“Nor is there any mediator between us, who may lay his hand on us both.” Job 9:33
The judge sat high on his bench, listening intently to the argument below. Two individuals, two stories, seemingly worlds apart. How could the chasm of difference be so great? But his job remained, to bridge that impossible gap and bring unity and harmony to the situation through wise administration and application of the law. So is the daily life of a judge, a mediator of the law. But a mediating judge does much more than just bang a gabble and declare innocent or guilty. A mediator stands between two parties in sharp disagreement. A mediator must be free to settle the case fully and permanently. A mediator must be someone that can fully relate to both parties. And a mediator must have the desire to see a fair and equitable settlement for both parties. And to do this one critical factor must be present, a mediator must be accepted by both parties. And it is just this mediator that Job longs for in his case with God.
By chapter 9 Job is in dire straits. In his agony and anguish, he is searching his world for God as never before. And in his searching, he comes to a harsh yet accurate realization. God is God and man is man. And to quote Kipling, “and never the twain shall meet.” Job’s pain takes him on a journey and the severity of it takes him to a new destination. A journey that all of us must take. He realizes that in the courtroom drama of life one cannot merely approach the bench of God and state your case. You see, God made the stars in the sky and man merely exists below them. God created man and his thoughts, man merely exists within them, limited in the thinking he has been afforded. And God created a deep yearning within man to find his creator, a need that only springs forth when man can fully understand the distance between himself and his Creator. And when one fully understands that distance, only then will they see the desperate need for a bridge across it. And it is in this moment of realization that we see Job’s light bulb illuminate in his acute need for a mediator between himself and Almighty God. The need for Jesus Christ is thus forementioned in one of the earliest penned books in all of God’s Word.
The need for this mediator has never ceased to exist since the days of Job. Regardless of how far you think mankind has advanced in his technology and civilization, his sin nature is as static today as when Adam and Eve took that first bite. Man’s sin nature has not changed, nor will it ever. And God has not changed either. As a result, the need for a mediator is as relevant today as the day Job lamented for one. And one exists. God sent His only Son Jesus here as the perfect mediator over 2000 years ago. Jesus perfectly creates the bridge that crosses the chasm between God and man. Jesus being both God and man, stands in the gap between two parties in sharp disagreement. The righteousness of God and the sin of man has a mediator. But a mediator must be accepted by both parties for the process to find a solution. Has the need for a mediator registered with you today? Do you admit that you are a sinner before God? Do you, as Job, long for a mediator that can unite you with Almighty God? Jesus is the one, the only one. Cry out to Jesus Christ today and He is faithful to save you from your sin against God. For He is the only mediator between God and man that is capable. Understand the distance, realize the need…call out to Jesus today.
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5
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