The Changing Tide
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The Changing Tide
Jeremiah 31:31-41
Psalm 119:9-16
Hebrews 5:5-10
John 12:20-33
Did you know that 71 percent of the earth’s surface is covered in water and did you know that 96.5 percent of the water on the earth is in the oceans? Because our world is so vastly covered with water it is also largely affected by the gravity of both the moon and the sun as the earth spins for its daily cycles and as the moon revolves around the earth and the earth revolves around the sun. The water is constantly affected by this gravity and as a result we have what is called changing tides. I first learned about tides as a kid when visiting the ocean on a family vacation. In the morning we would walk to the beach and the beach would be vast and long. We would have to walk out nearly 50 to 100 yards just to get to the water. There would also be small pools of water along the beach. However, as the day would pass you could see that the water level would increase and the beach would become smaller and smaller. When we woke up in the morning it was a low tide and later in the evening it was a high tide. The gravitational pull between the sun and the moon would cause these low and high tides and also as a result there would be these tidal waves in the shallows. During a low tide we would see jelly fish and other sea life creatures washed up onto the shore. These creatures if not careful would get stuck onto the shore during these tidal changes. The result would be a feast for many sea gulls and an end to the life of these small helpless sea creatures.
Our scriptures for today reveal an up and coming change in our world and in our relationship with the Lord to the world. It seems that the tides are changing and Jesus is the gravitational pull changing the tides. In Jeremiah 31:31-41, we read about a new covenant between God and the people of Israel and Judah. This will not be same kind of covenant that God had with their ancestors when he led them out of Egypt because they chose to break this covenant that God. God compares this covenant relationship like that of the unity of a marriage. He was like a husband to His people and yet they committed adultery with other idols and other nations. However, the times are changing in which the law will be written on their hearts and the knowledge of the law will be put in their minds. It will be like a strong conscience to know the law and the difference between right and wrong. It will be a strong sense of morality. No longer will they have to teach outsiders to know the Lord because everyone is going to know the Lord. The Lord will remember their sins no more as all will be forgiven. In essence the tides will be changing. He even describes how he is the master of the changing tides as he appoints the sun to shine by day and the moon to shine at night and as a result, he is the one who stirs up the sea so that the waves roar. The relationship between humanity and the Lord in how we relate to him will change and Jesus is the culmination of that change.
Hebrews 5 tells us that it was not Christ himself who designated him our high priest but it was God the Father who declared to him and all of the world that Jesus is his son making him our priest forever. During his life he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries in the hopes that he could be saved from this death that he knew he would suffer. However, despite this desire he was obedient unto suffering therefore changing the tide for all humanity and becoming the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, our high priest.
In John chapter 12 our scripture for today skips ahead from his entrance into Jerusalem which will be celebrated next week. Jesus is in Jerusalem and he speaks of the hour of his coming death. He describes what is going to happen to him as compared to that of a kernel of wheat. The kernel of wheat by itself is full of life but when it falls to the ground and dries out it dies. However, unless seeds go through this dying process it will not be able to give life. When dead and buried in the ground with water this dead kernel of wheat will begin to come alive again and produce new life and new seeds. The same will be for Jesus. He will die and be buried in the ground but rise again into new life to produce much more life. Jesus prays that this hour of death would be taken from him but he knows it is for this reason that he came and out of obedience he submits to the Father’s will instead of his own. He prays, “Father glorify your name!” The Father then responds as a voice from heaven saying that it has been done and it will be done again.
After this voice Jesus declares that now is the time for judgment on this world. The tide is changing. No longer will the prince of this world that is Satan rule in the world for he will be driven out. Jesus says that when he is lifted up upon the cross, he will then draw all people to himself. He in essence is the gravitational pull that is changing the tide.
Before Jesus no sacrifice was sufficient enough to cover the sins of humanity. Thousands of animals were slaughtered every year in a means to atone for the sins of the people yet it was never good enough to wash everything away. If it were enough then one lamb could be sacrificed and therefore all sins atoned for through all eternity. However, the animal was not enough to cover all this. Jesus comes now to change the Passover tradition. Longer will a lamb need to be sacrificed because Jesus is the Passover lamb who is the all sufficient eternal sacrifice for all of us. Through Jesus the tide has changed even for Passover.
Again, the tide as changed and all must be drawn to Jesus. However, if some are not careful, we can end up like those sea creatures washed up onto the shore or minnows stuck in the pools of water. They will be easy pickings for the birds. That is why we need to go in deep with Jesus and follow the changing tide. There seems to be tow different forces in this world these days. There is the force that is Christ and he draws us in towards him. However, there is also the force of the world that draws us away from Him. It is easy to just blame this force on Satan and though Satan may try to deceive and destroy us he no longer has power over this world because Christ has already defeated him at the cross. However, it is our choice to as which tide we will follow. We can choose the one of the seas, that is Christ or the one of the lands which is the desires of self-control and self-deception. The choice is ours to follow the tide or not. My prayer for you though is that you choose to follow the tide of Christ instead of that of the world.