Today's words from Piper come from an old sermon entitled "In Him are Hidden all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge."

"One reason to admire and trust Jesus above all other persons is that He knows more than anyone else. He knows all people thoroughly, their hearts and their thoughts. He knew all men." (John 2:24). 'You, Lord, . . . know the hearts of all men.' (Acts 1:24). And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, 'Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?' (Matthew 9:4). There is no one who perplexes Jesus. No thought or action is unintelligible to Him. He knows its origin and end. The most convoluted psychotic and the most abstruse genius are open and laid bare to His understanding. He understands every motion of their minds.

Jesus not only knows all people thoroughly as they were and are today, He also knows what people will think and do tomorrow. He knows all things that will come to pass. "Jesus [knew] all the things that were coming upon Him." (John 18:4). On the basis of this knowledge, He foretold numerous things that His friends and enemies would do. [Jesus said] 'There are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. (John 6:64) . . .

Jesus simply knows all things. Thus His disciples said, truly, 'Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.' (John 16:30). The extent of Jesus' knowledge was a compelling warrant for faith in his divine origin . . .

Therefore let us bow down and worship Jesus Christ. If we are impressed with the scholarship of man and the achievements of scientific knowledge, then let us not play the fool by trumpeting a tiny chirp and ignoring the thunder clap of omniscience. Jesus alone is worthy of our highest admiration. Jesus alone is worthy of our trust. He can show us the Father (Matthew 11:27). He can give us irresistible wisdom (Luke 21:15). He can see how to make all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28). None of his judgments about anything is ever mistaken (John 8:16). He teaches the way of God with infallible truthfulness (Matthew 22:16). Trust Him. Admire Him. Follow Him." (emphasis mine)

There are many truths about which we as Christians are in danger of becoming complacent. One is that we worship a man. As I am preparing for Easter, I have been thinking again about the wonder of that fact.

Nobody worships Ghandi. But then these days nobody hates Ghandi profoundly either. One of the most striking things about Jesus is how He polarizes people even 2000 years after His life. People either fall and worship Him as God or hate Him as an imposter or worse. There is no middle ground; Jesus never intended there to be.

Perhaps for some of my readers, you are trying to keep in that middle ground - not getting too fantatical about Him. Sooner or later you will have to decide - will you worship Him or hate Him? Will you too join the religion of those of us crazy enough to dare to believe that God Himself walked the streets of Palestine, and that the whole of history hinges around the God-man Jesus?