Dear Friends and Family,
Have you ever heard of a “spoonerism”? My father-in-law Jerry was known for them – “Sorry to be late, my truck got a tat flier.” “Spoonerisms” sound like verbal mistakes caused by switching parts of two words in a sentence. A “flat tire” becomes a “tat flier”. Maybe it’s a slip of the tongue. It might also be a play on words emphasizing a point. Reverend Archibald Spooner, famous for this verbal technique, is credited with the “spoonerism”.
Jesus’ life might be called a “living spoonerism”. Paul writes, “Christ Jesus, who, thought He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of man” (Philippians 2:5-7). The problem most in Jesus’ day had with His claim to be the Son of God, is He didn’t act like it. In their eyes, the Son of God, should’ve ridden a war horse into Jerusalem to conquer the Roman occupiers and restore Israel’s greatness. What we call “Holy Week” shows the extent of Jesus’ humility. “He humbled Himself … to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8), a death reserved for slaves and the lowliest criminals. A death that took place on that first Good Friday.
Jesus didn’t come into the world to conquer it. He came to conquer sin and death. To do this, He lived as a perfect human being. He humble Himself by submitting to His Father’s will and to those He came to serve. He did all this perfectly – Jesus destroying the power of sin and death to rule over us. Then, on the first Easter, His Father raised Him from the dead. He raised Him to His eternal throne “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow … and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 5:10-11). And we who believe in Him, sinful humans all, are forgiven and made worthy to serve Him now, on earth, and in eternity, as His children. Come to think of it, we might be “living spoonerisms” too.
In Christ’s Love,
Pastor Jim