Sniffing the Finger

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer, and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

Have you ever tried to train a dog to fetch a ball? It never fails that in the process of training you throw the ball and the dog just stares at the ball as it flies away. Then what do you do? You point to the ball and command, "Fetch" or "Go get it!" What does the dog most often do? It sniffs your finger. Its focus is on the wrong thing. When it comes to the Christian faith often times we are guilty of "sniffing the finger" instead of focusing on the "ball." After Jesus died the Bible records, "But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out (John 19:33-34)." The spear Jesus was pierced with has come to be known as the "Holy Lance." There are many locations around the world where this "Holy Lance" is said to reside; Rome, Antioch, Vienna, and Poland to name a few. Then we have the famous "Shroud of Turin." This shroud "is a length of linen cloth bearing the negative image of a man. Some believe the image depicts Jesus of Nazareth and the fabric is the burial shroud in which he was wrapped after [the] crucifixion (Wikipedia)." Apparently, this burial shroud finds its roots in John 19:40 which reads, "Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth." In John 20, we see where Mary Magdalene discovered the empty tomb of Jesus. Scripture says, "So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him (John 20:2)!”" Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, there is located what many believe is the real tomb of Jesus Christ. "A tomb that, according to legend, held the body of Jesus Christ [and] dates back almost 1,700 years, scientific tests show (LiveScience)." Here we have three items representing the most significant event in human history; the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet, instead of focusing on the meaning of this event, here we have people taking artifacts from this event and seem to have elevated them to the point where they have been memorialized and, dare I say, deified to some extent. But, that shouldn't be a surprise because it is a common practice for mankind, in general, and religious people, specifically, to focus on the physical at the expense of the spiritual. We are focused on the "finger" and not on the "ball."

The author of Hebrews had just completed listing out those saints who were to be commended for their faith in Hebrews 11. While they should be remembered for their actions, the reason the author mentioned them was so we would focus on why they did what they did. "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect (Hebrews 11:39-40)." The reason for their actions was because God had something better planned for both them and us. That something better is Jesus Christ and the inheritance we have received as a result of His death, burial, and resurrection. First, we have Jesus living a perfect life of obedience that we could not so that by doing so the Law of God was fulfilled. Then, through His death on the cross, He removed our sins from the eyes of God forever by becoming a propitiating sacrifice. And, finally, through His resurrection, the life of God that was lost when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, is restored to all who place saving faith in Jesus Christ. That is the spiritual significance of what Jesus accomplished for us. It is the Gospel. Yet, so many people are distracted by the items that played a role in Jesus accomplishing His goal for coming to this world. You would think if these items were of any significance to our faith then God would have notified us of their place in our faith as Christians. Yet, these items are not mentioned outside of their usage in the midst of the greater story of what Jesus was doing. Are you distracted by other events in scripture that keep you focused on them rather than on what they are pointing you to? Do you focus more on Paul's "thorn in the flesh" rather than the grace of God (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)? Have you lost time trying to figure out what Jesus wrote in the ground when the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery to Him instead of focusing on Him forgiving her (John 8:1-11)? I am sure there are many more examples like this that time and space do not allow me to mention. When it is all said and done, our focus should be on "fixing our eyes on Jesus" and all He has accomplished for us. If you fix your eyes on anything other than Him, including yourself, you are guilty of "sniffing the finger" and not focusing on where it is pointing you.