In preparation for this Sunday's Bible lesson in RockiTown, I was reading in 2 Kings 7. This obscure, little known account is full of tremendous Biblical truth. To really get the whole picture of what is happening, one must look back at ch. 6:24-33. The Syrian king waged war against the Hebrews, and laid siege to the fortified city of Samaria. Siege was a military tactic whereby an army would completely surround a city, cutting off all escape and reinforcement, while constantly attacking its walls and gates. Sometimes, a siege could last for months, even years. If the army couldn't overcome the city's defenses, they would starve them out. This was the case with the siege of Samaria.

The famine in the city became so desperate, people were eating anything they could (donkey heads, bird dung, etc.), even resorting to cannibalism. In a dramatic confrontation with a woman who had done this, the Hebrew king tore his clothes in rage and grief, and sent word to have Elisha, God's prophet, beheaded, believing somehow he was responsible for the judgment of God upon the city.

In ch. 7, Elisha predicted the end of the siege and famine, the following day! As was often the case, there were lepers outside the city gates, not allowed within the city due to their illness, and starving also. They finally decided to act, reasoning, "Hey, if we stay here, we'll die. If we try to get back inside, we'll die. Let's go over to the Syrians, and see if they will have pity and feed us. The worst they can do is kill us as well, so what do we have to lose?" Unknown to everyone, God had caused a sound of a mighty army coming upon them to terrify the Syrians, and they fled during the night in a panic, leaving everything behind- tents, clothes, money, weapons, horses, and especially vast amounts of food. As the 4 lepers entered the camp, they were astonished to find the whole siege camp abandoned. They began to gorge themselves on food, cover themselves with clothes, even took and hid some of the wealth. It was a "bonanza."

Then they came to a realization- "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent...let's go tell the king's household." They returned to the city gates, still unable to get in, so they shouted to the gatekeepers all they had found. And the the rest, as they say, is history.

As I've been thinking on this whole incident, I see one profound truth: making an amazing discovery that would save lives, and then keeping it from them, is among the worst of sins. Even though these guys had been ostracized and driven away by their own people, they had enough compassion for those dying within the gates to go share the incredible find. And yet, we as Christ followers possess the most amazing, beautiful, life-changing news in the history of the universe- "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." People can be set free from the siege of sin, death, and condemnation, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and yet we all too often keep it to ourselves. We distance ourselves from those who need to hear the Good News, are afraid to tell them, or sadly, we just don't care enough. Even though the world outside our churches is becoming increasingly hostile to our faith, and wants to push us "outside the gate", we need a God-inspired burden and passion to share the message of Christ with them anyway. Many will hear and reject, but many will hear and heed. Like the lepers in the account, we are all mere ragamuffins who have found the abundance of life in Christ, and are pointing other ragamuffins where they can "find bread."

"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!" Romans 10:15, Isaiah 52:7

I read an amazing article in the latest edition of "HomeLife" magazine, of all places. Entitled "In the Flesh" by Scottish writer Christian George, it addresses the astonishing truth of God in human form, Jesus Christ, in a new and refreshing way. The article had my attention from the opening lines-

"Let's get right down to business. Jesus took off His clothes. From the beginning of time, He planned to trade heavenly silk for soiled humanity...What a thought! That God would feel the fever of an infection and the throb of a headache... God stripped Himself that we might be clothed."

I don't think we fully appreciate the stupendous declaration found in John 1:14- "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." We miss the utter vulgarity & seeming absurdity of deity setting aside glory and trading it all for dirty humanity. As George further explains, "Jesus knew pain firsthand. He was not an airbrushed model who never knew a wart or wrinkle. No, God became real blood and real bone."

Last Sunday night, Kevin Miller explored this further in his sermon. Addressing the heights and depths of deity putting on humanity, he began by pointing out where Jesus came from. Reading from Isaiah 6:1-4, he "pulled back the veil" so to speak, revealing the incomprehensible glory and majesty Jesus came to us from. A massive throne, the Lord seated on it, His robe filling the temple, with 6-winged creatures flying about Him, shouting His praise, His glory like smoke filling the chamber, and His voice shaking the foundations. It reminded me of a similar scene that John saw and recorded in Revelation 4:1-11. That passage defies description. To read it and try to imagine it is beyond comprehension. A description would fail here. Go read it.

And yet Jesus left all that to put on human skin, and start off a helpless human baby. The Jews were looking for a military messiah, who would rescue them from the Romans and restore the kingdom of David, making them a world power again. Instead, God did just the opposite. Jesus became a man from a dirt-poor little town, who never traveled farther than 100 miles from His birth home, and was mocked, ridiculed, spit on, beaten, and rejected by those He came to save. "How odd of God!" George exclaims in his article. And yet as he points out, Jesus understands what its like to be in our skin. "He knew the agony, numbness, and intensity of being human. No other 'god' took so radical a jump as Jesus... The incarnation (literally 'into flesh') is unique to Christianity because the kamikaze Christ plunged into death so that we might have life. Because Jesus was man, God identifies with us. Because Jesus was divine, we identify with God."

I found myself in Isaiah 53 a couple of days ago in my morning quiet time. The passage describes the complete degradation and humiliation the Christ would endure for fallen humanity. When I read it all, and thought back over the Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4 chapters, I was dumbfounded at the "furious love of God" for us, as Rich Mullins used to describe it. That Jesus would leave all that He left behind (creatures specifically created to constantly worship Him, for pete's sake!) to walk among us and endure what He did at our hands, all to restore us to a right relationship to the Father- leaves me speechless before Him. My praise and worship seems so inadequate.

Yet I will praise Him, with my words and my works- this upcoming holiday season, the rest of my life, and all eternity.

"My utmost, for His highest."