Paul was a great Jew. He was a Pharisee, trained under Gamaliel, and knew the holy scriptures. But until the road to Damascus he’d missed the point. When Jesus called to him, “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?” he asked, “Who are you Lord?”
In spite of all of his studying and keeping the law, he didn’t even recognize that Jesus was the God he was worshiping.
This past month here in Africa, I’ve been feeling just as lost as Paul. I’m a pretty good Christian by American standards. I go to church, I give my tithe, I treat others kindly, blah, blah, blah. I can tell you that Jesus is the son of God and died for my sins and has forgiven me because I ask for his forgiveness. He’s the way the truth and the light, and no man comes to the father, but through him.
Yet now that I’m here, out of my element, I feel as though there is a Jesus that I never knew. A Jesus that is too big to fit into my tiny American box.
My ideas of him are challenged and I find myself asking on a daily basis, “Who are you Lord?”
Like Paul, I don’t even recognize Him anymore.
He’s not the Jesus who spends his day looking for more and more ways to make me comfortable/happy/rich/popular. He’s not the gentle rock star Jesus, nor the Jesus who sits waiting with a goodie bag to reward me when I behave. He’s not the Jesus that gives me 10 points on the days I go to church and 10 bonus points if I count the offering. He’s not the Jesus who offers grace and mercy to the people I like, and judgment to the people who really tick me off. He’s not my personal assistant Jesus, or my “wait-here-until-I-make–time-to-spend-with-you-Jesus” Jesus.
No.
He is the homeless Jesus.
He is the Jesus amongst the lepers.
He is the Jesus walking all the way through town to reach one outcast.
He is the loving-through-suffering Jesus.
He is the disgusted by the injustice, Jesus.
He is the Jesus seeking the lost sheep. And seeking. And seeking. And seeking.
He is the preaching through exhaustion Jesus.
He is the storm calming Jesus.
He is the calling for righteousness Jesus.
He is the follow-me Jesus…
Today I’m asking again, “Who are you Lord?”…
2 comments:
Glad for this...I'm finding that my definition of God is changing too...and for the better, deeper, not as easier...but GOOD
Girl that is some kindof good. I need to copy paste that and put it somewhere I can look at it daily!!
Good luck out there and my prayer for you is that you find more and more of this multi-everything Jesus everyday you are out there.
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