THE PERSON WHO HAS NEVER TAKEN THE RISK OF HAVING TO TASTE WHAT IS BITTER HAS NEVER REALLY KNOWN THAT WHICH TASTES SWEET.
THE HUMAN SPIRIT IS CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING ENORMOUS DISCOMFORT, INCLUDING THE PROSPECT OF DEATH, IF THE CIRCUMSTANCES MAKE SENSE.
MANY MARTYRS, POLITICAL PRISONERS, AND WAR HEROES HAVE GONE TO THEIR GRAVES WILLINGLY AND CONFIDENTLY. WHY? BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTOOD THE SACRIFICE THEY WERE MAKING AND ACCEPTED ITS MEANING IN THEIR LIVES.
THIS IS ALL "FINE AND DANDY" IF, AS I SAID, THE CIRCUMSTANCES WE ARE FACED WITH MAKE SENSE! BUT MOST OF THE TIME LIFE FOR US DOESN’T SEEM TO EVER MAKE SENSE.
WHEN IT COMES TO THE REALM OF HUMAN SUFFERING THERE WILL ALWAYS BE THE INEVITABLE QUESTIONS THAT TROUBLE OUR SOULS BECAUSE THERE ARE NO ANSWERS.
THE SAD THING ABOUT THIS IS THAT TOO MANY CHRISTIANS TODAY THROW IN THE TOWEL AND WALK AWAY FROM CHRIST SIMPLY BECAUSE THEIR CURRENT SITUATIONS DON’T ADD UP AND GOD DOESN’T APPEAR TO MAKE SENSE.
WARS, FAMINE, CANCER, HEART DISEASE, CEREBRAL PALSY, DOWN’S SYNDROME, DIVORCE, RAPE, LONELINESS, REJECTION, FAILURE, INFERTILITY, AND WIDOWHOOD. WITH JUST THOSE MENTIONED FEW, ONE WOULD THINK OUR HEAVENLY FATHER WAS REALLY UNCARING OR UNCONCERNED ABOUT HIS CHILDREN AND THAT HE GETS SOME SORT OF TWISTED PLEASURE FROM TAUNTING US WITH THESE CRUEL, COSMIC JOKES.
IT IS ALMOST BLASPHEMOUS TO SAY THESE THINGS ABOUT GOD BECAUSE THEY ARE TOTALLY NONSENSE. BUT AT SOME POINT AND TIME IN OUR LIVES I’M SURE WE’VE FOUND OURSELVES PONDERING SUCH QUESTIONS OF POSSIBILITY.
COULD JOHN THE BAPTIST HAVE EVER DOUBTED? AFTER ALL HE WAS THE "FORE-RUNNER" OF THE MESSIAH. HE DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO PAVING THE WAY FOR JESUS TO COME AND ESTABLISH AND USHER IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD. BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENED! INSTEAD OF USHERING IN A KINGDOM, JOHN IS USHERED INTO PRISON.
JOHN HAD BEEN EXPECTING THAT THE MESSIAH WOULD SET UP THE KINGDOM AS HE HAD BEEN ANNOUNCING. AFTER ALL THE TROUBLE HE WENT THROUGH HE INSTEAD FINDS HIMSELF IN PRISON AND IN DANGER OF BEING PUT TO DEATH.
AFTER ALL HE HAS GONE THROUGH AND EVERYTHING HE HAS PLACED HIS HOPE IN DOESN’T EVEN SEEM TO BE REAL. AS FAR AS JOHN KNOWS THE KINGDOM HAD NOT COME. HE DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO SERVING A HEAVENLY KING ONLY TO HAVE HIS HEAD SERVED TO AN EARTHLY KING.
JOHN’S QUESTIONING IS LEGITIMATE FOR ANYONE FACED WITH SUFFERING FROM DISILLUSIONMENT. JOHN RAISED HIS QUESTIONS BECAUSE HIS PRECONCEIVED IDEAS OF HOW THINGS SHOULD WORK OUT COMES UP SHORT.
WE CAN LEARN A LESSON FROM JOHN’S REACTION THAT WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL THAT WE DON’T CONFUSE OUR EXPECTATIONS OF GOD WITH THE VARIETY OF STYLES GOD USES TO REACH THE LOST OR HOW HE CHOOSES TO ANSWER OUR PRAYERS.
SOMETIMES GOD IS DOING SOMETHING SO POWERFUL THAT WE MISS THE WHOLE POINT SIMPLY BECAUSE WE HAVE PRECONCEIVED EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT GOD IS GOING TO DO.
I BELIEVE THIS IS WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE MIND OF JOHN WHILE IN PRISON. JOHN ANTICIPATED THAT JESUS WOULD TAKE AN INSTANT ROAD TO GLORY. SO, WHEN JESUS DIDN’T MEET THAT EXPECTATION, JOHN HAD QUESTIONS.
HOW OFTEN DO WE DO THE SAME AS JOHN? WE SOMETIMES EXPECT GOD TO DO SOMETHING A CERTAIN WAY, AND WHEN HE DOESN’T DO IT THAT WAY WE GET TO THINKING THAT GOD HAS, IN SOME WAY, FAILED US.
THE GOOD NEWS FOR US TODAY WHEN WE BECOME DISILLUSIONED WITH THE WAY GOD CHOOSES TO WORK IS THAT GOD CAN AND DOES BLESS THROUGH HARDSHIP.
CAN WE OR WILL WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO HEAR SUCH A MESSAGE? CAN WE MAKE OURSELVES SEE GOD IN THE MIDST OF EVENTS THAT GO A TOTALLY DIFFERENT WAY FROM WHAT WE HAD HOPED OR WOULD HAVE DESIGNED IF WE HAD BEEN OFFERED THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN AT THE PLANNING TABLE WITH GOD TO WORK THINGS OUT?
WHAT ARE YOUR DISILLUSIONMENTS ABOUT THE MESSIAH? HAVE YOU BEEN LOOKING FOR THE MESSIAH WHO IS NOT COMING THE WAY YOU WANT HIM TO?
HAVE YOU BECOME SO DISILLUSIONED BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN WANTING THE MESSIAH TO COME AND YOU WANT HIM TO COME RIGHT NOW? DO YOU WANT A MESSIAH WHO WILL RESCUE THE INNOCENT AND PUNISH THE GUILTY?
BUT, LIKE JOHN, IT FEELS LIKE YOU ARE STILL WAITING IN YOUR PRISON CELL AND YOU JUST FOUND OUT THAT THE MESSIAH YOU GET IS NOT THE MESSIAH YOU EXPECTED.
INSTEAD, YOU GET THE MESSIAH WHO WAITS WHILE YOU FIND YOU OWN ANSWERS. YOU GET THE ONE WHO GIVES SUSPENDED SENTENCES TO THE GUILTY.
YOU GET THE ONE WHO LETS ALL OF HUMANITY STEW IN THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIONS. YOU WANT TO CRY OUT AS JOHN DID, "ARE YOU THE ONE WHO IS TO COME, OR ARE WE TO WAIT FOR ANOTHER?"
ANYONE WHO HAS CRASHED HEAD ON INTO A WALL OF DISILLUSIONMENT FROM LOOKING FOR THE LORD ONLY TO FIND THAT HE DID NOT COME IN THE WAY HE WAS EXPECTED CAN KNOW TODAY THERE IS GOOD NEWS. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT DISILLUSIONMENT IS NOT A BAD THING AT ALL!
DISILLUSIONMENT IS THE LOSS OF AN ILLUSION! THE ILLUSION THAT IS LOST IS THE ILLUSION THAT WE HAVE OF OURSELVES, ABOUT THE WORLD AND ABOUT GOD.
DISILLUSIONED, WE FIND OUT THAT GOD DOES NOT CONFORM TO OUR EXPECTATIONS. WE GET A GLIMPSE AT OUR OWN RELATIVE SIZE IN THIS GREAT UNIVERSE AND SEE THAT NO HUMAN BEING CAN SAY WHO GOD SHOULD BE OR HOW GOD SHOULD ACT OR RESPOND.
WE REVIEW OUR REQUIREMENTS OF GOD AND RECOGNIZE THEM AS NO DIFFERENT THAN PURE FICTION. THESE ARE THE VERY THINGS WE USE TO CONVINCE OURSELVES THAT WE ARE SAFE, GOOD OR COMFORTABLE.
DISILLUSIONED, WE FIND OUT WHAT IS NOT TRUE AND WE ARE SET FREE TO SEEK WHAT IS - IF WE DARE - TO TURN AWAY FROM THE GOD WHO WAS "SUPPOSED TO BE" IN ORDER TO SEEK AFTER THE GOD WHO IS.
EVERY LETDOWN BECOMES A LESSON AND A LURE! DID GOD FAIL TO COME WHEN I RUBBED THE LANTERN? THEN PERHAPS GOD IS NOT A GENIE! WHO, THEN IS GOD? DID GOD FAIL TO PUNISH MY ENEMIES? THEN PERHAPS GOD IS NOT A POLICE OFFICER? WHO, THEN, IS GOD? DID GOD FAIL TO MAKE EVERYTHING RUN SMOOTHLY? THEN PERHAPS GOD IS NOT A MECHANIC? WHO, THEN, IS GOD?
OVER AND OVER, WE FIND OUR DISAPPOINTMENTS DRAWING US DEEPER INTO THE MYSTERY OF GOD’S BEING AND DOING. EVERY TIME GOD DECLINES TO MEET OUR EXPECTATIONS, ANOTHER ONE OF OUR IDOLS IS EXPOSED.
ANOTHER CURTAIN IS DRAWN BACK THAT WE CAN SEE WHAT WE HAVE PROPPED UP IN GOD’S PLACE. NO, THAT IS NOT GOD!WHO THEN IS GOD? IT IS THE QUESTION OF A LIFETIME, AND THE ANSWERS ARE NEVER BIG ENOUGH OR FINISHED.
NOT UNTIL WE START PUSHING PAST CURTAIN AFTER CURTAIN WILL IT BECOME CLEAR TO US THAT THE FAILURE IS NOT GOD’S, BUT OUR OWN, FOR HAVING SUCH A POOR, PATHETIC AND STINGY IMAGINATION.
"GO AND TELL JOHN WHAT YOU HEAR AND SEE" IS WHAT JESUS TOLD THE DISCIPLES OF JOHN THAT DAY. "THE BLIND RECEIVE THEIR SIGHT, THE LAME WALK, THE LEPERS ARE CLEANSED, THE DEAF HEAR, THE DEAD ARE RAISED, AND THE POOR HAVE GOOD NEWS BROUGHT TO THEM. AND BLESSED IS ANYONE WHO TAKES NO OFFENSE TO ME."
DON’T YOU FIND IT THE LEAST BIT IRONIC THAT JESUS NEVER TESTIFIED TO HIMSELF AT ALL? JESUS SENDS JOHN’S DISCIPLES BACK TO HIM TO TELL THEIR TEACHER WHAT THEY HAVE SEEN AND HEARD.
WHAT THEY SAW AND WHAT THEY HEARD WASN’T BOASTFUL STORIES SWELLING WITH PRIDE ON HOW HE RAINED JUSTICE UPON THE GUILTY AND SHINED THE SPOTLIGHT ON THE INNOCENT. NEITHER DID THEY HEAR HOW JESUS SINGLE-HANDEDLY IMPRISONED THE CORRUPT AND ADMONISHED THE PURE IN HEART.
EVERYTHING THEY SAW AND HEARD THAT DAY CENTERED UPON THOSE WHO WERE DISILLUSIONED WITH THEIR LIVES. INSTEAD OF RECEIVING A "MESSIANIC RESUME" THE BROKEN WERE MADE WHOLE, SICK PEOPLE WERE HEALED, DEAD PEOPLE WERE REVIVED, AND POOR PEOPLE WERE GIVEN THE PROSPERITY OF HOPE.
JESUS SAYS "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO TAKE NO OFFENSE TO ME." SO, BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO DO NOT LET THE MESSIAH THEY ARE EXPECTING BLIND THEM TO THE MESSIAH WHO STANDS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM.
BLESSED ARE THOSE, INDEED, WHO MAKE IT THEIR AMBITION TO KEEP A LIST OF WHAT GOD IS DOING INSTEAD OF GRUDGINGLY LISTING WHAT GOD IS NOT!
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE NOT AFRAID TO REVISE THE HOPE THAT IS IN THEM. PEOPLE WHO WILL CHOSE TO PUSH THROUGH THEIR DISILLUSIONMENT INTO A PLACE WHERE THEY WILL DISCOVER A NEW AND CLEARER VISION OF THE MESSIAH.
A VISION OF THE MESSIAH THAT SAYS, "I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE." WITH THAT VISION, WILL YOU ACCEPT YOUR GIFT OF DISILLUSIONMENT TODAY?
