I had a thought which led to a question this morning for Father God while He and I were fellowshiping on the patio. Some questions I ask Him are not for me to know the answers to, I believe because they are far too wonderful for me to know. (Job 42:3)
In fact, we have eternity (in Christ Jesus) to keep learning just how wonderful God is, as if we could ever get to an end of just how wonderful HE IS!
When I ponder my Savior’s life ‘on earth’ questions often come to mind, and I do believe the Holy Spirit will help me come to the truth because Jesus Himself said: “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and he will declare to you what is to come.” John 16:13-14
Jesus taught that the more we understand (the light He gives) and follow through with, the more understanding we will receive from Him (Matthew 13:12), but also the more we are held accountable for, tested and approved.
We naturally accept the truths in the Bible without asking questions. But do you ever wonder why certain things have happened the way they did? I like knowing the wisdom He has behind the things He does.
I have asked the Father before why our Savior had to come to the earth through the childbirth process. Why not just miraculously show up to start His ministry at the age of 30 (approximately) when He called to Himself the twelve disciples? And I believe the Holy Spirit led me into the truth about that: to reveal that there’s nothing we humans can and will go through ‘naturally’ that Jesus didn’t go through; so that He could relate to our human weakness (without sinning).
This morning I asked Father God why His Son, our Savior, died in His early thirties and not later in His 50’s or 90’s or earlier in His 20’s. I do know that everything God does, every little thing that WE do not even notice, has great meaning in His whole plan of man’s redemption and the earth’s restoration for eternity. For God created everything with eternity in mind. (Genesis 1 and Ecclesiastes 3:11)
So what wisdom is behind Jesus dying at the age of 33, three years after He started His ministry on earth, instead of any other earlier or later age? The thought came: We are in our physical prime in our thirties, and then our bodies begin to breakdown until the day our body can no longer keep up.
Why do we call the age 40 “over the hill?” The thirties seem to be the “prime of our life” and looking the best we’ll ever look. But I love that we get to grow gray hair as we age because of what God says about wisdom and gray hair! (Although you can still be a fool with gray hair up to your death – having never known Jesus Christ and His blessed salvation.)
The Bible teaches that just like we take off our dirty clothes to put on clean clothes, so it is with our physical body with its sin nature – taken off to be ‘newly’ clothed to live forever with the Lord. But you might be thinking that our ‘new’ bodies are not like our physical bodies. Hum.
Then what kind of body did Jesus ‘reappear’ in when He visited all those disciples He left behind after His death? They all RECOGNIZED Him! So then, when we are in our ‘new’ bodies – will we recognize each other as well? I believe so!
But you might say: We are spirits after we die; not having a physical body because the Bible tells us that we won’t need to eat or drink or sleep. Yep! But we can if we want – because Jesus did! And we will be like Him, according to Scripture.
Before Adam sinned, he and Eve had ‘eternal’ bodies. All that changed was the curse God placed on man and earth, and that the devil with his demons were allowed to roam the earth and deceive the nations (until Christ returns to reign).
The “curses” will be lifted so that life (mankind and the earth) can continue as intended by God in the beginning. (Revelation 22) So that means that people will continue to be born yet without dying. Of that day the Lord says:
“God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them….for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making all things new. Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” Revelation 21:3-5
The older I get – the more I long to see my Savior face to face, and to thank Him for all He’s done to bring me into His eternal Kingdom!
Now when you look at those ‘old’ photos of yourself when you were in your prime, wishing you could look that good now – think about the Lord’s resurrection and your own!