THE REED, THE ROCK AND THE ROD A reed is the stalk of grass that grows in swampy places, a thin strip of cane that vibrates; a hollow-stemmed grass that grows in the mash. The reed stands for powerlessness or lack of strength. A rock is a large piece of hard surface greater than a stone. It is a large mass of stone, firm foundation, something strong. A rod is a long, slender and straight, round pole or bar, made from wood, metal or plastic. The iron rod is the most useful metallic element, very strong; something hard and unyielding. Given the opportunity to choose from these three, a man would, naturally, select the rod above the rock and the reed, as fitting instrument to work with, because it is the strongest, and the reed the weakest, by comparative analysis. However, faced with the same options, God would, most likely, prefer the reed to the rest, as the best instrument for His work. A reed in God’s hand will accomplish much more than a rock or a rod. Therein is the greatness of our God, the Omnipotent. He is a God of wonder, an expert at doing impossible things. God can use a reed to disgrace the rock and the rod. He can use an egg to shatter a stone; He uses the weak things to humiliate things that are strong. There are so many instances in the Bible where He did exactly that. He used the small nation of Israel to dislodge many mighty nations stronger and more numerous than them. By the hand of one man, Moses, he frustrated the tokens of all the sorcerers and magicians of Egypt and made their enchantments of no effect (Exod. 7: 10 – 12). He deployed no battering rams to bring down the Wall of Jericho, only the echo of men’s voices, mingled with the blare of trumpets. He used Gideon, together with 300 hurriedly-assembled recruits, to put the whole army of Midian to flight (Judges Chapters 6 -7). In the days of Elisha, the prophet, God use four lepers to cause panic in the Syrian camp, such that they abandoned their stock-pile of food in their haste to escape, thereby fulfilling the prophesy of Elisha declaring a turn-around in the ugly situation in the city within 24 hours (2 Kings Chapter 7). Was it not in the days of Jehoshaphat that God used a troupe of singing men to confront and discomfit a confederacy of many mighty and well-equipped nations? (2 Chron. 20: 20 – 25). God performs incredible miracles. The least He can do is to turn a reed into a stone or rod, to fit into His own plan and purpose, like He turned water into wine at Cana in Galilee. God literally did the same thing in the life of Peter. Before Peter met with Jesus, his name was Simon, which by interpretation means a reed (a tender little stem that vibrates in the wind). True to that name, Simon was tender, weak and unstable. Highly temperamental, he was quick to talk and to act. One moment, he spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as to identify who Jesus was; the next moment, he was a tool in the hand of the devil, discouraging Jesus from fulfilling His earthly mission, when he opposed the idea of His sacrificial death on the cross. That was Peter as a reed, very flexible. Immediately Jesus asked the disciples whom they thought Him to be, Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God?” Jesus said to him, “Flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. Henceforth, you will no longer be called SIMON (a reed) but SIMON-PETER (a reed that is being transformed into a rock)”. Transformation does not just happen. It takes a process. Peter’s case was not different. He still fumbled a couple of times. When Jesus told the disciples that He would be killed in Jerusalem for the salvation of mankind, Peter rebuked Him sharply, “Far be it from you,” he said, “Thou shall not die!” “Get thee behind Me, Satan,” Jesus rebuked him in return. “You do not discern what is of the Spirit and what is of man.” At the Garden of Gethsemane, he was not able to pray with Jesus for just one hour. He indulged his flesh and slept and snored, while the Master travailed in an all-night prayer. On the mount of transfiguration, he again drifted into a deep dreamless sleep. By the time he woke up and saw Moses and Elijah, speaking with the Master, he spoke rather thoughtlessly, “Let us build three tents here: one for You; one for Moses and one for Elijah.” That does not make sense at all; does it? It was all too obvious that he spoke out of stupor. Peter’s final show of human weakness was during Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, when he betrayed and vehemently denied any knowledge of the Master. “I do not know what you guys are talking about,” he said to those who identified him as one of Jesus’ disciples. “I do not know this man, ‘walahi-talahi’,” he swore, out of fear. Then the cock crew; he came back to his senses, and repented of his grave error. He resolved, thereafter, to stay true to his convictions, no matter the cost. The transformation in the life of Peter, from a reed to a rock, did not come into full manifestation until after the disciples had been endued with power from on high, after they were baptized with the Holy Spirit and power. After he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, became sufficiently and supernaturally empowered to bear witness for cause of Jesus Christ and the cross. He became bold, fearless and very courageous. During his first gospel outreach, Peter, while explaining the Pentecostal experience, boldly declared to the audience, “Let all the house of Israel know that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2: 36). After Peter and John healed the cripple at the Beautiful Gate, the rulers, elders and scribes, together with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, and Alexander, queried their audacity to “practice medicine without license”; they healed a cripple even though they were not certified by relevant regulating authorities. The leaders severely threatened Peter and John and commanded them to stop proclaiming the name of JESUS all around the city, but the disciples boldly defied the order. They said to the leaders, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God; for we cannot but speak of the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts. 4: 19 -20). The change in Peter is evident. It is no longer the old, fearful, spineless Peter, but one who is fully grown and ready to bear the cross of Christ, challenging establishments, contending with principalities and powers in the propagation of the gospel and establishing God’s plan and purpose on earth. He has not only become a rock in the hands of the Lord but also a rod of His strength for pulling down Satanic strongholds, casting down imaginations and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. This is real Christian transformation, the processes leading to balanced spiritual growth unto maturity in Christ Jesus. This is consistent with God’s plan of progression in the life of every child of God. It is like the development of a butterfly from lava to pupa; then, to a full-grown butterfly. A Christian begins his journey as a reed, a normal human being, born in the flesh, flexible, unstable and unreliable. Then through his encounter with Jesus Christ, leading to his salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he is infused with supernatural strength, which makes him stand solid like a rock, being strongly persuaded, firm, fixed and immovable from his deep-seated conviction about the place and power of Jesus in the plan of salvation. Finally, he becomes a soldier of Christ (a full-grown disciple or worker, an anointed minister of the gospel). By this time he has become the “rod of His strength”, thrust forth out of Zion (the Church) to bring the enemies of Christ into subjection to His authority and ruler-ship (Psalm 110: 2 -3). The progression is in sequence: from the reed to the rock and, finally, to the rod. The Lord will help us to make full proof of our ministries, in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 05:42:51 +0000
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