Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. Galatians 6:14
Finally, Paul gets to the nub of the issue. X or Y don’t matter: Jesus matters. What me and you think doesn’t matter: Jesus matters. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matter: only Jesus matters.
So, one of my best friends died last week. I went to visit him yesterday and he’s doing much better. If all that sounds strange, it is. He was on vacation, and his heart stopped beating; literally just stopped. Thankfully, there were responders nearby who worked on him and shocked him four times before his heart decided it would beat again on its own. But he was out for around 20 minutes. Yep: twenty minutes of technically being dead. He spent the rest of his vacation in an ICU bed, and got a pacemaker and an implanted defibrillator. He and his wife got home on Saturday, so please pray for a full, quick, painless recovery.
A large part of that recovery will be coming to terms with the new creation. That is, every new day. Each and every day, indeed each and every breath, is a freshly created gift from God. Nothing else matters. What matters most is eternity: the eternity that they’re a part of now because they believe in Jesus. Because Jesus made them (and each of us) someone new through Him. What matters most in every new day is following where it leads because it’s where Jesus has us on mission. Some days that mission ranges far; my friend and I once went on a mission trip to China. Most days, though, our mission field starts in our own home.
After a major life episode like ventricular fibrillation, you get to evaluate that. How can I serve today? What’s my purpose now? What does this mean? Where will You have me go now, Lord? What do You want me to do today? Why? In reality, those are questions we should ask every day, not just on days when memorable events crash the party. They simply become more imperative when our world gets rocked.
But that’s why Jesus came here (and it’s why Paul pointed out that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters); that only Jesus matters. Jesus came here to shake us out of spiritual slumber and reposition us to do His work in new ways. My friend and his wife know this. They did before. They’re strong believers, our siblings in Christ, for many years now. Yet something has changed, and it very much has the potential to be a change that will rock their world. That can be a good thing, especially after you’ve died and come back to tell about it. A little bit like Jesus did.
For further reading: Galatians 6:15
Lord, bless the recovering patient and his wife as they sort through all that’s happened. Be their Savior, brother, and strong tower.
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