Jesus came to make reconciliation between God and humanity possible. The bridge illustration gives us a picture of what Christ accomplished through his death on the cross. Jesus spans the immense gap that separates us from a holy God. Through faith and repentance we connect with God. In this act of faith we acknowledge our failures. Repentance means we leave behind all that we know is wrong and inappropriate. Our new connection with God brings forgiveness, inner peace, and eternal life. We cross over from death to life.
Many of you have crossed over from death to life. You’ve stopped hiding and openly admitted you needed help. As a result you repented of your sin and asked God for forgiveness. When that truly takes place in your life a “burden rolls away.” As Ed Kennedy approached death, he told me of that day in his own life when his burden of sin rolled away. There were tears; there was joy. Then he added, “I don’t know how people can live without the experience of having the burden of sin rolled away.” It is a good question and can only come from a person who has experienced God’s forgiveness. Once a person is conscious of the forgiveness of sin, life is different. There is a qualitative difference. It is the difference between night and day.
If you have not crossed over from death to life, today is the day to do so. All it takes is personal honesty. I say “all it takes” lightly. Personal honesty is extremely difficult. Personal honesty means becoming vulnerable, admitting the truth about who we really are. We don’t soften the truth by excuses, finger pointing, and the lies of a reconstructed personal history that leaves us looking like an angel. The willingness to be honest before God and others through the grace of God becomes liberating, life giving, and a burden truly does roll away. We become a new creation in Christ. There is peace and joy. A new life begins.
In the passage we are looking at today, we will discover that our new life demands a reorientation. Life does not continue as normal. Jesus begins to define the new normal.
Jesus has just chosen 12 disciples from a large group of followers after spending a night alone in prayer. His goal is to build a team of people who would continue his work. These 12 would become the core who would give leadership to the newly formed Church after his death and resurrection. To prepare these disciples, Jesus would instruct, model and provide opportunities for ministry. Jesus brings his disciples down to the plain where he begins to minister to the crowd waiting for him.
As Jesus stands among the people, astounding power was coming from him. Everyone he touched or touched him was healed. As I read that passage I experienced an inner longing to know the power of Christ at work through me to bring healing to the sick. I thought about Carol. I prayed for Carol, but the healing I desired for her did not take place. All kinds of questions come to mind. But the reality is, not everyone Christians pray for experiences healing. Although there are amazing stories of modern day healings, there are just as many stories–even by those who claim the gift of healing—of people who were not healed.
It is important to realize, as well, that although Jesus never failed to heal a person who came to him, there were many people he chose not heal. In Capernaum, Simon was ready to organize a full-fledged healing ministry for Jesus. The people were already lined up waiting for Jesus to come. But Jesus’ words to Simon were “No, I have other places to go.” And Jesus moved on.
Jesus refusal to turn his time on earth into a full time healing ministry is understood in the light of eternity. Everyone Jesus healed eventually died. Jesus came to make an eternal difference in lives of people. Present healings are a bonus and a sign of the Kingdom of God at work in our world. But everyone who dies in Christ will experience full healing for eternity. Cancer, faulty heart valves, clogged veins, and diseased organs will be no more. As Paul puts it, we will have a new body without sickness or weakness. It will be an eternal resurrection body.
I am sure that as the newly chosen disciples watched Jesus there were all sorts of ambitious schemes going through their minds. Over and over again as we read through the Gospels we see the disciples thinking about the present advantages of being a follower of Jesus. They imagined spiritual power, worldly power, wealth, fame, and influence.
Stop and think about it for a moment. Do you know how rich Jesus could have become as a miracle worker? How influential? How powerful? The disciples are not stupid. They understand the potential. Because they understood the potential, they wanted a piece of the action. Not only did they want to use the power of Jesus for their own advantage, they wanted to be more influential than the other disciples. Each wanted to edge the other one out so he could have the position of greatness next to Jesus.
The problem did not stop with the disciples. Paul warns Timothy about those who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. Occasionally I will watch Vision TV. I am distressed by those who market the promise of miracles and wealth and prosperity as a way of soliciting funds for their ministries.
Jesus understood the temptation for his followers. He faced the same temptation in the wilderness when Satan promised him wealth and power (See Matthew 4). It was an ongoing temptation in his ministry.
Jesus addresses the problem in Luke 6: 20. He speaks extreme words. Remember: It is Jesus who is saying these words. It is his goal is to develop a team of people who will bring change to a broken world. You can’t be a world changer if you think like the world or have the same values as the world. To be a world changer you have to be different. Change agents are not people who sound like everyone else, live like everyone else or have the same values as everyone else.
Let’s become aware of the setting for a moment. There is a huge crowd surrounding Jesus. If the people were anything like you and me, the excitement in the crowd was rising to a feverish pitch. Can you imagine being in the crowd, seeing miracle after miracle? Can you hear the shouts of praise? The loud whispers of explanation passed from one person to the next? The swarming as those who are in need try to get close to Jesus?
Now read Luke 6:20-26. Jesus brings the excited crowd down. The miracles stop. He goes into teaching mode. He looks at his disciples and speaks words that must have blown them away, confused them and left them extremely disturbed.
"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.”,/em>
"But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.”
What are we to do with this passage of scripture? Are we supposed to take these words seriously? What would it mean for us if we did?
I don’t have the final word on understanding what is taking place but let me suggest some starting points.
The first thing to realize is that Jesus is turning the world’s value system upside down. When viewed from the perspective of eternity, Life is not about wealth or enough food to eat, an evening of entertainment or popularity and fame. In fact, he warns his disciples, “Woe to you who are rich, who are well fed, who make entertainment your goal, who love popularity and acceptance . . . Woe . . . woe . . .woe . . .
But why would Jesus be so counter culture? Why would he attack what many consider a normal way of understanding life?
The reason relates to mission. Jesus came to save the world. He came to make it possible for men and women to enter into a right relationship with God. He wants his disciples to continue making known the salvation he made possible through his death on the cross. What were his final words to his disciples? “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
When we lose sight of our purpose or mission as followers of Jesus and become content with wealth, food, happiness and popularity, we have lost our way. Our orientation is wrong. We are using our energy and resources for the here and now. We have lost sight of the important. These verses challenge us to examine our preoccupations. What are the things that get us down, worry us, and cause us to fret? Do they relate to money, food, shelter, and image? Or do we want to know God and make him known more than anything else?
If you feel convicted, if you know you are falling short of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, it means you are listening. You are taking Jesus words seriously. You are allowing his word to probe your lifestyle. I certainly find the passage disturbing. So where do we go from here?
Let me suggest a way to start. Next Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Lent is a time for self-examination, a time to say “no” to self and through saying “no” to say a bigger “yes” to God.
During Lent, let me give you specific challenges to think about.
What is the cure to self-centred approach to wealth and possessions? There is only one antidote: giving. Giving by its very nature is a “no” to self and a “yes” to God and others. If extra money comes your way, look for away to give it away rather than spending the extra on yourself.
During lent choose to go hungry for one day a week or deprive yourself of sweets or coffee or chocolate. Use the discomfort as a time to pray and seek satisfaction from God.
Are there some people in your life for whom you are concerned? Take time for extra prayer, to cry out to the Lord for them.
Are there times when fear of what others might think causes you to be quiet, times when you know you should speak up but don’t? During this Lenten season choose to speak up. Be willing to be laughed at or mocked or even shunned because you were willing to stand for what you know is right and true.
Over the next week look at the material that we are making available. Talk to God. Listen to what he is saying. In the power of His spirit, obey. By so doing, you will allow him to develop you into the kind of team member that can be a world changer. In your life, you will experience his blessings rather than his woes.