Suffering, resurrection and Christian love – day 13

William Nicol tells the following wonderful story from the Hasidic Jewish tradition.

Isaac, a poor Jew, lived in a small shack far from the big city. One night, he dreamt that he undertook the long journey to the city, where he found a bag of gold under the bridge at the city’s main entrance. He ignored the dream, but every night it returned. Isaac was so poor that he had nothing to lose. He decided to test the dream and tackle the long journey to the city. After days of travelling, he arrived, only to discover that the entrance to the city and the bridge were heavily guarded. When the captain of the guard saw that he wanted to wade in under the bridge, he shouted, “What are you doing here old man?” In his simplicity, he told him about the dream. The captain laughed at him and cried out, “You fool, what would become of us if we start believing in dreams. Last night I dreamt that I went to the house of an old Jew, far from here. Behind the hearth, there was treasure. That is ridiculous! I would never go looking for it!” Immediately, Isaac turned around and hurried home. When he got there, he looked behind the hearth and found the treasure.

Jesus’ resurrection means that we do not have to look further than God for spiritual fulfilment. We no longer have to spend our lives searching; we can live peacefully and with contentment every day. Jesus placed life’s greatest treasure in our hearts. We must look for it there and not in other places.

This is what David speaks about in Psalm 131. He says he wants to be with God, like a happy baby in its mother’s arms. You have probably seen or even experienced it – there is nothing as peaceful and content as the expression on a baby’s face when she is in her mother’s arms! When she is in her mother’s arms, she is perfectly at peace! The person holding her has everything she needs in life. There, she feels safe because she knows she is cared for. When you live in God’s presence, you will feel a similar kind of peace.