David Bahn – Reflections

Completed in 1439, this cathedral in Strasbourg, France stands as testimony to the long-term work of God, and peoples’ willingness to give themselves to efforts the benefit of which will be realized in generations to come.

Matthew 1:17: So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

I have difficulty waiting for an extra minute at a traffic light much less waiting for generations for God to do His work. But while God does His work sometimes in the blink of an eye, more often He works over generations of time. Pieces are set in place today that will come into play years from now. Today’s blink of an eye change rests upon events, people, choices and sacrifices of the people of past generations. We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.

The joke goes like this:

Talking to God: “Is it true, O God, that with You a thousand years is like a day and a day is like a thousand years?”

God: “Yes.”

Person: “Well then, I guess a thousand dollars is like a dollar, and a million dollars would be the same, right?”

God: “Yes.”

Person: “Give me a million dollars, please.”

God: “Just a minute…” [rim shot!]

While that may be funny, it reveals a belief that many of us hold that the fixes we need are quick and easy, rather than long-term processes. Most of us overestimate what we can do in the short term and underestimate what God can do in the long term. Whether we do that because we’re impatient, ignorant, or just plain stubborn does not matter. Our view of life and the priorities we give ourselves to would benefit greatly if we took the longer view.

In Matthew’s gospel, the tracing of the lineage of Jesus is more than an exercise in Jewish genealogical fascination. Matthew not only names names, but points out the multi-generational nature of the work of God. While we may think that an extra half hour waiting for the doctor is too long, we would do well to view life from eternity’s perspective and with God’s agenda in view.

What is that agenda? The tracing of Jesus’ genealogy makes the point: When Abraham and Sarah welcomed Isaac into the world God was (obviously!) at work. But so was He when Ram was born to Hezron (Matthew 1:3). And while it may not always be obvious, God is beginning things today in the lives of His people that will come to fruition generations from now.

The challenge for us, it seems, is to keep all this in view; that while we may see blink-of-an-eye miracles, more often we don’t  That’s because God’s eternal purpose is to gather His people into His kingdom where we will be filled with life, joy, and praise. That’s why Jesus came to earth. That’s why God is still at work in this world – across the generations.

That’s good news of those who find themselves in the daily grind of life, faithfully waiting for God’s answers and His salvation. But it’s not such good news for those who have no view of eternity who are in the grips of impatience and frustration.