THE WILDERNESS WAY
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said.” (Genesis `1: 1-3a)
Have you ever paused and asked, “God spoke what to who?” The entire message of the Bible is a communication to people, and the opening words tell us the overall purpose of its message. The Bible is written to end “Chaos” in the human experience by offering a clear way of approaching life. Christians believe that Jesus is the embodiment of that communication; Jesus’ life and words is the message. Jesus embraces his embodiment of God’s Word as he prepares his followers for his death, “I Am the Way.” (John 14:6a)
There is no chaos in the wilderness, because God created an orderly universe. This is why God speaks so clearly against the backdrop of the wilderness. Most of the Bible is written against this backdrop. The Torah, or the first five books of the Old Testament, are written against this backdrop. Therefore the entire Old Testament is read in context of “The Law.” Jesus began his ministry in the wilderness and spent most of his ministry in the rural area punctuated by visits to mountain tops, journeys across the sea, encounters on the trail, and many other wilderness places. Even in the city, the most eventful places are gardens, graveyards, rocky outcrops, and caves.
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
Jesus is saying, the cure for worldly human manufactured chaos is to enter the wilderness on the path of “The Way.”
Have you ever paused and asked, “God spoke what to who?” The entire message of the Bible is a communication to people, and the opening words tell us the overall purpose of its message. The Bible is written to end “Chaos” in the human experience by offering a clear way of approaching life. Christians believe that Jesus is the embodiment of that communication; Jesus’ life and words is the message. Jesus embraces his embodiment of God’s Word as he prepares his followers for his death, “I Am the Way.” (John 14:6a)
There is no chaos in the wilderness, because God created an orderly universe. This is why God speaks so clearly against the backdrop of the wilderness. Most of the Bible is written against this backdrop. The Torah, or the first five books of the Old Testament, are written against this backdrop. Therefore the entire Old Testament is read in context of “The Law.” Jesus began his ministry in the wilderness and spent most of his ministry in the rural area punctuated by visits to mountain tops, journeys across the sea, encounters on the trail, and many other wilderness places. Even in the city, the most eventful places are gardens, graveyards, rocky outcrops, and caves.
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
Jesus is saying, the cure for worldly human manufactured chaos is to enter the wilderness on the path of “The Way.”
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