7 Pillars of Christ “Wisdom has built her house; she has carved its seven pillars:” (Proverbs 9:1) [Letter #1].
Either little is said about our Lord Jesus’ labor as a carpenter before his public ministry, or much has been said that is “much ado about nothing”. For while we sketch “spiritual” parallels between his secular labor and earthly ministry, we are still , in effect, comparing apples to apples instead of apples to oranges, if apples be that which is carnal and of the earth, while oranges being that which is spiritual and heavenly (I ask the reader to suffer me in this literary formula for now, I am confident that it will bear much fruit for you!).Our Apostle Paul once said in this manner to the Romans:
“the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and God-head; so that they are without excuse”-(Romans 1:20)
Dear reader, who is the Lord Jesus Christ? Was he a carpenter? You better believe it. And it was hard work indeed within the tropical Judean countryside. The Wood-Worker made roofs, doors, window-shutters, plows and yokes. The Wood-Worker was without the luxury of modern, post-modern (or whatever we call ourselves these days) surplus delivery. The Wood-Worker of that Age had to go out and get it, and carry the “Cedars of Lebanon” upon his back.
Hard work indeed is it not? Via Dolorosa. Sic transit gloria mundi.
This is the manly profession, that the God-Man, not man-god, chose to obtain his Daily Bread before moving the Rock of Heaven and Earth , for his ministry did, and still is, shaking up the world…
Yet, my brothers and sisters, if you notice we are still comparing Jesus’ earth moving work with his earth moving work, even though the latter is greater than the former, that is to say, we are still in effect comparing apples to apples. Therefore, I decree a question: Who is the Lord Jesus Christ? Furthermore I decree its answer:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding -(Proverbs 9:10)
Yes fellow citizens; This calls for wisdom. Human knowledge (apples) must be understood first before it can be loved. Spiritual knowledge on the other hand (oranges) must be loved first before it can be understood. Dear reader, if you’re still on this train with me, let us have a reverence and fear of the God who “In the beginning created the heavens the earth”(Genesis 1:1), for it is this God who is both separate and above that which He created. It is this God who is a Holy God, or to put it another way, there is no “brokenness” within Him. It is this God that woke you and me up this morning, and “started us on our way” as that great gospel song reminds us. It is this God in which “we live move and have our being” as the Apostle Paul once reminded the Athenians. It is this God upon who we owe reverence, honor, worship and even our very lives. It is this God who sacrificed his Son for a sinner like you and me, and believe me citizens we are all sinners for “None is righteous, no not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God”(Romans 3:10–11).
I begin to ramble here… But oh! How I do love Him so! Yet, our question remains; Who is The Lord Jesus? Lets approach this question apophatically, or even better, let us be blunt, and state what the Lord Jesus is not…
The Lord Jesus is not solely a great man or teacher to be added to the worlds historical canon of sages and wise men; for “ the people were amazed at his teaching , because he taught them as one having authority, and not as one of the teachers of the Law” (Matthew 1:22).
The Lord Jesus is not just “another prophet” as part and parcel of civilizations “community of prophets” , for those men are dead and buried, but this man Jesus lives…
The Lord Jesus is not a “mythic god” that exists or was formulated from, with, or alongside a “pantheon of gods”.
The Lord Jesus is not a martyr; He did not die a martyrs death. The death burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus is specific ,and satisfied specific requirements that had to be met.
The Lord Jesus is not a “Pop-Icon”, beatnik, hippie, or your homeboy. He is not the homeless man on the streets or your favorite pop singer on Instagram. The Christ that is portrayed in pop-culture is a myth, fable, caricature, while the Christ of the Bible is a historical fact…
Now dear reader, if your hearts and minds are open, we can begin to delve again into our topical question, a question that is of the utmost importance to fallen men and women like you and me, for I am convinced that if my own “millennial generation” does not approach, and receive the answer to our subject, that the consequences will be disastrous in the millennium ahead.
-Minister A.O Kersey
