You’re welcome to it, if you choose it.
The teacher was outlining to his hearers the contrast to what the adversary stood for and what he stood for.
The adversary only came to steal, kill and destroy. He had come that people could have abundant life.
Two options available for people to take and every day people actively choose one or the other.
The assessment about death, theft and destruction gives the image of the misery of being subject to oppressive conditions. Empathy can be felt for such conditions. People in debt have an appreciation of that. People suffering from mental ill-health have an appreciation of that. People marginalised by society for a variety of reasons have an appreciation of that. That is on top of those who are overt recipients of oppressive political, economic and military regimes.
A reaction to such circumstances is to seek a degree of political, social, economic, cultural, emotional and mental liberty. The thinking is that perhaps we’re capable of it. Maybe if we learn the tips from those who have made it, we can make it too. Perhaps if we can just develop the right contacts and think hard enough, dream hard enough and have a strong enough desire we can make it happen.
At best, however, there will be a degree of personal advance. Maybe that personal advance will help the children and those in that circle of influence. Often however, what is experienced is relatively short-lived.
That is because this effort is not linked to the teacher who offers abundant life. People might pick up one or two lovely quotes from the teacher to build on, but they won’t take the teacher on wholesale to receive what he has on offer. And without accepting who he is and taking him on wholesale what tends to happen are mirages of the offer and counterfeits of the offer of abundant life. Appealing counterfeits for sure. Well structured counterfeits definitely. But counterfeits nonetheless.
So we have the oppressive system that many can empathise with. Or we have the counterfiet efforts at life that people work hard to prop up. All of which still fall under the banner of being part of the theft, death and destruction agenda.
It leaves us with the invitation to life.
The invitation offered by the teacher is a powerful word in itself. It is personified by a teacher who walked among people and brought life wherever he went not just by his words but by his actions. It is embodied by a teacher who knew the root cause of the suffering and oppressive conditions so many faced. Not only knew it, but also knew that the response to it was not medical, educational, cultural or political in nature.
This teacher effectively lived what he taught and was brutally crucified as a result. Only defeat the same death, theft and destruction agenda that sought to end him. Defeat it in his death and confirming the defeat in resurrection.
His invitation to life is to know Him to have that life. His invitation to life is to grow in knowing Him to realise just how amazing this life is and all-consuming it is by its nature as well as immensely liberating.
His invitation is not about a one-off decision you make in the depths of your suffering. The invitation is an ongoing, day-by-day journey travelling from the old – that sphere of theft, death and destruction – to the new – a life of righteousness, peace and joy.
It’s an invitation just as pertinent today as people struggle and suffer under a condition marked by death, theft and destruction.
You’re welcome to life – if you choose it.
(Photo by Andrew Dunstan on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 