Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

Nerves jangling, he faced the representatives of the people. Judges. Officers. Elders. Men he knew. Had known for years. Their acquaintance didn’t change the facts. He was new to the leadership role. And he wasn’t Moses. He wasn’t the one who had been with them, leading them, praying over them, guiding them, since their deliverance from Egypt. He was not the one who endlessly put up with their complaining, shenanigans, and ridiculousness. That was Moses. Their first leader. He was gone now. Dead. Buried high on a mountain in a grave known only to God. They mourned his loss. Deeply. For thirty days they had quietly worked through one day at a time, absorbing the bereavement, preparing themselves for life without Moses. Now God had spoken. It was time to get up, get going, move along. The people of Israel couldn’t stay in the plains of Moab forever. God had better things for them. A better place for them to build their lives. A plan that required courage and obedience under new leadership. Joshua’s leadership. He would become their new Moses. (Deuteronomy 34)

The change in leadership wasn’t a surprise. Moses had prepared them for it. Publicly, he had laid his hands on Joshua and prayed over him, commissioning him to lead God’s people. Promising that just as God was with Moses, He would also be with Joshua. The people believed him. In that solemn moment, they vowed to follow and obey him at every turn. Yet even as their fervent promises rang out, the scrolls of history teemed with moments they had failed to obey. God. Moses. Their track record wasn’t stellar. They were stiff-necked and hard-hearted. Joshua knew that. He knew better than to get his hopes up about the people, but he knew one thing about himself for certain. No matter what the people chose to do, he would always choose to obey God. In everything. Every commandment. Every rule. Every order. Every suggestion. Joshua solemnly vowed in his heart to obey God. Always. Because he knew that if he was obedient, God would be faithful. God would give him courage and strength, wisdom and success, as long as nothing came between his soul and his God. (Joshua 1:8, 24:15; Numbers 27:18-23; Deuteronomy 31:27)

Woven into God’s first directive to Joshua was this promise specifically for him. God would be with him. He would lead him, help him. He would make Joshua successful. Joshua could depend on that promise. As long as he obeyed every single command God gave him, followed God completely, didn’t get distracted by the alleged fears or fun around him, but focused solely on knowing and obeying the laws of God, Joshua would find success in leading the people to attain the promised land. God would never leave him, no matter where he was or what his circumstances turned out to be. He would be blessed, prosperous, and successful if he obeyed every command of God, including the words, “Be courageous.” (Joshua 1:1-9)

It might have been the most difficult command Joshua ever encountered. He knew the people he led. They weren’t known for courage when things became uncomfortable, when water was scarce, or food options were boring. They didn’t have a reputation for courage when enemy armies sported actual warriors instead of wimps. They tended toward cantankerousness and cowardice rather than fortitude and faith when their hopes took too long to be realized. Although they had frequently sworn to obey God, they leaned heavily into disobedience–often–clearly believing the courage required to obey was far too costly, and oddly eschewing the fact that true courage is found in obedience. (Exodus 17:2-3; 19:8; 24:7; Numbers 11:4-6; 13:31-33; 14:1-4)   

Unlike obedience, disobedience was easy. It required nothing of them. It needed only cowardice to succeed. It always does. Disobedience requires no strength, no fortitude, no spine. It never has. Not then. Not now. Blending in with the crowd has no expectation of bravery. Hiding in the shadows requires no valor. Remaining silent in the face of obvious atrocities takes no effort or exertion. It is only when you choose to stand up, stand out, stand for something true and right that courage is required. Choosing to be an example of true holiness, doing the right thing when no one else is, and speaking the unpopular words of godly truth to people who don’t want to hear them are all examples of courageous acts of obedience to God. They are scary. They are difficult. They will not make you popular. But. Obeying God will always bring you courage. Courage to keep walking with Him when things are difficult. Courage to stand strong when the odds seem stacked against you. Courage to choose His commands when no one else does. Because courage isn’t found lurking in the shadows, in the approval of people around you, or strict adherence to self-help constructs. Courage is found only in surrendered obedience to God. (I Chronicles 22:13; I Corinthians 16:13; Exodus 23:2; Proverbs 4:14-15)

Joshua believed that. He believed in obeying God no matter what. It was the reason he found himself courageously standing there, his hands at his sides when they wanted to be twisting in front of him, armed only with the command of God. It was time. They were leaving. Leaving mourning behind and heading out to conquer and inhabit the land God had promised to give them. Within three days, they would be passing over the Jordan River and heading into the promised land. They needed to get ready. Pack up their things. Settle their families. Prepare their minds and hearts for the coming battles. Because there would be battles. This was not going to be easy. Possessing the land was going to take mental fortitude and physical strength. They would need courage to persevere against daunting enemies and disheartening setbacks. Obedience to God would require courage from even the faintest heart. Choosing obedience was the only way to get that courage. (Genesis 12:7; 13:14-17; 15:18-21; 17:8; Deuteronomy 20:16-18) 

Speaking to Joshua before sending him to meet with the group of representatives, God said all of this. In different words. With a promise attached. He was going to keep His word to the people. The one He had sworn to so long ago. The one in which they were going to possess and inhabit a land full of good things. Every place they walked on, they would own. It was already theirs. Nothing would stand against them. Nothing would prohibit them from living there. God would see to it that every part of the land He promised them was theirs. As long as they obeyed God. And part of that obedience was being strong, courageous, fearless, and calm. They could be. If they chose to obey all the laws and commandments given to them, if they lived as close to God as possible, they could take courage from the fact that their obedience would result in His blessing. So can we. (Joshua 1:1-16; Isaiah 1:19-20; Deuteronomy 28:1-2; 31:6; Psalm 118:6-7)

As often as we hear the words of Joshua 1:9, rarely do we hear verse 8. It isn’t as pretty. It doesn’t exude confidence and power. It isn’t as easy to swallow. We don’t love hearing that our courage, strength, and success rest in our complete obedience. We aren’t super excited about being completely surrendered and obedient to anyone. At all. Not even God. Yet our distaste doesn’t make the command less true. It has always been that way. Since the dawn of time. Adam and Eve were presented the opportunity for obedience in the Garden of Eden. They could eat everything. Eat anything. Except for one tree. Leave that one alone. It was the only rule. The repercussions were clear. Disobedience would result in death. Obedience promised life. It wasn’t a difficult concept. It was simply difficult to obey, because the wayward hearts of humanity will always lean toward the path of least resistance, the one that takes little courage, less effort. But the end of that path is always destruction. Ask Achan. (Joshua 1:8-9; Genesis 3)

Having strictly obeyed God’s directions for conquering Jericho, they carried their elation into the battle at Ai. It was a small city, easily dispatched, and Israel sent only a few hundred men in expectation of a quick victory. It was not to be. Three dozen men did not return. Not alive, anyway. None of them returned victorious. They had been beaten back by a tiny town with an untrained army. The defeat was unexplainable. 

Falling to his knees, Joshua cried out to God for insight. He had done everything he was commanded to do. He had followed God’s rules to the letter. He had been faithful and done his best to keep the people faithful. He was unaware of any sin among them. But God wasn’t. God knew what was buried under Achan’s tent. He knew that, in a moment of cowardice, Achan had given in to the temptation to take things from Jericho that didn’t belong to him. When choosing obedience required Achan to have courage, be strong, and leave the spoils alone, he had instead chosen the cowardice of disobedience and stolen a cloak and silver and gold. 

It cost him everything. Cowardice and selfishness cost Achan everything he had. His life. His sons’ lives. His daughters’ lives. His livestock. Everything he had was destroyed because Achan failed to choose obedience. Walking away from that treasure trove might have been the most difficult thing he would ever do, but choosing obedience would have saved his life. It would have given him courage to face the next moment of temptation with greater strength and a stiffer spine. Because courage is found in obedience. (Joshua 7)

The Israelites might have learned this the hard way, but you don’t have to. You can learn from the multitude of accounts in the Bible. Times when people chose the cushy path of disobedience, the comfortable path of fitting in with the people around them, the cowardly path of sitting quietly while evil raged out of control. Times we understand, because we live in the same circumstances. We are constantly tempted to cowardly tread the path of least resistance, adopt purposeful ignorance, choose disobedience. But we aren’t called to that. We are called to courageous obedience. Complete adherence to God’s Word. Total surrender to His will. Absolute acceptance of His divine authority. We are called to walk through this world, live in this world, but not be part of this world. It requires unlimited dedication to God. It demands unending denial of self. It necessitates enormous courage in the face of extraordinary opposition. It brings us to the realization that courage is found in choosing obedience to God. (Romans 12:2; I John 2:15-17; I Corinthians 15:33; Ecclesiastes 12:13)

John understood that truth. Personally. He also knew the reward of obedience. Writing while exiled on Patmos for his refusal to teach anything other than Jesus Christ, his inspired letters to the churches tell us of the promised land that awaits those who today find the courage to be obedient to God. They tell us of the blessings to come. They give us the reason to find courage through obedience when cowardly disobedience is easier. Those who choose to overcome sin through obedience will be given the right to eat from the tree of everlasting life. They will reign with God in Heaven. They will be dressed in white and have their names written in the Book of Life. Those same names will be spoken before God the Father and all His angels. The people whose names are written in the Book of Life and spoken before the Father will be the same people who get to dwell in the house of the Lord forever! Those who don’t, won’t. No cowardly or disobedient souls will be present there. At all. It’s not a threat, just a fact. Heaven isn’t made up of those who, in cowardice, choose disobedience. It is home only to those who, through choosing to walk in the light of God, discovered courage. Courage to walk with God. Daily. Courage to speak His words. Often. Courage to live by His regulations. Always. Courage that is found only in choosing obedience. Because in obedience is where courage is found.  (Revelation 2:7, 3:5,12,21, 21:8; Ephesians 5:8-9; I John 5:3; John 14:15; Deuteronomy 10:12-13; Matthew 22:37-40; James 1:22) 

The words echoed in his ears and settled in his heart. He had heard them before. At a different time, in a different place. The Chebar canal. That’s where he heard them the first time, where he had originally been called to be more than a priest among the Jewish exiles in Babylonia. He was to be their watchman. He was charged with speaking God’s words. All of them. Blessings. Warnings. Rebukes. Sometimes in words. Sometimes through actions. He would soft-sell nothing. Tell them everything. Requirements and ramifications. Like the watchman on the wall blowing the trumpet at the first sign of trouble, Ezekiel was tasked with doing his part to warn the people of coming judgment. Then let them choose. Let them determine their own path, make their own choices. Even if they weren’t the right ones. And they wouldn’t be. The people were stubborn and hard-hearted. They wouldn’t want to listen. They wouldn’t care what he said until it was too late. But forcing people to do the right thing wasn’t the job of the watchman. It wasn’t Ezekiel’s job, either. His job was to speak the truth, voice the warnings, and issue the invitation for repentance. (Ezekiel 1:1-3; 2:3-7; 3:4-11, 16-21)

Ezekiel realized it was going to be a difficult road when he first heard the call. Hard things lay before him. Many hard things. Things that would make him look insane. Months of lying on his side, bound by ropes, cooking his food over a fire made from animal excrement was certainly one of them. Shaving his hair and beard, weighing it, dividing it, burning some, striking some with a sword, and scattering the rest to the wind, all while remaining mute, literally made him look like a lunatic. Packing a bag and escaping through a wall to portray an exile felt ridiculous. But he did it anyway. No matter what he thought, felt, or wished, Ezekiel did exactly as he was told. He stayed obedient. A faithful watchman for an unfaithful people. (Ezekiel 4, 5, 12)

Frankly, the people were more interested in Ezekiel’s escapades than in the meaning behind them. It was like a one-sided game of hilarious charades. The silent prophet enacted scene after scene, leaving them to deduce the message. Not that they cared about the message. They didn’t. They had no intention of changing. They really didn’t care about the warning behind the siege enactment or the exile prophecy. Perhaps they thought those things wouldn’t happen in their lifetime. Maybe they believed they had all the time in the world. Perhaps they just wanted to live their lives and reconcile to God right at the very end–have their earthly fun and enjoy eternal bliss, too. They weren’t going to change. At all. But they did enjoy the diversion. Ezekiel and his little stories were quite amusing.

Not to Ezekiel. He had done all the things. Been mute when he wanted to speak. Stayed silent when he wanted to mourn. Spoken only the words God gave him to say when he wanted to say so much more. Endured the frustration of being mocked, laughed at, scorned. As much as he had wanted to shake people and force them to listen, he stood impotently by as they chuckled at his antics, shook their heads, and went on about their way. It was frustrating. He had done all the things God had told him to do, exactly as he had been told to do them, yet he had accomplished nothing. Now here he was, sitting in silence, hearing the voice of God speak. Again. To him. For him. Not a new commission. An old one. In the exact same words. “Be the watchman.” (Ezekiel 33:7-9)

Echoing back from the far recesses of his mind even as God spoke it anew to his heart, Ezekiel heard the message. Again. Received the call to be the watchman for his people. Again. Accepted the gravity of preaching and teaching the words of God exactly as He intended. Ezekiel knew it was his duty, his job, his calling. Even when no one listened. Even when people scoffed and laughed. Even when he stood alone in his faith. He was still going to do it. Just like he always had. When the priests didn’t want to hear him. When the people didn’t want to believe him. When no one wanted to obey the words he was called to speak. Ezekiel was still going to issue God’s warnings, because he took his job as a watchman seriously. Every watchman did. (Ezekiel 33:1-9) 

A well-known occupation, the job of a watchman was always serious. The watchman’s ability to see coming danger gave him the power to alert residents, offer choices, and save lives. Sounding that alarm gave people the opportunity to choose how they would react to imminent danger. Run. Hide. Stand. Fight. Once he gave the alert, the watchman’s job was complete. The choice of action rested on the people themselves. It wasn’t his job to drag them into hiding. No. That was their own responsibility. The watchman was responsible for imparting the knowledge. The people were responsible for acting on it. As long as he sounded the alarm, the watchman’s position was safe. 

Not so if he failed to sound the alarm. If the watchman fell asleep on the job, got distracted, failed to notice the oncoming danger, or somehow mislaid his trumpet, resulting in failure to sound the alarm, people would die. Lots of people. Potentially everyone. Guilty. Innocent. Lackadaisical. Diligent. The watchman himself might die. And he would be responsible. For all of it. Blame for every ramification, lost life, or ruined future would rest on his shoulders. It was no different for Ezekiel. 

Although his warnings may not save a physical life, they could save eternal lives. Many lives. It was the reason God was reiterating the call to him now. A lot of things had happened. Ezekiel had travelled dark days and rough waters. The people had been through tough times. Everything God had said would happen had, indeed, happened. Siege and destruction included. Still God wasn’t done with Ezekiel. There was still work for him to do. But Ezekiel, tired and work-worn, needed the reminder of who he was and what he was called to do. He needed to know his work wasn’t yet done. He couldn’t let up, slack off, or give up. He still had work to do. God’s work. The work of a watchman. It was time to watch out for their souls, time to draw them back to God, time to verbally issue God’s call to repentance for His people. Time to let everyone know they were going to answer for their own actions. Priests for their teachings. People for their adherence. Everyone for the contents of their own hearts. All would be judged. All would give an account. All would be rewarded or punished according to what they did with the warnings of the watchman; and the watchman would be punished if he didn’t issue the warnings at all. (Ezekiel 33:10-20; 34: 1-22, 25-31; 36:9,22-29; 37:23-28) 

It was a serious call. Imperative in its urgency. Ezekiel was charged with preaching the words of God to people who didn’t want to hear them and were wholly uninterested in living by them. He couldn’t skip a beat, miss a memo, change a word, or edit an understanding. Ezekiel had to speak the commands and laws of God just as they were given to him. No exceptions. That was his job. Whether the people listened or not. Whether they heard or not. Whether they obeyed or not. Whatever choice they made after he spoke was entirely up to them. They would bear the entire responsibility for their response. Ezekiel’s responsibility was to speak. To warn. To preach the word, offer the options, disseminate the information so the people could make informed choices. It is our responsibility, too.

No matter who you are in the kingdom of God, you bear the same responsibility. Be a watchman for the kingdom of God. Be salt. Be light. Illuminate the paths of others by sharing God’s words with them. All of God’s words. The comfortable as well as the convicting. Share them as He spoke them. Don’t soft-sell His regulations. Don’t cheapen His gospel. Don’t water down His words. Refuse to participate in a partial gospel. Reject any message that promotes half-hearted commitment to Christ. Rebuke sin in all its forms. Stand up for Jesus, His words, His ways, in a world that isn’t listening, isn’t hearing, isn’t following. Speak up anyway. Speak God’s truth. Live it out. Demonstrate godliness in how you handle yourself, your business, your life. In word and deed, tell everyone you meet the truth of life in Christ. That is your calling. It is your duty. It is your mission. The mission of the watchman. (Matthew 5:14-16; Proverbs 11:30; Deuteronomy 12:32; Revelation 22:18-19; Ephesians 5:1-2; I Peter 1:15-16; Jeremiah 1:9; Acts 1:8) 

Quiet settled over the gathered congregation as the words of the letter hit their mark like icy pellets of guilt aimed directly at their souls. They had done all of those things. Every. Single. One. At some point, all of them had actively participated in one or more of those shameful activities. They had engaged in immoral practices. They had worshipped something other than God. They had stolen, been greedy, excessively imbibed. They had committed everything on Paul’s list. And more. Their sins were many. They knew it. They had been those people. In the past. They weren’t those people now. Not anymore. It was simply who they used to be.    

The people of the Corinthian church were keenly aware of who they were before the gospel of Jesus Christ found them. Idolaters and adulterers. Immoral and unethical. Swindlers and sidewinders. They weren’t proud of it. They weren’t flashing their colorful past around, bragging about the things they used to do. They weren’t hoping to identify with sinners. But they did. They identified with the stories passed down through generations of men and women, all extravagant sinners, who found redemption through encounters with Jesus. They understood the greed that inhabited Zaccheus’ heart as he scammed and stole his way through the populace. They identified with the rich young man who chose his possessions over Jesus. They knew all about idolatry. Both types. The tangible idols of wood and stone, as well as the intangible things people put before God in their lives. Possessions, power, prestige. They were embarrassingly familiar with the adulterous woman standing alone between Jesus and her accusers, waiting for the burst of pain from the first launched stone. Some of them had been just like her. She was just like them. (Luke 19:1-10; Mark 10:17-27; Colossians 3:5; Exodus 20:3-5; John 8:2-11; I Corinthians 6:9-11) 

Dragged from the place of her tryst to the temple, the woman was roughly deposited before Jesus. Her accusers, all men, took up stations around her, effectively thwarting any chance of escape. They were obviously on a mission. To what end, she wasn’t certain, but she knew it to be true. Sinner or not, she was simply a pawn in the game they were playing. Useless. Expendable. They didn’t care if she lived or died. Not really. But the law said she should die for her sin. By stoning. That would be her fate. She knew it. These men would ensure it. Even without a proper trial or the presence of the man who was with her, the testimony of the men dragging her to the temple would be enough. She would die that day. She knew it. She deserved it. She knew that, too. (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22-24) 

Fixing her gaze on the dirt at her feet, she steeled her emotions as the ugly allegations began to fly around her. Not that they weren’t true. They were. Mostly. They simply seemed more shocking when spoken publicly. Even to her. The ramifications of her selfish choices lined up before her in vivid color. How they affected others. How they affected her. Unable to avoid the truth or soft-sell her sin any longer, the woman had to admit who she was. An adulteress. She hadn’t set out to be one, yet here she was, caught in the web of her own sin, facing the stark truth. Sin deserved punishment, and it looked like today was her day. The moment her sin caught up with her, the hour her sentence was handed down, the day she would be handed over to eternal death because of her sin. She could barely stomach the thought, but couldn’t allow herself to hope that mercy would reach clear down to where she was. Not with how far she had fallen. As she stood there waiting for Jesus to announce His decision, her heart pounded in her chest, her stomach churned, her knees felt weak, her head spun, and she found herself wondering how it would feel to be struck with stones until she died. 

Muddled as her mind was, she couldn’t claim to have tracked the entire conversation between Jesus and those men. How could she? Panic and fear had such a hold on her that she had to strictly focus on staying vertical. Her brain played an endless loop of what her future could have looked like had she made better decisions. Bone-deep sadness at all the family milestones she would miss and the experiences she would never have, had tears clouding her vision. Her heart mourned their loss. She wished she could simply repent, change, be someone different. But it was too late. Or was it? 

Snapping her attention back to the present, the woman realized Jesus hadn’t answered them yet. He hadn’t stated His opinion or even acknowledged their questions. He almost seemed not to have heard. At all. He literally made no response to their demands for her instant judgment. Not to them. Not to her. He didn’t open a discussion on their allegations. He didn’t start quoting the law. He didn’t immediately doom her to stoning. No. Jesus simply bent down and silently started drawing in the dirt. She had to stretch to see what it was. It looked like words. Not that she could read. She couldn’t. Pictures would have been better. She had no idea what it said. Apparently, the men couldn’t read either. Or they weren’t interested. Either way, they ignored Jesus’ actions and kept banging on, seeking permission to enact the law, to make an example of her, to execute her right there on the spot. 

As if finally tired of hearing their repeated questions and haranguing, Jesus stood up and dropped her in it. Completely. She supposed He didn’t have a choice. The law was the law. He had to comply. He was going to let them do it. Stone her. He said so. “Whoever of you is sinless, whoever has never had an irresponsible moment, an errant thought, a fractious word, or committed a sinful act, that person can throw the first stone.” Then He went back to playing in the dirt. Heart sinking like lead in her chest, she bowed her head as low as possible and waited for the first lobbed rock to land.  

Seconds stretched to minutes. Nothing happened. She wanted to look around, see what was going on, but didn’t dare move. Finally, a soft thump sounded. Someone dropped their stone. Not threw it. Dropped it. On the ground. Footsteps crunched the dry dirt as one man walked away. Then another. And another. Not one stone came in her direction. Not one person was willing to declare himself sinless. Still she stood there, barely daring to breathe, until Jesus stood back up from his sand art and looked around her, noting her accusers were no longer there. Where were they? Had they left? Did no one stay to offer accusations and condemnation? Was no one there happy to heave a stone? Carefully turning first one direction, then the other, the woman realized every single man had gone. No one had stayed to tell their story or throw their stone. No one except Jesus. 

Raising her eyes to His, she waited for the lecture that was sure to come. It was the least that would happen. Except it didn’t. Instead, offering her absolution for her sins, Jesus commanded her to go on her way and stop sinning. He didn’t call it another name. He didn’t act like it never happened. He didn’t say it didn’t matter or offer excuses for her behavior. Jesus called her actions what they were–sin–and told her to stop it. She was different now. Her sins were washed away. She was forgiven. Sanctified. Justified. Changed. Adultery may have been her past, but it didn’t define her now, and it certainly wasn’t her future. (John 8:2-11)

Paul’s message said exactly the same. Your past doesn’t define you. You might have been a lot of things back in the day. Terrible things. Ugly things. Sinful things. Maybe you were those things as recently as yesterday, but today you are different. Today, through grace, you have been given the gift of forgiveness. Today your soul has been cleansed from sin. Today, through the blood and power of Jesus Christ, you have been set apart for God to do His work and spread His gospel. Today you are different. You have been changed. Your past no longer bears weight in your life. At all. Although there is no denying who you used to be, there is only one definition for who you are now. Forgiven. Sanctified. Justified. Changed. A lot of things may need to happen before you discover who you will become, but the only thing you need to know today is how God defines you right now. Cleansed. Redeemed. Reformed. Redirected. Who you were is not who you are. Not anymore. 

Centuries after the ink dried on the very first draft of the 66 books we call the Bible, we are still remembering people by who they were. Their sins mostly. David’s victory over Goliath is overshadowed by his affair with Bathsheba. Jonah’s great obedience is eclipsed by his extraordinary disobedience. Peter’s discipleship is dwarfed by his denial. The woman caught in adultery is still referred to as just that–an adulteress. Because, in our humanity, we define others by their faults rather than their forgiveness. Even ourselves. We have no trouble remembering who we were before Jesus rescued us, but we struggle to see who we are now that He has. Washed. Sanctified. Justified. Changed. Children of God. Residents of Heaven. Called to be saints on earth. It’s not who you used to be. It’s who you are now. (I Samuel 17; II Samuel 11-12; Jonah 1,3; Luke 22:54-62; John 8:2-11; I Corinthians 1:2; Philippians 3:20; Romans 8:16)

I get it, though, sometimes the condemnation of the past is so heavy that you question who you are in Christ. Are you really saved? Is your sin really covered? Is it really possible that God forgot all your sins when you came to Him in repentance and faith? Yes, friend! Yes! There is no current or coming condemnation for those who have placed their lives in the care of Christ Jesus and spend every day resting in the shade of His shadow. Even if your heart questions and worries and wonders, God is bigger than those doubts and fears. He knows the truth–about you and your heart–and His word is final. To everyone who is in Christ Jesus, who has been washed in His blood, who has been sanctified, justified, cleansed, He speaks new words over you. Words that say you are His. You belong to God. You are His child. You are His precious treasure. You are loved and beloved by Him. That is who you are. Right now. At this moment. And nothing can take that away from you. Not life or death, authorities or powers, things of earth or things under the earth. Not one thing can change who you are in Christ or separate you from the infinite love He has for all of His children. You belong to Him. You are His. That is who you are. Forgiven. Washed. Sanctified. Justified. Changed. Not stuck in the past, but looking forward to a glorious future. Child of God, that is who you are! (I John 3:1-3, 20; Micah 7:19; Jeremiah 31:34; Romans 8:1-2, 15, 38-39; Isaiah 43:1; Song of Solomon 7:10; Hebrews 8:12; II Corinthians 5:17; Proverbs 23:18; John 1:12; Galatians 3:26)

Perhaps the young man missed the memo. His running days were over. Crossing the line from childhood to adulthood had solidified that fact. Running wasn’t for adults. Running was for children. Running was for slaves hurrying about their master’s business. Running was for those up to nefarious deeds attempting to outrun the ramifications, or for people in the midst of great emergencies. Running was not for average adults. Ever. It was completely undignified. Always embarrassing. Often Immodest. Running required raising one’s robes to prevent entangled feet and mortifying falls. Raised robes came with the risk of exposed ankles. Exposed ankles were not acceptable. Ankles were for walking, not viewing. Showing ankles would be crude. It would cause gossip. So grown men didn’t run. They walked. Sedately. Hands clasped before them. Heads erect. Shoulders straight. Clothing intact. Except for this one. 

Racing up to Jesus, robes raised and ankles flashing, the young man dropped to his knees and blurted out the question weighing on his mind. What did he need to do to guarantee eternal life? Was there a special fund to which he should donate for his heavenly entrance to be secured? Was there extra knowledge he needed, facts he should know, laws he had yet to learn to ensure he earned eternal life? He had been to school. He had studied at the temple. He had learned the laws and rules of religion early in life. He’d strictly followed every single word his entire life. Carefully. Rigidly. Willingly. By his calculations, he had done enough to earn eternal life. Yet something niggled at the back of his mind. A feeling that he had missed something, was still missing something. A question that sat there, plaguing his thoughts and badgering his mind. A question he couldn’t answer, the feeling that he was missing something. So he hurried to Jesus’ feet in search of the answer. An answer he didn’t yet know he would hate. 

Looking at the prostrate figure before Jesus, the disciples assessed him. Not in jealousy. In normal humanity. His sandals were of finest leather. His robe of exquisite fabric. Heavy gold rings sat on his fingers. The man was clearly lacking nothing. He had money. Much money. His family owned things. Many things. His household was vast enough to necessitate servants. Multiple servants. He could give to the church, the poor, and charitable organizations without even missing the money. When he spoke, it was obvious his education was superior. His words were enunciated. His syntax was perfect. His knowledge of the law was complete. He clearly lacked nothing, owned everything from necessity to convenience, and had comprehensive knowledge of things both religious and mundane. He was everything the disciples weren’t. He had everything the disciples didn’t. Things they had never had. Things they would never have. Things they once had, but chose to sacrifice to follow Jesus. (Mark 10:17-20, 28)

Not one of the disciples had followed Jesus without cost. Peter and Andrew left behind their boat and nets and fishing business. James and John left their father. Matthew left a stable career at the tax booth. Philip and Nathanael left their homes. They all left families–parents, siblings, wives, children–behind to follow Jesus. They lost it all to gain the one thing they believed was most important to their lives. Discipleship to and relationship with Jesus Christ. Even when they didn’t realize who He truly was. Even when they couldn’t understand all His teachings. Even when they had to ask for explanations. Even when everyone said Jesus was just a prophet, not the expected Messiah. Even when all their friends and neighbors shook their heads and raised their eyebrows at their choice. They still believed their loss, the life of poverty, the promise of harassment and persecution, was worth it. Walking with Jesus was worth everything to them. The biggest win for a group of social losers.  (Mark 1:16-20; 2:13-14; John 1:35-51)

Society wasn’t especially impressed with fishermen. No one was. They were a dime a dozen. Simple, ordinary people in a necessary occupation. Much like everyone around them. Farmers. Carpenters. Potters. Not elite. Not wealthy. Not socially prestigious. They never would be. They were just cogs in the wheel of society. So were the disciples who weren’t fishermen. None of them had social rank or authority. None of them were religious leaders or held positions of prominence in the Temple. They were all just regular guys in bargain sandals and sale rack robes. Lined up beside this young man draped in finery, they looked like paupers. Losers beside an obvious winner. The disciples weren’t sorry. 

How could they be? Their “loss” of earthly things had gained them something they could never buy, would never have found, couldn’t have earned. Something most people only ever hoped to have. Personal fellowship with Jesus Christ. Intimate knowledge of His teaching, a glimpse of His heart, and a direct connection to God. For eleven of them, changing that decision wasn’t even on their radar. They had no inclination to go back and alter their choice. Even then, standing there in knock-off clothes without a penny to their names, if offered the opportunity to do it again, their decision would remain the same. They would still walk away from what little they had, no matter its importance to them, to follow Jesus because they knew the immeasurable value of the gift they had been given and were completely unwilling to sell it back. 

The knowledge left them gaping at the man who, upon hearing Jesus’ command to sell his earthly goods and give to the poor, stood slowly up, dusted off his garment, squared his shoulders, and walked away. The disciples couldn’t believe their eyes. They thought for sure he would be a shoo-in. He obeyed the law. All of it. Treated others appropriately. Was honest in business. Respected his parents. He did everything right. His life was above reproach. Yet when it came to his money, his earthly goods, his treasures, he drew a line. He loved them too much. He couldn’t part with them. Not for Jesus. Not for his soul. Not for eternal life. 

Sadly watching the young man walk away, Jesus spoke a lesson to His disciples, “In spite of all their advantages in life, it is very difficult for the wealthy to choose the kingdom of God over their kingdom on earth.” Because that is what had happened. When offered the opportunity to choose Jesus over his possessions, his money, his lifestyle, his world, the rich young man shook his head, clasped his hands in front of him, and walked away. Unwilling to surrender his earthly goods to save his eternal soul, the man surrendered his soul to save his lifestyle. He literally turned down a relationship with Jesus for the treasures of the world. And the disciples couldn’t believe it. (Mark 10:21-31)

We can. We can believe it. We understand it far more deeply than the disciples ever could. We have seen it happen. Maybe it has happened to us. Maybe we have been the one who chose our things, our family, our significant other, our hobbies, our desires, over Jesus. We understand how easily it happens. We comprehend how hard it really is to leave everything and everyone behind, surrender it all at the cross, and follow Him. In our world of creature comforts, social pressures, and the constant desire for more, losing it all to gain Christ is a foreign concept. But Jesus’ words haven’t changed. Neither has their meaning. Entrance to the kingdom of God and the promise of eternal life rests not in our ability to simply obey a list of rules. It rests in the surrender of what we hold tightly in our heart.  

You see, that young man had everything and nothing all at the same time. He knew it. In the depths of his heart, he knew something was wrong, something was missing. That is why he came to Jesus in the first place. He wanted information. He wanted assurance. He wanted proof that he had done and was doing enough to earn his way into Heaven. But a space in Heaven cannot be purchased with good works or big donations. You can’t earn it by rigidly following the rules. You can’t buy it by feeding the poor and sending large donations to missionaries. No. Finding eternal life is about your heart. What you love most. Who you love best. It is about which kingdom you want to be in. The earthly one with wealth and comfort and fame, or the heavenly one where you willingly surrender yourself and everything earthly to gain the enormous wealth and indescribable beauty of eternity in the kingdom of God. 

Centuries later, we have quit hearing this truth spoken quite this way. We have toned down the starkness. Stopped preaching about surrender. We have allowed the line of demarcation between self and surrender to become blurry. It was too uncomfortable. 

In our effort to make church and the Bible and God as palatable as possible, we have made concessions, opted out of surrender, choosing rather to chase the things that build our earthly kingdoms rather than gain us entrance into God’s eternal kingdom.

As a society, we have become driven to earthly success and financial prowess. As churches, we have become enamored with wealth-building seminars, beautiful campuses, enormous buildings, and unending activities. As people and organizations, we are completely invested in building kingdoms on earth rather than studiously ensuring we are individually prepared to enter the kingdom of Heaven in eternity. As a whole, we have completely forgotten that we store our treasures where our heart resides. (Matthew 6:19-21; I Timothy 6:7-10)

Jesus hasn’t forgotten. In the same words He uttered to the disciples, He speaks to us today, warning us to step away from the things that don’t matter. Earthly things. Worldly things. Social things. Things that are passing away. Things that stand between us and Him. Things that keep us from full surrender and swing our eternity in the balance. And He asks us to choose. Self or surrender. An earthly kingdom or the kingdom of God. The choice is yours. Always has been. Always will be. God will not pry your hands open to take the things you hold so tightly, even if it is in your best interest to let them go. He wants you to surrender them. Willingly. Because when you surrender to God, you become His kingdom on earth. He guides your thoughts and words and actions. Obedience to His commands brings you joy. The fulfillment of His will becomes your deepest desire. And you can rest there, in that surrender, following His leading, never doubting if you have done enough, been enough, known enough, or paid enough to earn eternal life. Your daily surrender to Him secures it. Surrender to Him and rest. (Hebrews 13:5; Luke 9:23; 14:33; Romans 12:1; Psalm 37:5; 40:8; Galatians 2:20)

His heart sank at the disappointing words. He wouldn’t be going. As much as he wanted to spend every waking minute for the rest of his life in the physical presence of Jesus, the answer was “no.” He couldn’t go across the water to Galilee. He needed to stay there. Stay at home. Stay with the fearful people who had brusquely escorted Jesus back to His boat. Remain with those folks who had known him before. Settle in among those who were regarding him curiously and treating him cautiously. Live with the skeptics who were still waiting for him to switch back to what he had been before Jesus’ arrival–a crazy man, possessed by demons, haunting the tombs, terrifying the town. 

When Jesus first showed up at the dock in the Gadarenes, the demons plaguing the man had flipped out. Although no one else seemed to recognize Him, they certainly did. By name and reputation. They knew His name. They knew His power. They knew they were no match for either. And they were terrified. Using the man they inhabited for cover, the demons came racing out to the beach in an effort to mitigate damages. Call Jesus off. Stop Him from doing what they knew He would do. It hadn’t worked. None of their whining had changed the outcome. Doing what only God could do, Jesus called them out and sent them packing, bringing relief to the tormented man. Relief he had wanted for so long, cried for it in moments of lucidity.  He wanted to be a normal human being. Bathe. Dress. Live respectably. Speak intelligently. Act rationally. It had all been lost in hopelessness before Jesus came. 

Their initial encounter was confronting. Rarely did people in such rough condition come to Jesus. To begin, they were clothed. Always physically, sometimes spiritually. This man wasn’t. Not physically or spiritually. He was naked. Shockingly so. His skin was so darkly tanned one could barely tell where the dirt stopped and skin began. His hair hung in matted tangles around his shoulders. He smelled. Horribly. His fingernails were long and dirt-encrusted. His eyes were glassy, his thoughts and words obviously not his own. Most people would have shied away from him. Ignored his presence. Turned their back on his predicament. Not Jesus. When the man found himself unceremoniously thrown at His feet, Jesus didn’t back up or step away. No. Jesus stepped right into the middle of his mess and refused to leave until they could go together. 

Sitting calmly, showered, shaved, clothed, and fed, the previously possessed man sat at Jesus’ feet holding up his end of an intelligent conversation. Listening. Learning. Soaking up every word. The townspeople were in awe. They couldn’t believe what had happened. A few hours ago, they were once again warning their teens to stay away from the tombs, tucking their little ones tightly into their skirts as they walked down the streets, and furtively keeping an eye in every direction in case he decided to come into town. Yet here he was. In town. With them. Acting properly. Looking normal. Human, even. They were flabbergasted. And more than a little freaked out. 

That fear was the reason he couldn’t go with Jesus. Not his. Theirs. The people were so scared of Jesus’ power that they came and asked Him to leave. So anxious were they for His egression, they basically escorted Him back to the boat, saw Him on board, and waited until it was underway. They didn’t wait to hear Him speak. Didn’t stop to allow Him to heal anyone. Didn’t give Him the opportunity to bless their children. Didn’t let Him do anything more than He had already done. They weren’t ready for more, weren’t ready to listen. Not to Jesus. But Jesus knew they would eventually listen. To him. The broken man Jesus had fixed. He was one of them. He belonged there. Lived there. Many had known him all his life. As uncomfortable as things had been when he was possessed and roaming the tombs, he was still one of them. His now healthy, healed self brought communal relief, not consternation. His home was now his mission field. He needed to stay there and tell his story. The story of amazing grace, redemptive love, and unfathomable deliverance. (Luke 8:26-39)

The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly how that man went about sharing his story. Luke simply writes that he proclaimed what Jesus had done throughout the entire city. Admittedly, I would like a little more detail. I have some questions. Did he face skepticism? Were people uncomfortable around him? Did it take a while for them to open their doors, their ears, their minds to what he had to say? Unfortunately, we will never know those things, but there is one thing of which we can be certain. Just as every other delivered and redeemed soul is tasked with doing, that man had to get up every morning, get dressed–physically and spiritually–and get to the work Jesus left him to do. Living like Jesus. Loving like Jesus. Telling the story of Jesus. Just like we are all called to do.  

You see, it wasn’t just the released man Jesus called to work for Him. He called everyone who has been ransomed from the power of evil, redeemed from sin, released from bondage, and resurrected to life in Christ Jesus. You. Me. We have all been tasked with sharing Jesus in our families, our communities, our world. It was His final directive to the disciples before He ascended to the right hand of the Father. They were to go and share the story of Jesus throughout the known world. Make Jesus’ followers of all people, everywhere. Teach them to walk in His ways. Remember that no matter the outcome, the fallout, the persecution that may come, God’s Spirit would always be with them. But this was their moment, this was their time. Time for them to get up, get dressed, and get busy. It is our time, too. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Colossians 4:2-6; I Peter 3:15)

Through all the tragically dark times in history, few have been so blatantly marked with apathy, complacency, and spiritual mutiny than ours. From where we stand, looking out over our society, our world, it seems the darkness is winning the battle against the light. All around us, people are choosing conformation to the world over transformation by Jesus. It is terrifying. It is disheartening. It is proof that the return of Jesus is closer than it was when we first came to faith in Him. It is a call to all of us to wake up, get up, put on Christ, and get busy doing God’s work. It is a time when the words of Paul to the church at Rome echo in our ears, resounding with both urgency and importance.   

Rightly believing that every day brought them closer to the return of Jesus Christ and concerned that complacency and apathy were creeping in, Paul commanded them to wake up. They couldn’t afford to sleep. They couldn’t allow themselves to be lulled into the darkness of the world. They needed to get up and get dressed. Clothe themselves in Christ. Put on the armor of God. Swathe themselves in light. Then go out and get busy showing and sharing Christ in a continually darkening world. If they didn’t, if they failed to stand against the darkness of the world, the world would try to cram them into its mold. Take them places they had no business being. Tempt them to engage in immoral habits. Encourage them to soft-sell sin, make allowances for evil, slowly embrace the darkness enveloping their society.

It wasn’t going to happen on Paul’s watch. Not if he could help it. He wasn’t about to let the world come in and conform the church of Christ to their opinions and ideals. He didn’t want to see these people, so beautifully walking in the light of Christ, be overcome with the darkness of sin. So he sent them a list. An extensive list. One that outlines in detail how true christianity looks. Yet it is all summed up in the final verse of chapter 12, “Don’t let the darkness of evil overtake you and be your demise, instead, chase away the darkness of evil by being the light of good in the world.” (v. 21) In other words, get up and get dressed–not in physical finery, but in spiritual faithfulness–and get busy doing the work of God. (Romans 12 and 13)

At one point in each of our lives, we have all been in a position similar to the man in the Gadarenes. Filthy with sin, covered in shame, unable to help ourselves or anyone else until Jesus came and stepped into our mess. Redeemed our lives. Rescued our hearts. Ransomed our souls. He stayed with us in our place of doom and despair until we could walk out of it together. He clothed us in the righteousness of Christ and commanded us to go tell the people in our homes, towns, and communities what Jesus had done for us. Give Him glory. Sing His praise. Tell others that He could do the same thing for them that He did for us. 

Initially, we did so. Churches blossomed and grew. Community ministries were formed. Missions spread across the globe. True love of Christ was prevalent. It was amazing. For a while. Eventually, we became complacent, apathetic, spiritually stagnant. The excitement wore off. We stopped getting up as quickly as we used to. We didn’t put on the entire righteousness of Christ; instead, we picked and chose what we wanted to carry with us that day. Influenced by the opinions and ideals of the world, our vision became tainted with self-righteousness, laziness, arrogance, and greed. Social rhetoric turned our heads. We ignored the voice of God telling us to stick to the old paths, the righteous paths, and chose to endorse something more socially palatable. Diet gospel. Christian lite. Decaf Jesus. We stopped going out and talking about Jesus, living like Jesus, working for Jesus. We stopped fulfilling the one mission He left for us to do. Essentially, we stayed spiritually asleep, curled up in the blanket of self-service, lulled into a state of idleness by the ever-encroaching darkness of the world. (Jeremiah 6:16; Ephesians 4:24; 5:14; Proverbs 19:15, 24; 21:25-26)

We need Paul’s message to the Romans. Today. Right now. Spoken to us. We need a wake-up call that charges us to recognize the night is darkest before the dawn, and intimates that the return of Jesus grows ever closer even as the darkness of sin in our world becomes ever more suffocating. We need to be challenged to put on the whole armor of God, to be the light piercing the darkness, to stand in holiness and righteousness at a time when few seem to believe it necessary. We need to hear a cry, a call, a command to take off the old self and put on Christ, living like Him in thought, word, and deed. Every day. Because the command of Jesus to His disciples then stands for us now. Get up, get dressed, and get busy telling the true story of Jesus in every corner of your community, your country, your world. (Ephesians 2:10; 4:22-24; 6:10-18; Colossians 3:9-15; II Corinthians 5:17; Romans 12:2; 13:12-14; Ezekiel 18:5-9; Matthew 5:14-16; Galatians 5:16, 24)