October 22nd, 20

THERE’S ONLY ONE WHO CAN DO IT

Today’s readings are Job 13-14 and Acts 17-18.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

You can be accurate and still miss the mark.  Apollos missed the mark even though he was accurate.  He preached about Jesus, he knew the Scriptures and we’re told that he taught the way of the Lord.  And the way of the Lord is something to behold.  For the Jesus lived as man has always been intended to live. He demonstrated to the whole universe what it is to be a bearer of God’s image.  Jesus is the only one who has lived as man is intended to live.  And Apollos somehow had been captivated with the account of the way of Jesus’ life. And he could see, from the Scriptures, that God’s Messiah would demonstrate this flawless and loving way of life.  And this is what Apollos preached.  No doubt, he was urging his fellow Jews to live up to this perfect standard, seen in the way of Jesus.  And, sincere and accurate as he was, he was still missing the mark.

And we can be sincere and accurate and still miss the point, too.  We can simply try to live up to the standard of the way of Jesus.  And as good, and perfect, and necessary, and beautiful as that is, it’s going to miss the mark. Because, on our own, we cannot live the Christian life.  There’s only one person who can, and that person is Christ.  We cannot live up to the way of Jesus, that Apollos preached, and that so many of our churches preach.  If you think the way of the Law or the way of Moses is tough, try living up to the way of Jesus.  

Aquilla and Priscilla want to help Apollos, and us, to hit the mark.  They want to point us to our baptism into Christ and his Spirit.  Apollos only knew about the baptism of John, we’re told.  Priscilla and Aquilla point us to our baptism into Christ – the amazing and liberating news that our identity in Christ is the mark we’re aiming for.  The Gospel is Christ in you.  Our identity is found in Him.  That’s what baptism signifies.  

Ours is not to strive to live up to the ways of Jesus.  Ours is to rest in our identity in Jesus, trusting in his perfection, love and holiness – that he, alone, demonstrated in the way he lived his life.  Now he allows us, by the Spirit, to live in him, and allow his life to live through us.  This is what Apollos discovered and it made all the difference.

You are loved!