OUR ASTONISHING CHRIST!

October 19, 2022

 

They were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” (Mark 7:37)

There are very few things that astonish us. We are accustomed to space travel, computers the size of a pin, and billions of bytes of information on the internet. Things that would have overwhelmed people fifty years ago are accepted as common today.

But there is one thing that will still bring utter astonishment if we truly see it.

Jesus.

While Christ was on earth, we beheld God in human form. “We saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). In fact, Jesus told His disciples, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father” (John 14:9) for the Father, Son, and Spirit are one.

As Mark watched Jesus healing one more person, he records the reaction of the people: “They were utterly astonished.”

It’s hard to describe the level of their amazement at this One among them. The Wuest Expanded Translation gives the literal interpretation of Mark’s words.

And they were completely flabbergasted, and that in a superabundant degree which itself was augmented by the addition of yet more astonishment. (Mark 7:37)

Some scoffed at Jesus, and some resisted and explained Him away. But those who observed Him simply and purely were astounded beyond expression. Why?

“HE HAS DONE”

Jesus is a doing God. Everywhere Jesus went, He was accomplishing things with stunning effectiveness. On this occasion, all who were brought to Him were healed.

And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them. So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. (Mattew 15:30-31)

Jesus does not ignore human needs. Those who come to Him in humble faith will find Him responsive. He actively works to accomplish His Father’s will. In three years on earth, we saw the aggressive nature of our God to intervene. He did not pontificate like the Pharisees while refusing to lift a finger to help.

We are accustomed to human inactivity. To leaders who don’t lead, promises that aren’t kept, and people who are unresponsive to human needs. But if you gaze at Christ at any moment (both in the past and present), you will see Him doing exactly what is needed, always redemptive and exquisitely effective. There is no wasted motion, no sideways energy. Those with eyes to see are astonished at His constant activity.

“HE HAS DONE ALL THINGS WELL”

Everything He does is done perfectly. Jesus always does the right thing at the right time in the right way. Nothing is only partially accomplished. There are no unfinished tasks. No incomplete assignments from the Father. Even if it costs Him great suffering, He does the Father’s will on behalf of those He loves.

And everything He did on earth and He does now is good. Our great misinterpretation (and the Devil’s constant lie) is that God is not a good God. That He’s active, but His activity is not in our best interest, but with evil intent.

Satan knows that if he can continually perpetrate the great deception he started in the Garden of Eden, we will not trust God. If we think God is withholding from us, we will foolishly turn to other gods to try to find what we need. This is why he constantly whispers in our ears as we see evil around us. “If God is good, then why did this happen? Where is He? What is He doing?” His goal is to make us doubt that God is working and working properly.

But the truth is this: God does all things well. Perfectly, completely. When you see His work, you are utterly astonished. This is one of the reasons He sent His Son in human flesh. “We beheld His glory,” John said. Mankind was able to see Him heal and help, love and give, lift and save, die and rise on our behalf.

There is not one thing that Christ has ever done in all of eternity that was not done perfectly. His activity is always pure in its intent, perfect in its execution, and stunning in its power. His eternal record proves His perfect ability and faithfulness.

Study Jesus in the Scripture and ask the Lord to help you see Him now in the Word and the intimacy of prayer. Gaze at Him and be utterly amazed. And then bow and worship our astonishing Christ.

Precious Jesus, we worship You. Thank You for the great condescension You made to leave heaven and walk among us. Thank You that men recorded what their hands handled and their eyes saw of You. You thrill us with Your beauty and overwhelm us with Your love. Help us keep our gaze fixed on You, so we never lose the wonder. And let our vision help us love and trust You more.

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