The Beauty of Jesus (3)
3 December 2019
Dear Phyllis,
Two weeks ago I started what I hope may be a series
on The Beauty of Jesus as found in Song of Solomon. I had an email from a
brother asking that I not wait until Sunday to fill in the blanks. On the
grounds that there is so much to say, and I really would like to get this
series done intact, I am going to break my usual practice and send out a number
of emails on this series mid week.
Instead of beginning with the first attribute of
Jesus as given by the Bride of Christ I started out with His eyes as doves eyes,
and said this might be the most descriptive of His heart, because the eyes tell
us more about what is going onside a person than any other physical feature.
And last week we began at the first point and emphasized His duel nature, that
Jesus was unique in being both God and a total man. This was expressed by His
total purity and yet genuine humanity – He was both white and yet ruddy.
The next feature that we see of Jesus is that He is the
chiefest of ten thousand (5:10). I really don't have much to say
about that other than it is unquestionably true. It doesn't matter who you put
up to compare with Jesus, you won't find His equal or competitor. Who would you
like to suggest? Certainly not Buddha or Mohammad. I don't think Plato or
Aristotle would come close. John Newton and Albert Einstein were pretty smart,
but brains don't describe character. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were
outstanding as governmental leaders, but 200 later they don't have untold
millions of followers. Let's be serious, who are you going to put on a stage to
stand next to Jesus Christ? To say He is the chiefest among ten thousand is not
really a comparison. Try hundreds of thousands, he still would come out on top.
It is significant that the Bible does not give us
one word of a hint what Jesus looked like. It tells us that Saul was the
tallest man in the room. He was a head and shoulder taller than any Israelite
(1 Sam. 10:23). But he didn't want to take on Goliath. The scripture speaks
much of the strength of Sampson, but he was as weak as water towards women.
Jesus had no academic credentials. He never went to college (Jn. 7:15). But He
stood toe to toe with the brightest men in Israel until no one would face Him
(Mk. 12:34). Gamaliel was right. In those days there were a couple of other
zealots who started factions but their followers died out soon after their
demise (Act 5:34-39). But this humble Nazarene started a movement with 12
uneducated ordinary men and 2000 years later the division of world history time
is measured by His birthday and the fundamental culture of half the planet has
been formed by His message and followers. Hands down, by any measure, Jesus
stands alone as having the greatest impact on this earth. He is more than the
chiefest among ten thousands. There is no one else on the stage.
But there is another translation of that verse
(5:10) that I prefer. In other Bibles this has been translated, “He is the
flag bearer”. In years past, and even up to our present day, when two
opposing armies square off, they picked their best man to carry the flag and
put him out in front. The name-of-the-game is to move the flag. The front line
and conquered territory is determined by the advancement of the flag. We even
see this in pictures of Civil War battles. The flag carrier is out in front and
everyone is charging behind him. As one man is shot down someone else picks up
the flag and charges on.
Perhaps the greatest illustration of this during the
2nd WW was at Iwo Jima. That invasion was one of the bloodiest battles
in the Pacific. Iwo Jima was a small island, but it was extremely well
defended. The thing that made Iwo Jima significant was that it was the first
Japanese island to be taken by the US marines. Up until that time every other
island was retaking turf that the Japanese had taken a couple years before. But
now, for the first time they were taking original Japanese land. The marines
had successfully established a beach head and claimed a good portion of the
island but there was a small hill on the south side called Shira bachi. It was
filled with caves and pill boxes that were extremely difficult to knockout. And
that hill determined who controlled the island. In perhaps on of the most
dramatic moments of the 2nd WW, five marines fought their way up
that hill under a hail of fire and erected the stars and stripes. An army
photographer immortalized that moment in a photo that was the most famous
picture of the war. When that photo of the raising of the flag on Shira bachi
was published a thrill raced across America. A postage stamp was made to
commemorate it and to this day small statues and pictures are still seen
throughout America. Why is that so special? That testifies that this island is
now ours.
In a less dramatic manner, in Columbus' day, and
after, planting the flag was basic to claiming land for a country. Columbus did
that for Spain along with a number of other explorers from Spain, France, and
England. Planting the flag determined ownership. Most recently we have seen
pictures of Issis going into town waving their black flag. And the reverse is
true; when a conquering army takes a town one of the most celebratory moments
is taking down the enemy flag and burning or wiping their feet on it. The flag
is everything.
What is so special in saying of Jesus, He is the
flag bearer? The principle is; wherever the flag goes that determines the front
line. It proves who owns the turf. Ever since the fall in the Garden, the devil
has laid claim to this world. In the temptation of Christ in the wilderness, one
of the devil's stunts was to take Him up a high mountain and show Him the all
the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them (Mt. 4:9). He was willing to
swap all that if only Jesus would fall down to worship him. It is significant
that Jesus never disputed the claim, that the world was his to give. He had
owned it for 4000 years. But then, what happened three years later? At the
Cross Jesus tore the devil's flag down and raised the colors of His Father.
Jesus planted the flag of salvation and ownership on Mt. Calvary. The turf is
His and we are marching behind.
Oh hallelujah! Jesus carried the flag up that
mountain and planted it, and we are the recipients of His victory. That is why
Jesus is so special. He is the flag carrier and every foot of ground behind
Him is safe. He moved the flag forward and all we have to do is follow behind.
We don't have to take the turf. He has taken it already. All we have to do is
claim that which He has conquered.
This whole series in the Song of Solomon is a
discussion the Bride of Christ was having with the Daughters of Jerusalem. The
identity of the Daughters of Jerusalem is difficult. If it wasn't for verse 9
it would be extremely difficult to confidently say who they are. On the basis
of their inquiry in verse 9, I would like to suggest that they are unsaved.
They give themselves away with their question, “What is so special about Jesus?
Sure, Jesus is fine, but so is Buddha, Mohammad and half a dozen others. All
religions are good. There have been a number of great men who have left their
mark on history. But what is so special about Jesus?” I heard another
explanation a few years ago that makes a lot of sense. A brother said, “These
are second generation Christians”. I'll buy that. These are people you see in
church every Sunday. These are tares among the wheat (Mt. 13:24-30). They
always appear with the real Bride, but they just flat don't know the Lord.
But leaving that aside in response to the question
who Jesus is and why He is special, it is safe to say, “He is white and
ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand (He is the flag bearer).”
Does that make sense? bill
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