The need of mankind as the children and heirs of Adam is desperate and manifold: the human race is laboring under a curse of immense proportions, enslaved to sin and to Satan, dead in trespasses, and storing up the terrible wrath of God for the day of judgment. Our desperate and various need calls for a glorious and diverse Savior. Jesus Christ is unique in that he has displayed in his matchless person every perfection necessary for the hope and salvation of the worst of sinners. Images of the Savior is a series of 50 meditations, based on the major events in the life of Christ from his birth to his ascension, which showcase the diverse and glorious attributes of the Savior, and demonstrate how those various attributes hold forth the only solution to man in his need.
Excerpt:
Men have always been in search of El Dorado. As long as men have walked the face of the earth, there have been whispered stories of fabulous treasures, cities of gold, fool-proof schemes to win big in the stock market. Men will always dream of finding great riches. They will always be looking for that next golden opportunity, that next El Dorado. There are only two problems with this: most of these fabled treasures don’t exist; and if they did exist, they wouldn’t satisfy. A man can starve to death on a pile of gold or on a pile of sand. A millionaire can be as empty as a beggar on the street. Gold doesn’t satisfy the innate hunger for riches that we all have. We were designed for something greater. We were designed to be satisfied with nothing less than the treasure of knowing God.
When we understand this, it changes everything about the way we pursue our happiness. We are no longer satisfied to chase empty dreams or mirages of wealth. We are no longer content to mask our deep hunger with busyness, professional advancement, or mindless entertainment. When we have tasted the pleasure of knowing God, that joy becomes our one consuming passion. And unlike El Dorado, finding that great treasure does satisfy us at our deepest level of need. So our question now becomes, “Where do we find this treasure?”.
If we are looking for the treasure of knowing God, there is no El Dorado like the four gospel accounts of our Savior. This is a treasure house that will spring up with new delights for endless ages. This is the field where lies the hidden treasure of incalculable worth. This is the merchant’s long desired pearl of great price. This is the only place where we can find the treasure of knowing God, because this is the place where we meet Christ. And it is only through Christ that we can see God. As John tells us, “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.” And elsewhere, “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:18,14). It is only through Christ that we can see God, and it is only through Christ’s righteousness that God can accept us. Christ is our great treasure. He alone can satisfy through endless ages. And the gospel accounts give us our clearest glimpses of this great Savior, this Treasure of vast and eternal delight. As we enter the sacred vistas of the gospel story, I hope we can find in its landscape our true El Dorado. I hope we can look together at the manifold wonder of our Savior; and as we look, I hope we can see more and more of who he is and how perfectly he is suited to meet all of our needs and wants. And this we will do, if God permits.
