I have often wondered whatever happened to Jasper. You see it has almost been forty years since I last saw him, though every time we sing that chorus that has the line "over the jasper sea2, I stop and give him a thought, if only briefly. He taught me Physics when I was a first former in short trousers but within a couple of years he was gone to another job and disappeared out of my life. By now he will have retired I guess, since I have never heard any reports of his untimely passing. You know I can still recall where I sat in his laboratory, right at the front bench under his nose, with my back to the chalkboard and even though he , like all the other teachers in the school, never addressed me by anything other than my surname, which was the custom, I never had any reason to think he disliked me and had no cause to feel any animosity towards him.The trouble was he was far too intelligent for us first years and probably for most other students seeking to get a grasp of his beloved subject. And while his love for Physics probably outshone his class management skills, when he did get angry and impatient with someone in the class, his bulging eyes and protruding voice box did not always help his cause.He was a tall man, over six feet and one thing I oddly remember was that he always wore soft shoes, possibly an outward sign of an inner character! I have no reason either to say that Jasper was a Christian for, as an eleven year old, I did not carry on such deep and meaningful conversations with my teacher nor probably even thought about him in that light, being more concerned with such pressing matters of the time of my lab book tidiness, homework and exam result. But I guess it is fair to say my Physics went downhill after he left!Retrospectively though, he had many of the qualities one should associate with a believer. He was gracious, helpful, very longsuffering, kind, slow to anger, fair, quietly spoken, except when we pushed him beyond the limits of his tolerance level. Nor was there ever any scandal or rumours floating in the corridors of school for he just got on with his job and his enjoyment was found in helping others to learn. Like I say, for all I know, he could have been a Christian for his life showed all the right credentials. But he may not have been!
It reminded me of a story I read yesterday about the rich young man who asked Jesus "what good things must I do to have eternal life?" When Jesus suggested initially that he keep the commandments, the young man fitted the bill perfectly for he had no difficulty in honouring the law. Yet it was Jesus' command to sell all and give the money to the poor that eventually floored him and left him short of the kingdom. And while this is a story of how money can come between us and God, what struck me was that essentially this young man had all the right credentials outwardly but inside he was far from the kingdom. Doesn't that worry you? Eternal life is not dependent on keeping laws, holding church office, singing ion the choir or being an upright person. It is only based on acceptance of Jesus as Saviour but also as Lord. Time to reflect on the words of the Psalmist in chapter 119. 'Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law'.
