John 2:18-24

John 2:18-24 Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

Luke 6:32-36 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Jesus would not entrust himself to men. He was not going to be their revolutionary leader for their causes. He discerned what lies in the hearts of mankind: their lack of dedication, allegiance, obedience, even zeal to the things of God. From Adam and Eve's questioning of God's commands in the Garden to our modern-age rejection of the Lordship of Jesus, man has broken covenants, failed to keep promises, and fallen into deception and hypocrisy: my will, not yours, God. Yes, people are religious: outwardly they make a pretense of serving God and others while inwardly serving themselves, even doing good deeds that call attention to themselves. But does an unregenerate man or woman love as God loves, give as He gave? No! Our highly developed sense of self leads us to do our own will, to preserve our kingdoms. Such a mindset does not include loving our enemies and praying for those who falsely accuse us. Selfishness does not lead to preferring and serving others above ourselves. Self-preservation does not lead to following Jesus where He leads, even all the way to the cross.

Christ's closest followers, those who walked with him in the Way, could envision such a life of dying to self and living for God. Matthew chapter 26 recounts the events leading up to the cross. One minute Peter declares:

“Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

Moments later he angrily cries out, "I don’t know the man." Even Peter, the strongest of Christ's small band of adherents, could not stay true to the end. They expected a Messiah who would be an earthly king, not one who would be despised, beaten, and rejected. Jesus knew people followed him for the miracles: the loaves and fishes, the miracles of healing and restoration. He also knew when the signs and wonders faded into the background and the cross loomed straight ahead, these same men and women would turn away, just as the rich young man walked away when Jesus demanded his all. Jesus knew, yet He willingly went to Golgotha to pay the price that whosoever believed in him might have eternal life and a purpose for living.

As we sit at this breakfast table, are we a little or even a whole lot like the followers Jesus could not trust to the end? We might not want to admit the similarities between us and those who fled, but Jesus could say to us, "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say." The born again in Christ must acknowledge him as Lord. Following hard after him is not arbitrary decisions based on our situation or how we feel on a particular day. Serving Jesus wholeheartedly remains an absolute calling. The Spirit continually asks: Do you love your enemies and pray for them? Do you do good to those who hate you? Do you bless those who curse you? Do you offer the other cheek to those who strike you? Do you give to those who ask for your coat and offer your shirt as well? Do you share your wealth without expecting a return? Jesus said,

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Most people, including me, have a difficult time obeying our Lord all of the time, in every situation. Although we fail him often, He remains our Savior; yet He calls us to commitment, to serving him and others in season and out, when obedience is convenient and when it is not. Jesus does not condemn us, but He knows our hearts.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

Jesus knows,

for he knew what was in a man. Because He knows us and paid the price to redeem us from the pit, we must not give up in defeat or wander away. We can arise and praise our Lord for the Light of the world has shined in our hearts: He is our hope, our joy, our salvation, and He makes us children of the Most High, in his image.

Jesus said,

“A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign!" Yet he offered

only one miraculous sign of their hope for redemption:

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Our hope for eternal life and freedom from sin is not found in wonderful answers to prayers or the next revival. We who are in the body of Christ are natural covenant breakers, but Jesus Christ IS NOT. He has made us right before the Father because of his sacrifice, his blood. His resurrection made us whole. HE ALWAYS DID AND DOES THE FATHER'S WILL! We who are prone to falling into fleshly behaviors are acceptable to God NOW through Christ's grace and mercy, HIS PERFECTION, not ours. We should not glory in our weakness but rather pursue righteousness, trusting in his sufficiency and power in us. People should see his light in us and know that because He lives, we live also. PRAISE GOD there is no condemnation to those who love the Lord whose lives are hidden with Christ in God. The flesh will pass away, but those who are in Christ, abiding in the favor of the Lord, will live forevermore. What joy, what wondrous joy! Love Dad (Cliff)