Luke 7

I recently heard an awesome message that referenced this chapter. (Matt Chandler at Catalyst 08) I had never seen Luke 7 as a downer before. It is so packed with amazing miracles that people are drawn to Jesus left and right. It's a collection of some really great stories. Great that is, if you're not John the Baptist. Go back and read just his part. On the one hand you get the ultimate shout out when Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God says that you are the best person to ever walk the face of the earth. It can't get much better than that.

But, on the other hand, he's rotting in prison at this point because Herod's wife is ticked at him for just stating the obvious that she's living in sin. So when he sends his boys to go ask Jesus, his first cousin by the way, if he completely missed it about who Jesus was, I'm not sure he got the response he hoped for. "Yes, I'm the One. But no, I'm not coming to bail you out. You're going to end up beheaded because of a stripper." (Those may not have been His exact words.)

I can't imagine that he would have ever thought that's how things were going to end up for him. He lived a completely sold-out life, the Jesus freak poster boy. He was 100% obedient to God's calling on His life, and yet, everything wasn't coming up roses for him.

It's because of stuff like this (and Moses, and Samuel, and Stephen, and the other martyred disciples), that I know that the gospel isn't about all of the cool stuff you get for signing up for a life in Christ. The joy, peace, prosperity, health, peace, etc. that the New Testament promises can't possibly be talking about the things of this earth. The gospel IS Jesus. Not the blessings He brings.

I think it was my dad who first told me the concept of "seek God's face and not His hand." When I think about the fate of the vast majority of the heroes of the Bible, it forces me to redirect my hope. My hope isn't in a happy ending or a pile of stuff. My hope is in Christ alone. Like John, I may go down in some shamefully unfair way, but I hope that my next thought in the next world is the joy of getting to finally see His face. I want to get up every day seeking God's face and not just His hand.