One True Savior

Beginning next Sunday, January 13th, we’re heading to the Book of Judges as a church, and we’re going to stay awhile. Upon first hearing this, you might be skeptical. After all, when was the last time you got really excited about studying the Book of Judges? 

Hold that thought for a moment. 

This Sunday, before we begin our time in Judges, we’ll be in Mark 9:1-18. We’ll focus on the transfiguration of Jesus…the moment in which Peter, James, and John saw Jesus in all of His divine glory. In this moment, they heard who Jesus truly was straight from God the Father. They witnessed a preview of how things will be when Jesus returns one day in all of His power and might and glory. It was a majestic, watershed moment for these men – one that would change them forever. 

Jesus was, is, and will always be our one true Savior. The relational, patient, merciful God who said to Peter, James, and John, “this is my Son...listen to Him” says the same thing to us today. And He is the same God we meet in Judges. Just as His people in Judges “did not recognize Him,” many rejected Jesus when He walked the earth, and many still reject Him today. In spite of this, He pressed on with His rescue mission to save mankind from ourselves. 

In Judges, we see mankind float and flutter from idol to idol, from broken savior to broken savior – constantly seeking satisfaction and meaning in unworthy, temporary things. Sound familiar? It’s a pattern as old as creation itself, and it continues today.

The difference, though, is Jesus. We have hope. We have one true Savior. Just as He revealed Himself to Peter, James, and John on the mount of transfiguration thousands of years ago, He desires to reveal Himself to you and to me today as the only one who saves. Even in Judges, everything points to Him, the one true Judge. Everything leads to Him. And one day, He will come again, and we will share – somehow, miraculously, in His glory. 

We serve a good God who has had a glorious plan for His people from the beginning. The more we learn about Him, the more we stand in awe and desire to live transformed lives in response to His goodness. It’s with this end in mind – with hearts of gratitude for grace – that we prepare our hearts for the Book of Judges. Time to get excited!