Mystery fiction is one
of the most popular genres in both literature and film. The suspense,
the tension, and the twist ending can be very exciting to many people. God’s plan of salvation is also a mystery of sorts. It’s not something
which sinful people can solve on their own. The mystery of God cannot be
solved unless God reveals it to us.
This revealing for Paul
happened very directly. As the Pharisee Saul, he was knocked off his
horse on the road to Damascus and received a blinding vision of Jesus
who said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). Jesus
went on to send him to a Christian named Ananias who baptized him. It
was all very dramatic. The ascended Jesus Christ had appeared
to Paul and revealed himself as the answer to the mystery of God.
Jesus
also revealed Himself as the eternal Son of God to Peter, James and
John on the Mount of Transfiguration. We can be sure that those three
disciples never forgot the way their Lord revealed His glory to them
there.
Although we might wish for such a dramatic intervention at
times, Jesus is not going to knock you off your horse by revealing
himself like He did to Paul. Nor should we expect to see His glory
visibly displayed to us before His Return. Instead He has chosen a
better way to reveal himself to you: in His Word. As Peter tells us “we
told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power . . . we
were eyewitnesses of his majesty . . . when we were with him on the sacred
mountain. We also have the prophetic message as something completely
reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light
shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises
in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:18-19).
Through His life-saving Word
connected with baptismal water Jesus creates faith in our hearts.
Through His forgiving Word in Holy Communion he strengthens and
preserves us in the one true faith unto life everlasting.
When
you face mysteries about your life or future, go to the one place where
you know God has revealed himself: His Word. It is there that He
reveals himself as your only Savior from sin, who “Came not to be
served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark
10:45). He reveals himself as your only true champion, who “was
manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John
3:8). He reveals himself as your only true comforter, who gently knocks
you on the head and says, “Do not be anxious about your life.” Your
heavenly Father knows what things you need and promises to reveal it to
you (Mt 6:8; Lk 11:13). |
