How did He do it? How was He so popular among so many? What was it about Jesus that drew others to Him? There’s no doubt He performed great miracles. One cannot dispute the fact that His deeds outshined all the rest. He cast out demons on numerous occasions. But was this the only reason people flocked to see Jesus by the thousands? Is this the reason they pushed and shoved their way to find THE WAY? Granted, Jesus’ actions were substantial and I’m sure this was part of the power that drew others to Him, but I would suggest that the main reason people were attracted to Jesus was the love He exhibited. Think about it, why else would children want to crowd around Him? Why else would women and men of all ages clamor to be close to Him? Miracles can be counterfeited. Magicians of Jesus’ day performed great deeds. Gifts can be imitated; even duplicated. History is chalked full of folks promoting their “talents”. But, love is something that cannot be feigned! People aren’t naïve. They can spot a fake a mile away. When one shows love to another human being it manifests what a person IS…not what a person DOES. Jesus set the record straight when He said, “By their fruit you will know them!” Miracles have a tendency to fade, but love; genuine, heart-felt, through thick-and-thin love can’t be faked. It’s a fruit of the spirit which is internal and remains everlasting. Of the three: faith, hope and love, love is the only one which shall stand the test of time. Prophecies, tongues, spiritual deeds will all fade away but love never will! THIS is the reason I believe Jesus was so irresistible. The power of Jesus wasn’t really in the miracles He performed as much as it was in the message He left for us! Our day and age is marked by the fanatic, the ‘impressive’ or the imaginative. Jesus’ day (and every day since) is marked by love; true, unmitigated, genuine, everlasting love. Remind yourself: we will be known and remembered by what we are rather than what we do. The beauty we portray shouldn’t come from outward adornment, instead it should come from one’s inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight (1 Peter 3: 3-4).
Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you! Kevin There’s certain things about Jesus’ life that demand attention. For instance, in situations we might think needed little or no explanation, Jesus would ask, “What do you want?” or “Where is your faith” or “Who do you say that I am?” On the flip side of this, Jesus never quizzed his follower on facts such as, how many commandments are there?” He never passed out any fill-in-the-blank worksheets. He never offered simple, pat answers. Instead His entire ministry led people to wonder, grapple and wrestle with the hard questions of life and faith. One passage that stands out to me showing the radical nature of the Christ is found in Matthew 15: 21f. A woman approaches Jesus and asks Him to heal her daughter. On the surface, it looks as if Jesus is calling her a dog and makes her beg for her daughter’s healing. In reality, this is a major turning point in Jesus’ ministry. In v.24, He says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” In this instance, He was talking about Israel in general. Isaiah 53:6 reminds us, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus’ mission toward the end of His life was to reveal Himself as the Messiah. But, there was something in the persistence of this faithful Canaanite woman that touched Jesus. She humbles herself to the point of saying even the dog’s get scraps from their masters’ tables. What’s the point? SHE RECOGNIZES JESUS AS MESSIAH! When Jesus referred to this woman as a ‘dog’ He’s not making a reference to the wild, feral dogs that roamed the land at that time. He’s making reference to a mild-mannered house dog. He uses this illustration to show His mission first to the Jews and then the Gentiles. Interestingly enough, this woman isn’t offended in the least! Why? Not only did she believe Him to be the Messiah, she also knew what He was saying was true. The faith Jesus was hoping to instill in the Jewish people was vital and alive in this Gentile woman! Because of her faith, as well as the faith of other Gentiles, his mission extended to include Gentiles. (It was also His ultimate plan to save ALL mankind!) Our Lord isn’t intent on simply ‘patching us up’. He wants to recreate us! Allow the radical love of Jesus Christ to embrace you today. Submit to Him through obedience.
Have a blessed day and remember the One who gave it to you! Kevin Often, God’s instructions to us are given to see just how obedient we are to His commands. Consider Peter, professional fisherman, being instructed by the new Rabbi, Jesus, to cast his net at the most un-opportune part of the day. An unproductive night’s work no doubt left Peter tired. Yet he willingly brought Jesus on board and then pushed his boat out from shore so the Teacher’s words would carry to the crowd. When the Lord finished speaking, He told the experienced fisherman to head out to deeper water. Peter knew the timing for a good catch was wrong, but he obeyed and was blessed with not one, but two boatloads of fish. Paul was commissioned to go to the Gentiles in light of severe persecution from devout Jews remaining adherent to Mosaic Law. I think it’s sad that after the ‘enlightenment’ period we sometimes have seemingly over-educated ourselves out of obedience. But NOTHING is more important than being obedient to the One who desires what’s best for us! Don’t miss this obvious truth: often God’s blessings result from our compliance with seemingly insignificant requests. Though we may prefer He ask us to perform great tasks that will impact large crowds, obedience in small matters is our proving ground. If we refuse His prompting to perform some minor action, what reason have we given Him to trust us with a more important responsibility?
Have a blessed day and remember who gave it to you! Kevin |
Kevin's KolumnKevin Lough is the minister at the Whitehall Church of Christ in Fairmont WV. Archives
September 2019
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