Flying Saucer
Originally scheduled for December 11
We may begin by looking at one of the strangest accounts in all
of Scripture:
Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there
was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings, for each of the
four of them. The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was
like sparkling beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their
appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within
another. Whenever they moved, they moved in any of their four
directions without turning as they moved. As for their rims they
were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full
of eyes round about. Whenever the living beings moved, the wheels
moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose from the earth,
the wheels rose also.
(Ezekiel 1:15-19 NASB)
If you want
a place in Scripture where the commentators are hesitant and
indecisive, disagreeing with each other completely, this is it.
Interestingly enough, before the 20th century no one seems to have
come up with the thought that Ezekiel was looking at a flying
saucer. Opinions on this passage are given very tentatively, which
is a sign that most of us have no clue what God is doing here. But
we may take it from some of the modern wild-eyed commentators that
God at least knows how to make a flying saucer. Whether this is one
I leave to your judgment.
So, why didn’t Jesus just arrive
in a flying saucer instead of being born in a manger? Think of the
trouble it would’ve saved him. No complications from doing a virgin
birth; no questions or suggestions about his childhood and of course
recruiting disciples would’ve been much easier after he arrived.
But there are some reasons why he didn’t do it that way.
·
For one thing, his purpose in coming was to be the atonement for the
sins of mankind. It’s a little incongruous to arrive in a high-tech
saucer and then be sacrificed on the cross.
·
One of his main purposes was to make us his brothers and sisters
under the fatherhood of God. How do you make someone the brother or
the sister of a space alien?
Because of the Incarnation, Christ
knows our suffering. He can therefore be our mediator, the link
between us and God the Father. He knows our temptation; he knows our
suffering — He has “been there, done that.”
If you going to
do things the Right Way, God’s way, there is usually a price to pay.
We remember the price that Christ paid when we take the bread, his
body. It reminds us of his suffering at the cross for our sake. We
take the cup, which represents his blood, we remember that life is
in the blood and he gave his life for us. He came as a baby into our
world, grew up, suffered and died for our sake. Therefore, as you
participate this morning, take the time to examine yourself and then
partake in a worthy manner.
