Life Lessons: Most Watched

By Staff Reports

The eyes of the whole world must have been on the Olympic Games in London this summer. Reports indicate that it was the most watched event in the history of television! After all, the greatest athletes from around the world were gathered to compete for recognition as being the best of the best. Just to participate in these games was the culmination of a lifetime of sacrificial preparation for many of these athletes. Accordingly, the competition was fierce. And appropriately, our loyalties to our countrymen and women were equally passionate. Not surprisingly, there was drama in almost every event, every day. Agony for many athletes, triumph for a few. Heroes were born, while others were laid to rest.

Yet I wonder what the eyes of heaven were focused on those days. Were they watching the pomp and preponderance of our games, or something far different? Most likely there were other events and situ-ations that drew their heavenly attention. Prisoners being rescued, children being saved, the hopeless finding hope, the blind coming to sight, the hungry fed, the sick healed, and the dead raised. Countless moments of riveting drama that held eternal consequences, clashes be-tween good and evil that impacted millions of lives. Wouldn’t these events outshine any and every athletic contest?

As I think about what our cloud of heavenly witnesses must enjoy watching, surely nothing could have more fascinating in the course of mankind, than viewing an obscure and miniscule region of Earth’s vast surface, during a thirty-three year period that occurred some 2,000 years ago. Our calendars still pay tribute to when the Hero of Heroes walked among mere humans!

Surely there many glimpses of His greatness, even during those thirty years of relative silence. His first steps, His first words, His first songs, His enthusiasm for life, His prayers, His love of His Father’s Word, His pure thoughts, His gracious words, and His winsome ways!

Certainly when He began His public ministry, nothing else could have been more captivating than to observe the Creator interact so personally and so powerfully with His creation! What could possibly compare to the drama of watching Perfection identify with brokenness, and collide with arrogance? The greatest kings, governors, rulers, leaders, teachers, and miracle workers should have been humbled by His greatness! Yet the Prize of Heaven was, and often is, mocked on earth.

Even with four gospel accounts of His life and ministry it was impossible to record a fraction of His greatness! A paraphrase of the concluding statement of John’s gospel could read, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were filmed, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the films that would be made.”

I can’t help but wonder if much of our time in heaven will be spent watching riveting “re-runs” of those fascinating days when the I AM was Immanuel! Surely Jesus Himself will be most watched, and worshiped, for millions of millennia!

 

Bruce Hendrich is pastor at Oak Street Baptist Church 804 Oak Street • Elizabethon, TN 37643 • 423.542.4022 • oakstreetbaptist.net