Scars That Speak

Scars that Speak

A few weeks ago, I watched the start of one of the Republician debates which took place in the Ronald Reagan Library.  I was impressed that Air Force One was inside the building!  Every president raises money to build his library to serve as a reminder of his presidency.  In the 23^rd chapter in 1^st Samuel, we see an aging King David looking back on his time on the throne, and making a list of men who have served him over the years.  He wanted people always to remember their contribution to Israel.  The list included 37 men who were called “the Mighty Men of David.”  I want to talk about No. 3 on the list.  His name was Benaiah, and he was the captain of the guards that protected the king.

Benaiah’s resume is found in verses 20-23.  Benaiah once found himself alone and face to face with two great Moabite champions.  They are described as being like fierce lions.  It was a fight to the death, and Benaiah was battered yet victorious.  Next, we are told the Benaiah fell into a pit that had a lion in it, on a snowy day.  Now that’s a bad day in anyone’s book!.  My unsanctified imagination can just see a hungry and trapped lion praying to God for food to eat when through the darkness crashes Benaiah to the floor of the pit.  Now in a cold dark pit, Benaiah prevails over the king of the beasts.  The Bible tells us that Satan can come as a roaring lion or an angel of light.  Benaiah’s next challenge wasn’t with lions but with a smooth-talking, good-looking Egyptian who is carrying a concealed weapon behind his back.  He comes to Benaiah as a friend to embrace him, and then he pulls a sword out for the kill. Benaiah servives this sneak attack and kills the Egyptian.

Now, let’s try to imagine the moment that David made his decision to make Benaiah the captain of the guard.  Let’s say that David interviewed many men who were well-trained, intelligent and of high pedigree.  Yet David could not find any peace about whom to choose.   The next man who walks through the door is Benaiah.  David looks at a man who didn’t need to say a word in order to get the job.  The scars of his battles on his body told David everything he needed to know.   This man would lay down his life to save the king.  You see, the scars were Benaiah’s resume.

In the  20^th chapter of the gospel of John, it was the evening of the day Jesus had risen from the dead.  The disciples were in the upper room with the doors locked in fear of the authorities.  They had not seen Jesus. They had only heard Mary’s story of seeing Him.  Suddenly, Jesus appears to them.  Two important things take place.  First, Jesus says “peace be with you” and second, He shows them His scars. The scars convinced them it was Jesus, and peace was possible.  David was at peace knowing Benaiah would lay down his life for him.  We can be at peace knowing Jesus (“the captain of our salvation” Heb. 2:10) has laid down His life for us.  The scars say it all.

En  agape,

Father Mark

Lepers at the Gate

Lepers at the Gates

 How many times have you heard this phrase in the past three years:  “This is the worst economy since the Great Depression.”   I’m sure you have heard it many times.   The problems with our nation’s economy touch everyone, some more painfully than others.  I live in Central Florida where the construction industry has been affected severely.  Many of my friends who work in construction can’t find work.  In the Bible, there is a story of a country that was in serious distress, and everyone was suffering.  However, there were four men whose situtation was so bad that they were starving to death.  We find their story in 2 Kings Chapter 7.

The Syrian empire had invaded Israel and would eventually conquer all the northern kingdom.  It was a time of siege warfare where armies would surround a walled city and starve the city into surrender.  A siege could last for years.  People would die of stavation, thirst and disease.  It was so bad in this city that people had resorted to canabalism.  Yet there were four men whose situtation was even worse because they had the disease of leprosy.  They were not allowed to enter the city because they were considered “unclean” and since a famine was raging inside the city walls, there were no acts of charity being offered to those who were hungry outside the gates.   In verse 6, they say to one another, “If we try to get into the city, we will stave there.  If we stay outside the gates, we will also starve to death.”  They decided they would go to the Syrian army’s camp and surrender to them.  They hoped the Syrians would not kill them and, instead, take them as prisoners and feed them something.

As they approached the camp, it seemed to be strangely quiet.  They reached the perimeter of the camp to find it abandoned.  The Bible says that during the night God caused the sound of chariots to rumble toward the camp.  The Syrians throught it was the armies of the Egyptians coming to the aid of Israel, so they left in haste, leaving everything behind.  The four lepers soon realized that the camp was filled with food and the loot the Syrians had plundered from their conquests.  They ate until they were full, and began to lay claim to all the treasure.  Truly, God has done a great thing for Israel, but only four men knew it.  These men could have kept all these blessings to themselves, but they knew they were obligated to let those who were starving and locked behind the walls of death that God had made a way to set them free.  They returned to the city gates not as beggars, but as men who had something to give: THE GOOD NEWS that God has won the victory for us.

This is the story of our personal salvation.  God has defeated the enemy for us through the cross of Jesus Christ.  He has brought us from death to life. And in Matthew 28:19-20, He tells us to go into all the world with the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.  We are to stand at the gate and let the captives know Jesus has emptied the tents of the enemy, and we can feast in his victory.

En  agape,

Fr Mark