[Jesus said] “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:26)
A good servant knows his Master so well he can anticipate his needs. He is right there when his Master wants something. In the same way, true disciples of Christ know him so well, that they do just what he wants even before he asks, and they are always be ready to respond when he speaks.
Jesus modeled this for us when he washed the feet of the disciples. Peter’s response was much like ours would be. God’s Messiah shouldn’t be washing feet – he should be marching into Jerusalem to claim victory, to free God’s people. He shouldn’t be on his knees with a towel around his waist. He should be sitting on a throne, with people kneeling at his feet.
Jesus told Peter, and tells us – if we don’t let him be your servant, we can have no part of him. This is who he is – God’s servant. And if we want to follow him, we have to do be a servants too.
Showing posts with label Messiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Messiah. Show all posts
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Monday, March 5, 2007
Looking for God in the Wrong Places
But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 8:33)
The Apostle Peter, the rock on whom the Church is built, nonetheless had mistaken notions of who Jesus was. Peter was looking for a triumphant Messiah, God’s Chosen One, who would come with military might and overthrow the corrupt political system of Roman rule. When Jesus started talking about His suffering and impending death, Peter didn’t want to hear about it.
But Jesus persisted, even insisting that Peter was so mistaken in his thinking that he was representing Satan (a genuine devil’s advocate).
The foundation of the Church is not only built on Christ, it is built on false notions of who Christ is. Eugene Petersen writes --
"In our religious striving, we are usually looking for something quite other than the God who has come looking for us."
Are we looking for the true God or just a God we want to find?
The Apostle Peter, the rock on whom the Church is built, nonetheless had mistaken notions of who Jesus was. Peter was looking for a triumphant Messiah, God’s Chosen One, who would come with military might and overthrow the corrupt political system of Roman rule. When Jesus started talking about His suffering and impending death, Peter didn’t want to hear about it.
But Jesus persisted, even insisting that Peter was so mistaken in his thinking that he was representing Satan (a genuine devil’s advocate).
The foundation of the Church is not only built on Christ, it is built on false notions of who Christ is. Eugene Petersen writes --
"In our religious striving, we are usually looking for something quite other than the God who has come looking for us."
Are we looking for the true God or just a God we want to find?
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