A Chat with Young Christians

The first of four papers, used by permission of the author, and to be had in pamphlet form when completed, as will be announced later.

"If, to speak after the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me? If the dead rise not, let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die" (1 Cor. 15:32).

Was it worth while? Paul had suffered many indignities, had barely escaped many real dangers, and for years had a hard, strenuous life-all on account of that extraordinary and sudden change that had taken place within him one day on the road to Damascus, while still a comparatively young man.

From the well-stocked shelves of his memory he takes, as a sample, one of the most piquant of his experiences, when he had to stand in the blood-stained arena at Ephesus, like a common gladiator, and battle to the death – armed perhaps with unfairly inadequate weapons – against half-starved beasts of the forests, goaded to fury by inhuman treatment. And he asks, "Was all this worth while?"

He might have been having "a good time," like some of his old schoolfellows from Tarsus. He might have been "getting on," as many another with half his gifts and opportunities had done. Was it really worth while? "What advantageth it me?" he cries.

Clearly, if we cease to exist when this life has flickered out, and there is no resurrection, then it certainly was not worth while at all. "If the dead rise not," there was no object in pursuing a course that brought upon him the hatred and scorn of his fellow-men and entailed so much suffering. Why not simply enjoy life, with plenty to eat and drink, seeing that on some "to-morrow" death would put an end to everything?

Yes, IF the dead rise not. But the whole point of the Apostle's tremendous argument is that the dead DO rise, and therefore it was gloriously and triumphantly worth while! In view of the certainty of the Resurrection and the Future Life, it was, from a practical standpoint, a really profitable transaction for Paul to "fight with beasts at Ephesus." His reward is sure and will be bestowed upon him by the Righteous Judge when the appointed time comes.

And what about the beasts you have to fight with? You need not go to Ephesus to find them. There are plenty of them where you are. Join me now in a hunting expedition and we will find some of the beasts you and I have to fight with.

If the dead rise not, it is of course not worth bothering about, but seeing that there is not the slightest doubt that we shall rise again and enter upon another life, then it is more worth while to fight these beasts than to do anything else in the world. The first thing to do is to locate them, find out their habits, and wage an uncompromising warfare against them. At the beginning of His life-work our Lord had to face the wild beasts in the wilderness (Mark 1:13). We must do so too.

The first wild animal we must deal with does not look very dangerous. Nevertheless it must be unflinchingly dealt with first of all, for reasons we shall see later. It is a

WILD ASS’S COLT

In one of the oldest books ever written we read:"Vain man would be wise, though man be born a wild ass's colt" (Job 11:12).

If a man wants to express a particularly outspoken opinion of another man's foolishness, he calls him an ass. This beast is the representative of stubborn stupidity. But the old Book not only calls man an ass, but a wild ass. Added to stubborn stupidity there is the element of wildness-of being untamed and uncontrolled. When the angel spoke to Hagar concerning her son Ishmael, he told her plainly, "He will be a wild ass" (Gen. 16:12), although the polite translators have toned it down to "wild man." Then Ephraim is spoken of as a "wild ass" in Hosea 8:9.

The "wild ass" must first be caught and tamed before we may expect to have any success on our hunting expedition. If he is not first brought into subjection and service, we shall lose our fight with the other beasts.

That wild ass is-YOURSELF! I will not enlarge on the stubborn stupidity and innate wildness of the natural man. There is no need to do so, for what we have to deal with is not an unconvinced intellect, but the pride of the natural heart. Every honest man knows in his heart that he has the elements of the wild ass within him, and all the argument in the world would not convince a man of this who did not wish to be convinced, for the simple reason that he is a wild ass.

Acknowledge frankly that self is a "wild ass"; look at all the potentialities for stubbornness, stupidity and wildness that are wrapped up in your innermost nature, with frank and uncompromising self-criticism, and you have made the first step towards the taming of the beast. Possibly you have made many an effort to put an effective halter round the neck of your "wild ass," and you have been disappointed again and again. The halter has broken, or you have not had a tight enough grip, or you have fondly thought your "wild ass" was nicely tamed and let the halter go, only to find that he was away, wilder than ever!

How is he to be caught and tamed? There is only one way. Mark you, ONLY ONE. Let me tell you how.

When the Lord Jesus made His public entry into Jerusalem, one might have expected Him to ride on a white charger, or at least on a lordly camel, as befitting one entering a city to the cry, "Behold, thy King cometh!" But He deliberately chose to make His public appearance mounted on an ass that had never been ridden before, a "wild ass." Let us focus our attention on this wild ass. The remarkable thing about it is that, in spite of everything being done that might well have driven that wild ass out of its senses, it apparently gave no trouble whatever. People were waving branches of palm trees and shouting at the top of their voices all along the way, putting down branches in the path for the ass to walk over, throwing down their garments in front of it- in fact, doing things calculated to terrify any but the most carefully trained animal. It is a wonder the poor creature was not driven into a frenzy by the unwonted commotion and the extraordinary circumstances in which it found itself. But no such thing is recorded. The wild ass is transformed into a useful servant. It has the unique honor of bearing the Saviour of the world into the city where He is going to do His great work for the salvation of men. What is the secret? The secret lies in the hand that held the reins.

Standing "in a place where two ways met," the ass was taken away, with the words, "The Lord hath need of him." He was led to the Lord Jesus, and placed at His disposal and under His control.

That is just what you must do with your "wild ass." As you read these words, you are "in a place where two ways meet." Before you lies the choice of a path of joyous usefulness and victory, or one of selfishness and failure. But if submitted entirely to His control, if the reins are laid definitely and irrevocably in His hands- and remember, He "has need of you"-the problem will be solved.

The firm grasp of the Son of God will check and control the waywardness of our "wild ass" nature, whatever commotion may be going on around us, and we shall have the glorious privilege of taking Him through it all to those who need Him, of becoming a cog in God's wheel to the accomplishment of His purposes of grace and blessing in other lives. Arthur Gook

(To be continued, D.V.)