How often do you hear people say,"It was so easy for people who were alive when Jesus was alive. They didn't have to deal with doubt and faith. They could just ask Jesus whatever they wanted." But really was it?
Jesus wasn't the first man to show up and perform miracles, he wasn't the first one to have followers. Just like we often find ourselves saying, "Is that you, God?" The people of his time were doing the same. They wanted to be faithful, they didn't want to jump ahead of God and they wanted Him to fit inside their box of understanding so that they would clearly recognize Him when he arrived.
Before we judge the people of that time for being "completely stupid" and missing the point, I have to ask, 'Haven't we all been there?' Maybe instead of trying to understand, predict or fit God into a box, they could have spent that energy on getting to know Him, His heart, His reactions and His character. If the Pharisees had done this, I think they would have recognized him.
As I dig deeper into scripture, I come across the story of a very rich man (Mark 10). This man had been "good" his entire life, he had honored his mother and father and been faithful. It even sounds like he really truly believed that Jesus was who he said he was. But when Jesus asked the man to leave everything behind and "come follow me" his heart was heavy because he was holding on tight to a lot of things. I don't think the man really believed that any of these material things were more important than Jesus. I just think he was afraid. It was too much, too fast and Jesus was asking him to dive in way past his comfort zone. Unfortunately the man missed out on incredible blessings and the greatest relationship he would ever know because he couldn't bring himself to trust.
I might not be having a problem with an abundance of money but there are things he is continuously asking me to let go of... some of these things are harder than others to let go of and well... sometimes I have to ask him to pry it out of my hand because I just don't know how to let go.
Jesus wasn't the first man to show up and perform miracles, he wasn't the first one to have followers. Just like we often find ourselves saying, "Is that you, God?" The people of his time were doing the same. They wanted to be faithful, they didn't want to jump ahead of God and they wanted Him to fit inside their box of understanding so that they would clearly recognize Him when he arrived.
Before we judge the people of that time for being "completely stupid" and missing the point, I have to ask, 'Haven't we all been there?' Maybe instead of trying to understand, predict or fit God into a box, they could have spent that energy on getting to know Him, His heart, His reactions and His character. If the Pharisees had done this, I think they would have recognized him.
As I dig deeper into scripture, I come across the story of a very rich man (Mark 10). This man had been "good" his entire life, he had honored his mother and father and been faithful. It even sounds like he really truly believed that Jesus was who he said he was. But when Jesus asked the man to leave everything behind and "come follow me" his heart was heavy because he was holding on tight to a lot of things. I don't think the man really believed that any of these material things were more important than Jesus. I just think he was afraid. It was too much, too fast and Jesus was asking him to dive in way past his comfort zone. Unfortunately the man missed out on incredible blessings and the greatest relationship he would ever know because he couldn't bring himself to trust.
I might not be having a problem with an abundance of money but there are things he is continuously asking me to let go of... some of these things are harder than others to let go of and well... sometimes I have to ask him to pry it out of my hand because I just don't know how to let go.
So if we were each to take a role in the stories who would you be? Would you doubt him? Deny him? Abandon everything to follow him? Chase him down when you had a need? Or decide that following him is just too risky?
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