Would you leave when his plan confused you?

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. (Luke 24:9-11 NIV)

Jesus was dead.  They saw it with their own eyes.  Their own eyewitness accounts recalled the soldier thrusting the spear into his side.  Blood and water flowed out.  There was no more lifeblood left in him.  He was dead.  They watched as they took him down from the cross.  They watched him being laid in the tomb.  They watched the stone being rolled in front.  Jesus was dead.

He wasn't the only one dead.  Their hopes were dead.  Their dreams were dead.  The plans that they thought were God's plans were dead.  None of it made any sense.  He was dead.  He was supposed to lead the revolt against the existing authorities.  He was supposed to rule as King and bring peace to all the earth.  But instead...he, and any hope that he was the one, was dead.

That's why the women's words sounded like nonsense.  They didn't make sense because they didn't match the picture, their picture, of what God was doing.  They had left.  His plan wasn't their plan.  His plan didn't make sense.  His plan confused them...so they left.

The thing is...they didn't need to be confused.  His plan could have made sense if they had simply listened to what he had told them:

• From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. (Matthew 16:21 NIV)
• But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands." (Matthew 17:12 NIV)
• "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"  (Matthew 20:18-19 NIV)
• When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, "As you know, the Passover is two days away--and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified." (Matthew 26:1-2 NIV)
• I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." (Matthew 26:29 NIV)

I've had too many times in my life when I've tried to understand God's specific plan for my life and, as a result, I stop paying attention to His bigger picture - the plan He already explained to me through the pages of Scripture.  I wonder just how much easier it would have been for the disciples had they listened to what Jesus told them rather than worry about the "reality" they thought they were facing.  They could have excitedly anticipated his resurrection rather than considering it "nonsense."

The older I get, the more I rest in what He has revealed to us and the less I worry about what He hasn't revealed.  I'm trusting more and more each day that He knows what's most important for me to know and He shared it.  This is why I read Scripture every day.  I don't want to be confused by His plans.  Worse than that, I don't want to "leave" because of confusion.  I want to listen to what He has said and trust in Him.

How about you?  Would you leave when his plan confused you?

Would you have left him before he died?

"Good Friday" has always been a special day for me.  I'm not exactly why.  I have a big "birthday party" for him, along with everyone else at Christmas.  I celebrate the resurrection and victory of my Lord and King on Easter.  Friday, though...Friday just has a different feel to it.

I'm currently sitting in the cafe area of the Life Bridge building here in Valpo.  Soft instrumental worship music is playing in the background.  The worship center is set up with different prayer stations to allow people a time and place to reflect on the significance of this day.  Our God...Our Lord...Our Savior...died.  Maybe that's why I like today.  It's the one day a year that I come closest, "together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp[ing] how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ..." (Ephesians 3:18 NIV)

I also think about what I do in return.  How well am I listening?  How am I talking?  How am I living?  In other words, "How is my walk with Him?"

This year, the stories surrounding His death have me thinking quite a bit about his followers.  They all left him, but at different moments in the progression of events.

Judas left during the meal to set his plan in motion - betraying Jesus. (Matthew 26:20-25)

Peter, James, & John "left" in the garden of Gethsemane - sleeping by Jesus. (Matthew 26: 36-46)

All the disciples left when he was arrested - deserting Jesus. (Matthew 26: 51-56)

Peter left in the courtyard while the trial went on - denying Jesus. (Matthew 26:69)

The crowd left when they asked for Barabbas to be set free - condemning Jesus. (Matthew 27: 15-25)

The Roman soldiers "left" when they drove spikes through his hands and feet - crucifying Jesus. (Matthew 27:28-36)

The rebel crucified next to him "left" when he hurled insults at him - cursing Jesus. (Matthew 27:38-44)

I don't need to guess whether or not I would have stayed with him to the end.  I've already fallen short.  I don't like to think about the number of times I've fallen asleep, deserted, denied, cursed, betrayed, and condemned Jesus...but I have.  I've left him in these ways at different times and places in my life.  And when I have, I deserved death.  But instead, he died for me.  Every sin I've ever done was heaped upon him that day.  I crucified Jesus...

In the end, after he died, there was a small group of people remaining who had not left him.

Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's sons. As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.  (Matthew 27:55-61 NIV)

What about you?  Would you have left him before he died?

Would you leave when the teaching got tough?

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."  (John 6:25-27 NIV)

On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?  (John 6:60-61 NIV)

Pastors, preachers, and teachers are always making choices.  They have so much about God that they've learned from their schooling, studies and Scripture.  Whey they teach, they have to choose what part(s) to share from what they've learned.  All of it is truth, so what part of the truth do you share today?

To make things more complex, we regularly "tell" the teacher what we want to hear and what we don't want to hear.  Sometimes we are bold enough to tell the teacher to his or her face, but usually we simply "vote" with our eye-contact, wallets, or, more simply, our attendance.  We don't like what they say.  We simply don't show up.

You may think this isn't true, but it's hard to argue with numbers.  Preachers know they can pack the house with a sermon entitled, "Great Sex."  On the other hand, a sermon on the same topic entitled "Sexual Immorality: It's time to stop it!" will leave seats empty and have only crickets singing.

I've spoken with enough preachers/teachers over the years to know that they recognize this dilemma: Teach the topics they want in the way they want so they show up, or teach them what they need to hear...knowing that many of the people who need to hear it simply won't show up.  How do we get the truth into the hands of those who need it most?

Jesus faced the same dilemma.  From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.  (John 6:66 NIV)  He recognized that crowds really gathered over things like healing miracles and feeding of thousands.  They weren't really hanging out with him to hear the "convicting sermon."  They even voted against him in the same way.  When the teaching got tough, the not-so-tough left him.  Not only did they leave, but they "no longer followed him."  They weren't going to church services anymore.  They didn't want to hear about him and his "crazy ideas."  They were done.

How about you?  Would you leave when the teaching got tough? Would you walk out even if the teacher was Jesus himself?

Would you leave when the day gets long?

Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way."  (Matthew 15:30-32 NIV)

Last night I enjoyed some time with a "small group" (or whatever we're supposed to call them these days) that met up at the church building.  It used to meet at my house, but when we started topping 20 people in attendance regularly...the church building became the logical alternative.

It was a "normal" night last night.  Over 20 of us were there.  We ate dinner together (so people could come straight from work).  The adults moved to another room to study Scripture together, while the children hung out together.  People worked together at their tables, presented their findings to the rest of the group, prayed for one another, then packed up to leave.

But...we didn't really want to leave.

We found ourselves doing things like cleaning dishes, packing up things while continuing our conversations about what God was doing in our lives and the lives of those around us.  We finished cleaning and packing, but we didn't finish talking.  Five of us stayed around for quite awhile, not sensing that we should really go home yet.  God was still at work.  Bloodshot eyes and tired yawns didn't seem to stop everyone from wanting to stay...so we stayed.

Finally, over an hour later, I started to shepherd us toward the door.  It was time to leave.  We picked up our stuff, still talking, and headed for the parking lot.  The conversations, however, didn't stop.  We hugged, said goodbye, and headed for our cars.  Two of our cars were parked next to one another, so three of us continued our conversations for a while longer.  Finally, we succumbed to the cool night air and moved to our warm vehicles.  God was still at work.

All too often, especially in "civilized" society, we allow our lives to be driven by the schedules and demands of the almighty clock.  When do we allow our schedules to be driven by our Almighty God.  God is at work.  How much more would he be at work if we simply allowed Him to lead?

People stayed with Jesus for three days in a row to the point that they had no food to eat.  They didn't leave.  God was at work.  And because they stuck around...they would see God at work again.  Four thousand men, plus women and children were fed through another amazing miracle.  Had they left, they would have missed it.

How about you?  Would you leave when the day gets long?  Or would you stay and see God at work?

Would you leave when he first calls?

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. (Matthew 9:9 NIV)

I don't know if you're as amazed as I am, but these stories always blow me away.  Jesus asked people like Peter, Andrew, and, here, Matthew to come follow him.  They didn't hesitate.  They didn't ask questions.  They didn't argue with him.  They just went.  They just got up and followed him!

I think of all the ways I've been invited to follow Jesus - Christian concerts, church events, weekend services, small groups, and even opportunities to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, or house the homeless.  My response hasn't always been the most enthusiastic.  Early on in my walk, I would ask questions, look for excuses, and share my "reason" for not being "able" to participate "at this time."  Matthew didn't do any of these things.  No questions.  No calendar checking.  No excuses.  He just went.

My reactions weren't like Matthew or the others.  No, my reactions make me think of another person Jesus called...

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments." "Which ones?" he inquired. Jesus replied, "'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'" "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Matthew 19:16-22 NIV)

I don't want to be a person who walks away when Jesus calls me to follow him.  I don't want to be a person who quits before things even get started.  I want to be like Matthew...a man who gets up and follows Him.

How about you?

Would you leave when he first called?

When would you leave?

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. (Matthew 4:23-25 NIV)

People are curious about crowds.  

A car accident on the side of the road will grind traffic to a halt so everyone can look.

Crowds.

A sporting event will fill the stadium, especially for the final game of the season.

Crowds.

A music concert will draw people from all over, sometimes for days at a time.

Crowds.

A church with the right music, programs, and preacher can draw a large audience.

Crowds

Jesus drew crowds.  His preaching was awesome.  He healed better than any doctor.  He changed weather patterns, water to wine, and would scare the demons right out of you.  The result? 

Crowds.

The thing is, while people are curious about crowds, crowds are enamored by flash and excitement.  Crowds are also fickle.  As soon as the excitement dies down, they aren't interested anymore.  They may talk about the incident for awhile, but eventually the crowds disperse.  They all leave.

While it's easy to look at the times in Jesus' life when he drew large crowds...and there were plenty of them.  This week, we're going to look at the times when they left.    Jesus told us, "...I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20b NASB)  When he said this, though, he was speaking to a group of people who had abandoned him in his greatest time of need.  In fact, everyone in his day left Jesus.  Not one of them stayed faithful to him all the way through his ministry.

What about you?

We're going to look at examples of people leaving Jesus throughout the years of his life and ministry.  As we do, ask yourself the question: "Would I leave?"  Take the time this week to seriously examine your walk together with God.  Would you leave?  Have you left?  Will you come back to him?