I Know Jesus Said That, But…

I’ve been on a particular journey for a long time, actually for most of my life. I’m on a journey to find Jesus. Ok now, before you begin to show me the Roman Road or The Four Spiritual Laws and tell me how to find Jesus and get saved, let me assure you I do know Him. You see, a while back, what I call a divine dissatisfaction with my understanding of Jesus began to set in on me. I knew Jesus in the sense that He is the Son of God, lived a sinless life, died for my sin, and rose from the dead – the essentials. I had read the entire bible. I had read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I had read the Sermon On the Mount. Many times.

I recently decided to take off my American evangelical glasses and read the story of Jesus for what it is – God became a man. You could put it this way, Jesus is what God looks like.

This has caused some gut-wrenchingly honest soul searching to take place in me. I didn’t like what I saw. I saw a man whose image of Jesus had been molded into a modern, watered-down version of something that was a little easier to swallow than the one who preached the greatest sermon ever in chapters 5,6 and 7 of Matthew’s gospel. You know what I’m talking about? Those statements Jesus made, like

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.”

I have to be honest with you, when discussing passages like these with other people, more times than not I would follow them up with a “but.” As if we can take everything Jesus says at face value except the ones that require complete trust on our part. It reminds me of an old hymn…

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just to take Him at His word…

I am finding that there’s no greater peace to be found than when I simply take him at His word. I don’t know about you, but it scares me to think about turning the other cheek or the inconvenience of having to go the second mile, but He didn’t say it would be easy. I get tired of hearing that worn-out cliché that says “God won’t put more on you than you can handle.” That’s not true! Some of His commandments are more than I can handle! If I could handle them I wouldn’t need to trust Him, would I?

It’s becoming easier for me to trust Him the more I realize just how much He loves me. His perfect love does indeed cast out fear. The more I become aware of His love, the less fear can dictate to what extent I’m willing to obey Him.

So let me sum it up like this: If I turn the other cheek and get knocked down, His love is there to catch me.

I can’t think of a better place to fall.

Trusting Jesus,

Kevin.