Chapter 1: The Mystery. God has given to man a short time here on Earth, and yet upon that short time, eternity depends. Jeremy Taylor. The morning sun lit the sky, revealing a lone figure trudging along the narrow Tibetan path. When he had left the mountain valley before daylight, drizzling rain had been softly falling. This was unusual in October, for normally this was a dry month. As the Christian missionary hiked along stony footpaths clogged with donkeys and goats, the rain fell harder.
He pushed himself to walk faster. He knew that when he reached the higher elevations, the rain would turn to snow, and he had not come prepared for snow. He prayed constantly as he walked, asking God to protect him until he reached the safety of the rustic guest lodge that evening. By noon, he had reached an elevation of about 5,000 feet. He paused to take a drink and eat the bit of bread and cheese he had in his pocket. Below him lay a lush, green landscape of fields dotted with small villages.
He reflected for a moment on the various villages where he had spoken about Christ. He thought about the villagers dressed in their kaleidoscope of colors. He recalled the smiling faces of the children running and playing. Above him, four-mile-high peaks jutted up to the gray-white clouds. He dared not delay any longer, so he sprang up and continued his trek. He crossed a number of swinging footbridges that spanned deep ravines. On one of them, he encountered another traveler.
The Buddhist monk cut a striking figure in a saffron robe. Both men were headed to the same lodge, so they decided to walk together, single file, with the monk leading the way. On one side of the trail rose huge granite walls. Their pink and gray hues contrasted with the bright emerald moss growing in the cracks. The rain had turned to snow, and a bitter wind buffeted the men, who drew their cloaks tight to keep warm.
Although neither man spoke, both knew they were in danger of freezing to death if they didn't reach the mountain lodge in time. Suddenly, they heard a voice. Both men stopped and looked around, but they saw nobody. "Help!" the voice called out weakly again. It seemed to come from a snow-covered rock on the side of the trail. But it was not a rock. It was a man lying on the trail, covered with snow. The missionary rushed to his side. "What happened?" he asked. "I fell off the ledge above," the man replied hoarsely.
"I think I broke my ankle. I can't put any weight on it." "Don't worry," the missionary reassured him. "We'll make a litter using my cloak, and we'll carry you to the lodge." He looked at the Buddhist monk as he spoke, hoping for confirmation. But the monk shook his head. "There's no point in trying. If we attempt to carry him, we'll never make it to the lodge before dark. All three of us will end up freezing to death. Besides, without your cloak, you will freeze long before we reach the lodge.
I wish there were a way to help this man, but there isn't." He then turned and continued on the path. The missionary thought frantically. "What am I to do?" "Don't worry," he reassured the injured man. "I won't leave you here to die." He prayed for guidance. It seemed the only way to help now was to carry him piggyback. Thankfully, the hurt man was short and slender. The missionary stooped, and the man was able to climb onto his back.
The missionary lumbered down the path, slogging through the snow, praying for strength to continue the journey. Several hours passed. The weight on his back seemed to grow heavier and heavier with each mile. It was getting harder and harder to see as the daylight ebbed away. Finally, he thought he could go no further. He was tempted to unload his burden and go on alone. But just at that moment, he spied the lights from the lodge ahead. With renewed determination, he plowed on.
He had taken only a few steps more when he bumped into an obstacle in the path. He nearly lost his balance, but with great effort, he regained his equilibrium. He gently unloaded the injured man onto the snow, reassuring him that it was only for a moment, and returned to the object he had nearly tripped over. It was the Buddhist monk. The missionary felt for a pulse, but the monk was dead. The missionary hurried back to the injured man and helped him onto his back again.
As they trudged on to the lodge, he contemplated what had happened. Why had the monk frozen to death while he had not? Suddenly, it dawned on him: the injured man on his back. The heat from their two bodies together had kept both of them alive. The monk walking by himself had frozen to death in the bitter cold. "What a paradox," the missionary realized. By risking his life to save another man's, he had unwittingly preserved his own. The Paradoxal Kingdom.
Perhaps this missionary should not have been surprised at this paradox. For he belonged to a kingdom that is full of paradoxes. A paradox is something that is contrary to normal expectations. It seems self-contradictory, but actually is not. The kingdom of God is full of such paradoxes. Here are just a few of them. "The last will be first, and the first last." Matthew 20:16. "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5. "Blessed are you when men hate you." Luke 6:22. "I tell you not to resist an evil person, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." Matthew 5:39. "If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also." Matthew 5:40. "Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two." Matthew 5:41. The Great Paradox. Yes, to live the kingdom life is to live a life of paradoxes.
However, one paradox has remained unfathomable to most Christians. I call it the Great Paradox. It concerns two teachings of Jesus about the Christian life that seem not only contradictory but diametrically opposite. In the first teaching, Jesus explains the enormous sacrifices we must make if we want to be His followers. "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Matthew 16:24. Luke 14:26-27 and verse 33. And Luke 13:24. Condensed.
So to be disciples of Jesus, we must strive to enter through the narrow gate. We must deny ourselves, our families, and everything we own. In fact, we cannot hold back even our very lives. It would seem that being followers of Jesus is one of the most challenging quests we can face. Yet Jesus also tells us, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30. How can both of those teachings be true? First, Christ requires us to deny everything, including our own lives. Then He tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. How can His yoke be easy if He requires us to deny everything and carry our cross? The answer is to be found in the secrets of the kingdom life.