Scripture
20John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’” 21At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind. 22Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” 23And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me. Luke 7:20-22
Observation
This passage always breaks my heart and convicts my heart at the same time. As Christians we all start out the way John the Baptist did. We declare to anyone and everyone that Jesus is The Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world. We know it’s true down to our very bones. We see it as a privilege to follow Him and serve Him. Like John we know that we aren’t worthy of Him, but He loves us anyway. Life can’t get any better than this. Then, life happens and Jesus doesn’t do what we wanted Him to. Jesus doesn’t overthrow the Romans and establish and restore freedom to the Jews, at least not in the way most expected. Eventually most of the disciples of John all end up leaving him to follow Jesus and I don’t care how mature you are, this has to hurt his ego at some level. Then, as if things can’t get worse, John finds himself behind bars because He called out King Herod’s sin as any good prophet should. This is not how John saw things playing out. He knew his calling was to “Prepare The Way for the Messiah”, but didn’t know that meant he was going to be sidelined and imprisoned and eventually beheaded. This is not what he signed up for… or was it? Jesus had the momentum to overthrow the Roman authorities if He wanted to. The moment he did this John would be free. Notice what Jesus does when the disciples, on behalf of John, ask for proof that He is the Messiah. He heals people and sets them free to reveal that He is not establishing an earthly kingdom for Heaven, but a Heavenly kingdom in the hearts of men on earth.
Application
Jesus wasn’t being callous or cold towards His cousin when He stated “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.” No, Jesus is giving John an anchor for his soul and for ours as well. Jesus isn’t here to do what we want, He’s here to do what He wants. Sometimes this means a death to all the dreams and assumptions we have about what following Jesus would lead to. What if our following Jesus was never about me? Though that seems a bit simplistic I would guess the reason we are seeing so much deconstruction of the Christian faith is because we were sold a Gospel that didn’t include suffering. The American version of The Gospel became synonymous with The American Dream- life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness! Yes, Jesus came to give us eternal life, liberty from sin and the joy of our salvation, but this was never meant to be a free pass from the pain of this world. Matthew states the deal pretty clearly, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mt. 16:24) The path of the Christ follower was always going to be the painful one because a cross was never going to be comfortable. There’s a big difference between a fan of Jesus and a follower. It turns out that if I want to live for Jesus I must die to my versions of Jesus that have Him catering to my comforts. Could this be why so many have fallen away from their faith? How many? Well, according to Barna Research, “In 2000, 45 percent of U.S. adults surveyed by Barna fit the criteria for practicing Christians—meaning they self-identified as Christians who value their faith and attend church at least monthly. Today, this number sits at 20 percent. In essence, the share of practicing Christians has nearly dropped in half since 2000—a shift that can have major repercussions for church leaders hoping to attract and retain active congregants. Still, Barna’s ongoing Spiritually Open research shows there is fertile ground for Christian faith: 82 percent of U.S. adults are at least somewhat certain there is a spiritual or supernatural dimension to the world.” So, the good news is that people are open to The Good News. Let’s just make sure we make it clear that following Jesus requires laying everything down. This eternal trade or our plans for His will be the hardest and best decision we ever make. We will need to make this decision of surrender over and over again, especially when Jesus doesn’t do what we want Him to.
Prayer
Jesus, I’m only a second day in to this 21 Day fast and I’m already feeling like I’ve suffered too much! Ha! My faith can turn so self-serving so quickly. I say “Yes” to You, but say “Yes” to my flesh much more often. Forgive me for living as if You’re here to serve me instead of the other way around. I’m not the center of the universe, You are. Forgive me for making my faith and obedience conditional upon the ease of my circumstances. Following You means following through even when, or especially when, I’m not getting what I want. The question is what do I want more? Do I want You more than my own dreams and desires? If not, then there will always be a chance of falling away because I’ve been clinging to the wrong thing. “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” Mt. 10:39
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