FollowingJesus.me

“They called out to him, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’” – Luke 23:37

Oh, the irony! Jesus is on the cross and those around him are scoffing at him, “Save yourself!”

Their argument is, if Jesus is God, he can bring himself down off the cross. However, since he isn’t coming off the cross, he must not be God. The irony is, of course, that Jesus is God and he could come down at any moment. But, because he is God and loves humanity, he chose not to save himself. He had something more important to do; not more important for himself, but more important for the scoffers (and you and me). “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.”

What strikes me about this verse today is that Jesus did not see it as his job to convince people of his identity. Jesus lovingly did what he came to do. He gave of himself and let people decide what to do with the gift. Some people accepted the gift(s) and believed. Others chose not to. We see Jesus heartbroken at times, but ultimately ok with allowing people to choose. Jesus seems focused on his mission: He spoke about God, pointed to God, but didn’t try to convince people. He spoke, and just as importantly, he lived out the message. He lived out who God is, including his sacrificial death on the cross.

Some days, if I am not careful, I start to think my job is to convince people that God exists, that He is Good, etc. I have to have a better argument or just the right words to say.

On the other hand, if I am not careful, I think my job is just to live out my faith and not say anything, “…and when necessary, use words.”

I don’t think either of these adequately covers what God is asking of us. We are the light of the world. We are to “let our light so shine before people that they see our good work and glorify God.” Action is necessary. But also, words are necessary. “Go into all the world and PROCLAIM the Good News to all creation.” My job is to live a life of love, following Jesus, AND sharing the Good News. My job is not to convince or argue people into the kingdom.

It is important for me to keep my mission clear. My mission is simple – follow Jesus every day. Like Jesus, I should only say what I hear the Father saying and I should only do what I see the Father doing. My mission is to “keep in step with the Spirit” every day, moment by moment; loving actions, loving words, pointing to Jesus, and letting people choose to believe or not.

The questions for me are: What do I see the Father doing right now? What do I hear the Father saying at this moment?

Prayer:

Jesus, I know people who need you. I know people whose lives could be so different if they knew you. I want people to know you, to know the love you have for them. I want people to know you as the savior of their souls and as the lord of their lives. Sometimes I want this so much that I stray from my mission. Jesus, help me to stay on mission and to trust you. Help me to follow you, being a light to the world and proclaiming your Good News to those around me. And, help me to give people the freedom to choose for themselves. Help me to be ok when I am rejected like you were rejected. Jesus, help me to stay close and keep in step with you today. I need you, this world needs you, and I trust that you have a plan and are working through me and sometimes in spite of me.

Thank you, Jesus!