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All (of Jesus) Or Nothin'
Brian Mashburn
March 15, 2009
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I Understand - That's The Problem
It was cold this morning. But my son Jakin doesn't like to wear a jacket to school. I handed him one, and he said he didn't want it. I showed him another, and he didn't want either. I gave him one of his brother's, but still no. I was getting frustrated.
"Son, what is it you don't understand? You have to wear a jacket," I exclaimed.
To which he replied, "I understand. That's the problem. I don't want a jacket." Turns out, understanding the requirement wasn't hard for him. Applying it was. He has actually said, sometimes through tears, "I wish you weren't saying those words to me, dad!"
Jesus has quite a few teachings that get the same reaction out of us, huh? Teachings that we just wish he didn't say.
"Do not worry about your life."
"In this world, you will have trouble."
"Unless you change you will never enter the kingdom."
"Do not resist an evil person."
"You cannot be my disciple unless you are nothing else."
These are easy-to-understand,. But they are so difficult-to-apply that many of us have become quite skilled at spinning these simple concepts so that they do not mean what they obviously do mean.
In our new teaching series entitled Things I Wish Jesus Didn't Say, we will look at some of the simple-but-hard teachings of Jesus.
If Jakin submits to my will and wears his jacket, he will keep warm today. If not, he will be cold, and sorry later. In the same way, Jesus attaches some profound consequences to his teachings. There are no shortcuts, and there is no escaping them. Perhaps this is why Jesus said the tough words that we will begin with today.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven." (Mt 7:21)
Let those of us who call Jesus, "Lord, Lord" stop and consider, with courage and self-examination, if we really follow him and his words...no matter how much we wish he didn't say them.