| Devotional Hours with the Bible |
Chapter 25 |
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Even now, with all our knowledge of spiritual things, the other life is still full of mystery. When our loved ones leave us we cannot understand where they have gone; and when we think of going ourselves, we cannot realize anything of the way. So it was with the first disciples. Thomas was perplexed about the way of their going where Jesus was going. “We know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?” Jesus sought to relieve the mystery. “I am the way,” He said. This is the answer to all our longings. Philip thought he knew Christ well. He had been in His family for more than three years. It is possible for us to be with Christ
a long time, in His Church, among His people, familiar with the story in the Gospels, and yet not really know Him. There is a great difference between knowing about Christ and knowing Him.
Jesus went on to explain to Philip the meaning of the blessed, beautiful life He had been living with them. “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” If John had said this about himself we would have called it blasphemy. When Christ said it about Himself, He very clearly claimed to be divine. He was the revealer of God. What men saw in His life was an interpretation of God’s own life. When we see Him taking little children in His arms, laying His hands on their heads and blessing them, we see how God feels toward children. When we see the compassion of Jesus stirred by human suffering and sorrow, we learn how our Father is touched by the sight of earthly suffering. When we see Jesus receiving sinners and eating with them, speaking forgiveness to penitents who crept to His feet, and making stained lives white and clean, we learn the mercy of God. When we follow Christ to His cross and see Him giving His life a willing sacrifice in redemption for lost men, we see how God loves this world. So the holiness of Christ was the Father’s holiness; His meekness, patience, gentleness and compassion were mirrorings of the same qualities in the Father. If we would see what God is like, we have but to turn to the gospel story. To know Christ is to know the Father.
Now we have another phase of the marvelous teaching. Christ and the Father were one. He who saw the life of Christ saw God. Still more, Christ and His followers were one. His life was in them. “He that believeth on me, the works that I do share he do also.” Christ Himself was going away, and would be missed from the earth. Those He had comforted and helped would long for His visits when He would come no more. There are some good men and women who leave a great emptiness in the world when they go away. The departure of Christ left a great blank in the homes He had been used to visiting. But it was the plan of Christ that His disciples should take His place and go on with the ministry which He had begun. His life was to be taken away, but He would live on in His disciples. If we take off slips from a geranium and put them into the ground anywhere, they will grow and have the same beauty and fragrance as the original plant. All true Christians are parts of Christ, branches of Christ, so to speak; and wherever they may be they will have His likeness and His spirit, His love and gentleness, and will do the same woks that He produced. Are we fulfilling our mission as Christians? If not, why not?
There was another link in the chain. Christ was going away, but He would not be out of reach. “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do.” They could not see Him face to face in human life and get the things they needed, but they could speak to Him and ask Him for blessings and get them. While Jesus was going away and would be out of sight, He would not be beyond call. His people on earth could speak to Him and, although they saw Him not, He would hear them. The way of communication with Christ has never been broken. We are to pray always in the name of Christ — that is we are to ask things for His sake, because He is our Saviour.
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