"As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.’” Matthew 11:7-9
The question Jesus asks here is very poignant to us today, but first we must understand the context of this verse in order to see its application. Jesus is speaking regarding the ministry of John the Baptist, asking the multitudes WHAT they went out to see? What were they looking for? What were they trying to get out of seeing and hearing this man?
The impression left by Jesus here is that unless they went out seeking the right things, they would completely miss what the point of his ministry.
In our efforts this year to see Jesus more clearly, I'm reminded of this passage, specifically in thinking about WHY we come to Church. What did you come to Church for? Was it to hear a message about how God is favoring a particular nation? "For God does not show favoritism." (Romans 2:11)
What did you come here for?
The point and focus of all our gatherings must be Jesus and what He has done on the cross. If our preaching and teaching is not rooted in that, we're missing the forest for the trees. If our preaching and teaching has to do with America instead of Jesus, we've gone off track.
If we forget that Jesus was not only the son of God, but also the itinerant Jewish preacher who stood with the marginalized and oppressed in society (even those that did not align with the accepted religious beliefs of the day), we've missed the point.
Actually, that's something about the story of the Good Samaritan that has been so enlightening to me over the last few months. Here, we see the people who were members of the in-groups (the Priest and the Levite) walk by and ignore the man who was robbed and beaten to go about their business. The one that Jesus actually holds up to us as an example for us to follow was the outcast in Jewish society, whose religious beliefs didn't line up with Judaism in its entirety. Jesus tells us that this member of the religious out-group, not the priest or the Levite, is who we would should emulate when it comes to how we treat those around us.
We've focused so much on the Son of God that we've neglected the fact that He refers to Himself as the Son of Man.
We've spent so much of our time trying to set things right in the government so the Church can take over that we've neglected loving our neighbor. Only one of those things was actually commanded to us in the Scripture.
It's time for us to make a change. It's time for us to take a stand for truth, justice, and righteousness, and I'm not talking about in the government or society, I'm talking about in the Church. It's time for us to get back to the business of loving our neighbor. It's time for us to get back to being the hands and feet of Jesus to a lost and dying world. It's time for us to be less concerned with our rights and more concerned with how we can serve other people. It's time for us to be less concerned with ensuring the "correct" party is in power and more concerned with ensuring that all our neighbors are treated with the same love and compassion we desire to be shown.
When we truly start loving those around us at the EXPENSE of our ourselves, that is when we'll finally be the change that we want to see in the world.
What did you come here for?
By Grace,
Dave