucinations?

    Outside of his boyhood stomping grounds, the working-class crowds amass around Jesus, astonished at his teaching and stupefied by his miracles. The water turns to wine, the basket of bread and fish multiplies, the storm domesticated, the lame jump for joy, the leper loses his spots, the blind sees the sunrise, the deaf hears his name for the very first time.

    And the dead are raised to life.

    Physics and chemistry are turned on their heads . Meteorology and medicine are bent to His will. The One who created water now walks upon it with ease.

    But the crowds begin to thin when confronted with the hardness of his teachings.

    Being saturated from little up in the goodness of Christian doctrine and tradition can numb us to the jarring character which the four gospel writers portray. There is a tendency in each one of us, I believe, to mold us a Christ in our own image; to overtly emphasize a particular statement or action of the Lord, while smoothing over the parts of him that feel too scandalous.

    There is a tendency in each one of us, I believe, to mold us a Christ in our own image

    Jesus breaks all molds. He challenges all sentiments. The same man who tenderly cradles the young children and blesses them, also braids a whip in righteous fury, overturning tables and scattering those who prioritized commerce over consecration.

    When we long for comforting platitudes, Christ delivers a scandalous line about eating his flesh and drinking his blood.

    When we desire a simplistic truth capsule, He offers a perplexing parable and tells us that if we have ears, we need listen up.

    When we wish to reason, to justify ourselves, to add layers of nuance upon disclaimers, Jesus deftly wipes away all ambiguity with a crisp one-liner that cannot be misinterpreted.

    The greatest irony of Christ’s teaching perhaps, is that many world religions and philosophies wish to take a piece of it for themselves while rejecting the most fundamental claims that He made upon himself.

    C.S. Lewis states it well in his “lunatic, liar, or Lord” argument:

    ” Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. … Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God.”

    Back in Judea, somewhere around 30 A.D. the carpenter from Galilee had the very effect upon his listeners which Lewis describes. Jesus’ earthly ministry culminates in bitter betrayal, late night arrest, indictment of blasphemy, and a death sentence.

    And so, we find ourselves at a very dark place indeed, gathered around a gruesome crucifixion scene on a hill outside Jerusalem. Here convene those that love Him as Savior and friend with those who hate Him as a blasphemer and rabble-rouser. Here the sobs of mourners mix with the taunts of gloaters.

    Now let us focus upon a certain oddity which plays out near the foot of the cross.

    The Suffering Servant, stripped naked, gasping for breath and bleeding out, cries out in agony and forgiveness. Just a stone’s throw away, a team of calloused Roman executioners passes away the time with a game of dice. The prize- His robe.

    The great empire is at peak strength, its iron grip extending to all parts of the known world. These men from the local garrison could have been Italian or they may have been auxiliaries from any part of the conquered empire: Greek, Persian, Armenian, Thracian, etc. Together they divide His garments with the swipe of a dagger.

    I see in this a greater story, one that continues on throughout history. For it seems that many world religions are gathered around the cross even today. They divide his garments- each one eager to claim their part of Christ, yet each one loathe to accept His all-encompassing claims.

    Judaism is there in that group, recognizing Jesus as a historical figure, howbeit, just an ordinary one. Judaism is present to insure that the crucifixion job gets done right. Yes, Jesus did great works, but he did so by the power of Beelzebub. Blasphemy is punishable by death.

    Islam crouches in very close proximity to the Suffering Servant. This one accepts that Jesus was born by miraculous conception, and supported by divine miracles. A great prophet was he indeed! But Islam keeps his back turned towards cross…and even today declares with fury “he wasn’t crucified!”

    Buddhism wants its share of Christ’s garments too. We are similar, in many ways, he purports, both striving for love, compassion, and peace in suffering. Jesus is another Buddha, one who has reached the pinnacle of enlightenment. And we all can achieve the same.

    Hinduism doesn’t want to be left out either. Jesus is a “holy teacher”, a yogi, an avatar of the divine- a paragon of divine love and non-violence. Jesus should be respected as a holy martyr.

    New-Age and Universalism has even found a spot in that group of soldiers. Jesus was “Christ”…but so are we. He was an enlightened Master- one to be admired and emulated. He had achieved “oneness”- a state of consciousness that can be reached by us if we open ourselves to it. Yes, Jesus was a way to God, but so too are all other paths..

    Yet all of these religions fail to fully address the epic and exclusive claims that Jesus made.

    “Before Abraham was, I am.”

    “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

    “No man comes to the Father except through me.”

    Jesus Christ is not some modular genie who can be reimagined and rearranged to fit our own perceived notions and whims. Those who huddle by the cross in close proximity, dividing his garments would like to fit him into their worldview. But Christ can’t be divided. Rejecting any part, they have rejected him in whole.

    That terrible and wonderful Friday draws to a close. The bruised body of the Suffering Servant is taken down from the cross and prepared for burial.

    Spices. Graveclothes. A tomb. A large stone.

    It’s over. Jesus of Nazareth is dead at thirty-three. And that is where his story should end. Natural law demands it.

    Yet, the seekers, the followers, those that have come to love him dearly, will find themselves drawn towards the tomb on an early Sunday morning with hearts battered and holding on to the tiniest spark of hope.

    The third phase of Christ’s revelation allows no middle ground. It’s the most wonderful story you’ve ever heard.

    If you dare to believe it.

    To be continued.

    To read the introduction and Part 1 of the series “Which Jesus do you worship” click the links below.

    The Holy Child
    Which Jesus do you worship?
  • Recycled Stardust

    Recycled Stardust

    Last week, I took my family to visit the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum near our nation’s capital.

    We walked through the huge hangars which are packed with real historical pieces of mankind’s great 20th century invention: air travel and space exploration.

    They have it all there at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center- From the crude piecemeal constructions of early flight to the incredible sleek design of the SR-71 Blackbird, that military marvel which could fly 16 miles high and outrun a bullet.

    Maybe the most impressive of all is the massive space shuttle Discovery now confined to a lowly building of concrete and steel, after her exciting career which consisted of 39 space missions over the span of 27 years. By retirement, she had accumulated just under 150 million miles on her odometer.

    We finished up our visit at the Airbus IMAX theater, which itself is a testament to human ingenuity. The screen is 86 feet wide and towers 6 stories high, immersing the viewer in heart-thumping sights and sounds.

    DEEP SKY, one of their latest feature films, takes you behind the scenes in the design, building and deploying of NASA’s James Webb space telescope (aka JWST).

    The James Webb space telescope is a gargantuan accomplishment of human engineering and technology. It orbits the sun one million miles away from earth and captures unprecedented views of deep space through its ground-breaking INFARED technology.

    From its conception, the telescope took over 30 years to reach completion, including a major redesign in 2005 and 5 years of testing, before the final assembly began in 2019.

    A rocket launched the 10 billion dollar beauty into space on December 15, 2021 from a space port in French Guiana, South America.

    Even after launch, there was so much that could have gone wrong. One engineer explained that there were over 300 individual “single-points of failure” involved in the process of getting JWST into working order. In laymen’s terms, that means if anything went wrong at any of those 344 junctures, the amazing telescope would have become useless space junk.

    “The most complex sequence of deployments ever attempted in a single space mission.”

    It was a fascinating presentation, for sure. Some of the JWST team members teared up on camera as they described the emotional moment of launch and then the long-awaited photographs that were beamed back to earth months later.

    However, in my perspective, the most jarring part of the film were the words left unsaid. That blaring omission that you couldn’t miss. There was an elephant in the room.

    God.

    Over 20,000 of the brightest minds from 14 countries convened to invent, create, test, and deploy this marvelous irreducibly-complex machine, of which the tiniest malfunction would have totally ruined its purpose and task.

    Yet, they want me to believe that mindless, unguided processes produced the vastly more complicated biological life on our planet.

    Under the guise of “scientific exploration” the film’s true spiritual nature quickly became apparent.

    “Where did we come from?” How did the universe begin?” “Are we alone?” These questions reverberated from the massive speakers into the sparsely-filled seats of the theater.

    The NASA personnel and the producers of DEEP SKY would likely disagree with my assessment that these are questions which arise from a spiritual place in the human heart.

    “He has set eternity in their hearts” says the wise king in Ecclesiastes. “Except that no one can find out the work that God has does from the beginning to end.”

    The film continued on, showing the stunning photographs taken by JWST, that allow us to “look back into time”, to the early stages of the universe. They described “star nurseries, explosions, and colliding galaxies.

    Exploding stars, they tell us, expel carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and the like into space. These chemicals are known as the “building blocks of life”, and therefore these supernova explosions “seed” the next generation of stars and planets, from which life will eventually form.

    Mr. Gray-Haired Bespeckled Professor man onscreen then answers the first spiritual question- where did we come from?

    The universe, he tells us, is in a never-ending cycle of birthing and dying stars. “We are all made of stardust. We are simply recycled stardust.”

    He pauses, perhaps grappling with the full philosophical implication of his statement. Then he shrugs and smiles.

    “…And that’s ok.”

    Selah.

    There it was. The conclusion of the whole matter. We are recycled stardust.

    What it really is, however, is just recycled paganism. Who would have known that at NASA in 2025 you could hear a warmed-over version of reincarnation from the ancient eastern religions?

    If you and I are just accidental products of star explosions, then the only logical conclusion to draw is one of complete and utter nihilism.

    A devout materialist must adhere to the belief that there is no such thing as a “mind”- only a brain, derived of random stardust, firing its receptors for no apparent reason, and to no apparent end.

    Thus, all the non-material realities that every human being intrinsically knows to be important and most sought after…those things called we call love, happiness, hope, dreams, longings. These also, must have no meaning.

    Of course, deep down in, very few people actually believe this. The little whisper of eternity placed within our hearts knows it to be false.

    But if you preach the gospel of nihilism long enough, some young souls, grasping for meaning and purpose in their life, will start to believe it. And then act on it.

    We live in a culture which is suffering a real crisis of meaning. Most astute non-believers will even tell you that.

    Young men living in the basement, terminally online, sucked into a vortex of fringe message boards, dark memes, and violent video games don’t always act upon their personal meaning crisis.

    But some do. And when they do, innocent people usually die.

    Nihilism scrawls weird, cryptic, self-contradicting messages on shell casings and then goes out in attempt to create some meaning of its own. Stardust speeding up the recycling process a bit. That is all.

    Nihilism scrawls weird, cryptic, self-contradicting messages on shell casings and then goes out in attempt to create some meaning of its own.

    The film ended. Part of me wanted to spit in disgust at the screen. Another part wanted to turn around and preach Jesus to my fellow audience members.

    Those who know me won’t be surprised to learn I did neither.

    Instead, at a nearby restaurant, as we waited for our food to arrive, I put my arms around my 9 year old son and 7 year old daughter who were sitting on either side of me.

    “Children, I want you to know something. You are not recycled stardust,” I said.

    “You are sons and daughters of God.”

  • The Holy Child

    The Holy Child

    Part One: Which Jesus do you worship?

    “Omnipotence and impotence, or divinity and infancy, do definitely make a sort of epigram which a million repetitions cannot turn into a platitude. It is not unreasonable to call it unique. Bethlehem is emphatically a place where extremes meet”  –G. K. Chesterton 1

    Christ is first revealed to the sleeping world in the form of a newborn baby. This version of Jesus is, by far, the most palatable to the world at large. For it is only the most degraded, demonic dregs of humanity which are not in some way inwardly softened by the sight and sound of a tiny infant. We are drawn to innocence; we hover in concern over helplessness. We are charmed by beauty.

    The praise in heaven spills over into the dark skies of Judea. The announcement of good tidings of great joy ring out and bounce across the foothills of Bethlehem. The shepherds fall to the ground in shock and awe, then conclude “Let us now go.. to see this thing which the Lord has made known to us!” 2

    The birth of Christ, has arguably, had the most far-reaching influence across all eras and regions of civilization. Though often cloaked in dizzying consumerism and pagan tradition, the celebration of Christmas has infiltrated even the most secular of societies today. 

    The Magi of antiquity, squint in bewilderment at the appearance of the shimmering royal star, pore through their astrological charts, and then finally saddle their camels and plod westward in search of the King. Even so today, each Yuletide, the pagans, dusting off the old family Bible that lies dormant on the mantle, wiping the cobwebs from spiritually blind eyes, come trooping in to stare in perplexed wonder at the holy child, still sleeping peacefully. 

    Even so today, each Yuletide, the pagans, dusting off the old family Bible that lies dormant on the mantle, wiping the cobwebs from spiritually blind eyes, come trooping in to stare in perplexed wonder at the holy child, still sleeping peacefully. 

    Each year in America, as sure as the last brown leaves skitter across frosty fields and the decorative pumpkins and cornstalks find their final resting place in the dumpster- just as surely, the wooden figurines of Mary, Joseph and the shepherds are brought out from the hallway closet; the translucent plastic nativity models find their way into the front yards of middle-class America. And the baby? He still sleeps in the feed trough. Holy infant so tender and mild- sleep in heavenly peace. Ssshhhh! We must not, we MUST not wake him!

    That is where most of the world would wish that the Christ child remain. The shepherds return to their fields happy and talkative. The Magi, after a moment of obesience,  begin a long trek home, their hearts full, albeit a few pounds lighter and a great deal poorer. 

    Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! 3 As the last echoes of the heavenly choir fade back into silent night, a most sinister dynamic begins to take shape around the advent of this peculiar child. The powers of evil are mustering their forces to somehow hijack the divine purpose of the long-awaited Messiah. In an unseen realm where reality dwells, a fiery ten-headed dragon lurks in shadows, waiting to devour the child. 4

    For even now, this little boy child elicits a reaction from a local Judean despot that would be a harbinger of the broader Jewish reception to his adult ministry. When his crafty questions to the chief priests and scribes fail to locate the alleged child King, Herod “the Great”, spurred by the gnawing insecurity which often besets such brutal tyrants, resorts to the most shocking measures to insure that his throne is secure. Young sons are ripped from their mothers’ arms and executed on sight. It is a massacre of the innocents. The blood flows red in Bethlehem, and Rachel again weeps for her children! 5 But the Christ Child evades the sword of Herod, saved by a warning dream, sent from his heavenly father to his earthly father. 

    They flee to Egypt. It is a powerful irony indeed to consider that it was the Egyption Pharaoh, who a millenia and a half before, because of those same insecurities, had instituted his own purge of Jewish baby boys. There was one particular child named Moses, floating among the bulrushes of the Nile, who was saved and would later be called to lead his people forth out of Egypt to the promised land. But this time, Pharaoh would be a refuge for the special child… But not for long. “Out of Egypt have I called my son,” wrote the prophet Hosea. An inspired Matthew the tax collector would later recall those prophetic words, connecting the dots as he traces this incredible narrative of God’s only begotten Son. 6

    The magnitude of Jesus’ birth is not lost to everyone, however. Those few faithful souls who were longing and praying, recognized Him immediately.

    Simeon, a just and devout man living in Jerusalem waited expectantly for the Consolation. Guided by the Holy Spirit, he came to the temple. He had been promised that he would not see death, until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Simeon found the Christ in the form of an eight day old baby boy. I can imagine the old man, cradling the baby, with tears of joy streaming down his weathered cheeks. He could die in peace now. “For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,” rejoiced Simeon. “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel!” 7

    Likewise, the aged Anna from the tribe of Asher, who had seen more than a hundred Passover lambs bleed out, would recognize the Lamb of God in an instant. Anna was an ancient fixture of the temple courtyard, kneeling for years upon the cold stones in fervent prayer and fasting, and possibly living off of the occasional kind-hearted gesture thrown down by hurried passersby. Anna had found her Redeemer. And she could not keep silent, speaking of Him to all those who looked for the Redemption in Jerusalem. 8

    The little boy is taken home to Nazareth with his parents. He grows and becomes strong in spirit.

    It is at this point, that the seeker of truth must make a choice. Will I pretend that the baby is still lying in the manger, or do I continue to follow His life journey? Will I, like his mother, although not fully understanding the meaning of “my Father’s business”, still keep all these things hidden in my heart? 9

    It is at this point, that the seeker of truth must make a choice. Will I pretend that the baby is still lying in the manger, or do I continue to follow His life journey?

    Indeed, the true worshiper of Christ must, like Him, increase in wisdom and stature. We must follow the dusty path back up to Galilee, where we are drawn to the banks of the Jordan river by the booming voice of a man clothed in camel-hair and leather. A man who flings incendiary accusations at the self-righteous elites. John the Baptist isn’t one to mince words. His listeners’ ears tingle as he fires verbal grenades like “wrath to come”, “brood of vipers”, and “the ax is laid to the root of the trees”.

    Now as the people were in expectation, Luke records, and reasoning in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, he answers the question, pointing to them of One greater who was soon coming. One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. One who would clean. Purge. Gather. And burn. 10

    1. The Everlasting Man pg 97 ↩︎
    2. Luke 2:15 NKJV ↩︎
    3. Luke 2:14 ↩︎
    4. Revelation 12:4 ↩︎
    5. Matthew 2:16-18 ↩︎
    6. Matthew 2:14 ↩︎
    7. Luke 2:29-32 ↩︎
    8. Luke 2:38 ↩︎
    9. Luke 2:40-52 ↩︎
    10. Luke 3:3-18 ↩︎

  • Which Jesus do you worship?

    Which Jesus do you worship?

    Examining the four-phase progressive revelation of the Messiah.

    There is a figure of a man who stands against the backdrop of human history, a man whose imprint on civilization dwarfs that of any and all emperors, prophets, sages and philosophers. He is the God-Man, in whom all fullness dwells. This man has been given many names, but we shall call Him the name which the angel Gabriel instructed the young virgin Mary to give her son–Jesus. Jesus of Nazareth.

    It was a common name given to Jewish boys in 1st century Judea and Galilee. “Yeshua”–God is Salvation! But this time, the name would not only be a statement of hope; a harbinger of the promised future salvation–this Jesus, would actually bear the full weight and implication of the name’s meaning. This Jesus was himself salvation. He was given a name, which is above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee will someday bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

    It has occurred to me that there seems to be a direct correlation between these “phases of revelation” of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament and the extent to which humanity believes and follows Him. As the fullness of  Christ becomes progressively revealed to our understanding, the road begins to narrow…and the thronging crowds begin to thin.

    1. Rejoicing in a harmless baby Prince who brings peace to the earth– yeah, we’re all in! 
    2. Appreciating some hand-picked teachings of the Good Teacher and applying them to our lives– even pagan religions incorporate Him into their belief systems. Accepting that He was crucified for our sins? This is a whole different matter indeed, but still, many are willing to embrace Him.
    3. Believing and confessing that Jesus was bodily raised from the dead– now, the ‘enlightened’ materialist scoffs and turns away.  The Man who appeared through closed doors to his disciples to assign them with delivering Good News to the nations- the cultured critic sneers.
    4. Regarding the ascended Lord, who disappeared from His disciples’ view and now sits in stunning glory at the right hand of the Most High; the same Jesus who will return, saddled and ready, with sword in hand and fire in his eyes to judge the earth– now even more shrink away from that startling, all-encompassing vision of the Christ. 

    Yet, it is important that any seeker of truth recognize that it is impossible to truly accept any one of these “phases” of Christ’s revelation without accepting the whole. And likewise, rejecting the one, they have rejected Him totally.

    Jesus Christ is not some modular genie who can be reimagined and rearranged to fit our own perceived notions and whims. The swaddled baby in the manger is indeed the enthroned and returning King. The teacher, the servant, the healer, the crucified one is indeed the same One who burst the bands of death and became the first fruits of all those who have slept.

    Which Jesus do you worship? It is, of course, a rhetorical question. There is but one Jesus Christ. In Him and through Him, all things consist. The “four phases” which I find in the scriptures are progressive, cumulative layers revealed to our feeble time-constrained, earth-bound intellects. He was. He Is. He will always be.

    We shall now delve into these four “phases” of Christ’s revelation under the following titles: The Holy Child, the Suffering Servant, The Resurrected Lord, the Returning King.

    Coming soon is the first installment in this series.