Devotional 12-12-04

ARE YOU THE ONE?

Matthew 11: 2 – 11

John the Baptist is in jail. Jesus is out and about teaching, preaching, and healing. John sends his disciples out to ask Jesus this question: Are you the ONE?

There you have it. A question asked at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry that continues to be asked today. Are you the ONE?

Are you the ONE who can take my suffering away?

Are you the ONE that helps us win this football championship?

Are you the ONE who brought the hurricanes and caused the destruction?

Are you the ONE who wants this particular man to be president?

Are you the ONE who will help me find a parking spot?

Are you the ONE who will assist me in being financially independent?

Are you the ONE who let my mama die?

Are you the ONE who will keep me from being pregnant?

Are you the ONE who will help me get pregnant?

Jesus did not answer that question rather he responded by saying, “the poor are hearing the Good News” and “happy is the person that does not find me a stumbling block.”

I wonder about that statement. As a person who is obviously not poor, can I hear the Good News? Are my ears clogged or my mind clouded in such a way that I cannot hear the Good News? Are all the possessions that I worry about someone taking keeping my attention from spiritual realms? Was Jesus saying that a person of means does not need the Good News or that they think that the Good News is only for them?

Jesus is a stumbling block for me. I want to ignore him. I want to embrace all the stereotypes that make life simple. I want to hug my personal bias and narrow assumptions. Yet he keeps calling me to love my enemy and to turn the other cheek. He reminds me of my first fruits and asks what I am going to return to Him.

My prayer for us during this advent season is that we can move these questions to a statement of faith: Jesus, you are the one, who gives me the strength and courage to follow your example each day.

Rev. David Johnson