N E W S L E T T E R #1
25 DAYS IN THE DESERT
VIDEO PRESENTATION: The Will. https://youtu.be/6-qsfAU9KV8
Much as we observe with John the Baptist’s time in the desert, Jesus is known to covet solitude throughout his ministry. Many scholars believe Jesus’ ministry message emerged from these times of solitude and prayer. Both John and Jesus ‘convert’ to the higher understanding to help both those who are poor in spirit and those destitute, and to depart from the conformity of Ossaean beliefs. Without the unbending dogma of the legalists, John and Jesus arrived at the greater revelation that the heart of Judaism could no longer be bound by hierarchies of priests—Judaism, the pathway to God, must be reclaimed by the common man.
The message that the kingdom of God (spirit) is within was not well-known in Jesus’ time. Many people did not awaken, nor could they see. Most looked around and asked, “Where is this new kingdom?” The Pharisees and their adherents were caked with Second Temple legalism; they dismissed John and Jesus as prevaricators, filled with insurrection.
For Jesus, his days of solitude revealed a door already open—God was beckoning to the seeker, the traveler, and the passerby to enter. The announcement of the kingdom also meant that you had to walk into it, or it could not become real for you. This ‘walking’ reveals the vision of the narrow gate—no one would be turned away, confession relieves the soul, and repentance makes light the walk through the narrow gate.
What could be more obvious, John and Jesus must have thought? No longer the complexities of this law and that law—healing on the Sabbath is God’s work. No more mincing at the sliver of the law—God loves you and you are welcome. No more tests of worthiness—you are His child and he accepts you. No more sacrifices to atone—walking through the gate leaves the old man behind, and that is sacrifice enough.
The kingdom within is common to all men and women, regardless of knowledge or training. The contemplative voice that lingers and calls us to our pathway, those precious quiet moments where, without knowing, we enter into silence, and suddenly, the revelation emerges into clarity. Of these things came the vision John and Jesus beheld, grounded within a plentitude of study yet seeing the deeper need of all men—the walk with the spirit of God.
copyright, C. Ray Evans, The Way Missions.org, 2024
God Bless!
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