Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

They were doing so well. The inspiring words of their fearless leader echoed in their ears even after he had departed for his mountaintop business meeting. They had listened intently to his guidance, referred often to the words Moses had written down. They weren’t just Moses’ words, they were the laws and commandments God had given them. Commands with promise. Promises that God would fight for them. He would deliver them. They would be victorious. (Exodus 23:20-33) Who wouldn’t obey commands that came with such great rewards? 

At first they were fastidious. Their dedication was relentless. Time went by. Days. Weeks. They hadn’t expected him to be gone so long. Every day they watched that mountain, thinking this would surely be the day Moses came back to lead them to the Promised Land. Every day they were disappointed. Their hope began to waver. Questions started to flit through their minds. Questions born of boredom, anxiety, irritation. 

Who would do a thing like this? Who would lead a group of people out into a wilderness under the pretense of leading them to a land of perfection, then leave them alone? What kind of person makes others wholly dependent on their leadership, then abandons them? Had they traded food and housing in Egypt (albeit as slaves) for certain death in an unfamiliar wilderness? Had they been duped? Was Moses even going to come back? 

 It had been weeks since Moses deserted them to go up the mountain and talk to God. What if he got up there and reneged on the leadership contract? What if he changed his mind? Maybe he found a way down off the back of that mountain and escaped to claim the land of milk and honey for himself? He didn’t seem the type to run away since he’d led them this far, but what if their complaining, arguing, and whining had worn his patience thin? Would it really be a big surprise if he’d run away?

But what if he hadn’t run away? At what point should they start worrying? Worrying Moses had met with an unfortunate accident. Worrying he had encountered a ravenous wild animal or sneaky serpent. Wondering how to find their way out of this mess if he didn’t turn up. No one wanted to set up housekeeping here. This was clearly not the land of plenty they’d been sold before leaving Egypt. Where was Moses anyway? He was supposed to be leading this expedition. Why hadn’t he come back? What was taking so long up on that mountain?

They were tired of waiting. Tired of being in one place. Tired of feeling like idiots for following a guy who rescued them only to abandon them to death in the wilderness. At least they had been busy in Egypt while waiting for their rescue. This waiting was getting tedious. They were bored. They were restless. They needed something to do, something exciting. They needed a party. Food, fun, fellowship. 

So they approached Aaron with their gripes and grievances. The waiting was driving everyone crazy. Moses was gone, either dead or defected. They wanted a new leader. They want someone to follow, something to worship, a place to cast their emaciated faith. He listened. Perhaps he secretly agreed. Perhaps Aaron, too, had lost the fervency he felt when he heard Moses preach that last sermon. It has been a while since he heard a sermon. In a moment of weakness possibly spurred by idle waiting, Aaron came up with a plan. Taking donations of all the gold jewelry the people could find, he tossed it all in a melting pot and, if Aaron’s very interesting account is to be believed, out popped a golden calf. (Exodus 32:24) 

The people were elated. There would be a festival! Something to plan. Something to do. Something to celebrate. Something to help them forget that deserter, Moses. Something to take their minds off their doubts and questions. Something that dulled the memory of their miraculous deliverance from slavery. Something that made them forget the vow they had made to keep God’s commandments. (Exodus 24:3,7) Something less. Something earthly. Something sin. 

And party they did! Sacrifices. Eating. Drinking. Dancing. Playing. It was everything they wanted, everything they thought they needed. They had made their own fabulous land, if only for a day. Maybe they called it “blooming where they were planted.” Maybe they called it being positive. Maybe they called it a morale builder. Whatever they called it, God looked down on that disastrous celebration, saw their idol and their broken vow to obey all His commands, and God called it sin. (Exodus 32:1-24)

It is easy to read the story of the children of Israel worshipping the golden calf and shake our heads in disbelief. We wonder how they could get so far off course when they had been the recipients of such amazing miraculous efforts. We question their lost devotion. We shake our heads in dismay that they would choose an inanimate, inactive god over the highly active, deeply effective God who had worked tirelessly on their behalf. We sigh at the conundrum. We would surely never do anything so silly. 

Or would we? For thousands of years we have been hearing Jesus’ teachings, reading our Bibles, listening to sermons, learning His commands. We know them well. We have heard them often. We have read and heard and believed that Jesus is coming back to earth to catch up those who follow Him and transport them to Heaven. We’ve heard it preached. We’ve read the passages. We know they are true. When we read about Jesus’ return or hear an inspiring sermon expounding on Heaven’s glory, our resolve to follow God and obey His commands is concrete. We follow Him with fervent dedication. We accept nothing less than the fullness of His presence. 

Sadly, it hasn’t lasted. We’ve all read the stories, heard the sermons of how Jesus will return to earth someday. He said He’d go prepare a place for us and then come back to get us. (John 14:3) It’s been a long time since He spoke those words. We’ve been waiting a while. At first we were attentive, watching, waiting, working for God. Over time we’ve lost our fervor. We’ve gotten distracted, swept away by the changes society has made. Drawn aside by the desires of our human hearts, we’ve idolized earthly gain and minimized Heaven’s business. We are modern-day Israelites wandering around in a spiritual wilderness, failing to keep the commandments we swore we’d keep, whining because there is nothing to entertain us while we wait for the rapture. 

We are the servants of the parable in Luke 19, blessed with gifts from God to be used for furthering His kingdom. He has gone away and left us with one command, “Work for me until I return.” (Luke 19:13) One would think we could manage to obey. It is with heaviness of heart I read this passage and know many of us have not followed this command. We have gotten caught up in our lives, our situations, our desires, buried our God-given talents, and sought ways to pass the time until either death or the rapture catches us up. We have failed to be about the Father’s business. We call it living our lives. God calls it sin. 

God’s people are not called to padded church pews and sermons that stir our emotions but don’t change our hearts. We are not called to concert-style worship that doesn’t call us out and induce in us an urgent desire to follow Jesus. We are not called to minister only when time permits or funds are available. We are not called to be convenience Christians. We are called to be consistent Christians. Day in and day out. Easy or difficult. Popular or not. We are called to consistently serve God until Jesus comes back.

But brace yourself, engaging in the work of Heaven might not look the way you think it will. There’s a misconception that working for God is preaching, teaching, singing, and foreign missions. Maybe for some. Not for everyone. Maybe Heaven’s business looks more like occupying while you wait. Maybe it’s a lifestyle, not a career. Maybe it looks identical to the list in Romans 12:9-21. Be an authentic, diligent, fervent God follower, guarding against sin in all its forms. Love others–fellow believers and those who are not. Rejoice. Endure. Pray. Constantly pray. Persistently pray. Don’t stop praying. Be kind, humble, honorable, peaceable. Don’t let the evil, ugly attitudes and ideas of the world tarnish your soul. Represent Jesus Christ in every part of your life so every soul you greet also meets the Water of Life flowing from your heart to theirs. Urgently live out Jesus Christ every minute of every day as if the moment of His appearing will occur with your next breath. (I Timothy 4:14) Love God. Follow God. Live like it. 

Jesus is coming back someday. The Bible says it, so we know it is true. (John 14:3) We don’t know when. We aren’t supposed to know. The Bible says that too. (Matthew 24:36) What we do know is this, before Jesus went away He commanded us, “Be about the Father’s business while you wait for me to come back.” (Luke 19:13) Don’t sleep. Don’t be idle. Be vigilant. Be busy. Occupy every waiting hour with Heavenly business. When a million voices from the world call and try to drag your attention away, remember this–Jesus is coming. When He does, will He find you partying and celebrating the things of the world or will He find you occupied with Heaven’s business while you wait?