Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear ones.

Becki and I just finished our little walk/jog. It’s cold and foggy—right at freezing.

I’m offering a special this morning. This is not a BLACK FRIDAY deal—maybe a bright Wednesday deal—two for the price of one—with no hidden fees whatsoever. I’m only slightly editing a couple compositions for the same day from my archive folder. What a deal!

Besides trying to work more on that ailing roof—and finishing up some mill work—and executing some joinery, I need to make a run to pick up an order of metal and polycarbonate roofing, etc.

I sure hope I can remember all I need to do. The other day when I did that little lift job with the crane truck, I made a big deal about first getting a TRIP PERMIT to allow me to do the run legally. Becki picked up the permit for $43 at DMV in Woodburn on Monday. I took off in the truck late Monday afternoon—and promptly left the permit sitting in the kitchen. Thankfully, my illegality was never challenged. I think I remember someone saying that when you get old you forget stuff.

Let’s see—where was I? I guess I better just close, get some breakfast, take a shower, and get on with it. I hope I can remember where the bathroom is.

Blessings on your day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Please bear with me as I take a very different approach this time. I’m going to take some of the Biblical facts from this account and spin into it a bit of plausible fiction from my own imagination.

Malchus was troubled—more like tormented. Questions filled his mind like thick smoke—questions he could not seem to answer. He replayed the events of the last eight hours over and over—and each replay prompted more questions. But one idea stood out as an immediate plan—one he hoped would help him resolve the rest of the puzzle. He would simply wait for daylight and return to the Gethsemane grove where he, along with a gang of others who were all hyped up by the priests, were led by one of Jesus’ defecting followers to catch Jesus, arrest him, and take him into custody. He still couldn’t figure it out. Was it all a dream? Was it real? Or was it a mixture? Crazy!

He clearly recalled the sudden struggle he encountered there. It began with a struggle to stand on his own feet. He, along with his whole gang, found themselves on the ground—knocked down by a force that defied explanation. It happened the instant Jesus identified Himself. Then he found himself in a struggle for his very life—when one of the guys with Jesus whipped out a sword and turned violent. “Since I was closest to him, I guess I became his first target,” he reasoned. Malchus’ right hand returned to touch his right ear. There was still the stubborn evidence of blood on his cloak—but his ear was there—really there—when he knew it had been cleanly sliced off by that guy’s sword—unless it was a dream. The whole memory is just so bizarre! (See Luke 22:51)

As daylight began to offer definition to his course, he headed out—alone. It was nearly sunrise when he reached the grove. He had no difficulty locating the very spot where they had encountered Jesus and his followers. Sure enough—there was the blood—and, oh no—there is was! It had been trampled into the dirt, but clearly recognizable—a human ear—his ear! “What do I do now?!” he muttered out loud. He picked it up with trembling hand, gave it careful inspection, and placed it in his satchel. Whew! This was certainly not over. He knew he had some more serious thinking, even praying, to do.

OK—think about it—what would you do? May I suggest that you carefully examine the evidence—all the evidence—and determine to follow that evidence to BELIEF?—the kind of BELIEF that manages BEHAVIOR

In order to put Peter’s denial into context, let’s revisit John 13:37-38. “Peter asked, ‘Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ Then Jesus answered, ‘Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!’”

As I try to take in the entire landscape of human choices and events as it relates to the fulfillment of God’s sovereign Will as presented in this account, I sense my own residue of human pride and arrogance melting away to about zero. There’s something very awesome and transcendent going on here—by remote control—without people having a clue that they were being controlled.

Let me raise this question: HOW DID JESUS ORCHESTRATE OR KNOW WITH SUCH PRECISION ALL THAT WAS ABOUT TO TAKE PLACE? May I also add to this a statement that can assist you in formulating your answer? THAT’S FOR HIM TO KNOW AND YOU TO FIGURE OUT. So go ahead and take some careful time to get it all figured out and present your answer. Give it your best shot. OK, time’s up. What?—you still can’t figure it out? Well, good! That means you’re on the right track. You’re not supposed to get the sovereignty of God all figured out. He’s beyond that. The best conclusion to draw from trying to figure out God is to accept that you can’t figure out God. The best you can do is to comply with God. And for anyone to face or know the reality of His sovereignty, yet have no interest in compliance is to afflict oneself with the same blind stupidity of those in the mob who came out to arrest Jesus. Wasn’t there anyone in that gang that was intimidated by the fact that Jesus knocked every one of them on their hind ends without touching them (v. 6)?!?

Without getting God all figured out, I believe we are being offered in this story a very significant glimpse into how God works in the transaction of His sovereign Will. For example, Biblical prophecy as it relates to end times is coming into sharper focus all around us today—with amazing speed and precision—which is a way of pronouncing His Will. And His Will will happen—one way or another—no matter what. So behind the scenes, God, like an orchestra conductor is directing the various parts that make up the whole of the symphony. There is evidence in this story that He is giving cues and promptings to the players to do what they have been scripted to do—and precisely when. The final directive He gives in this segment of the drama could imagine Him pointing to that particular rooster saying, “OK—crow now!”