ODJ: bridging the chasm

October 17, 2014 

READ: 2 Corinthians 4:1-13 

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News (v.4).

When a supervolcano erupts—and thankfully that’s extremely rare—it leaves behind a massive basin known as a caldera. But they are so huge we tend to overlook them completely. As geophysicist Bob Smith described the 45 mile wide Yellowstone caldera in America, “The size is so immense that people don’t appreciate it.”

Simply put, from our earth-bound perspective we can’t see the Yellowstone caldera. If it weren’t for the huge gap in the Rocky Mountains, it’s unlikely that anyone would have noticed it at all.

Like a mountain range split by a caldera, history contains an immense divide. Yet most people look right past it. In less than 4 decades Jesus Christ so changed the world that our calendar divides around it: BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, or in the Year of our Lord).

The apostle Paul told us why the world misses the point of history’s central figure. “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News” (2 Corinthians 4:4). For this reason Paul was driven by the Spirit to tell others about Christ (v.13).

People blinded to the truth of Jesus Christ can come to see the reality of His love as reflected in our lives. That doesn’t mean we’ll live perfect religious lives; it means we’ll have a refreshing transparency that shows we’re loved and forgiven by our Father. “We now have this light shining in our hearts,” Paul explained. “This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves” (v.7).

Jesus didn’t leave a caldera between His Father and us; He bridged the chasm. How we live our lives before others can help them see Him for the first time. —Tim Gustafson

365-day plan› Acts 7:30-60