Our drive through the mountains last Sunday
I’ve been thinking a lot about how people reacted to Jesus and His mission…which also led me to think about how Jesus reacted to their reaction…
Basically, if we were to categorize people’s response to Jesus and His mission, there would be 3 large groupings. Yes, maybe some sub-categories, but for the sake of simplicity, I’m going with 3.
First, there are the people who have longed for such a leader…a savior…a Messiah. They’ve been bullied by the religious right for waaaaay too many years. They’ve been left out of the “in crowd”…told they had to jump through too many hoops…and they’re bone-weary. They need healing…they need hope. They need exactly what they finally see someone bravely doing/bringing and He’s offering it as a way of life. They gladly receive and are astonished.
“Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Then there’s the second group that may gladly receive at first, but eventually, when they realize what it could cost them, they bristle…second-guess the mission. Take Peter (Mt. 16, Mark 8), when he finds out Jesus plans to go to Jerusalem and how He’d have to suffer many things at the hands of the religious leaders and in fact, would be killed, but would be raised back to life on the third day. Peter vehemently opposes it. “Never, Lord!” As long as Jesus stays with him, Peter can handle anything…but take Jesus out of the picture and Peter can’t understand what’s ahead.
Jesus responds by teaching Peter…using this moment to train his mind. (Yes, there’s a strong rebuke, but it’s needed to call Peter to attention…a “listen-up” kind of moment.) He’s a key player in this mission and he needs to see differently…get a different perspective before he reacts. So, Jesus tells Peter he’s listening to the wrong voice, satan’s…and that he doesn’t have the things of heaven in mind…but the things of man. In other words, Jesus is letting Peter know he’s thinking too much about himself…and how this will affect his world…Peter is being swayed by the immediate around him and his own opinion of how things should be done.
You know…like we tend to do initially.
Then there’s the third group. (Largely made up of the people who are in the same playing field as Jesus.) From the beginning, they’ve seen Jesus as a threat to their power and position. As soon as they realize His following could grow to a larger number than theirs, they’re all about killing Him…protecting their territory…protecting their income. They recruit an army against Jesus and go for the jugular. They spend their waking hours and minutes plotting against Him for almost the whole three years of His public ministry.
What a waste of time and energy.
Like Peter, they’re into number one. But unlike Peter, they never come around. They hang onto their position to the bitter end…and it’s a bitter one. BTW: Peter actually gets to lead the movement Jesus started. A little set-back of character doesn’t deter Jesus, or make Him second-guess His decision.
Thankfully, Jesus also doesn’t let any of the other reactions sway Him. He’s resolute…steadfast…joyful. He stays the course. Man’s opinion isn’t His loudest voice…His Father’s is. The plots both publicly and privately don’t steer Him. (The praise doesn’t either.) He doesn’t spend His downtime worrying about public opinion polls or how to change His image. The arrows of gossips and back-biters roll right off Him. He knows how to commune with the One that holds Him together both inside and out. And it’s more than enough. He loves His mission and He keeps His love on.
If that same spirit is in me…and you…then we know we can do the same…
And it just might change the world.
“…Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak…” 2 Cor. 4:13
chris clements blog 