Christ is the Crisis

 When Peter preached to Cornelius as recorded in Acts 10, he said something that caught my attention the last time I read it. Peter described Jesus as the one, “appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.” Two words in particular struck me: appointed and judge. The latter surprised me somewhat because I recall that John said Jesus was not sent to judge. Yet, Peter insists that God appointed or designated the Son for a particular purpose.

The word “appointed” immediately made me think of a rhyming word that is synonymous: anointed. Throughout the Old Testament we see the word used in a formal, symbolic sense as kings, priests and prophets were anointed. This ceremony involved pouring scented oil on the head of the subject, apparently in sufficient quantity to run down his body. In Psalm 133, David pictured the anointing oil, “running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!” It sounds messy, but it is in the character of the very visible religious rites of the Jewish faith.

Oil is frequently used in Scripture as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, perhaps stemming from the anointing ritual. It was assumed, after all, that the prophet, priest and king being anointed would be working with God’s Spirit. The picture of oil flowing from the head over the body speaks of the necessity of Holy Spirit control over all one does. It is also interesting to note that the oil used for the ceremony was sweetly scented with spices that smell like ginger and cinnamon. Just as the aroma would flow out from the anointed one, the Spirit would be present in the subject’s ministrations.

So it was with Jesus when He walked the earth as the ultimate Prophet, Priest and King. He fulfilled each of His designated roles perfectly because He was perfectly in tune with the Spirit of His Father. Throughout His final discourse in the Gospel of John, the Savior repeatedly links the ministry of Father, Son and Holy Spirit as one. He also prays that we, His followers, would be one in the same way.

In Acts 10 we have Peter saying that Jesus was appointed, may I say anointed, by God as judge. To understand the manner of Jesus’ judging we have to look at the Greek word Peter used. It is from the word commonly translated “judge” (κρίνω). What stood out to me this time through was the fact that one of the cognates of this word transliterates as krisis (κρίσις). Peter says, in effect, that Jesus is the crisis point for all people, living or dead. The root meaning of crisis speaks of a point of decision. Jesus is the point at which all humanity is separated, selected, approved (or not) as the word denotes.

This idea solves the apparent contradiction raised when Peter says Jesus is the judge while John says He was not sent to judge. Here’s how: John says that the judgement, the separation is already accomplished by the fact that a person either believes Jesus is the Savior or disbelieves. It is not as if Jesus sits behind a bench and decrees this one and that one; it is more like Jesus simply exists as the living stone that everyone must either stand on or stumble over.

I also like the idea that in every crisis in our lives, Jesus is the one point upon which our decision must always turn. We have the option to focus on the crisis and be troubled, or we can focus on Jesus and watch the crisis fade into insignificance. “In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus said. “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Not only does the decision to trust Jesus bring peace, it also leads to the building of our faith. James says, “Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” Hang in there, even in the crisis; that’s where you’ll find Jesus.