May 11, 2025
After a restless night, I woke the morning of the day after Good Friday of this year and was somewhat discouraged. The restlessness was because of neuropathy in my feet and pain in my right leg. The pain in my right leg was due to me having pushed myself the day before, when doing my weightlifting routine. The discouragement was partially due to the slow progress I seem to make in maintaining and increasing muscle mass in order to properly support my joints. I have come a long way since 2020 when I had major open-heart surgery, but I still want more improvement. The combination of aging and neuropathy seems to hinder my progress, and that is discouraging. However, the primary cause of the discouragement is the slowness of the change of attitudes of my heart that I desire. On my fiftieth birthday, in prayer to God our Father, I confessed that I was weary of the years of struggling with many of the same old problems such as pride, lack of compassion, judging other people, etc. I told Him, that for my birthday I wanted to grow up and overcome those problems. I clearly heard Him say, “I am going to give you what you asked for.” I am now 69 years old, and much like with my slow pace of progress in maintaining and gaining muscle mass, it seems that my desire for change in the attitudes of my heart has been a slower pace than I desire and hope for, and that is discouraging.
I knew better than to wallow in discouragement, therefore I got out of bed and started my usual morning routine of prayer, reading scriptures and listening for what God our Father had to say to me. When I say listening, I mean words, phrases or pictures that come to my mind. I had been confessing my discouragement, particularly about the very fragile state of humanity and the chaos in our world, including the great disagreement within Christianity of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. I specifically prayed, “(That I would) see to it that no one takes you(me) captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. (Colossians 2:8 NIV)
During that time of prayer and listening, I saw a mental image of an automobile of some sort that was sitting in a patch of tall green grass. The automobile had a familiar look to it, yet it was not familiar, since I had never seen anything exactly like it. The closest comparison I can make is to what we used to call a “hot rod”.
Quite some time ago, I realized that such images come to me during prayer as a metaphorical parabola. A parabola is a specific type of a symmetrical U-shaped curve. Every point on a parabola is equidistant from a fixed point called the focus and a fixed line called the directrix. Parabolas are commonly used to model various real-world phenomena, like the path of a thrown ball or the shape of a reflector in a satellite dish.
A parable, such as the stories told by Jesus is a metaphorical parabola. It uses metaphors to describe something we are familiar with, as being like something else we may not fully understand. There is symmetry in the picture that the words are intended to portray. An example is Mark 4:26-29 (NIV) which quotes Jesus saying, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
So, back to the image I saw. The picture was one half of a metaphorical parabola, or a parable that God my Father wanted to use to teach me something about Him and His ways. As I pondered the image, I thought of the following verses.
- “So, it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45 NIV)
- “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23 NIV)
I continued to ponder further the image and the scriptures as I sought to get an understanding of what the other half of the parable might be. My thoughts are summarized and expressed below and in the “Parable of the Modified Automobile” that follows.
- The form and function of the original automobile had been conceived in the mind of its designer and was then manufactured to express all that the designer had in mind.
- A hot rod is an automobile that someone has modified in significant ways such that the form and function of the original is only partially apparent, such that it no longer fully expresses the intent of its designer and maker.
- The automobile as it was originally conceived, designed and manufactured, is a metaphor for the entire cosmos that was conceived, designed and made by God our Father, including all of its people. God our Father declared that His creation was good, (Genesis 1:31) and He so loved that creation that He sent His only Begotten Son, Jesus, to enter into the mess we had made and redeem it along with us (John 3:16-21).
- The context of “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45 NIV), is part of a larger discourse by the Apostle Paul recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:1-58 about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the certainty of the forgiveness of sins and our resurrection, and that we will be changed to be like He is.
The Parable of the Modified Automobile
The present appearance of the Church, the Body of Christ, is like an automobile that someone decided to modify to be a “hot rod”, because they thought they had a better idea of what it should be, rather than what the original designer and builder conceived in their mind. The appearance and function of the Church has been modified by our philosophies, theologies and practices such that it is not what God our Father had in mind when He created the whole cosmos. But it is in the green pasture created by God our Father, Jesus The Good Shepherd and our Lord, and the Holy Spirit. In that pasture They are providing for our every need, including setting a table before us in the presence of our enemies, and restoring our souls. Our Good Shepherd is at work transforming and conforming us to His image. Surely, Goodness and Mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall be changed, and we shall dwell in His house forever. God is good and His love endures forever; He is Love and Love never fails. We will be as He is, and He will have the desires of His heart, that we may share in His divine life.
Blessings,
Kevin
Thanks Kevin.
Perfound message.
Truth for sure.