The Paralysis of Omnipotence

This is the next passage in G Campbell Morgan's commentary on the Gospel according to Mark. He covers the attitude of the people at Nazareth to Christ's return visit. The locals knew Jesus of Nazareth so well, they knew his family, his personal history as the local carpenter and they were astonished at the power they had heard of and at the wisdom of the 'local boy'. In fact the passage records two different kinds of astonishment.

1. Mark 6:2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!
2. Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Mark 6:5–6 NKJV.

Campbell Morgan uses a surprising phrase to describe the second instance. He calls it the 'paralysis of omnipotence'. It is a shocking phrase and something of an oxymoron. How can anything hinder omnipotence?

And yet clearly it did.

It is a sobering passage of Scripture. Christ comes, apparently with the desire in his heart to accomplish the will of the Father and his intentions are frustrated. I am choosing my words carefully. I am not saying he 'felt' frustrated but that his intentions were frustrated. He knew the will of His Father. He was anointed with 'power and the Holy Spirit'. He came to 'do' that will and yet He was 'not able' do what he wanted to do. As the passage declares he was 'not able to do a work of power there', other than to lay his hands on a few sick folk and heal them.

And the thing which caused the paralysis of omnipotence was 'unbelief'. Is 'unbelief' more powerful than omnipotence? We are touching this amazing mystery again that God, although omnipotent, will not use his omnipotence to force human beings to do things which they do not desire. It seems that in that crowd there were some who did respond to him and to those 'who received him he gave the right to become'. Perhaps it is the same in almost every gathering of people. There will be those who shut out the word of Christ and shrink away from his outstretched hand. He can do no work of power for such. But there are those who receive his word and long for his touch.

Christ marvelled at the 'unbelief' of those who rejected him. Has God given any greater power that the power to say 'No' to God? Will he 'marvel' at our reluctance to hear what he says to us, or will there be rejoicing in his presence as we voice our 'Yes, Lord'?

If He Who can, does not, then it is better so!

From time to time I read something and feel I want to post the whole thing so that others can share it. Most often this happens when I am reading something by G Campbell Morgan. Of all the commentators available to me this man's ministry has blessed and challenged me most consistently. I don't always agree with the line he takes, but then as I sometimes say "I don't agree with myself all the time." Margaret and I often read him together.

This morning we read from his commentary on Mark's Gospel. If you haven't already discovered Campbell Morgan take the time to read his commentary on the story of Jairus' daughter and the woman with the issue of blood. You can find a free version here. With amazing sensitivity he unpacks the thrilling story of Christ's dealings with the two women. G Campbell Morgan lost his only daughter at an early age and you will hear it in almost every line. This is no trite comment from an author's desk but something that scorched his own heart and which has passed through his own being.

He ends the exposition with these words…

Yes, but, you say, my child died, and I lost her! Yes, but, you say, I am not cured. I am still suffering! How shall I reply to that kind of statement? Reverently I say in answer; even though our children went, and He did not let us have them; even though we were not cured, and long, long suffering runs on, there is something to be sure of. Seeing that we have had that unveiling of Him; we know His heart and therefore are sure of His sympathy.

There is another thing to remember. Many children are raised up even yet. Do not put these stories back two millenniums. That one lassie that God took out of my home I did so want to keep; but she went. But I have other bairns in the home who have seemed to be as near the end as she. I asked for them, and they are with me yet. He still touches the little hands, and raises up the children. He still heals, and He has cured many a soul of bodily infirmity.

Therefore we know that those who are not raised up or cured, are still in His love. Therefore that which happens to them is best for them, and must be best for us. He did not let me have my lassie. He took her. Then that was best. I do not quite see how, for me, and yet I am sure it was so. If He Who can, does not, then it is better so!

This is the faith of those who glimpse the Throne.

If He Who can, does not, then it is better so!

Keep Calm and Don't Panic

This wartime slogan has gone through thousands of permutations in the last couple of years. You will find the general idea of the slogan on T-shirts, coffee mugs, posters. It would be hard to go out in public in the UK and not see some reference to the idea. There is one place however where you will not find it, heaven. Only people who can't see the throne need this kind of advice and the presence of the Throne is fundamental to our revelation of heaven. 'The Throne' appears 33 times in the book of the Revelation. It is one of the central revelations of the Revelation.

Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. Rev 4:2 NKJV.

John's world was falling apart. Jerusalem, the city he had known so well in his youth was destroyed. The temple and the priesthood were gone. All his brother-apostles were gone; he is the last swallow of the summer. The local churches that he knows best are in disarray; leadership is degenerating into control. Then to top it all he is exiled to a island and most likely put under house arrest. But comfort does not come from a poster or fridge-magnet bearing the words "keep calm and don't panic" but from a revelation of things as they are to the eye opened by the Spirit. He beholds, amidst all the shambles of his earthly experience, a throne set in heaven, and it is occupied; One sat on the throne. As long as that throne is occupied by its rightful owner we have no need of worldly epigrams.

We don't need to be in heaven to see the Throne. Christ saw it after a busy day of teaching as he lay asleep with his head on a cushion in the stern of a small boat on the Galilean sea.

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? Mark 4:37–40 NKJV.

They mistook his faith for complacency and passivity; true faith is neither.
An old hymn captures the truth…

Give to me a vision

Reaching to the throne.

Let me see earth’s problems

In that light alone:

‘Tis Thy Word assures me

All shall work for good,

Things that long have baffled

Soon be understood.
ECW Boulton

because I have you in my heart

This is part of the secret of the ministry of Paul to the churches. Certainly he had a 'royal commission' but he had something else too; the love of God had been poured out in his heart by the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:8.

The heading is taken from Paul's letter to 'the saints', the people of God, in Philippi. Php 1:6,7. There is a line from an old Graham Kendrick song that comes to mind.

"where are the love tears that earned the right to speak"

This is not the first time I have quoted these words on this blog.

There is an interesting feature in the original of Philippians 1:6,7. Apparently, just as accurately, it could be translated 'because you have me in your heart.' This mutual affection is the uniting bond that linked these early saints together. Paul spoke to the saints at Philippi with a deep conviction that was authenticated by the fact that he had them 'in his heart.' It was a New Testament pattern; 2Cor 8:16. He was not driven by duty or necessity but it was the 'love of Christ' that constrained him.

Do we long to speak words of authentic comfort to the saints? We shall, if we have them in our hearts. We have no right to speak into the lives of those who we do not 'have in our hearts'. At best such preaching will have reform at its heart rather than a love for the individual. It will have targets and milestones and the critical eye of the man who knows how other men 'ought to behave'. But we usually recognise the man or woman who 'has us in their hearts' and to heed their counsel or receive their encouragement is not difficult.

Who has God put in our hearts? We have God's authority to speak to them. It is said of our great Shepherd; his commandments are not burdensome.1John 5:3. Or as one version has it "his commandments do not weigh us down." It's because he has us in his heart.

The question that will not go away; 'Why?'

I opened my Bible at the first page today and read from Genesis 1:1-8 in the NKJV…

and I thought… I wonder if this is the right paragraph heading? It reads; 'The History of Creation'.

The translators, or perhaps rather the editors of this particular version of the NKJV, have begun their translation with a presumption. They have inserted their own paragraph heading and they have presumed that Genesis 1 is answering the question 'How did it all happen?' Those who contend for a young earth would be convinced that this was the right question and that what follows is properly described as 'The History of Creation', but suppose Moses had a different question in mind.

I say Moses because traditionally we hold that Moses was the human author of Genesis-Deuteronomy. Why did he write Genesis? Well the Old Testament provides the source documents for what we might call the Old Covenant and Moses is beginning a long introduction to the inauguration of the Sinai/Mosaic Covenant. I am not disputing his historical accuracy I am asking 'why did he write this?' My NKJV editors believe he was answering the question 'How did these things happen'?

What if he was asking the question 'Why did these things happen?'

If we take a look at the few verses printed above we will notice that the noun 'God' is used in every verse. That gives us a clue as to the real thrust of Genesis 1; it is all about God. I think the question in Moses mind is not so much 'How?' as 'Why?'

Let me tell you how I got into this line of thinking. I have been dipping into various debates between atheistic scientists and Christian scientists. These are men and women of considerable reputation and mental powers and yet they come up with such different answers. If we try to be generous to all concerned and ask why they come to such different conclusions the answer is much simpler than you might have thought. It is simply that they are asking different questions. The atheistic scientists are asking the question 'How?' whereas the Christian scientists are also interested in the question 'How?' but their first question is 'Why?' Why is there anything at all? Why was there a big bang, if indeed there was? Their's is a search for meaning as well as for an explanation of the mechanics. The atheistic scientist studiously avoids the question 'Why?' He cannot provide empirical evidence. To even ask the question is 'non-sense'. But the question just will not go away and Genesis 1 is part of the answer; God planned it and created it with mankind in mind.

Some years ago Sara Groves wrote a song about a dysfunctional teenager who spends lonely hours lying on her back looking skywards; Maybe there's a loving God. There are some penetrating questions she is turning over in her mind…

I'm trying to work things out • I'm trying to comprehend • Am I the chance result • Of some great accident • I hear a rhythm call me • The echo of a grand design • I spend each night in the backyard • Staring up at the stars in the sky • •



I have another meeting today • With my new counsellor • My mom will cry and say • I don't know what to do with her • She's so unresponsive • I just cannot break through • She spends all night in the backyard • Staring up at the stars and the moon • •


They have a chart and a graph • Of my despondency • They want to chart a path • For self-recovery • And want to know what I'm thinking • What motivates my mood • To spend all night in the backyard • Staring up at the stars and the moon • •


Maybe this was made for me • For lying on my back in the middle of a field • Maybe that's a selfish thought • Or maybe there's a loving God • •


Maybe I was made this way • To think and to reason and to question and to pray • And I have never prayed a lot • But maybe there's a loving God • •


Maybe this was made for me • For lying on my back in the middle of a field • Maybe that's a selfish thought • Or maybe there's a loving God • •


Maybe I was made this way • To think and to reason and to question and to pray • And I have never prayed a lot • But maybe there's a loving God • •


And that may be a foolish thought • Or maybe there is a God • And I have never prayed a lot • But maybe there's a loving God • •

Through all her pain I think she is asking the right questions.

Maybe I was made this way • To think and to reason and to question and to pray • And I have never prayed a lot • But maybe there's a loving God.

We were made to 'think and to reason and to question and to pray'. But instead of getting bogged down in the interminable questions of 'How?' give yourself a break and start with the question 'Why?'

The Wife of Jesus?

Some folk will see the title and think 'haven't we been here before?' For some it may be new and troubling. It is really a very old story but the news-hounds who live on sensationalism have dragged it up to the top of the pile again. It has appeared in several newspapers and here on the BBC's website.

When the whole Dan Brown frenzy broke out I did an evening's teaching entitled 'from Judas to Da Vinci' which you can watch here on the Biblebase Vimeo pages.

If you want the shorter version. These documents which pop up from time to time are part of a movement known as 'Gnosticism'. (sometimes they are just modern fakes) This was a movement which tried to infiltrate and to subvert Christianity. Its first documented traces stem from the times of Irenaeus who was writing more than a hundred years after the New Testament. The Gnostics actually created their own gospels, e.g. the Gospel of Judas as a method of spreading their ideas. These ideas were never part of authentic Christianity. They do not come from the roots of the Christian message but are more like a grotesque parasitic attachment. Those who are always on the hunt for ways to discredit Christianity seize on these occasional discoveries and raise Dan Brown's cry that 'Christianity is a lie'.

Don't be disturbed. These weird lies tried to hi-jack authentic Christianity more than 1500 years ago. They failed… as will their modern imitators.

If you want more details do watch the video.

Nullius in verba (Take nobody's word for it)

The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London". (wikipedia) Its motto and modus operandi is 'take nobody's word for it'.

I have just watched a BBC programme in which Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (JS) talked to three atheistic scientists including the man he describes as 'the world's most famous atheist' Richard Dawkins (RD). In these kind of encounters Rabbi Sachs usually gives a good account of himself but I was disappointed with his latest outing. RD returned to his theme that 'one cannot disprove the existence of fairies and the existence of God is the same kind of category'. They chatted for a little while as RD insisted that belief must be based on 'evidence' and 'not tradition, religion or revelation.' He pressed JS as to whether or not he believed that God had actually had a conversation with Abraham. JS was strangely reticent to give a straightforward answer to this question but emphasised Judaism's insistence on questioning. The first duty of a Jewish father, claims JS, is to get his child to ask questions. The first duty!?! Well it depends on the question.

JS almost certainly has in mind the Passover instructions which state And it shall be, when your children say to you, “What do you mean by this service?’ Ex 12:26 NKJV. But that question is to instruct the child as to the meaning of a revelation, not a scientific experiment. We are to engage our minds in the things that God has revealed; And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. Mark 12:30 NKJV.

True science and true faith are not enemies. They have their different areas of authority. As JS puts it 'science takes things to pieces and asks "how do they work"' 'religion brings things together and asks "what does it mean"". It is in that realm of 'what does it mean?' that revelation has the last word. It is perhaps significant that the question asked on the day of Pentecost was not 'what is happening' but rather 'what does it mean?' Acts 2:12. The answer to that question demands 'revelation' which RD will not accept and which JS seems to have little to say about too.

If the Royal Institute is willing to change its motto to 'take no man's word for it' it will get my hearty 'amen' but if it says I man himself is the final arbiter of truth it usurps God's prerogatives. Faith does not come by reason but by hearing… the word of God. As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:30–32 NKJV.