Today’s passage is Luke 7:18-35. John sends two of his disciples to ask if Jesus is the Christ. Jesus says to report to John what he has done. Jesus says that John is a great prophet but the least person in the kingdom of God is greater than John. The Pharisees and law experts don’t agree with John or Jesus.
Jesus says that they’re just like market children without any guiding principles.
Why didn’t John the Baptist go to Jesus himself to confirm his identity?
What is wisdom?
The only person who knows what’s going on in today’s passage is Jesus.
The great John the Baptist, who leaped in his mother’s womb when pregnant Mary came near and who saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus at his baptism, suddenly doesn’t recognize who Jesus is, healing, raising the dead, and preaching the good news? I find that hard to believe.
Is John so caught up in his status that he actually doesn’t want to recognize the one he was sent by God to announce and prepare the way for? Is he really uncertain or is he questioning God’s purpose for himself?
Because the Pharisees reject both John and Jesus, they reject God’s purpose for themselves, behaving like fickle little children wanting everyone to follow their song of the moment.
How do I reject God’s purpose for myself?
I used to think that finding my purpose was a hard question. It was hard because I was only looking at myself, like the Pharisees.
And, of course, I only wanted the best for myself on the one hand while on the other hand I was full of uncertainty and fear.
I never asked what God’s purpose for me was because secretly I didn’t want to know on the one hand while on the other I knew quite well what my purpose was as outlined in the Bible.
Basically, my purpose is to live my life in accordance with what God revealed in his word: Love God, love others as myself, and repent of my sins.
All of the other rules seem to fall under those three broad categories.
Where I’ve gone wrong for most of my life has been in my career.
I wanted one that pleased me and stroked my pride.
I didn’t see that the job doesn’t matter.
It’s how I do it and how I approach it that matters.
They’re all God’s jobs.
And my job is simply another part of my overall circumstance.
If I trust God, he will lead me to the job that my abilities fit.
As I grow up, I should be noticing what keeps on happening around me, what I seem to be doing repeatedly.
Even in the midst of extremely suffering circumstances, there’s something I’m doing that is God’s purpose for me. The Apostle Paul is a great example of that.
For me, I was forever being made a little captain by others. I hated it.
To try and get out of being the captain, I started encouraging others to be leaders, to take on tasks instead of making me do them all.
I was a gang leader for a few years in my youth.
When my parents were going through their marriage break-up and divorce, I became the one who not only heard both sides, but I was expected to make decisions for my parents!
When I worked construction jobs, I was always made a chief of something within a week.
But I didn’t pay attention to my circumstances, and I didn’t pray for God’s purpose.
After my life broke because of my sins, God raised me up and#8212;once again!#8212;made me a little captain of things: first a program director of an ESL school, then the leader of a new publishing project, then a school principal.
At every step of the way I wanted to reject God’s purpose in my life.
Only now, working at a hard job and seeing myself as an ineffective boss, a dishonoring son, an unloving husband and pestering father am I finally coming to terms with God’s purpose in my life and praising the Lord, thanking him every day for my circumstances, and repenting of my manifold sins and wickedness.
The job’s not important. It’s salvation training.
Application: to praise God for the work I have to do this summer in my school and to swallow my mouthful of complaints.
Lord, help me see the wisdom of your choices in my life and give you heartfelt thanks.
