Universal God

God speaks in many languages | Anya Kotrikadze

W

hen the 2008 Olympic games were held in Beijing, China, the majority of fans and sport lovers observed the event on their televisions. Televised sporting events usually require some sort of commentary in order to explain to the viewers exactly what is going on. Since the Olympics are international, it was vital that the commentary not only be in Chinese. As viewers, we knew that those commentaries would be translated to Russian, Moldavian, Ukranian, Georgian and dozens of other languages.

It is very important that any information we receive be in our native language. This makes understanding and perceiving new data in detail much easier. If you have recently purchased any sort of a household appliance or electronic item, then you must have noticed the vast variety of languages that the instructions are available in. Sometimes it may take several minutes just to find the desired language.

We could easily skip important information or overlook vital details when there is a language barrier. Many, many years ago, someone wanted to deliver a very important message to us humans. He wanted very much for this message to be understood and embraced by as many people as possible. He did everything in his power to make that happen.

Golgotha was where the three crosses stood. One of them had an inscription upon it. All four Gospels take care to mention this detail. In all four texts this inscription says “King of the Jews.” The Gospel of John states that this sign was made by Pontius Pilate himself (John 19:19). He wrote what he deemed necessary and refused to change it even when the Jewish priests requested he alter the inscription. This sign was meant to explain why Jesus was guilty, to emphasize the irony of the situation, as well as possibly serve as a scare tactic for others. Pilate and his actions served as a tool in God’s hands. Regardless of what Pilate’s intentions were, this sign became a testament of God’s integrity, love and “universalness”. This inscription absorbed into itself the very essence of why God was sent to us.

“From the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Euphrates River and the Red Sea in the east, from the Rhone, Danube, Black sea and Caucasian mountains on the north to the Sahara in the south stretched one gigantic power.” (M. Tenni, page 21)

There were many people of different nationalities living in the Roman Empire. They all spoke different languages. Despite this, there were some languages, such as Latin and Greek, that united this “colourful” Empire. It is written in the Gospel that the inscription above Jesus’ head was written in three languages: Greek, Latin, and Aramaic.

Why bother translating the sign into three languages? Wasn’t one language enough? Aramaic was the language of the Jews, Greek was the language that people from neighbouring countries spoke, the language widely adopted by Hellenistic cultures, and Latin was the language of the Roman soldiers and of the law. This place where Jesus was crucified was located close to the town, so many people of different nationalities passed by it. The three translations allowed for any person that passed by to understand what was written. God was speaking to each person saying that Jesus is the king of the whole world, every nation and every person that is alive on this Earth. His Gospel was written in every language that was native to the people that were living or staying in Jerusalem at the time.

Even today, God wants to communicate to every person in his own native language. He speaks to us through nature, through people and events in our lives and the world, and of course, through the Bible. He speaks in a language that each person understands.

In the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral, a female character decides to try to meet a gentleman at a wedding. However, when she approaches him, she discovers that he is a deaf mute. She doesn’t know sign language, so she leaves. Not too long after this incident, these two people meet at another wedding. She approaches him yet again. This time, though, she does not open her mouth to speak, but instead she tries to communicate as best as she can through sign language. The young man smiles as he enters into conversation with her.

I don’t know how to speak Greek, Latin, or Aramaic, and chances are, I probably will not encounter any situation where I’ll have to learn to speak these languages. However, God still spoke to me in a language that I understood, and I heard him. God speaks to each of us even today. He speaks in a way that every person can understand.

Do you hear him? Have you responded to his message? The essence of God’s message is everlasting and unchanging regardless of the circumstances: “Jesus, King of all nations.” It is written in Revelation that all nations will come together before God. All of their voices, in different languages, will blend together to exclaim “Jesus is Lord!” Yours as well as my voice could become part of this multicultural choir. Jesus is indeed my Lord, and he is yours as well.

Writer: Capt. Anya Kotrikadze was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and became a Christian when she was 15. She met The Salvation Army in 1992, became a soldier in 1993 and an officer in 2002. She lives and serves in The Republic of Georgia now, at the Regional HQ.  “I have a multi-functional appointment. My favourite part is being the Editor for the Russian War Cry and Officer. I have a daughter who is almost 5 years old. I love traveling, reading, writing and cross-cultural experiences. My passion is to learn more about God and His word and share my experience and knowledge with others.”