The Nonconformist

Luke 2 And she gave birth to her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn.

John 19 Since it was the day of preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day) the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.

Would this FINALLY be over? Would He be silenced at long last?

From the first day until the last day He was just too much. Or too little. Either way, He was in the way. And if we could JUST discredit Him, tempt Him to sin or crush Him completely then we would no longer have to bear the enormous weight of His words, the look of knowing in His eyes, the piercing truth of His teaching and the overwhelming authority of His miracles. But He would NOT conform.

Not to the religious leaders who wanted a blind follower; not to the people who wanted a miracle worker; not to the disciples who wanted an earthly kingdom; not to Satan who wanted a defeated worshiper. And because it was IMPOSSIBLE for Him to be anything other than a Holy Savior, an everlasting Priest, Almighty GOD in the flesh, we would not tolerate His presence. We could not bear to look at Him and His holiness.

The voices of the people of His city joined with the shouts of the inhabitants of hell to say, NO ROOM! NO MORE! We will not bear You. From the Holy Hill to the temple priests we all shout Crucify Him! Crucify Him! And even dead, hanging on a tree for our sin we would suffer His presence no more. Just break His legs and bury Him and let's be DONE with this. FINALLY, finally done.

Can you hear the echo of that sentiment today?

And louder still the voices of true believers that refuse to leave and will not be silenced.

We cannot help but speak about what we have seen and heard.

The world cannot bear to look upon Him because He is holy and they are not.
God could not bear to look on the world because He is holy and they are not.

So to bridge the gap, Jesus made a way. Through the rending of His own flesh He ushered us through the veil and into the Fathers presence. And by accepting the gift of His salvation through faith in His offering He redeemed us for His kingdom.

The sin in the garden could not deter Him. Death could not hold Him. Satan could not tempt Him. Nothing will destroy Him. He is inescapable. Relentlessly pursuing His own. He never sleeps. He never stops. He never grows weary. He never dies. He NEVER conforms. He lives to make intercession for the saints.

Psalm 139 Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me.

Hebrews 2 How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

Jonah 1 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

Genesis 3 And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord.

Zechariah 12 And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy so that when they look on Me, on Him who they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him.

Philippians 2 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled HIMSELF by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.