Shadow to Substance

Shadow to Substance

It is interesting to comtemplate the story of how Christ mixed spit with dirt and put it on the blind man’s eyes Jn. 9:6. What an unusual display of miracle working power. What was Christ saying through this vivid picture? One would think that putting a mix of spit and dirt on someones eyes would be just the opposite of what a person with eye problems would need. I mean this may be where these cultures years ago got the idea of putting mud gauzes over wounds for healing.

Looking at the context of the story sheds some interesting facts. Jesus did this miracle on the Sabboth. Man he was notorious for working his miracles on the Sabboth, what was with that? I find it interesting that his performing miracles on the Sabboth was akin to putting mud in the spiritual eyes of the Pharisees. It was this mud “performing miracles on the Sabboth” that created such a problem for these religious leaders. It was the fact that he did these works on the Sabboth that seemed to blind them to what he was actually doing and who he actually was. He seemed to be deliberately offending them to show them that they already had something blocking their spiritual eyesight.

Later Jesus describes to the healed blind man that for judgement he came into this world that those that see might be made blind and those that are blind might see Jn.9:39. Very interesting comment in light of the spit and mud healing. Those Pharisees that heard him make this comment asked Jesus if they were blind. His comment to them that they were because they said they saw was very telling. It is interesting to note how a principal or command given by God if held in the wrong light can itself become a substitute for the relationship with God himself. The principal or command must be held with a Christocentric mindset. In other words how does this fit in with God’s ultimate purpose and plan and what is it’s priority. Maybe that is why Jesus told Nicodemus he must be born again he must see things in light of how they relate to Christ not as something in and of themselves, otherwise they may actually cause one to become blind.

How often do we take the things of God and make them into substitutes or something way more than what God intended them to be. Something holy in and of them selves. We call the scriptures Holy. How many have actually substituted a relationship with God with a relationship with a book. At one point Jesus told the Pharisees to search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life and yet they are they which testify of me Jn. 5:39. Much of current Christianity looks at Sunday as a holy day where a holy man gives a holy message out of a holy book at a holy hour etc… The truth is when Christ walked among the religious leaders of his day few recognized him because they had religious mud on their spiritual eyes. They had substituted the shadow for the substance. Even Nicodemus was schooled by Jesus that he was missing the very simple things of heaven. Then there is the lady at the well. Where shall we worship? Classic question about relegious mud, which relegious mud is better the mud on this mountain or over in Jerusalem. Interesting to contemplate that Christ is there but she is thinking about where, how, when she should worship when she is standing in the presence of the creator of the universe. Christ comment about the time is coming and now is when the true worshippers shall not be caught up with the shadows whether it is here or there, how etc… but will worship in Spirit and in truth. They will enter into the very substance of true worship.

When we are young we have to be told what to do and what not to do. There are so many things we don’t understand and have no clue as to it’s dangers. This is why God gave us types and shadows to train us 1cor.10:11, heb.10:1. The O.T. is full of these types and shadows. These are akin to what spiritual milk is. Principals and rules etc… to give us help when we are very young. Meat however is partaking of real substance, looking past the type and shadow and into what they represent. God’s desire for his church is to come to full age/maturity able to discern between shadow and substance heb.5:14. Which is why the Lord was so angry at the Pharisees who claimed to see (have meat) but were keeping His people locked into the milk or shadows making them the object of their affections. God is looking for a church which has His values not those who are trying to adhere to the shadows. So Jesus came for judgement to provide water for those who admit they have mud on their eyes and in a sense to offend or put mud (reveal the wrong values) on those who say they see but have not the values of the kingdom but the values of one stuck in the shadows of religion. In another place Christ responded to the Pharisees to go and look up the scripture in Hosea, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings”.

Organic Worship

There is a taste with organic vegetables that makes one wonder what is in the industrial grown variety that takes away the natural flavor. I remember the first time we grew our own tomatoes on our deck. It was unbelievable how much flavor there was compared to those offered in the grocery store (that was before they offered organic varieties ha!). It is amazing to me how good the industrial grown fruit / vegetables can look yet it seems to come at a huge expense in terms of quality of taste and benefit. The fertilization process is much different as well as the pesticide usage. Man has found a way to substitue non-organic chemicals which produce a much greater harvest but with less quality.

There are many studies that seem to indicate a lot of our cancer and diseases are a result of some of this tainting of our food supply. I recently heard that cancer has now overtaken heart disease as the number one killer. I think it is interesting to look at the fact that the food which is supposed to give us nutrition and health may actually be doing us harm in some instances. It is a slow process to change traditions once they get established in an industry. Just watched a I love Lucy show where Ricky was smoking a cigarette while singing. That was completely normal back then but for those not from that era it seems so odd. Now of course we have a knowledge of how harmful smoking is to the body.

I find the correlation to these physical truths to be somewhat prophetic of what happens in the spiritual realm as well. Even in Hosea's day God was trying to show Israel that the way they were worshipping was not healthy nor pleasing to him. "Hos. 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." It was not their sacrifices specifically that God was upset about seeing He instigated them. Rather it was the lack of spiritual graces that accompanied them. There was little thought regarding their fellow man and their relationship to God himself. Instead they were busy with a relegious agenda that in their mind was satisfying to God.

Jesus was questioned about his disciples eating corn in the field on the Sabboth by the relegious leaders of his day. He qouted this verse in Hosea to them as a rebuke to their misplaced values. It seems they were more interested in their relegious traditions and letter of the law than in the core values of their neighbor and in relationship with their God. So while they were offering their sacrifices of keeping the sabboth etc... God was looking for values/fruits of righteousness, justice, mercy, love, kindness etc... which can only come from a close relationship with Him.

A good question for us to consider is what does the Lord delight in. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and contrite heart. Perhaps that is the fertilizer we need to allow God to bring about the organic worship He delights in. He looks at the heart while we often look at what impresses and looks good outwardly.

Personally one area of worship I have enjoyed immensely is the coming together with the Lord's people and experiencing spontaneous worship. True heart felt offerings of thsoe gathered who have spent time with the Lord and want to offer their spiritual sacrifice through psalm, hymn, spiritual song, testimony, word etc... There is something organic about the natural expression of the Lord's people. Each one bringing their spiritual gift to add to the mix. This seems to be an area the Lord is opening up to his church sort of a "knowledge of the Lord" that allows Him to be revealed to his church in ways otherwise not experienced. As each part supplies it's part it provides a healthy exercise for the body and a natural/ organic way for the body to build itself up in the knowledge of the Lord Eph.4:16 Free from artificial fertilizers or enhancements the body has a chance to let the Lord be their focus and energy, it is truely refreshing.