Jesus

Luke 22:67-69 (They said to Jesus) “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”

Has anyone ever told you something that you simply couldn’t believe? I’m not referring to any sales pitch or time-share scam. I’m just talking about your regular friends sharing something with you that is just too hard to believe. Maybe they tell you something about their past or something that’s going on in their lives right now and you just can’t believe it. Perhaps the problem is not with their story, but with our preconceived notions, our made up images about the person. Or even more, it’s about our denial of the reality of their lives. We just don’t want them to be who they are, but who we want them to be.

The Pharisees and the scribes, the religious know-it-alls of the time, wanted the Christ to be something in particular. They had good reason. They had studied the scriptures and had a detailed description all laid out. Plus, they had in their minds what they wanted this Christ, this savior, to do. So when Jesus shows up, he doesn’t fit their mold. This Christ is not the Christ they were expecting. When he reveals who he is through his words and actions, it doesn’t flow with their preconceived notions and thus, he must be a lunatic. Their interrogation of him is pointless because it can’t possibly give them the answers they are looking for.

“Tell us,” they say. But Jesus knows better. He has studied humanity from the very beginning. He knows that his words don’t mean a thing to them because they’ve already closed their minds to him. “Even if I tell you plainly, you won’t believe me.” What’s the point?

Why do we do it? What’s the point of us talking about Jesus or sharing his message with people who have essentially closed their minds to the Gospel? For the most part, I can’t begin to answer these questions. But one thing I do know is that sometimes there is a chink in the armor of those hard-hearted people. You just don’t know when even one word of the Gospel can penetrate their defenses. When the words of Jesus enter the ears, the Holy Spirit does wonders. And that’s not up to us.

Jesus’ death on the cross was as much for the Pharisees as it was for you and me. It was as much a sacrifice for the atheists as it was for evangelicals. Some have realized it sooner and it is their privilege to share the Gospel, to speak those words of forgiveness, to serve others in humility, to show them with words and actions who Jesus is.

Heavenly Father, words often seem to fall on deaf ears. Keep us steadfast in our faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we may continue to share the Gospel of your Son Jesus with those around us. In Jesus’ name, amen.