A technique is a method by which any problem can be resolved. The laws of the Universe are characterized in the opposites. It is not possible for the negative and positive to ever relate. Similarly, righteousness and evil cannot get along. All problems of this world are a result of co-existence of righteousness and evil. But, could God have created evil?
An average Christian knows very well that the origin of sin came through Satan, having been as proud as to desire taking up the position of the Creator. This is projected in the prophecy against the king of Tyre, through the Ezekiel’s prophecy (Ezekiel 28). That prophecy shows that Satan had originally been blameless, as an anointed guardian cherub.
With that in mind, I suppose we can easily attend to the sinfulness of humanity and assisting those desiring to be on the Lord’s side, than bear the consequences of evil. What is clear in Ezekiel’s prophecy is that the prince of Tyre degenerated from the position of splendor to a shameful demise. As the saying goes, pride comes before a fall.
The first ten verses of that chapter appear as referring to a human king who, having become proud would be humiliated by the most ruthless of the foreign armies. Apparently, from verses eleven onward, the prophecy portrays what happened prior to the creation of Man, describing an anointed cherub (verse 14).
A cherub is a high ranking official in the angelic realm, attending on God. This cherub had originally been blameless in his ways from the day he had been created, until unrighteousness was found in him. The context of this passage is that what is associated with unrighteousness is pride.
Therefore, it is important that whenever we think of the sins of humanity, and how humanity can be extricated from the sinful condition, pride takes center stage. All appalling evils of humanity are simply the effects of pride. By taking people to prison, or whatever type of punishment, one would be dealing with the effect, not the cause of transgression.
But, could not God have been aware of the possible existence of unrighteousness in one of His high-ranking officials of the angelic realm? I suppose He was aware. In His level of understanding, God new that the corruption in one of His cherubs would facilitate the development of the character of Man; to be created in God’s image.
God is not a failure. This is why all things work together for good, for those who love God (Romans 8:28). Pride was therefore not created by God. But it developed through God’s deliberate empowerment of one of His cherubs, whose beauty and splendor would facilitate its development.
How then does pride come about? Ezekiel’s prophecy shows that it starts by admirable achievements. In other words, if one were to make some great achievement on any field, he/she becomes susceptible to pride; which does not come from a position of failure, but from the position of success. To attain the attribute of being proud, the achievement has to be admirable to other people.
There is nothing wrong in attaining excellence. But what is wrong is what happens when a person has attained excellence. We are here, dealing with the real cause of wickedness. Therefore the known evils as stocking the world are not what deserve priority in handling, other than pride.
The starting point is in appreciating that Jesus did not come in the position of splendor, to deal with the sin of pride. “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” Isaiah 53:3) (ESV)
Apparently, this is the opposite of the one described in Ezekiel 28:14-15? “You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you” (ESV).
We have the law of opposites on display in these passages? What qualified the one taking the position of Jesus cannot be what caused the anointed guardian cherub to chat the way of demise? The law of cause and effect simply reveals that a person starting off in splendor ends in shame. Whereas a person who starts in shame, is poised to attain splendor?
I am not sure how many times Jesus repeated the statements like, “The first shall be last and the last shall be first”. “The greatest among you shall be your servant”? I do not even need to quote scriptures to prove the existence of such statements. They are so well-documented in Christian circles, so that an average Christian identifies with them, in conformity with the most appreciated scripture: “Humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up” (James 4:10).
The man called Jesus was a great man. But the same man is described as not having been admirable, as compared with what is described in Ezekiel 28:14. The actual description of Jesus is that He was categorized as the least, among all the despised of this world. See [Jesus the servant and Christ the Lord]
The man called Jesus is no longer with us. He was resurrected after being murdered, having taken the most humiliating experience of going through the cross. But He also conferred His authority on those carrying out the legacy of humility; but according them with the privilege of being His brothers. They were expected to behave like Him.
My candid question is: In our Christian world, do we see those despised as much as Jesus was, or we see those with splendor, just as the King of Tyre had splendor? This question is not intended to condemn anyone, but to make an introspection of the reality on the ground.
I have no doubt that there are those carrying the mandate of duplicating what Jesus represented. Those people are the children of God. See [Where are God’s children found?] It is not for me to identify those people. I suppose it is the responsibility of the reader to evaluate oneself, based on desiring to be God’s child, or possibly remaining in the comfort of the splendor of the king of Tyre.
The most disturbing thing is that it seems the splendor of the king of Tyre is observed more among those actively involved with Christianity than can be observed among the atheists? However, I do not think it is necessary to relinquish personal possessions, to religiously apply what Jesus stood for? But, I suppose what is necessary is applying the principle.
To me, Christianity is the most serious business that should not be considered only as a result of lacking something else to do. I also do not think that it means taking intensive studies in theology, in order to understand everything about Christianity. My view is that it simply means taking stock about oneself, analyzing between two principles; represented in pride as compared with humility.
Jesus revealed that the most important fixation in this world is service. What are you doing for other people? As compared with the question: What are other people doing for you? At the point of the death of a person, there are two empirically divergent questions that a person ought to be asking him/herself:
The first one is: In all my toiling on this planet, were most people glad that I lived? The second one takes the opposite line: In all my toiling on this planet, was I ever happy that I lived? The first one represents the principle of service, while the second represents the principle of enjoying in the comfort of being served. The first identifies with humility, while the second identifies with pride.
I suppose Jesus adequately displayed the principle of service, throughout His ministry on earth. It is unfortunate that most people associate those activities with miracle-working, more than Jesus’ principle of service. But the truth remains in that Jesus never turned anyone away, who wanted His service.
Imagine Nicodemus, even coming to Him by night—involving Him into a conversation as long as was recorded in John 3:1-21? It only takes a servant to entertain such inconveniences, not a Master. By the way, after that conversation, there was no room for Jesus to go back to bed? (See John 3:22-24).
The tight schedule of Jesus was not driven by His Father in heaven. It was driven by His self-will to serve humanity. The character of Jesus was that He would not fail to attend to people who wanted His service. He remained to be the faithful servant of the people up to His death.
All this was not for His monetary gain. Just to impress this principle on His disciples, Jesus instituted what today most Christian groups recognize as another of worship rituals, denoted in foot-washing ceremonies (John 13:12-17):
“When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place he said to them, ‘Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 13:12-17)
To most Christians, Jesus meant that this practice should be observed ceremoniously, at least, once every year, as one of the ritualistic worship services. But Jesus was talking about the principle of service. Jesus is our Lord. But when He was here He was not served by anyone except that He served people to their satisfaction. That is exactly what Christianity implies.
The glamour of being the great man/woman of God does not identify with Jesus Christ. Apparently, that glamour identifies with the King of Tyre. Jesus brought a ministry of service that Christians ought to understand. I keep repeating that the treachery lies in hierarchical structures in Christianity. See [Pastor—the center of confusion in Christianity].
Jesus did not come to repeat the same principle, which led to the disqualification of the king of Tyre. He came to show His followers to effectively practice the opposite; leading to the desired eternal splendor.
The current system that puts a person above others was not originated by Jesus, who was very clear on how His followers were supposed to behave (Matthew 23:8-12). The mission of Jesus is to display the only technique that can be utilized to eradicate all sinfulness in this world.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing reliefs to those having witnessed strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long awaited providential oasis of hope.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99
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