Every principle which governs
the kingdom of God is diametrically opposed to the thinking and desire
of the natural man who shows the work of the law written on
his heart. We see this vividly illustrated
as Nicodemus came to the Lord under cover of night in order
to get some of his religious concerns clarified. He assumed
that he had within himself the ability and wherewithal to gain
the knowledge of spiritual things. I believe it was his intention
to ask the Lord what steps he might take to enhance his own
understanding of that which the Lord was teaching, since he was
impressed with the miracles which he saw him performing. He made
the deduction in his fleshly mind that Christ was sent from
God because he saw the unexplainable healings which the Lord brought
to pass. Many, by their natural deductions,
attribute the ability to work miracles to some connection with
godliness and spiritual acumen. Medicine men and shamans in all
cultures have used this propensity of the natural mind to gain power
over the minds of men since the beginning of time. This is played
out on a very grand scale today, as we see healers and demon-flingers
of all shapes and sizes criss-crossing the globe, claiming to be the
representatives of Christ, all the while lining their pockets
and darkening the minds of those who are already wandering in
darkness, while seeking some fulfillment of their natural
quest for the mysterious. It is a true thing that the Lord
has often used the working of miracles in order to attract
the attention of men. Yet it is also certainly true
that the performance of miracles is often a snare to those who
desire to see them, as Paul described the workings of the deceiver
of men. Many, while speaking of miracles in signs, run to
and fro, hoping to catch a glimpse of another one. all the while
convinced in their minds that such is the pursuit of spiritual
things, when in reality it is nothing but the darkness of the
natural religious mind in its quest for self-fulfillment. While
man is impressed with signs and wonders, he is nonetheless unable
to grasp those things which are truly mysterious, which he has
neither the will nor the power to receive. This is demonstrated
in the Lord's response to Nicodemus. He answered Nicodemus before
he was able to ask a question, pointing out to him that before
a man can even see the things of the kingdom of God, he must
first be acted upon by the power of God. Ye must be born again. The moral teachings of Christ
are quite often received by the religious multitude just as they
would receive the wisdom of any other philosopher or teacher.
Some call themselves his followers simply because they agree that
his philosophy is helpful to them and beneficial for mankind. In this they are no different
than the purveyors of the multitude of the false religions of the
world who pay homage to the earthly wisdom which this man Jesus of
Nazareth declared, all the while missing the truth which he keeps
hidden from the wise and prudent. Those who are privileged to eat
of that feast which is spread by the Lord are called the poor,
the maimed, the haught, and the blind. He said, Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Those
who are unable to come into the presence of the Lord do so without
even so much as one shred of ability to purchase His favor.
They are bankrupt souls who feel their abject poverty and possess
not one thread of their own righteousness. They are mere vagabonds who are
reduced to begging for the very sustenance of their life. They
are maimed by their own forays into sin, which has ruined them
and made them unfit to be seen in good company. They are broken
and disfigured, castaways who should remain hidden from view
were it not for the mercy of Him who has found them exactly
where they are, ruined and broken, and has poured oil and wine upon
their wounds, bound them up, and put them in the care of a
tender comforter until He returns for them. They hear the religious
men of the world tell them to be obedient. But they find no
power in themselves to do so, and thus despair except for the
mercy of their benefactor and healer who will plunge them into
his healing waters. He is the Savior of sinners,
whom he has come to seek and to save.