When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had arrived, they came and started to argue with him. Testing him, they demanded that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority.
When he heard this, he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why do these people keep demanding a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, I will not give this generation any such sign.” So he got back into the boat and left them, and he crossed to the other side of the lake.
Litmus Test Faith
I have come to be wary of people who accept me solely on the basis of one statement I make or one sermon they hear. Often these people are very vocal in their support and it is tempting to gravitate towards them. They pick you up and make you feel good. The end result of growing close to these people is always disappointment, for sooner or later, they will discover something they disagree with you on and then they cannot criticize you enough.
People like this are very rigid in their thinking and make others who disagree with them feel inferior or irrelevant. Unfortunately you can find these people in the church as well: people who have a litmus test for Christianity. Are you opposed to gay rights? What is your stance on abortion? How do feel about women in the workplace? What version of the Bible do you use? Can a Catholic be saved? What about the use of alcohol? The list could go on and on.
I think Christians who construct such rigid criteria for others miss the point. Certainly, the Bible gives us insight in the issues we face in the church and society, but often our fanaticism moves far beyond the confines of Scripture. This type of behavior is how the Pharisees lived. They wanted Jesus to prove he fit the criteria for being the Messiah based on their approved list of messianic musts. Jesus will have nothing to do with our boxed set of proofs. In fact, he is so frustrated by this narrow understanding of faith he cannot even stay there. He leaves as soon as he arrives.
I understand. It is hard to stay in a place where people are trying to squeeze you into their “pastoral” mold. There are enough pressures without others defining who you are. For me it is reassuring to see Jesus refusing to let others define his work or his identity.
Jesus, I am so often tempted to let others define me, to try and please them by meeting their expectations. I want you to define my life and to set the parameters of my ministry and identity. - Dan Jones
Prove It!
High School geometry demanded I prove theorems. Government class helped me experience the judicial branch by giving me courtroom exposure and the importance of legal proofs through testimony and cross examination. Science class asked me to prove hypotheses by conducting replicable experiments. I received a solid 1970’s public school education in Richmond, Indiana.
But proofs don’t do much good in life’s spiritual arena. Experience makes all the difference. Sure, my examination of the historical evidence has sufficiently demonstrated the reliability of New Testament testimony to Jesus. For example, I think there is enough legal proof to convince any open minded jury that Jesus returned bodily from the dead.
But Jesus isn’t so much interested in proving his claims by turning himself in a science lab beaker, replicating miracle after miracle. Fact is, he could never provide enough miraculous demonstrations to satisfy those who do not want to believe.
Instead, Jesus demonstrates the reality of his claims by inviting people to test them through personal experience with himself. King David reflected the evidential power of personal experience when he put his life in God’s hands in times of great peril. Reflecting on one of those times he wrote, “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” (Psalm 34)
Becoming personally acquainted with Jesus as leader and friend provides the kind of evidence Jesus is willing to give. Demand only some impersonal proof, and, in all probability, Jesus will climb in a boat and sail away, leaving us to our own self-satisfied, but lacking any authentic experience, conclusion, “See, he really isn’t anything special!”
Jesus, I’ve trusted, and tested, and tried you, and have found you true – not an easy truth, but fully and authentically true. I accept you as my spiritual Leader again today. - Mike Leamon
No comments:
Post a Comment