The 4D Cuadro-Scope

Wednesday   11-4-15  Home in Modesto

Scripture reading:    Job 26 - 27      Mark 15 - 16

S=Scripture O=Observation A=Application P=Prayer  SOAP for the soul.

S.  Mark 15:37-39  Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last.  And the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.  When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, "Truly, this was the Son of God!" NLT

Matt 27:54  The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, "Truly, this was the Son of God!" NLT

O.  Mark seems to write like a machine gun.  He presents back to back powerful statements without details or clarifications.  Here he tells of Jesus’ final shout from the cross, His death, the curtain in the temple torn in two and the exclamation of the Roman Officer at the foot of the cross... all in three brief sentences.  We have to go to the other Gospel accounts to get the details of what Jesus final words were, the spear in His side confirming His death, the reasons why the Roman Officer was in shock as he watched Jesus die, and the significance of the torn curtain in the temple.

A.  Each of the writers of the four Gospel accounts seems to give attention to different facets of the story.  By combining them into one, we get a four-dimensional, cuadro-scopic view of these important historical events. 

When I was a little child, we would go to visit our Grandma Shanbeck.  We were always delighted to enjoy looking through her ancient “stereoscope” at three dimensional pictures on what appeared to be old postcards.  People and animals seemed to really be standing there in front of us.  Old worn out picture cards came to life before our wondering eyes.  A few years ago I built a crude stereoscope for my grandkids to enjoy.  Then I shot many sets of two identical pictures separated only by the distance between my two eyes... and yes, I achieved that same 3D effect very easily.  It was no accident that God gave us two eyes.

God, in His wisdom, gave us four separate records, a virtual 4D picture of His Beloved Son, His message, His miracles, His way with people, His death and His resurrection.  He didn’t want us to miss a thing.

P.  Thank You, Father, for the 4D cuadro-scopic living picture of Your Son in action.  Your book can be placed on a shelf and gather dust... or it can be read to our children and grandchildren in vivid color.  And as our eyes become fixed upon Your Son, as we absorb His message, His miracles, His attitude toward faulty sinners, His sacrificial death and His victorious resurrection... we find it easy to kneel down there on the living room floor and surrender our lives to Our Loving Savior, Your Only Begotten Son.  Amen.

Ralph