Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Is it possible that we can know what Christ is thinking about now? Does He have a great purpose? It is true He is no longer a helpless Baby in Bethlehem nor hanging "forsaken" on a cross, yet He is still a human being as well as divine. His name is still "Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us." He will remain forever our Elder Brother, forever has sympathy with us, "made like unto His brethren, ... a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, ... able to succor them that are tempted, ... touched with the feeling of our infirmities" (Heb. 2:17, 18; 4:15).
Does He have hopes and yearnings? There are statements in the Bible that indicate that yes, He does have yearnings and desires. He told us that He "will not henceforth drink of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom" (Matt. 26:29). Is He fasting, at least partially?
We know that He is a disappointed Bridegroom-to-be longing for His wedding day to come (Rev. 19:7-9). We know He does not want to delay His second coming, for He loves His people who appreciate His sacrifice in their behalf and wants them to be with Him (John 14:3). We know He sympathizes with the sufferings of His people (Isa. 63:8, 9). Surely it is reasonable to understand that He longs to bring all this suffering to an end. He is waiting for the heavenly angel to tell Him, "Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the harvest of the earth is ripe" (Rev. 14:15).
The entire Bible is full of the idea that He loves us; and if you love someone, you must want to be with that one. We talk about how much we long for His second coming; are we to conceive of Him as icy cold, unimpassioned, unconcerned about a delay, not caring if He comes soon or maybe for a millennium?
The important truth is not ourselves, that is, how much we long for His second coming, but how much He longs to come the second time! If that is correct, then it follows logically that what hinders His coming is not that the Father stands in the way, but that "the harvest of the earth is [not] ripe" so He can come. Or to state it in another divinely inspired metaphor, "the fruit is [not] brought forth," because when it is "brought forth, immediately He putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come" (Mark 4:28, 29).
James says that He is "quietly awaiting His precious harvest" (5:7, Phillips). As a farmer eagerly watching his precious crop day by day, longing for the harvest, so Jesus yearns for His people to get ready for His coming. Let's think about Him!
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 19, 2000.
Copyright © 2014 by "Dial Daily Bread."
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