Fri, Aug 15th - 6:37PM

A BROILED FISH

The account of Jesus Christ's ascension from the dead, had startled His disciples. And even when they were still in confusion, Jesus came to them in His new glorious body, in order to assure them. Though He was ready to go to heaven with this new body, yet He decided to consume a broiled fish. This He did, with the purpose of helping His disciples in realizing that it wasn't a ghost who came to them (LUKE 24:36-43). For Jesus Himself, this small act wouldn't taint His sanctity. But we could learn a lesson from there, that Jesus cared more for the continuity of His disciples' faith in Him (as a form of His holy love towards them), rather than occupying Himself with bodily sanctity.

The event of Jesus' birth was supposed to be surrounded with sacredness, yet instead it was followed by the bloodshed of many innocent babies. Jesus did not prevent this incident from happening, nor did He punish the Magi (as they were the ones who came to King Herod to ask for the whereabouts of baby Jesus, which resulted in King Herod's jealousy and thus the bloodshed). Jesus saw what the Magi did was the product of imperfect sacredness of men's love towards their God.

And this imperfection of man's sacredness in loving his God still continued on the event of Jesus' crucifixion. This event was not a "God's scenario which was forced to men"; thus making Judas, the betrayer, became "a hero" in crucifying Lord Jesus. Here, the love of money had tainted the sacredness of man's love for his God. This also led to the need of Holy Christ to savor "a broiled fish" in the forms of humiliation, torture and crucifixion.

Then, can we become holy? No, we can't - not by ourselves, anyway. When we remember what the Lord has said, "Be holy, for I am holy" (1 PETER 1:16), this has a meaning that He asks us to receive His holy love. Lest God consume another "broiled fish" again. We need to receive Him in every situation, even when things turn out to be bad. Believing that there isn't anything that could hinder the love of God, no matter what happens, because He cares more for us, His creations. We'll always be in His love that is pure and holy, forever.

Always preparing Jesus' kind of diet on our menu, which is "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (JOHN 4:43). We, who could not become holy on our own, but in receiving Christ, we could then become holy, since Christ would come in and dine with us.