"Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before." Mark 2:21
“Watch for the potholes” my husband instructs me. Well, I seem pretty good at not missing any. Maybe I don’t follow instructions so well, because our little road trip is enhanced by the weather: temperature of 84F and 70% humidity in the air. Not having air-conditioning in the car means that we need constant movement on the road in order to benefit from the open windows. But there is road construction ahead of us and quite a few signs in our neighborhood warning us to expect delays. Wouldn’t you know this is the time of the year when road constructions take place in Chicagoland?
Every time I see a pothole I think of Mark 2:21. Road cracks and gaps have to be patched, but how can the new material work along with the old one? Every year road construction takes place around same time across many major roads, because old potholes plus new ones appear on the surface of roadways after winter has taken its toll on the pavement. Construction workers, interrupted by the flow of traffic, labor in the heat while wearing boots and heavy garments, for what they really deserve some credit. However, it is my conviction that patching potholes might be the quickest but not always the cheapest solution. The problem is merely covered up -- not solved. Patching potholes until they "shrink and rip away" once again leaves the road no different than its original state.
The only permanent solution is to entirely remove the old roads and start the new ones using a material that can sustain continuous change of weather and weight of vehicles.
My analogy here is to show that life for Christ is like a new road with a foundation that endures. Basically one needs to be "born again" without going down the old road. Completeness instead of patches, resolution instead of scraps! Take the example of Jesus. He was insulted, flogged, crowned with thorns, and spat upon, stripped of his clothes, nailed to a cross, and "refreshed" with vinegar. Those would be merely "patches" of Jesus life, if that was a "dead end" right there. What separates Jesus from any other god is His death and resurrection in newness of life. Jesus finished our road for us, so we don't have to die but have an everlasting life with Him. The amazing thing about everlasting life is that it will be with Him. Now, what Jesus wants from me is not "a patched up life" but a whole new creation, so at His table I can be clothed with righteousness and not some rags.
***
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6
"And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it." Isaiah 35:8
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' John 1:23
Every time I see a pothole I think of Mark 2:21. Road cracks and gaps have to be patched, but how can the new material work along with the old one? Every year road construction takes place around same time across many major roads, because old potholes plus new ones appear on the surface of roadways after winter has taken its toll on the pavement. Construction workers, interrupted by the flow of traffic, labor in the heat while wearing boots and heavy garments, for what they really deserve some credit. However, it is my conviction that patching potholes might be the quickest but not always the cheapest solution. The problem is merely covered up -- not solved. Patching potholes until they "shrink and rip away" once again leaves the road no different than its original state.
The only permanent solution is to entirely remove the old roads and start the new ones using a material that can sustain continuous change of weather and weight of vehicles.
My analogy here is to show that life for Christ is like a new road with a foundation that endures. Basically one needs to be "born again" without going down the old road. Completeness instead of patches, resolution instead of scraps! Take the example of Jesus. He was insulted, flogged, crowned with thorns, and spat upon, stripped of his clothes, nailed to a cross, and "refreshed" with vinegar. Those would be merely "patches" of Jesus life, if that was a "dead end" right there. What separates Jesus from any other god is His death and resurrection in newness of life. Jesus finished our road for us, so we don't have to die but have an everlasting life with Him. The amazing thing about everlasting life is that it will be with Him. Now, what Jesus wants from me is not "a patched up life" but a whole new creation, so at His table I can be clothed with righteousness and not some rags.
***
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6
"And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it." Isaiah 35:8
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' John 1:23
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