Healing Rays of Righteousness

Although the story is old, happening during the 18^th century, it does illustrate a biblical truth that we who claim to be Christian need to remember and live by. I say this because I often ponder how much it must grieve the heart of God to hear the heated voices of evil divisiveness in almost every religious and community gathering of today. And should it also not grieve our hearts? For, undoubtedly, it is the deadly viruses of stubborn pride, selfishness, and demonic lies that fuel this relational turbulence.

The earthly story:

A beautiful and famous monastery in central Europe had fallen on tough times. In earlier days, its many buildings were filled with young priests and monks, and its big church resounded with the singing of the chant, but now the buildings and church were mostly deserted and silent. Only a handful of monks shuffled through the buildings praying their prayers and praising their God with heavy hear

On the edge of the monastery grounds there were beautiful woodlands, in which an old Jewish rabbi had built a small hut. The rabbi would often come there to fast and pray. And whenever he appeared, the word would be passed from monk to monk, “The Rabbi walks in the woods.”

One day the Abbot, who was the head of the monastery, decided to visit the Rabbi and open up his heart to him regarding the bad conditions at the monastery and seek his advice.

The Rabbi welcomed him into his little hut. In the middle of the room was a wooden table with the Bible laying open upon it. The two men sat down at the table, looking at the Bible in prayerful meditation.

Finally, the Rabbi lifted his eyes and said, “You have come to ask a teaching of me. I will give you a teaching, but you can only repeat it once. After that no one must ever say it aloud again.”  The Rabbi looked straight at the Abbott and said, “The Messiah, the Christ, is among you.” 

For a while there was more silence, then the Rabbi said, “Now you must go.”  The Abbott left without saying another word or looking back, but his mind and spirit were filled with questioning wonder as he returned to the monastery, pondering the Rabbi’s teaching.

The next morning, he called all his monks together. He told them he had received a teaching from the rabbi “who walks in the woods.”  But the teaching is to be spoken only once and never again. Then looking at each of his fellow monks, he said, “The rabbi told me that the Messiah, the Christ is among you.”

The monks were very puzzled by this saying, and from that moment on, they continually pondered the rabbi’s teaching that the Messiah, the Christ, was among them as they lived, worshiped, and worked together as a community of monks.

As time went by a significant and visible change happened among the monks as they began believing that the Messiah, the Christ, was present among them. They began treating one another with incredibly special reverence. And soon, a new spirit of love and appreciation for each other, began to grow and shape their relationships as a community of young priests and monks.

The community outside the monastery soon became aware of this new spirit of love among the monks. People from near and far were coming to be nourished by the prayer life of the monastery community. The visitors were deeply moved by what they saw and heard. And to the delight of many, the big church once again resounded with the singing of the chant.

The heavenly truth:

Through the prophet Zechariah, God said, “Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you, declares the Lord.” (Zechariah 2:10).

Jesus told the questioning Pharisees, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20b-21).

And Jesus promised his disciples, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. …I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. … On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”  (John 14:16,18,20).

Yes, the Rabbi’s words were and are correct. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is among us and abides in each and all of us. And when we begin to fully understand this truth and its meaning for us, it will significantly reshape our lifestyle and relationship with others. This truth, when lived out in our churches and communities, will cause the presence of God and His Kingdom to gloriously unfold in our world.

Then we will joyfully proclaim with the psalmist, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! … For there, the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”  (Psalm 133:1,3b).

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Ray M. Geigley – “Healing Rays of Righteousness” – www.geigler13.wordpress.com – 2/19/25