How well do you think you would get along with Jesus?
I would dare say that most of us think we would get along pretty well with Jesus. I imagine that is the case because we believe that we have a proper faith, and that Jesus would commend us for how we live our lives. After all, most of us haven't been too radically off on the things that we believe God sees as important. We haven't run a knife though our neighbor. We haven't cheated on a spouse. We haven't really taken too much of value from others. We honor God by our worship attendance. In other words, we should get along pretty well with Jesus because we find that we do a lot of things that Jesus seems to indicate are important.
Now, I do not want to downplay the importance of striving to do those things that God says we are to be doing. In fact, in many respects, we are to be commended for doing them as faithfully as we do. It shows a true response to the Good News that Jesus came to bring and purchase for us. That response is something that God looks for as He re-creates us in the image of Jesus.
Yet, at the same time, I would dare say that we probably wouldn't get along with Jesus nearly as well as we think we might. Why would I say that? Well, based on the four stories of the life of Jesus, it doesn't really seem like anyone really got along with Jesus. People were intrigued by Him, and yet, just a bit later, they were turned off by what He would say. He likely seemed to be an enigma to some of the religious leaders, who saw His actions and heard His words, and who agreed with what He would say and do, but then, would be turned off by Him because He showed mercy where they didn't expect, and was found hanging out with people that they didn't approve of. Shoot, He would even go so far as to call them names like white washed tombs and blind guides.
Even His closest followers didn't seem to get along with Him. Fairly often, they seemed to try to disuade Jesus from what He intended to do. Or, when Jesus didn't respond in a way that they thought He should, they wondered what He was doing. More often than not, they actually seemed to compare themselves to each other about who ranked closest to Jesus, rather than pondering how they could grow closer to Him.
In the end, it seems like we tend to think that we would get along with Jesus because we have this tendency to make Jesus to be more like us, and less of a focus on us being more like Him. So, yes, I think we all would have a tremendously difficult time getting along with Jesus. After all, if we realize where we stand before our holy God, who hates sin and consumes it utterly, when we think about Jesus being this same God, our hearts should perhaps tremble a bit.
That's why, ultimately, it's not about how we get along with Jesus. It's about what Jesus has done for us (and yes, I say for us, not to us). Really, we don't get along with Jesus because we are sinful people. And yet, Jesus has restored us to the Father, along with all others who are fallen in sin and who cling to what He has done for us. Thanks be to God that it's not about how we get along with Jesus, but in what He has done for us.
I would dare say that most of us think we would get along pretty well with Jesus. I imagine that is the case because we believe that we have a proper faith, and that Jesus would commend us for how we live our lives. After all, most of us haven't been too radically off on the things that we believe God sees as important. We haven't run a knife though our neighbor. We haven't cheated on a spouse. We haven't really taken too much of value from others. We honor God by our worship attendance. In other words, we should get along pretty well with Jesus because we find that we do a lot of things that Jesus seems to indicate are important.
Now, I do not want to downplay the importance of striving to do those things that God says we are to be doing. In fact, in many respects, we are to be commended for doing them as faithfully as we do. It shows a true response to the Good News that Jesus came to bring and purchase for us. That response is something that God looks for as He re-creates us in the image of Jesus.
Yet, at the same time, I would dare say that we probably wouldn't get along with Jesus nearly as well as we think we might. Why would I say that? Well, based on the four stories of the life of Jesus, it doesn't really seem like anyone really got along with Jesus. People were intrigued by Him, and yet, just a bit later, they were turned off by what He would say. He likely seemed to be an enigma to some of the religious leaders, who saw His actions and heard His words, and who agreed with what He would say and do, but then, would be turned off by Him because He showed mercy where they didn't expect, and was found hanging out with people that they didn't approve of. Shoot, He would even go so far as to call them names like white washed tombs and blind guides.
Even His closest followers didn't seem to get along with Him. Fairly often, they seemed to try to disuade Jesus from what He intended to do. Or, when Jesus didn't respond in a way that they thought He should, they wondered what He was doing. More often than not, they actually seemed to compare themselves to each other about who ranked closest to Jesus, rather than pondering how they could grow closer to Him.
In the end, it seems like we tend to think that we would get along with Jesus because we have this tendency to make Jesus to be more like us, and less of a focus on us being more like Him. So, yes, I think we all would have a tremendously difficult time getting along with Jesus. After all, if we realize where we stand before our holy God, who hates sin and consumes it utterly, when we think about Jesus being this same God, our hearts should perhaps tremble a bit.
That's why, ultimately, it's not about how we get along with Jesus. It's about what Jesus has done for us (and yes, I say for us, not to us). Really, we don't get along with Jesus because we are sinful people. And yet, Jesus has restored us to the Father, along with all others who are fallen in sin and who cling to what He has done for us. Thanks be to God that it's not about how we get along with Jesus, but in what He has done for us.
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