Further Reflections on Job 9:33-35
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:17-19
Reconciliation is a big word with a simple idea. It’s the act of bringing two or more groups back together who previously were separated. Christ, the perfect mediator, has reconciled us back to the the Father through His faithful obedience to the Father in life, death and resurrection. Becuase of Christ, we now approach God’s throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16)
Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians, that as people who have been reconciled, we are called to the work of reconciliation as well. Our hope in Christ is our treasure. But this is not a treasure to hoard to ourselves, but rather one that we are called to freely give away. As we faithfully obey, we ourselves BECOME the very same mediators that Christ has been for us. We mediate between the one who does not know Christ and Christ himself. We take the hand of the one in need and place it in the hand of Christ revealing the glory of Christ and his reconciliation on the cross.
In chapter 9 of the book bearing his name, Job cried out for someone to come mediate between himself and God, so that God’s rod of judgement could be removed from him (v34) and he could speak to God without fear (v35). In Christ, the perfect mediator, God’s judgement is no more, and we can speak to the Father without fear.
Fear is the economy of our world today. It is used to drive business, manipulate politics, accumulate wealth, marginalize the “other” (the poor, orphan, widow, immigrant). We are told we must elect a certain candidate, otherwise your rights will be taken away. BE AFRAID! Stockpile your money, for the inevitable, upcoming economic collapse. BE AFRAID!
In Christ, we know the perfect love that can cast out all fear. As we stand as mediators between humanity and Christ, we offer the role of one who can remove fear, by pointing to the One who offers better promises and hope for our future. As we stand in that gap, we trust the Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness, and give us the words to say as mediators for our world.
As you go this week, consider the following:
- Who has God placed in your life that is living in fear? It could be fear of the times (political, economic, social climate). It could be fear of judgement. It could be a fear of God himself becuase of past sins. It could be even be a fear of the church due to past pains and hurts brought upon by bad experiences.
- How will you be a mediator this week to that person? How will you act to remove fear, and place their hand in the hand of Christ so that they might come to know Him? It could be as simple as telling them that you are praying for them. Taking an hour to sit and listen to their pain and hurt without judgement or comment. Or even sharing a meal together.
As you go, trust that the Holy Spirit has gone before you, and is preparing the way for reconcilation, and will give you the words to say when the time comes.