When referring to Jesus, our culture often talks about love.
Regardless of beliefs, most people agree that Jesus was a historical figure who walked the earth, and demonstrated the power and truth of what love is.
Culturally, both those who accept His divinity and those who reject it, have crafted a Jesus that makes people comfortable.
Even the church.
We like the soft Jesus. The lover Jesus.
The one who gives us the warm and fuzzies.
But, is that all there is to Jesus?
Let me ask you?
Are you one thing? Or many things?
When we talk about Jesus, do we forget that although Jesus portrayed love and was love – the other most important thing Jesus showed us was obedience?
He perfectly demonstrates it.
And He calls us to live in obedience.
Before Jesus was arrested He said to His disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death…” In the next verse, “…he fell to his face and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” And then a couple of verses later He prays, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done.” (Matthew 26:38)
Jesus knew what was coming.
He was scared.
He didn’t want to go through it.
He wanted out.
But, Jesus committed the most important act of obedience that would ever take place.
We like the “love” part.
We like to forget about the “obedience” part.
And when we talk about obedience, what are we talking about?
Obedience to who?
Obedience how?
Human nature has always been to construct a narrative and then look for supporting evidence.
Often, we don’t like to hear the narrative and accept its truth if it contradicts our agenda.
Today, we like phrases like “live your truth,” and “find yourself.”
But, isn’t there one truth? …If you believe in scripture.
Isn’t there one God who created you with a purpose and plan that cannot be fully discovered apart from Him?
Thousands of years ago, the narrative was an expectation for a King to arrive who would overtake Kingdoms and sit on a throne and display power and might.
The Messianic expectations were for Jesus to restore Israel to prominence.
Yet, the prophets who came before Him never said that the Messiah would come that way.
Isaiah prophesied about the virgin birth, the birth of a child who would be a ruler, and the suffering servant. Isaiah 53 describes the suffering and rejection of Jesus.
Jeremiah also prophesied about Jesus and the righteous branch that would come from the line of David. He wrote of a New Covenant through Jesus.
Further prophecy in the Old Testament is in Psalms, Daniel and Micah.
In Psalms 22, David writes, : “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
The same words spoken by Christ on the cross hundreds of years later.
In verse 17 and 18, David writes, “All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garments.”
Again, this was fulfilled during the death of Jesus.
So, what happened? What got lost in translation?
Before and during the time of Jesus, people expect a King of power.
They get a savior who displays a power that isn’t what they expect.
But, they shouldn’t have misunderstood.
Not if they read the Old Testament.
Not if they listened to the prophets and the prophecies.
How is this different from our culture?
Do we read?
Do we listen?
Don’t we cling to what we want to hear? …and throw the rest away?
Haven’t we made Jesus what we want Him to be?
The answers for those thousands of years ago are still the same answers today.
We can miss Jesus just like so many did when He walked in the flesh, on this earth.
We can miss Him because we expect Him to reveal Himself in ways that He won’t.
We can miss Him because we haven’t read.
We can miss Him because we haven’t listened.
We can miss him because we want to hold on to a singular aspect – love.
And ignore another key aspect – obedience.
God shows us through the entirety of the Bible that He is not singular.
He creates, He engages, He’s relational, He instructs, He commands, He judges, He reigns down wrath, He gives mercy, fulfills promises, makes covenants, destroys, rescues, saves –
God reveals His character to us through scripture, and if we think He is just a God of love, I invite you to read the Old Testament. I invite you to read Revelation in the New Testament.
The biggest misconception is that Jesus cancels out the Old Testament.
Jesus doesn’t cancel out the Old Testament.
Jesus references the Old Testament.
Jesus fulfills prophecy from the Old Testament.
He’s the same God throughout the scriptures.
Same God – New covenant, through Jesus.
So, my questions remain – obedience to who? Obedience how?
This is personal.
I don’t know what it is for you, only for me.
This can’t be discovered on your own.
You don’t get to decide how God wants to use you, or the ways in which He’s asking you to be obedient.
You can’t dream it up, imagine it, or guess.
It has to align with who God is and what He says.
It can’t be the God we imagine or create or the one we think sounds good –
And the only way to discern if something aligns with who God is and what He says is to read.
Read.
Read the bible.
Stop reading human opinion.
Stop listening to man made philosophy.
Stop creating narratives.
We cannot be obedient to a God we don’t know.
We cannot discern truth when we haven’t sought the character of God, which He revealed in scripture through signs, miracles, wonders, prophets, and Christ.
He shows us who He is.
And just like the people of Jesus’s time weren’t prepared for the coming of Christ, so may we be caught off guard at the next event on the prophetic timetable.
And that prophecy doesn’t have Jesus riding in on a donkey. Jesus is coming on a white horse, with an army.
In the end, what excuse will we have?
“I didn’t know?” ….
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