They said therefore to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” -- John 6:28-29
In the post-apocalyptic movie The Postman, a wandering ne’er-do-well shows up in a remote, mountainous area wearing a US Postal Service uniform. His made-up story about elements of the United States government still being in existence gives hope to the survivors. The idea that there is a power – however limited and distant – willing to help heartens them in their own struggles. No help ever arrives from this alleged power, but the survivors realize that the principles that made America great can be brought to life by their own efforts.
In a way, that is something like what Jesus did for us. To the majority of people in who have lived throughout history, God has been a distant and inscrutable concept – if they can believe in Him at all. The questions arise not only about His existence and nature, but about how much He is involved in the affairs of men. Though the Psalmist says He is an ever-present help in times of trouble, we wonder if that is really true. What is the evidence for it? Why should we believe it?
We can read the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, and, if we are willing to believe, we can begin to understand the truth of God’s love and concern. We can see that He does appear to involve Himself in our trials as we trust Him to do so, to have compassion on us as we express our needs to Him. But then Jesus comes, not just as another teacher or prophet or even as a miracle-worker. Jesus comes as the ultimate expression of God’s love, the ultimate and perfect revelation of the Father’s nature – the Last Word, you might say.
It is true that the masses followed the Lord out of various motives, just as people do today. Many, if not most of us who call ourselves Christians, though, can understand the question those people asked that day: What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? We may put it differently – how do I please God? How do I get God on my side? How can I be free of this bondage? How can I be successful in life? Or perhaps even, when will I be loved?
To all those questions, Jesus says, “Hey, look at Me! I’m here. You want to know if God cares, if He is real, if He pays attention to you. I’ve been sent to you. I’m the Message in a meaty bottle. Believe it. Believe in Me.”
The Power that sends this message to us is not weak, neglectful or distant. The Lord is right here, right now, willing and available to step into our lives and work in us according to our faith. The one thing God does not do is treat us like automatons. He does not think for us, believe for us, or move our asses for us. Real belief on our part is necessary.
I believe a lot of things are probably true. Sosa, McGwire, and Bonds were probably all using steroids or something similar to beat Maris and Ruth. Oswald was probably the lone gunman. Bill Clinton had sex with anything female that didn’t get out of the way fast enough. Chelsea Clinton is Web Hubbell’s daughter. Barack Hussein Obama was probably born in Hawaii and is an American citizen. I think the preponderance of evidence supports those conclusions. Would I stake my life on the absolute truth of any of those statements? No. Well, maybe the one about BJC.
Those are all things that I agree, along with most sensible people, are more than likely true. And that’s how – way too much of the time – I treat what the Bible says about Jesus. I am willing to stake not only my life but my eternal destiny on the fact that Jesus is God, came to earth, was crucified, died, was buried and rose again. But, really, that’s not much of a choice. The alternative is just not acceptable.
The real issue of faith comes down to, not life-or-death questions, but the moment-by-moment questions of how I treat others, what I do with my free time, how I think about work and family, how I set my priorities, what I do with my money. I willing enough to live a pretty good life and trust the Lord to get me into heaven based on the Gospel. While I agree that God cares about my health, family, and finances, I’m less willing to stake my retirement income on His grace and mercy. You see what I mean? I tend to think it would be OK, but I’m not absolutely sure.
Jesus is challenging me to let that belief permeate every fiber of my being, to act on it and live by it in all things, small and great. I will work the works of God when I believe the Word.
This I know: God is for me. -- Psalm 56:9
1 comment:
I am working on thinking and acting this way. I suppose the length of our lives is just long enough to give us the time to work this out, so I try not to get too discouraged when I fail. I know God wants me to trust that He will care for me and resupply me when I give according to his will. Once in a while a have an ability to see that there really is no meaningful downside to what God wants us to do that really matters, and I feel like laughing at myself for my small faith. I know God laughs with me and that one day I will be laughing with him in paradise.
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