Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

He never thought it would end like this. In the clandestine meeting to hammer out the monetary details of betrayal, Judas clearly never thought Jesus would allow the chief priests and elders to carry out their dastardly deeds. As he led the armed mob into Gethsemane, offered a cheeky greeting, and placed a breezy kiss of betrayal to Jesus’ cheek, he didn’t think the outcome would be so dire. It was the news of a condemning verdict and impending death that forced Judas to acknowledge the error of his thinking, the monumental flaw in his judgment, the glaring fault of his traitorous acts. 

Was he really so naive to expect a different outcome? Did he know so little about the men with whom he dealt in dark corners and secret meetings? Could he have possibly believed Jesus would call down that legion of angels at His disposal to set Him free from their evil clutches? Had he witnessed miracle after miracle, redemption after redemption yet comprehended so little of what Jesus was on earth to do? Had he really been deceived into thinking his sin would unfold without great cost? 

If Judas entered this agreement with such delusions, reality quickly disabused him of these notions. Regret and remorse gnawed at his soul. Guilt knotted his stomach. What had he done? Traded the life of the greatest Man he’d ever known for a couple handfuls of coins. Thirty to be exact. Thirty pieces of silver. It sounded like a bargain at the time. The greed of his sinful heart easily convincing him Jesus would find a way to escape the evil plot against Him. Surely no Man so great at evasion, so gifted with miraculous ability would allow Himself to be captured and killed. Yet, standing here, listening to the murmurs and cries around him, Judas knew it had happened. Jesus had no intention of fighting back. Not with Peter’s sword. Not with His legions of angels. Not even with His words. He was going to fulfill the words He uttered when He responded to the Pharisees who said Herod wanted to kill Him. Jesus was going to die. (John 18:10; Luke 13:31-33)

 It was most assuredly Judas’ fault. His sin, his greed, had delivered Jesus to those men. They hadn’t come knocking at his door. He’d sought them out. He’d laid the groundwork to profit from Jesus’ betrayal. He’d led them to Gethsemane with a spring in his step and a smirk on his lips. This was all his fault. He might as well be the soldier laying Jesus on that cross himself, so deep was his guilt. (Matthew 26:14-16) 

Desperately seeking to find respite from the crushing weight of guilt and sin, Judas rushes to the sanctuary to confront the chief priests and elders. He admits his sin, pours out his remorse. If he is looking for absolution, he’s in the wrong company. If he is hoping to reverse the course of their actions, his hopes are in vain. They want nothing to do with his backtracking. Not one of them cares for his plight. They feel no compassion. They care not at all about sin or guilt or innocence. They have a strict “No Return” policy. They don’t want their money back. They don’t want to change their course. They gleefully celebrate the success of their mission. They rejoice in Jesus’ impending death. As the chief priests and elders sneer in Judas’ face, he realizes there is nothing he can do to save Jesus from death.  

Frustrated with their ambivalence and desperate to rid his soul of the all-encompassing guilt, Judas flings the money to the floor of the sanctuary. The bag thuds and jangles as it hits the floor. The top opens. Thirty pieces of silver scatter, rolling around the feet of cunning, evil chief priests and elders. Men with hate-filled hearts and over-inflated egos. Men who would rather crucify the Savior than crucify self to walk with Him. Too late Judas realized he had fallen in with the wrong crowd. He was not one of these men. He had tried to be. It had cost him. Far more than he wanted to pay. (Matthew 16:24-26; Galatians 5:24; Romans 8: 12-13; Luke 9:23-24)

Only a few short hours ago Judas had been fingering the coins, testing their weight in his hand, considering what would be his first purchase with his ill-gotten gains. Now he knew the truth. Those thirty silver coins cost more than they paid. They absolutely weren’t worth it. Nothing was. Not the excitement of cutting a deal with the chief priests. Not the fun of spending, gambling, or saving–whatever his plans were. Certainly not the black mark of greed on his own soul. None of it was worth the guilt, despair, and hopelessness that wracked his heart and drove him to the desperate act he next chose. Fleeing the temple, the chief priests and elders, the clinking coins, and the horrific results of his sin, Judas went out and hanged himself. (Matthew 26:14-16, 47-50; 27:1-5)

With the exception of Jesus’ crucifixion, there is no other Biblical account that tears at my heart like this one. It makes my breath catch, my stomach clench, my heart break. The desolation of Judas’ soul nearly reduces me to tears. I want to rewrite the story. I want to grab him, shake him, remind him of what he knows about Jesus. I want to remind him of Jesus’ love and compassion. Remind him of grace and forgiveness and mercy. Help him remember all the things Jesus preached, taught, and lived. I want to remind Judas that it was all for him. Breathtaking mercy and grace poured from God’s heart of extravagant love, followed Judas as he left that temple doorway, ran after him as he traveled down the darkened path, and wept bitterly when he chose to end his life instead of racing to salvation’s hill. I wish Judas had known. (II Peter 3:9)

Unfortunately, there seem to be a lot of things Judas didn’t know, didn’t realize were for him, didn’t believe applied in his circumstances. Perhaps he didn’t know he could stand along the path to Golgotha and cry out for forgiveness as Jesus passed by. Perhaps he didn’t realize he could fall at the foot of Jesus’ cross and find absolution from the grating guilt and damning sin. Perhaps he simply couldn’t believe all that love and grace and mercy Jesus had shown to the possessed, prostitutes, poor, reprobates, and hypocrites was still available for the one who denied, betrayed, and abandoned Him. It was still available for Judas. I wish he had known that the King of Heaven sent His Son to pay the ransom for Judas’ soul, for your soul, for every soul–every soul that will come to Him. It would have changed Judas’ life.  

It will change your life too. Believing that the love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ reaches your cruddy, messy, unfit soul will change your life. No matter where you are or what you’ve done, don’t let it separate you from Jesus. Don’t run from Him, run to Him. Run to the foot of the cross, throw yourself, your sin, your brokenness before Him and let Jesus change your life. Maybe you look in the mirror and see damaged goods, a broken life, a scarred soul. Perhaps you find it unbelievable that a perfect God would want you when you look the way you do, have done the things you’ve done. Maybe the siren song of sin has led you down a path from which you think there is no recovery. Think again! This is why Jesus came. Jesus Christ came into the world for this express purpose–to save sinners! Hypocrites. Heretics. Deniers. Defiers. Me. You. Everyone. Anyone. All covered when the King of Kings stretched out his arms on a cross and paid the ransom for all mankind. (I Peter 2:24)

See, Jesus’ entire earthly ministry was a ransom mission. He didn’t come to pick and choose a few good people to get to Heaven. No. He came to save sinners. He came to give life. He came that “whosoever will” may come. Me. You. The enemy you hate. The friend you love. Jesus, the King who will reign over all earthly kings, put aside His kingly crown, left His heavenly throne, and came to ransom the souls of people who despise, abuse, ignore, and offend Him. He left the riches of Heaven to be born in a stable, live in a humble carpenter’s house, and die on a cross. Not because Heaven wasn’t wonderful. No. God paid a King’s ransom for your soul because He knew Heaven with you would be light-years better than Heaven without you. (I Timothy 1:15; John 10:10; Revelation 17:14, 22:17)

As angry as I am when the evil one whispers in your ear telling you to give up, give in, give over, I rejoice even more every time my mind pictures the King of Heaven with His arms outstretched in a ransoming sacrifice so that sinners like you and me can be saved. You are not worthless. You are not hopeless. You are not helpless or useless or any of the other “less” words the evil one uses to keep you from Jesus. The simple truth is this. The price of your soul was the death of a King. You are the reason Jesus came. So run to Him. His grace never runs out. His mercy never ends. His love never fails. Run to Him and let the forgiveness and peace of the King ransom your soul. (Ephesians 2:14; John 3:16; Romans 5:8; John 1:16; Romans 8:38-39)

The crow of the rooster fell like a death knell to Peter’s soul. His guilt-ridden, anguished eyes collided with Jesus’ gaze. One phrase from their previous conversation relentlessly repeated in his mind, “You’ll deny me. You’ll deny me. You’ll deny me.” (Luke 22:34, 54-61) His stomach clenched and rolled. He’d been warned. Jesus told him this was going to happen. His arrogance had made him believe it never could, yet here he stood. He should have listened, should have been prepared. 

Earlier that day Jesus issued a grave warning to Peter concerning the intentions of the evil one. The devil is gunning for him. Similar to approaching God for permission to torture Job, the evil one once again queued up and asked to torment Peter. He wants to bring him down, tear him from the faith, drive him away from Jesus. Apparently, God said, “Do your worst.” And Jesus, knowing not only what was coming, but the state of Peter’s heart, said, “I have prayed that your faith will remain intact. Even after you stumble, repent, turn back to me, and feed my sheep.” (Job 1; Luke 22:31-32)

Deeply hurt and offended by the declaration of his impending defection, Peter indignantly declares it will never happen! He’s going through with Jesus. Prison. Persecution. Perishing. He has no intention of denying their association. He’s not going to retract his friendship. He’s committed for the long haul! 

Jesus knows otherwise. He knows that within hours Peter’s internal fortitude will fail. His humanity will eclipse his spirituality. He will fall. He will deny knowing Jesus. He will reject the idea he is one of His disciples. He will declare himself an ignorant onlooker. The rooster would crow, an irreverent reminder of Jesus’ words, “Before the rooster crows, you will have denied me three times.” (Luke 22:33-34; 54-61)

And so it was. As the final words of cowardly denial sprang from Peter’s lips, the rooster crowed, and, according to the Luke account, Jesus turned and looked at Peter. I wonder what was in that look. Knowledge. Compassion. Understanding. Forgiveness. As Peter met His gaze, Jesus’ prediction broke across his memory. His world crashed down around him. He had done it. He had failed to keep his vigorous pledge of persistence. Denied Jesus. Rejected His Lord. Overcome with self-loathing, guilt, and dismay Peter left that scene, went out, and wept bitter, anguished tears. (Luke 2:54-62)

The current colloquialism is “ugly cry”. I imagine it accurately sums up this moment in Peter’s life. My mind imagines a full grown man doubled over sobbing loudly, face red and scrunched, uncaring what anyone thought, so deep was his grief. As the tears subside, the mental castigation begins. Peter certainly must have wished he’d prayed instead of slept while in Gethsemane. His behavior was inexcusable. After promising, loudly, to follow Jesus forever, he’d denied His Lord. Sky castles of ultimate faithfulness in the face of imminent dangers were shattered by a pitiful, unforgettable lack of courage. Dejected. Disgraced. Distraught. The next logical step in the evil one’s plan was discouragement. 

Really, what would be the point in continuing to associate with the other, more reputable disciples? Clearly, their faith was deeper, stronger, more reliable than his own. They hadn’t verbally, vehemently defected. Not even once. Certainly not three times! Why go back now? Why try to make amends? It was over, right? He’d failed. He was done. Written off. Refused. Rejected. The evil one presses harder, whispers louder. God isn’t interested in defectors, right?

Wrong. God is absolutely interested in defectors. Deniers. Decriers. Deceivers. The disgraced, dejected, distraught, discouraged. God is absolutely interested in everyone. He does not allow the evil one to plague you while He turns His back and plays with kittens. How could He? Jesus is constantly interceding on our behalf, consistently lifting our needs to the Father’s throne before we even know we have needs. Before we find ourselves on the brink of self-destruction, Jesus has prayed for that moment. He has prayed that your faith in God’s ability to redeem your life will be stronger than the fear and discouragement the evil one is trying to slather over your soul. (Romans 8:26-27, 34; Matthew 6:8)  

See, we really aren’t so unlike Peter. Our humanity regularly wars with our spirituality. So often, our words and actions, thoughts, and motives loudly deny any association with Jesus Christ. Frequently we choose to be swept along with the crowd, do what the world is doing, rubber-stamp the rhetoric because our traitorous hearts don’t care to shoulder the onslaught of dissent. Commonly we walk the path of least resistance with its wide lanes and beautiful scenery, rather than trudge the narrow road of righteousness. (Matthew 7:13-14) Oh, yes. We are very much like Peter. 

Just like Peter, the evil one is waiting to trip us up. He is hiding around every corner, behind every bush, in the bottom of every valley, at the end of every wrong turn. He lurks there touting a message for quitters. “You might as well turn back. You failed.” He’s wrong, of course, the father of lies has no other option. It’s impossible for him to tell the truth. But he’ll be perched there, wearing that white robe and helter skelter halo, and we’ll pause for a moment thinking maybe he’s right. He’s not. (John 8:44; II Corinthians 11:14)

Your alleged failure was a momentary blip. It does not define you. Your eternity need not be decided by that singular moment in time. You do not need to turn back. There’s no need for continual self-recrimination. There is still grace, mercy, forgiveness in Jesus. Weep, repent, straighten things out with God, but don’t ever let your faith fail. 

Peter didn’t. He didn’t waste time getting squared away with God concerning His denial. He was there to see the empty tomb. At the seaside breakfast, Peter was completely restored and commissioned by Jesus. He got to endure all those things he promised Jesus he’d go through with Him. Persecution. Prison. Perishing. He never defected again. His faith stayed intact. How could it not? It was forged in the furnace of failure. (John 20:1-10, 21:1-19; Acts 4)

Sometimes our failures loom larger than life around us. They cloud our vision, seem insurmountable. Forgiveness we’ve withheld. Anger we’ve been coddling. Cowardice we’ve been hiding. Maybe you have a secret sin. Something no one knows about. No one but God. Maybe it brings you to tears. Maybe it seems too persistent, too hideous, too egregious for repentance and change. Perhaps the father of lies has told you to turn back, you’re finished. Stranded on the sandbar of failure, you are tempted to believe God is no longer interested in your disgraced soul. You couldn’t be more wrong.

As meticulously as He created the universe, God also created a plan for the moments when our humanity trumps our Christianity. His perfect plan is that we don’t sin. We should strive for that. Live every day as close to that as possible. But for moments like Peter’s denial and your defection, He has made a way for humanity to be rectified to the Father. Jesus Christ is your atonement for every shaky moment, every waiver of your faith, every all-out failure. He is your Advocate, your Lawyer, your forgiveness. Your faith in Him is never misplaced. (Genesis 1; I John 2:1-2)

Discouragement is one of the evil one’s greatest tools. He’ll stack up your list of failures (forgiven or not) and tell you it isn’t even worth trying to follow Jesus. He’ll beat on your soul from every side until you feel worn out, washed up, defeated. But Jesus is praying for you. Praying for your faith, no matter how meager, to take hold of what you know about the heart of God. His goodness. His grace. Grasp that knowledge with both hands, firmly rest your faith in God and be reconciled to go and do great things for the Kingdom. Your failures do not define you, but the faith you forge from them does. (Psalm 145:8; Ephesians 2:4; Nahum 1:7; Psalm 86:5)

It felt like the throwing down of a gauntlet. A challenge. Maybe an insult. The minute Jesus pronounced the words, the disciples’ backs went up. “Tonight you are all going to desert me.” It was an arrow to their very souls. They were offended, hurt. How could He say this about them? Hadn’t they left everything and followed Him? Hadn’t they persevered through a thousand things already? No one had thrown up their hands or thrown in the towel. They were all still there, still faithfully following Jesus. No one was planning to separate, walk away, or go into hiding. 

No one except Judas. Judas had his own secret plans unfolding. His divided heart had been swayed by sin and Satan. Greed had become his master. His dirty plans would culminate a few short hours later. Proof that one cannot serve two masters. But that’s a story for another day. (Matthew 6:24)

With that one exception, not one of the disciples had given any thought to deserting Jesus. Ever. Caught up in the awe-inspiring, soul-stirring ministry of Jesus, they didn’t want to be anywhere else. They couldn’t imagine leaving. Where would they go? What would be as exciting as following Jesus? Nowhere on earth could compare to living in His presence. Their staunch discipleship made this statement of desertion especially surprising. The very thought was appalling. They boldly declared it would never happen. They would never deny knowing Him. They vowed to be there to the end. They meant it with all their hearts. Nothing would keep them from walking with Jesus.  

They ran away. Every single one of them. Deserters. Defectors. Driven by abject fear.  The fear that triggers your fight-or-flight response. Staggering terror that tightens your chest and clogs your throat. A deluge of panic that forces you to run and hide for your life. Living wholly in the moment, not realizing how quickly circumstances change, they had sworn to remain faithful even to death. They meant that promise with their entire hearts. That was a few hours ago. 

Things were normal then. Jesus and the disciples were gathered together celebrating Passover. Jesus was reclined at the table. They were talking and eating the meal. There was a strange discourse about betraying Jesus. Disconcerted, they all ask for assurance that it wasn’t them who would do such a dastardly deed. “Is it me? Is it me, Jesus? Surely not me?” They couldn’t fathom ever leaving Him, betraying Him, or denying Him. Surely not them. Never. 

Oddly, there seems to be no reaction when Judas is pegged as the offender. No one tried to show him the error of his ways. No one tried to persuade him differently. No one called in a favor. Perhaps they didn’t think it was going to happen any time soon. Perhaps they thought it was a prophecy for years down the road. Perhaps they thought they had plenty of time to get Judas back on track. They didn’t. As soon as Judas took the bread from Jesus, he went out to commit the betrayal of a lifetime. (Matthew 26:17-30; John 13:30)

The meal ended. They sang hymns together and went out to walk in the Mount of Olives. They don’t seem to miss Judas, or question why he is gone. They don’t wonder why Jesus waited until he was gone to make His declaration of their defection. They are too busy disputing it. They don’t even notice their world is beginning to unravel. 

At the edge of Gethsemane, Jesus leaves eight of them to wait while He goes to pray. Those left outside Gethsemane don’t appear to question why Jesus didn’t take them too. I wonder how they passed the time. Did they discuss the inequality of not being taken along? Did they even notice it? Did they pray? Sit quietly in solitary contemplation? Count the stars? Or fall asleep like their counterparts inside Gethsemane?  

That is what Peter, James, and John were doing. Sleeping. That faithfulness they swore they would always have was slipping. Jesus asked them to stay awake and pray. Pray for themselves. Pray for strength. Pray for faithfulness. Faithfulness to withstand the coming onslaught of temptation. Temptation to sin. Temptation to slip. Temptation to separate. They failed. Twice. They couldn’t stay awake. So complacent were they in their belief that the events of which Jesus had been speaking were far in the future, they didn’t apply themselves to do whatever it took to stay awake and pray. The shallow depth of their faithfulness was showing, but they were too drowsy to notice.  

Finally, Jesus comes and wakes them. It’s time. He speaks urgently, but in their sleepy state, they miss the exigency. As they are stretching and yawning and rubbing the sleep from their eyes, Judas and his horde swarm the Garden. A mob armed with swords and clubs surround the betrayer of the Son of God. Those three disciples weren’t prepared for the events that followed. The kiss. The betrayal. The arrest. The dark cloak of choking terror that fell over them as they did the very thing they swore they would never do. They ran away. (Matthew 26:17-56; John 22:39-46) 

I wonder how the account would differ if the disciples had stayed awake and interceded for themselves as Jesus instructed them to do. Would they have still run away? I wonder if Judas’ life story would be different had the other disciples seen the error of his ways and interceded for him. Would he have still hung himself? I wonder if, when fear overtook them, the answer to their prayers would have been a boldness they had never before experienced. I wonder what would have happened if they had faithfully stayed awake to pray. 

Up to that point, their lives as disciples of Jesus had been marked by faithfulness. Faithful following. Faithful obedience. Faith in God. Their own words indicate they believe themselves to be above betrayal. Above desertion. Above unfaithfulness. “We’ll follow you to death!” they exclaimed. Their actions indicated the opposite. They didn’t stay awake. They didn’t watch. They didn’t pray. They did nothing faithful disciples would do in that moment. They slept. Then they ran away.

It cuts very close to home, this lack of faithfulness. We, too, busily proclaim our unwavering faithfulness to Jesus. Like Ruth clinging to Naomi, we vow never to leave Him, to follow Him anywhere, even to death. (Ruth 1:16-17) We are well intentioned. We truly believe we won’t betray Him. Ever. We are His for better or worse. We’ve never had to test the theory. No angry mob has stormed our home as we prayed beside our window. Unlike Paul, our friends haven’t lowered us over a wall to escape those trying to kill us for our beliefs. (Acts 9:25) Would we remain faithful then? 

We are woefully ill-prepared for those circumstances. God isn’t. As we face the current onslaught beating on us to lower our standards, stop taking the Bible seriously, call evil good and good evil, Jesus says the same thing to us as He said to the disciples so many years ago. “Stay awake. Be alert. Pray. Temptation is lurking and, although your hearts don’t want to be derailed, your physical selves have less compunction.” Be vigilant. Pray for soul protection. Focus so intently on God that you aren’t deceived by the news, the subtle advertisements, the opinion articles. Pray that you aren’t lulled into complacency. Beg the Father to keep you faithful in a world rife with unfaithfulness. (Isaiah 50:7; Matthew 6:13; I Peter 5:8; James 4:7)

Prayer is our only hope. Jesus tried to tell the disciples this. He tried to equip them for the frightful hours and days ahead by telling them to stop resting on their spiritual laurels and get on their knees. They didn’t hear Him. As our world turns sideways and things go awry, Jesus is saying the same thing to us. Quit your lackadaisical spirituality, stop drifting, stop dozing. If you want to see true change in yourself, your community, your church, your world, wake up and pray! (Hebrews 4:16; Psalm 18:6; James 5:16; Matthew 26:41)

So often we call ourselves faithful because we attend church every Sunday, quote Scripture, practice integrity, fidelity, and charity. Those are all commendable things, but the disciples had much to recommend them too. They had Jesus physically with them. They had witnessed His miracles, been part of them. They knew His teachings, His ways, His desires. Even with all those things to back them up, when it came down to the wire, they still fell prey to temptation and went to sleep when He needed them to be awake and interceding. Jesus is asking you to stay awake and pray, too. Fight off the temptation to be lulled to sleep by spiritual apathy. When you feel hopeless, helpless, frightened, and terrorized, pray. Intercede. Ask. Seek. Knock. He will hear. He will answer. But you’ll have to choose to stay awake. Will you join the disciples in slumber or unite with the faithful in prayer? (Colossians 4:2; Romans 12:12; I Peter 4:7; Psalm 5:3; I Thessalonians 5:16-18; Matthew 7:7-8; Psalm 50:15)

They were doing it wrong. The people God had chosen for Himself, to be His own special treasure, were fasting incorrectly. Maybe it looked right to the casual observer, this traditional fasting and purported mourning. Maybe they hoodwinked the neighbors by wearing itchy, uncomfortable sackcloth. Perhaps they bamboozled themselves with the heaping of ashes and lack of food. They still weren’t doing it right. And they didn’t stand a chance of fooling the only One that needed to believe their farce. 

No amount of fasting, wailing, or poor fashion choices could trick the God who knows the hearts, reads the thoughts, and sees the works of every soul on earth. They couldn’t outwit Him. They’d never be able to deceive Him. Thankfully, He would never deceive them, either. He wouldn’t leave them to wander down their misguided path, thinking they could fail to truly repent and change yet still reap the desired results. He loved them too much for that. He wasn’t willing to abandon them in their erroneous ways. So when the people cried out in indignation that they had fasted and denied themselves and God was doing nothing to acknowledge the fact, He sent Isaiah to point them to the path of proper fasting. (Jeremiah 17:10; Psalm 139:1-24)

They weren’t exactly keen on Isaiah’s message. Condemnation of their fasting method was not what they wanted to hear. Isaiah delivered the message anyway. They were fasting wrong. Oh, the outside actions were perfect. The meal skipping. The self-denial. The hideous sackcloth. Piles of ashes. That was all right on target. The problem had nothing to do with the outside, and everything to do with the inside. While they were outwardly fasting, their hearts were still gluttonously feasting on sin. (Isaiah 58)

 Behind the facade of righteous fasting and self-denial, the weight of hidden sin sat like a disagreeable lump. Contentions. Fighting. Malicious gossip. Criticism. Lack of personal responsibility. Oppression. Selfishness. Greed. (Isaiah 58:4-10) Their meal-skipping had no effect on their filthy hearts. They didn’t intend to change. They engaged in the ritual of fasting with one hope only, to gain gifts from God. 

Believing ourselves to be of higher intelligence than these ancient people, we shake our heads in condemnation of their antics. We wonder how they could do something like this. How could they think, even for a moment, they could trick God with half-hearted obedience? What made them think God didn’t know their hearts? Surely they remembered Achan who couldn’t hide his sin from God. (Joshua 7:19-26) Did they think they were better, different, cagier? Do we? 

The arrival of Lent has many of us turning to some sort of fasting as a way to observe the season. Fasting for Lent is not required. It’s a tradition. If done properly, fasting can be extremely beneficial. Unfortunately, so many of us are doing it wrong. We remain under the assumption that fasting alone is enough. It’s not. Fasting won’t fix the needs of your soul, correct the sins of your heart, or change your worldview. Only feasting can do that. Feasting on Jesus while fasting from the flesh.

Feeding people is what God has been doing since the dawn of time. Trees in the Garden of Eden. Water from a rock. Manna in the wilderness. Food from ravens’ mouths. Endless oil and flour. Jesus’ time on earth was spent feeding people too. Wine in Cana. Multiplication of loaves and fishes. Feeding of the 4,000. He could have sent them home to feed themselves. He could have berated them for not being prepared. He didn’t. He fed their bodies and filled their minds and souls with Himself. Even if it took a couple of days to do it. (Genesis 1:28-29; Numbers 20:1-13; Exodus 16:1-36; I Kings 17:1-16; John 2:1-11; John 6:1-13; Matthew 15:29-39)

After the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes, the crowd, not interested in fasting, traveled to Capernaum looking for Jesus. They needed breakfast. They had gone to great lengths to get it. They were hungry after all that rowing. Upon arrival, they tried to pass it off as simply looking for Jesus, not looking for the leftovers from yesterday’s miracle. He isn’t fooled. Jesus knows they’ve come for more food. So He offers them something better. The bread of life. 

 In answer to the hunger of the souls that chased Him down, Jesus offered relationship with Him. He is the bread of life. He is the answer for longing souls. If they just come to Him, He fills the one who is hungry and quenches the one who is thirsty. The food never runs out. The well never runs dry. And it’s all free of charge. Come, take, feast, without money and without price. You can have all of Jesus you want. Just pull up to the table and feast.  (Isaiah 55:1; John 6:22-59) 

We seem to have forgotten this. We spend our lives limiting our Bible reading by reading other things instead. We absorb ourselves in social media, news, work, sports. We pray only when we need something or don’t have anything else to do. When we do pray, our list of wants and wishes spills out in rapid-fire verbal vomit capped with a hasty “Amen.” We don’t wait before God to hear Him speak. We don’t linger to relish His presence. No. We rush off to the next event, next chore, next show. We are fasting our souls when we should be feasting.

The elder brother of the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable did the same thing. He’d watched in disdain as his younger brother took his money and went haring off to parts unknown. He’d stayed on the farm, toiling endlessly on crops and cattle. It was thankless work. He did it anyway, without complaint. One day, he came in from the fields filthy, famished, and needing a rest. As he approached the house he heard music and festivities. Wondering what was going on, he stops a servant to get the details. “Your brother is back,” he hears, “Your father is making a feast to welcome him home.” 

Hearing these words, the eldest son’s hunger vanishes, replaced by anger and resentment. No one has ever thrown him a party. His blood, sweat, and tears have made this place what it is, but no one celebrates him. Why should he go in there for this? He doesn’t need food. He can fast. As the burgeoning ugliness of anger, resentment, and bitterness begin to overflow, his father appears. He just wants his son to lay aside his anger, come inside, sit at the table, and feast. (Luke 15:11-32)

I don’t know if the son accepted the father’s invitation. The parable doesn’t say. I do know this. God is extending the same invitation to you. He’s asking you to fast from your anger, jealousy, pride, fear, and hate. Quit your sin. Come. Pull up to His banquet table. Tuck your napkin in your shirt collar. And dig in. Feast on Jesus. Taste His goodness. Indulge in His mercy, love, and grace. Find your gluttonous pleasure in the things of God. The platters will never be empty. Your glass will never be dry. Come. Feast. Be full of living waters. Find everlasting life at the Father’s table. (Song of Solomon 2:4; Psalm 34:8; Revelation 22:17; John 4:13-14; John 6:35)

    Perhaps you have declared a fast. You are dedicated to your vow. Skipping meals. Eschewing a food group. Staying signed out of social media. That’s all well and good, but why are you doing it? Because it’s tradition, because your church expects it? I hope not. I hope you have loftier goals for your fast. I hope your soul isn’t fasting as well. I hope you have accepted the invitation from the Bread of Life, have pulled up to the table, and are feasting like never before. I hope your soul is getting fat during your physical fast. You can fast for any reason, but if your soul is fasting too, you are just engaging in another diet regimen. Don’t starve your soul. The banquet is spread. The invitation has been issued. Come. Feast. And find eternal life. (John 6:35; John 7:37-38)

They hadn’t washed their hands! How disgusting! Those filthy disciples just dug into their bread without observing the proper rituals! Clustered together and casting disapproving glances at the obvious heathens in their midst, the scribes and Pharisees were filled with outraged repulsion. How could these men claim to be so righteous yet not follow all the religious traditions and rituals passed down from their elders? More importantly, why didn’t their Leader, the great Teacher, tell them to mind their manners? The affront was intolerable. Unwilling to leave the issue unaddressed, they approached Jesus demanding to know why His men were eating without proper washing according to their traditions. 

I wonder what response they were expecting. Did they think He was going to run over and slap the bread out of the disciples’ allegedly dirty hands? Did they assume He would call them out publicly for their great offense? Did they mistakenly believe Jesus He would make His disciples engage in the ritualistic handwashing of their tradition? I don’t know. I do know this. Whatever response they expected, they were in for a huge surprise. 

Jesus, looking calmly over the scene, answered like this, “You are hypocrites. Isaiah was right about you. What you say and do doesn’t match the mess in your heart. What you teach reflects the commands of men, not the heart of God. You religiously observe your own traditions passed down from generation to generation, giving them more reverence than the commands of God. You have effectively invalidated God’s precepts, replacing them with your rituals and traditions. You don’t truly love, honor, or worship God and it shows in what spews from the ugliness of your ungodly hearts.” Then, to the entire crowd, Jesus clarified His words, saying, “What you eat or drink doesn’t contaminate you, but what springs up from within can.” (Mark 7:1-16)

The disciples were confused. What was Jesus saying? Eating spoiled food won’t make you ill? Of course it could! And too much wine could have negative effects as well. They all knew these things. So what could Jesus possibly mean when He said, “What you eat doesn’t contaminate you?” They needed an explanation! 

Jesus gave it to them. “Don’t you understand? Following Me has nothing to do with what you eat or how clean your hands are when you eat it. There are no traditions or rituals that can save your soul. Only a clean heart, free from evil thoughts, adultery, greed, deceit, promiscuity, pride, and every other sin, will ever make it to Heaven. The evil of one’s heart contaminates their entire being.” (Mark 7:17-29)

You see, following Jesus has nothing to do with food, traditions, or rituals. You can’t cleanse your heart by washing your hands, following a bunch of guidelines, or putting money in the collection plate. Your soul can only be contaminated by the evil that springs up from within and flows out of your heart. Sins that you pamper and nourish. Anger, bitterness, jealousy, hate. These things contaminate your entire life. Adhering to traditions and rituals can’t decontaminate it, either. Only following Jesus wholeheartedly, living for Him doggedly can cleanse the contamination from your soul. Because Following Jesus has nothing to do with following a bunch of traditions and everything to do with the state of your heart.  (I Corinthians 8:8; Proverbs 23:7; Luke 6:45)

We are people of traditions, completely immersed in their practice. Cultural traditions. Family traditions. Religious traditions. Traditions like Lent, which starts today. Across the globe, people will choose something to forgo and eschew it for the next 40 days. It seems it’s often a food item. Coffee, chocolate, caffeine, carbs. I’ve never been able to understand it. I can’t find a correlation between drinking coffee and following Jesus. According to the above account, Jesus didn’t see one either. So why do we hear so much about quitting a food group in keeping with Lent? When did the Lent tradition turn into a diet plan? Do you spend more time in Bible reading and prayer without your coffee cup or carb-laden breakfast? If not, what possible connection can there be between your diet and your relationship with Jesus Christ? 

There really isn’t one. Unless, of course, your besetting sin is gluttony. You can give up candy, pasta, or pie. It might change your body, but it won’t change your heart. No type of fasting alone will change your heart. You can forego the new shoes and donate the money to the poor, but it won’t make you more devoted to Jesus. You can give up an exciting novel, stop watching your favorite television show, skip social media, decline dinner with friends, but if you don’t fill those voids with Jesus, it means nothing at all. Lent isn’t about exclusion. It’s about inclusion. Lent is about finding or making more room in your life for Jesus Christ. It’s about rearranging your priorities to give Him first place. It’s about laying aside the temporal and reveling in the eternal. 

Your soul can’t live without it, this decadent feasting on the things of God. You won’t survive without intimate knowledge of Jesus in the deepest part of your being. You can never safely navigate the tricks and traps of the world without a profound personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You need it desperately. Your soul longs for it. If you can shush the clamoring noises of the world long enough to listen, you would know it. Mary did. 

Beset on every side with cleaning, cooking, and a nagging Martha, Mary plopped down at Jesus’ feet, focused her gaze on Him, tuned her hearing to His voice alone, and listened. Others were gathered to listen as well, Mary didn’t notice them. Martha came to insist she stop wasting time and help serve, it didn’t break her concentration. Mary wasn’t unaware that there were important things to do. She simply understood what most of us miss, the most important, most needful thing was to feed her soul. The dishes could wait. The meal didn’t need to be elaborate. The laundry would be there tomorrow. The sweeping would only need redone once everyone left. So she laid aside Martha’s absorbing tasks and soaked up Jesus’ presence instead. Mary knew her soul would die without Him. (Luke 10:38-42)

Your soul will too. Your soul cannot exist on a constant diet of news, social media, and television programs. It cannot survive day after day on a calendar Scripture and a quick prayer as you rush out the door. Simply put, your soul will die if you don’t make time for Jesus. You can’t possibly know Him if you don’t spend time with Him. You’ll miss hearing His voice if you don’t shut out the noise of the world and listen. You will never experience spiritual growth when you are actively denying your soul the one nutrient it needs to survive. You must have Jesus. Your soul will die without Him.

Today is Ash Wednesday. It’s the traditional beginning of Lent. Maybe in the past you have followed the tradition grudgingly as part of your religious affiliation. Perhaps you have half-heartedly participated because a parent or spouse or friend thought you should. Maybe you have observed the tradition in an attempt to assuage the guilt for the things springing out of your ungodly heart. Perhaps the taunting echoes from that same heart are tempting you to forgo Lent this year. I hope you don’t. I hope you participate. Not in some tradition alone that doesn’t change your heart, save your soul, or bring eternal joy, but in the spirit of the traditions. Don’t just give up peanut butter and go on with your life as usual. Keep your peanut butter. Rearrange your life instead. Spend more time with Jesus. Sit at His feet. Listen to His voice. Learn from Him. Let Him change your heart. Not by tradition alone, but by the cleansing and continued presence of His Spirit. (Titus 3:4-7; Mark 8:37)