In Souvenirs of Solitude,
Brennan Manning quotes Father Michael Buckley on the qualifications of a
priest: “Is this man weak enough to
be a priest? …Is this man deficient enough so that he can’t ward off
significant suffering from his life, so that he lives with a certain amount of
failure, so that he feels what it is to be an average man?” Manning follows up
with the comment, “I believe that this applies to every follower of Christ because we are a ‘priesthood of all
believers’ (see 1 Peter 2:9). It is in this deficiency, in this interior lack,
in this weakness, maintains the book
of Hebrews, that the efficacy of the ministry and priesthood of Christ lies.”
Hebrews 4:15 tells us “For we do not have a high priest who
is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who in every respect has
been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (ESV). How amazingly incomprehensible
that the same God who created the universe came to earth and lived in weakness,
inability, and suffering. Philippians 2:7 says He “made Himself nothing, taking
the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” In His obedience to
the Father, He chose not to exercise the powers of deity in many circumstances.
In the temptation in the wilderness, Satan suggested that Jesus could
short-circuit the process of salvation by using His power rather than
submitting to weakness.
You’ve probably heard the question—could God create a rock
so large that He couldn’t move it? This is called the omnipotence paradox
because it is a logically impossible question. Supposedly, no matter how you
answer, it proves that God is not omnipotent. However, I would assert that God
already did create a rock so large He couldn’t move it. When Jesus was dead and
in the tomb, He was physically incapable of moving the stone away from the
entrance. Just as He wouldn’t come down from the cross (Matthew 27:40-42), He
wasn’t going to do anything to compromise the salvation He was offering. If the
stone had been moved away prior to Sunday morning, the evidence of His
resurrection would have remained highly questionable.
Jesus chose weakness in order to fulfill His ministry.
That’s completely foreign to most of us. Our work is determined by our
competency in a particular field. Promotions are given to those to surpass
their peers. Education and training are seen as being of paramount importance.
Even when it comes to positions within the church, we look for who is most
qualified, and people are likely to say, “I can’t do that. I don’t have the
abilities.” While there are varying spiritual gifts within the Body, some folks
are reluctant to try anything new and may have no idea how God has gifted them.
I think we tend to apply the same logic to the spiritual
disciplines. “I can’t fast… I can’t pray… I can’t study the Bible… I can’t
memorize Scripture…” Have you ever tried? The funny thing is that God delights
in our weakness because He can then be proven strong.
- “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). If the Spirit Himself if praying for us, what excuse do we have to not pray?
- "Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2 Timothy 2:6). If the Lord is the One who gives understanding, what excuse do we have to not study the Bible?
- But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). If the Holy Spirit serves as our memory and prompter, what excuse do we have to not memorize Scripture?
If all we say is “I can’t,” we’re limiting what God can do
in and through us. However, if we say “I can’t, but You can,” we open the door
for God to glorify Himself by revealing His strength in our weakness. The
question is not “Do I have the ability to do this?” but “How can God work
through me?”
“For He was crucified
in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but in
dealing with you we will live with Him by the power of God” (2 Corinthians
13:4).
