7. Untameable…
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:13-14
I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
Revelation 1:12-15
There is something amazingly wonderful about a wild lion. I was recently at the night safari zoo in Singapore and, as I was walking around, the night air was filled with the roar of a lion. It is a majestic and very wild sound like thunder. The lion is a majestic creature, so it is no wonder that C S Lewis, in his Narnia books (The Chronicles of Narnia – a great read, all 7 stories), portrays the creator and Lord of the magical land of Narnia as a lion. Aslan is both tender and wild at the same time. Loving and mighty and entirely motivated by love and goodness, untameable and a best friend. Aslan can’t be put in a box. Just when the children in the story think they have the measure of him, he surprises them with something unpredictable and dangerous.
Jesus asked his disciples who they say he is. Who do we say Jesus is?
Is he a “Westfield” shopping centre Jesus filling our every want, there with all the material goods whenever we want them. Waiting for us to roll out our wish list?
Or is he the ultimate doctor who we just pay a visit to when we need fixing?
Or is he the one we love more than our own lives, the one beyond understanding who loves us absolutely and unconditionally?
We need to ask ourselves if we, liked Aaron in Exodus 32, have carved for ourselves a god who pampers us, our Father Christmas. Or is our Jesus more like Aslan, the mighty roaring Lion who is as gentle as a lamb with young Lucy in Lewis’s tales.
We can’t put Jesus in a box. John describes his vision of Jesus in Revelation 1 as having bronze feet glowing in a furnace, white as snow hair, eyes like blazing fire, a voice like rushing waters, a double-edged sword coming out of his mouth, a face shining like the sun. This is no ordinary person being revealed. This is the one, true, almighty Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man – wild, untameable, unpredictable. Yet he is also shown to us as tender, loving, good, merciful, and compassionate.
This is the Jesus who is saying to you and I:
Come, dance with me, take the risk and I will take you places you never dreamed of. I will give you the wildest experiences. Your spirit will soar in the highest places. You will run and not grow weary; your strength will be renewed. I am God Almighty, the one true God – dance with me.
Paraphrased from Isaiah 40:31
Prayer: Lord, I am afraid. You are the Almighty, the one, true God. At your voice the world came into being. You have power over life and death. You are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, eternal God. And yet you came to this earth, became a man, dwelt amongst us, died for our sins and reconciled us to the Father. Help me to dance with you wherever it takes me even as I am afraid. Take me in your arms and guide me across the dance floor, never let me go. I love you.
Amen
Action: Today, contemplate the great and wild God you believe in and love and prepare yourself for the dance he is calling you to.
Journal your thoughts…
