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My thoughts on Predestination during a time of testing in my own life.
Thoughts on Predestination
Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group
What was it that Jesus had that enabled him to draw men to himself, to approach strangers and say "follow me" and have them follow without hesitation. What did Simon Peter, his brother Andrew and James and John, sons of Zebedee see and feel when Jesus approached them and told them he would make them ‘fishers of men’, if they would leave their nets and follow him. Did they wonder and question their own actions, to drop everything and leave their only means of livelihood. To leave behind family and friends to follow a complete stranger into an unknown and uncertain future, must have appeared madness by some who watched, and maybe even by those who chose to follow. In some instances it would have left them open to ridicule and accusation, particularly where dependant relatives were concerned. How did Zebedee feel when his two sons left him sitting in his boat to follow this man Jesus, did he ‘see’ what they saw and understand, or was he upset and angry, feeling deserted.
It is obvious that although Jesus had many followers and his meetings drew large crowds, some numbered in thousands, not everyone was drawn to him in the same way. Others were drawn by hatred, eventually seeking to kill him. For some, such as the Pharisee’s, he was seen as a threat to their positions and status in life, and within the Synagogue’s where his teaching undermined their religiosity.
So what drew some and repelled others? Was it and is it simply predestination, the one who is predestined somehow recognising the moment of calling, it had to be something more than that, something that triggered recognition. Jesus had a special quality and it was this that drew his disciples to him. Somehow the men he called recognised Jesus as the Son of God, the ‘Messiah,’ perhaps at first not understanding what they had recognised, but they were predestined to answer his call and something in them responded to that call. They may have questioned their own sanity at first but could not ignore him or simply dismiss him and turn away. Some may never have understood what they had responded to. Judas, being a Zealot, may have hoped for a strong military leader to overthrow the Roman occupation, but after his betrayal of Jesus, realisation and recognition of who Jesus really was may have hit him so hard he could not bear to live with it.
When John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus returned to Galilee, leaving his hometown of Nazareth to live in the village of Capernaum. This was a fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophetic sermon: (9:1-7)
"Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
road to the sea, over Jordan,
Galilee, crossroads for the nations
People sitting out their lives in the dark
Saw a huge light.
Sitting in that dark, dark country of death,
They watched the sun come up."
This Isaiah – prophesied sermon came to life in Galilee the moment Jesus started preaching. He picked up where John left off: "Change your life, God’s Kingdom is here." Matthew 4:12-17
With the appearance of Jesus came the Light and Glory of God’s Kingdom, it surrounded him and shone forth from him in such a way that drew a response or reaction from everyone he met. To those who responded he was a welcome light in their darkness, a beacon of hope and salvation that the predestined would follow. To others, those foreordained to condemnation, his light uncovered what they preferred to keep hidden in darkness and they hated him for it. Their reaction being to accuse and lie, their intention to kill and snuff out his light.
Jesus was sinless, clean, pure of heart and mind, guileless. There was nothing in him to block out or impede in any way the light of God’s Kingdom shining forth. Though he lost his temper on occasion, his anger was righteous anger, not the result of malice, or hypocrisy on his part.
His ‘Light’ has continued to shine for two thousand years, no ordinary man could sustain and continue to draw future generations of men to himself in such a way. Great men and women have lived, died and left their mark in history, ordinary men and women have lived, been well loved, but when they have passed from this life, memories of them generally last only as long as those who knew and loved them. None has had the impact on this world as Jesus. Jesus stands out, he is still calling on men and women to follow him, still raising up disciples, ministers and missionaries, ordinary believers, some of whom will die, for and because of His name.
In todays world His light is still shining, though it is not always clearly visible! Some people may hear the Gospel message just once and respond immediately, others may hear it ten, fifty or a hundred times before ‘seeing the light’ and responding. – How many times did Saul of Tarsus ‘hear’ before Jesus met him on the road to Damascus? – We can sow the seed and water it, but only God’s light can bring life and growth. What is the difference between the person who responds the first time and the person who responds on the hundredth time? Is it the messenger?
We can testify until we are blue in the face, beat people over the head with the Bible, ram the Word down their throats, all to no avail. Though there are exceptions. God is God, He can do the impossible and He can use anyone He pleases, at any time He pleases, such as the evangelist leading a secret and sinful life, or a minister who preaches the Word without believing it himself. Some people will recognise the truth and accept it, asking Jesus into their lives. But do they ‘see’ His Light, do they understand and does it last, especially when the one apparently responsible for their conversion is exposed. If that person is predestined the answer should be yes because hopefully he/she will see beyond the man and will be looking only to God. Though for the weaker ones, a time of discouragement and backsliding may follow, others may walk away for years and some will fall away completely.
The ‘ideal’ situation for a Christian is for us to be able to empty ourselves of all the rubbish that clutters our lives, to clean house and make way for God’s Holy Spirit to enter in and fill us. Though we can never attain the perfection of Jesus, we can and should do our utmost to be a worthy temple of His Holy Spirit, only then can His ‘Light’ shine forth unimpeded from us and draw people to Him through us. As someone once said "we may be the only Jesus some will ever see."
If we are prepared to go that far, we have to realise that we will also be subject to persecution for His sake. The people who wish to remain in darkness are still out there, they are afraid of exposure to the ‘Light’ and will do anything, including murder, to avoid it. Persecution may come from any quarter and sometimes the least expected such as family, friends or even the church itself. It will range from the hurtful – causing separation from family and rejection by friends, deliberate character assassination in order to discredit, imprisonment and/or death, simply for daring to preach, teach and spread the Gospel, either in ones own country or in a foreign land.
Matthew 5:10 "You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s Kingdom."
V.11, 12 "Not only that – count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is to close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens – give a cheer, even! – for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.
If we could achieve a state of spiritual cleanliness and purity, as far as our humanity will allow us, - though we cannot attain perfection – we could reflect God’s Light in such a visible way that all men would ‘see’ it. How much sooner would the Second Coming of the Messiah be? There is no doubt in my mind that as the ‘Light’ became brighter and hotter, a battle royal would ensue between Heaven and Hell, Light against darkness, and most likely the final battle.
Jackie S Brooks
1st. December 1999
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