Tuesday, February 14, 2006

What Kind of Man is this?!!!


I guess it was His first crusade. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decaplois, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan had gathered on the hillside to hear Him. Well, I dont know how many thousands had gathered that day. But one thing I am sure of is, it definitely was noisy. But there from on a distant shore, far across a few cities, came the scream of two men in the tomb. The scream, which only my Master could hear.

My Master was sitting up there on the mountaintop. I heard His sermon on the mount. They truly were Words of life. I, along with the crowds, was astonished and overwhelmed with bewildered wonder at His teaching. He was teaching as One who had and was authority. What kind of Man is this?Isnt He the carpenters Son? Or could He be a great teacher?

I walked down the mountain with Him. I tried to stay as close as possible to Him as great throngs followed Him. Suddenly, He stopped! The thronging crowd came to a grinding halt. A leper, prostrating himself, worshipped Him. The crowd that thronged Him all this while stepped back at the sight of this leper. This poor leper mumbled something. My Master stooped low, reached out and touched Him. Did I say my Master touched the leper?!!! YUCK! How could He do that?!!! The next second, I found the leper, awestruck of what had happened to him. His skin became like a newborn babes! My! What kind of Man is this? He just touches the leper and the leper gets healed. He definitely got to be Someone more than just a teacher! Was He a Healer?

Now it was almost late in the afternoon. We went into Capernaum. We were still on the highway, when there came a centurion, begging my Master to heal his servant. Hey Hey Hey Was the centurion begging my Master? The centurion appeared Roman. He seemed like a man of authority, with soldiers under him. But what did he see in my Master who was just a carpenters Son? Well, my Master still on the highway said something to that centurion and soon we get the news that the servant boy lying ill in the house down the street corner got healed! A couple of hours back, He touched and the leper got healed; But now, He just spoke and a guy somewhere far away got healed; What kind of Man is this?;Could He be Someone higher in rank and authority than that Roman centurion?

The evening came. The sky was turning red. The cool sea breeze started to blow. All my energy was drained and my body worn out after the days journey. But I still didnt feel like leaving my Master because I havent seen a Man like Him before. What kind of Man is this?

The day was coming to its close. The crowd kept increasing. Many sick and possessed were brought to Him. The crowd was pressing hard against Him trying to touch at least the hem of His garment. Like Zacchaeus, I stood on a large stone a few feet away, my eye focused on my Masters face. He did seem weary. His eyes appeared like He neither sleeps nor slumbers. But there was a peace, a calm. I loved the way He looked at the pressing crowd. It seemed like He has been waiting over the years just for this moment. Oh! There was something so special about His touch. I found some kind of love flowing through Him. He touched and the sick were healed. He spoke a word, just a word and the demons fled. What kind of Man is this?

By this time, the sky grew dark. We were on the seashore, the crowds still thronging Him. Somewhere on a distant shore the screams were getting louder and my Master heard it. Immediately, he stepped into a boat. The disciples and I followed Him. Twas my first time in the sea and I was seasick. Suddenly, out of nowhere the crystal sky turned stormy. The sea began to rage. Most of the disciples were expert fishermen and I turned to them seeking courage. To my surprise, I saw fear written on the faces of these strong men. Immediately, I turned to my Master. That moment I felt like David singing, You are my refuge and my fortress in times of trouble. The storm was turning violent and the boat was being covered up by the waves; but He was sleeping! Sleeping like a child on that wet wooden plank stinking of fish. What kind of Man is this;Sleeping when the tempest is raging? The disciples awakened Him. Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great and wonderful calm, a perfect peaceableness.
My jaws dropped in amazement. The disciples and I were stunned with bewildered wonder and marveled. What kind of Man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!

Little did I know about the big drama that awaited us when we arrived at the other side in the country of Gadarenes. Twas a cloudy early morning. Master commanded Peter to anchor the boat near a rocky shore that seemed like an ancient tomb. We stepped on the shore. My Master didnt take a step further. It seemed like He was waiting for someone. Suddenly, something, so fierce and savage broke the still of the moment. Fear gripped my heart at what I saw. There at my Masters feet lay two men from the tomb, under the control of demons. They shrieked and screamed. No one could even bind them even in a chain. They had often been chained hand and foot, but they tore the chains apart and broke the irons on their feet. No one was strong enough to subdue them. Night and day, cutting themselves with stones, among the tombs and the hills they would cry out; This is the cry my Master heard on mountaintop, so far away.

I didnt have the time to see how the disciples reacted at what they saw because my blood ran cold and my heart froze in fear. I ran and hugged my Master tight, turning off my senses to what was happening.

Quiet a few minutes passed. The scene became more dramatic. The demons started speaking to my Master. The minute I the heard the inhuman voice, my curiosity arouse within me. I slowly opened just one eye. The other still tightly closed in fear, I peeped over my Masters shoulder. The sight that shocked me all the more was not those two men from the tomb, but my Masters face. The sound of the demons shrieking grew silent in my ears as my eyes beheld my Masters face. What peace and calm? What love? Oh! As I was hugging Him from behind, I could literally feel My Masters aching heart seeing the work of His hands being tormented and torn. It seemed like He knew them. He knew the sleepless days and nights they spent. He knew His creation wouldnt be able to take a second more. He just said one word. Begone! Never ever have I heard or seen a Man of such authority. Just one word from my Master and the demons came out and went into the hogs, and behold, the whole drove rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the water. What kind of Man is this?

Right now, I m back in the boat with my Master and the disciples. The boats leaving the shore. There behind me on the shore are the two men possessed by the legion of demons, dressed and in the right mind, thinking what I m thinking What kind of Man is this?

Looks like my adventure with my Master has just began. Every time I see Him I cant help wondering ;What kind of Man is this? But one thing Ive known thus far is that He is more than just a Man; When I see the look on this face, I know He is the great I AM!

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