Shakespeare - or Jesus?

Well, the European election results are now known, and they certainly don’t make for happy reading for Gordon Brown and the UK government. However, in all of the furore and the controversy over the elections, other things tend to be pushed to the side.

Yesterday morning, I caught an excerpt from the Radio 4 programme Broadcasting House in which Frank Dobson, MP made the following statements: “He addressed all the great issues that have effected mankind.” and “He has the greatest insights to humankind …”

This morning, The Daily Telegraph newspaper published the results of a survey in which it was discovered that “Jesus Christ is the dead person most Britons would love to meet with Diana, Princess of Wales, second, …”

I found two points of interest in those, seemingly unrelated, items. The first is, of course, that I do not think of the Lord Jesus as a “dead person”! As we celebrate every Sunday – and indeed, as often as we wish – He is the risen Saviour Who has conquered death, and hell, and the grave. The old chorus reminded us:
“He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me, and He talks with me, along life’s narrow way.
He lives! He lives! salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.”

The other point is that, in spite of what a disciple of the Lord Jesus might think, Frank Dobson was not speaking about the Master. He was, in fact, referring to William Shakespeare! Now, it is true that the English Bard did deal with a number of socio-political, and even religious, themes in his many plays and other writings. And a close study of his collected works does suggest that he had some amazing insights into the heart and mind of mankind. But only the Maker knows the product through and through; and only Jesus deals with the greatest of all issues that effects mankind – sin!

Many years ago, I read a commentary on some of the works of Shakespeare that had, in the preface, the reminder that “The book’s the thing; not the commentary thereon.” Is it pushing things too much to suggest changing that to "The Creator's the thing, not that which He has created"?

Shakespeare may well have provided some insights to the fallen nature of mankind - but only the Saviour can do anything about it! May all who read this post be found in the company of those who have responded positively, with repentant hearts, to His great offer of salvation.