June 7

Hear now, O high priest Joshua, you and your companions seated before you, who are indeed a sign. For behold, I am going to bring My servant, the Branch. — Zech 3:8 BSB

A saved sinner is a spectacle for angels to behold. As the Apostle Paul says, “We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.” The ancients once said, “A good man struggling with difficulties is a sight for the gods to look at.” We can say, with all Christian truth, that the mysteries of redemption are “things the angels desire to look into,” and among the mysteries of redemption, what could be greater than a redeemed sinner? The fact that a person, who by nature deserves nothing but God’s eternal wrath due to original and actual sin, can be lifted from deserved perdition into salvation, to which they have no claim, is indeed a holy wonder. That you or I should ever have been chosen by God’s electing love, given to Jesus to redeem, quickened by the Spirit to feel our lost condition, and blessed with any discovery of the Lord Jesus Christ and His saving grace—this must always be a matter of holy astonishment here, and it will be a theme for endless praise in eternity.

To see a person become so different from what they once were—once careless, carnal, ignorant, and unconcerned, now on their knees begging for mercy, with tears streaming down their face, their heart heavy with conviction, and their eyes looking up for pardon—this is truly a sight to behold with wonder and admiration. To see someone now preferring one smile from the face of Jesus, one word of peace from His lips, over all the titles, honors, pleasures, and power the world can offer—surely, if there is a wonder on earth, it is this person.

Was this not the reaction of the disciples when Saul first preached Christ in the synagogues, declaring that Jesus is the Son of God? “All who heard him were amazed and asked, ‘Isn’t he the man who caused havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name?’” (Acts 9:21). So too, we look on in wonder and joy when we see the Lord of glory adding trophies to His immortal crown. And whenever we witness those near and dear to us—whether a spouse, sibling, child, or friend—being touched by the finger of this all-conquering Lord, subdued by His grace, and transformed by His Spirit, we cannot help but look upon them with holy wonder and the deepest affection, mingled with tears of thankful praise to the God of all our mercies.