The Hidden Jesus
-Paul and Eutychus
|
Eutychus learned the hard way that it is a bad idea to fall asleep while sitting in a third floor window, because by the time he awoke from his sleepy fall, he was dead. He hit the stone pavement below so hard, he died from the impact. To make matters worse, he had fallen asleep during one of the Apostle Paul's sermons, and that was not going to look good on the record books of Heaven! Acts 20:7‑12 The name "Eutychus" means "fortunate," and he was aptly named, because it was his good fortune that Paul interrupted his sermon, ran down the stairs, and through a miracle brought him back to life! This little incident at first just appears to be an interesting story, just another example of the powerful signs and wonders that accompanied Paul's ministry, but as I looked closer, I caught a beautiful glimpse of Jesus hidden in here. |
|
|
Like Eutychus, the race of Adam also had a terrible fall from Heaven, and we died. But to our good fortune, our Savior Jesus rushed down from Heaven to resurrect us back to life. These salvation similarities you already know, but what makes this story special is Paul's response to dead Eutychus, for it is here that we gain some glorious insights into Jesus and his great love for every one of us. Paul interrupted his important sermon to personally come to the dead man's aid, even though he could have kept on preaching, and probably sent a handkerchief to raise him from the dead. Acts 19:12 In the same way, Jesus dropped everything he was doing the moment Adam sinned, and immediately came to our aid. He did not send an angelic servant or any other being to save us, but instead Jesus came HIMSELF. Our fallenness became his highest priority, and everything he was involved in came to a screeching halt until he resurrected the human race back to life with his own loving hands. When Paul came down to Eutychus and saw his broken body lying dead on the pavement, he didn't just stand back and speak out for him to come back to life. Instead, in an act of great passion, Paul "Threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him." Acts 20:10 |
|
|
Paul pressed that dead young man to his own chest; heart to heart and face to face. He hugged dead Eutychus to himself and refused to let him go until he was restored to life and made whole again. In the same way, my beautiful Jesus descended from heaven and became flesh so he could "hug us" back to life. Jesus didn't just speak down from heaven to save us, but instead he just kept descending and descending and descending and descending until he could personally throw his strong arms around us and save us. Philippians 2:5‑8 Even though we were all rotting away from the leprosy of sin, Isaiah 1:4‑6 Jesus was not ashamed to throw his arms around us sinners and embrace us to himself as cherished brothers and sisters. Hebrews 2:11‑18 He grieved that we had died, and he would not rest until we lived again. Paul grabbed dead Eutychus and Jesus grabbed you and me, holding us close to himself, refusing to let us go, pressing his lips to ours, repeatedly breathing in his kiss of life. Song of Songs 1:2 Tears streamed down his face as he pressed our lifeless bodies against his, praying to his Father with loud cries and tears for us to be made alive again! Hebrews 5:7 |
|
|
And Jesus is doing this today for every "fallen Eutychus," descending and hugging and squeezing and praying and crying and kissing for every soul who is not yet saved, for Jesus is "not willing that anyone should perish." 2 Peter 3:9 Through Adam we all have experienced a great and terrible fall, but through Jesus we can become a Eutychus, receiving from him a great and marvelous resurrection! Romans 5:15‑21 And all this comes because we have a Savior who takes a personal and intense and hands-on interest in every one of us! No wonder the hosts of Heaven praise him forever without ceasing. Revelation 5:11-14 |
INDEX
