What do these three people have in common? Samson was strong. Solomon was wise. Jesus healed many people. No, these are not differences. Each of them had a supernatural gift. When they set their heart to doing what was right, nothing stood in their way, no powerful warrior, no agile lawyer, no crippling disease. And yet, two of them failed. Why? Because it was not the gift that failed them. It was sin. Jesus was neither the first nor the last healer in the Scripture. What made Him special was His virgin birth, compounded by a sinless life.
Samson was strong, unstoppable in whatever physical task he set out to accomplish. Perhaps you are not physically imposing among your peers. We can’t all be Samson, and that’s okay, because strength is not the truest measure of a man. Perhaps you are Samson. As multiple writers have pointed out, your strength can become your weakness. Samson was the champion in the fight against the god of fertility, yet he fell prey to Delilah. His weakness was likely the lust of the flesh. This sin can be the downfall of any human, except Jesus.
Solomon was wise, undeterred in whatever complex task he set out to accomplish. Perhaps you are not the quickest or deepest thinker among your peers. We can’t all be Solomon either, and that’s okay, because wisdom is not the final measure of a man. Perhaps you are Solomon. His strengths had weaknesses too. Solomon fell prey to diplomacy—he married foreign wives who turned his heart away from God. He also set his heart on his increased riches. When he saw what he wanted, he chased it. His weakness was likely the lust of the eyes. Again, Jesus overcame this temptation.
Jesus was and is the Great Physician. No sickness was beyond cure. Death itself was subject to His command. Perhaps you cannot diagnose every sickness and provide a cure. Not too many people have raised the dead. We can’t all be Jesus in this regard. Sometimes He gifts people with great medical minds or great faith, and that is good too. But we can’t all live in this body forever. Now, Jesus could have lived forever down here, ending all sickness and death—if it were the Father’s will. And He will, someday. But what we needed most, God required first—a living sacrifice, a spotless Lamb. Jesus was not sidetracked by the gift of healing. Imagine the praise and gratification of being the world’s greatest healer! But the pride of life did not stop Jesus either.
Neither strength nor wisdom nor healing touch is able to save our souls. What great wonder could ever pay the price of our redemption? The Devil was one roaring lion Samson couldn’t wrestle to the ground. Worldly wiles of the Devil were something Solomon couldn’t outsmart. The greatest Physician who ever lived did not heal Himself. In agony, He sacrificed every ounce of dominance and retribution. He did not call one angel. No, the great wonder that paid the price of our salvation was a sinless man, suffering ultimate injustice, nothing else would pay for the sin of all mankind. The strong man, in repentance, saved one soul. The wise man, in Ecclesiastes, perhaps turned his life around. But only the spotless Lamb of God triumphed.
Who came to earth as a baby? A mighty warrior? A majestic king? A great healer? More than that. Jesus is the Lion of Judah, the King of Kings, the Great Physician, Savior and more—the fullness of God came to earth as a baby. Great and small, strong and tall or not at all, wise beyond years or in need of guidance—He came to save us all from our sins.
Praise God!
~Eric W. Druist