Out of the Way

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I often hear sermons about Jesus in a perspective of He "just so happened" to.... and you can finish that sentence with any of the miraculous things He's done. It's almost like the stories are told as if Jesus went out of His way.

It drives me crazy...

How do we (in the same breath) say we serve an "omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient" God, and then tell people about Him like He didn't see things coming. Seriously?!

As a Church, let's all agree and get one thing straight - Jesus was never accidentally anywhere!!

I know why and how this misinterpretation happens. It's simple honestly....

We think about God and we flip the script. We see Him in our own capacity. We picture Jesus as man, and distort that He is also God. Remember those bracelets in the early 90's, that said "What Would Jesus Do." They were friendly reminders, that in a pinch of concern and/or worry, we should respond to life the way Christ would. This served more as a fashion fad then an actual reminder. Here we are over twenty years later and we still don't have it down. Instead, even with all the knowledge and wisdom given to us in the Bible, we walk our lives out as though we are aimlessly lead by an unprepared God.

Let's identify some common misconceptions.

Heads up... These are obviously not ways we intentionally perceive Jesus. But it does reflect in how well we see and relate to our circumstances. :)

SURPRISED JESUS

Have you ever been to a surprise party?

Everybody is in on it, except for the person it was meant for. Unbeknownst to the guest, people had been working behind the scenes for probably weeks. Food? Check! Decorations? Got em! Someone to take pictures? Absolutely. When that lucky person walks into the room EVERYBODY yells, "surprise." But only one person actually is.

Can we please take a moment and realize, in our lives (and throughout the Bible) Jesus is never the one to be surprised?! Just because it catches everyone else off guard does not mean God was unprepared. Like the people who come together and make sure everything is

Think about the man who was lowered from the roof. Luke 5:17-26 tells us about a man who was paralyzed and his friends carried him to a house where Jesus was. The house was packed. I mean, c'mon... Jesus was in there. People wanted to be front and center. So they climbed on top of the house, brought the man up with them, and started taking apart the roof. They created a hole so big, that they could lower the man down to Jesus. And they did.

When I hear this story preached, the story is painted vividly. It's beautiful. Friends so dedicated to the healing of their buddy they literally tear apart a stranger's house to present him to Jesus. Without a doubt, regardless of who teaches this story, this phrase always comes up. "Imagine their faces" as they describe the roof caving in. Although I'm certain those around Jesus were shocked at this circumstance.... I know for a FACT Jesus is unbothered. In fact, I kind of giggle.

Picture Jesus, talking and preaching... And knowing the whole time, "These people have no idea what's going to happen in front of them today." Imaging his internal count down... "That roof is going to start falling in five.... four.... three.... two..... Yup. There it goes."

Jesus, being a gentleman (who in the form of the Holy Spirit, only enters your heart after He knocks and you let Him in), He did not make these men break into someone else's home. He knew if He showed up, He would be where someone would get healed.

So the same way people come together and plan a surprise party, is a representation of how the Trinity (God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit) come together to prepare our breakthroughs.

THE INCONSIDERATE SAVIOR

"He's an on time God.... Yes. He is." Anyone raised by Southern Baptist grandparents knows this song. It's a classic church banger. But as much as this song is a testimony of the faith we should have in God, it's the antithesis of how most of us see and respect God's timing.

Don't worry, it's not just us. Martha was heavily disappointed in Jesus's timing as well. Lazarus was dead for three days before Jesus showed up. And it wasn't like He didn't know the need or the level of urgency for the situation. In fact, if you are Mary and Martha (who previously hosted Jesus in their home), you might have felt entitled to Jesus arriving early.

When we read John 11:5-6, I wouldn't blame anyone for being confused. In fact, if I was Martha or Mary and I read that... I'd be more than upset. "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where he was." Then we fast forward a little, after Jesus finally decides to head to Judea. Jesus explains to His disciples the current condition of his friend. "Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe"

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! So you love me - you love my entire family? And out of that love, You wait to respond when we need you? Then you're happy that the time I need you, you weren't there? HOW SWAY?!

Martha is the perfect depiction of "God can handle your disappointment." She had no filter when Jesus arrived fashionably late. (That was almost the subtitle for this section - The Fashionably Late Savior). Martha basically tells Jesus, "If you would have been here, this wouldn't have happened." Then she had an attitude when Jesus told her Lazarus would rise again. Jesus then sees Mary, who tells Him the same thing - "Had you been here...."

What I love about this story is in John 11:33-34. When Jesus "groaned in the spirit." I picture the breath of exasperation our Savior had in this moment. He shows up. He gets nothing but attitude. Then he watches people mourn around Him. Don't get this twisted. It was not that Jesus was irritated about the weeping. They lost a loved one. Even "Jesus wept" (John 11:35) at the loss of His friend. But what He was witnessing was not just the tears of mourning, but the despair of those who had spoken of Him as the Messiah, but did not truly believe it in their hearts when it really mattered.

Even as He was at Lazarus's tomb and requested for the stone to be rolled away, Martha reminded Jesus how long Lazarus had been laid away in death.

How many times have you complained to God about something you needed? Then complained to Him, with a friendly reminder of how long you've been waiting. Only to be almost ungrateful because it was happening later than would have preferred it to happen.

It's not that God doesn't care about your timing. He hears your prayers. He cries when you hurt. But He sees more than you can comprehend. Imagine being poor your entire life. Homeless. Only to be gifted 20 million dollars in your mid-90's. Would you rather complain to God about all the things you could have done with that money if you had it sooner. Or would you realize you were given a gift that keeps the rest of your family beyond your years on earth?

When Lazarus was resurrected it created a domino effect of believe, that spread to those who had never even seen Jesus. Lazarus' death was the key to his resurrection. His life meant more after his death, and his testimony was more powerful because of that story.

Your blessing is bigger than you.

AN AIMLESS CHRIST

Think about the woman at the well, in John: 4-26. A scripture that has been heavily preached lately, as it also applies to racial tension and how to respond to it. But today, let's look at it from a geographic or strategic planning perspective.

John 4 starts with a recap of what is going on with Jesus... The Pharisees are upset (as per usual), because in this moment in history Jesus (through his disciples) has baptized more men than John (The Baptist). So now He is on his way now to Galilee from Judea. John 4:4 says, "But He needed to go through Samaria." The use of the term "but" let's us know there was most-likely an alternative route available to go along His journey. And knowing this, because - it's Jesus - He knows everything, He still "needed" to go to Samaria.

He chose to go through an area that was typically avoided, due to racial disparities, in order to speak to someone who was otherwise considered a whore and fill her up as an evangelist.

He chose the route that filled His purpose and changed hers. Even though other routes were available and preferred, this should not be read or mistaken as Jesus going "out of His way."

"For I am the way, the truth, and the life" - Jesus on Jesus (John 14:6). This is soooo encouraging... Because how can Jesus go "out of His way" when He is "the way"? And if you rewind just a little bit, before this passage Thomas asked Jesus a question we still wonder 2000+ years later. "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"

"We don't know" the way... That's the entire point. But us not knowing should give us the faith to trust God and follow Him. Not a reason to doubt God's abilities because we don't understand our circumstances.

We weren't designed to know, y'all!!! All we are supposed to do and know how to do is love. Love God. Love ourselves. Love our neighbors... Just love. (And half of the time we don't even get that right). But everything else is us leaning on and following God.

Let me give you (us) a strong reminder. We were designed in God's image (Genesis 1:27). That means when we see ourselves, we should see who God created us to be. When we see our voids, we should remember who God is. Our internal compass is not set to "North" it's set to God. He did not create us and then adjust Himself down to what we could understand... He is not limited by our inefficiencies. Nor does He operate on our understanding. But we look at our situations and we become discouraged because we can only imagine God through our own reality. And He knew we'd try to see Him through that lens. So we turn to Isaiah 55:8-9 for a friendly reminder. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways."

Plain and simple. God is telling us, "Stop looking for YOU in ME, and start looking for ME in YOU!"