There’s something about what happens at the table that demonstrates what matters to Jesus.

From the table at Zacchaeus’ house where Jesus surprisingly hung out with a tax collector, to the table where Jesus’ reputation was at risk while his feet got washed by a prostitute, to the table where he ate with his closest friends just before they all abandoned him - each table was about more than the food they ate.

Brennan Manning in Ragamuffin Gospel describes the crowds at these meals, “The guest list would include a ragtag parade of donkey peddlers, prostitutes, herdsmen, slumlords, and gamblers.”

The story of The Prodigal Son is this kind of story. It’s a story of gossip-worthy, life-altering, end-up-in-a-pig-sty kind of sins. The title comes from the recklessness of the younger son’s sins, but it could easily be given an alternate title of The Prodigal Father. The story is filled with foolish decisions of a loving Father. From the inheritance to the forgiveness to the party to even more forgiveness, the love of the Father is hard to imagine. 

@@The unconditional, single-handed love of a God that forgives with no-strings-attached is always hard to imagine.@@ 

When the Father Puts Dignity Aside

When the Father’s son finally comes to his senses, the Father without hesitation allowed himself to be disgraced for the benefit of his son. The son had his speech prepped and ready to go, but his dad didn’t let him get the words out. He was going to ask for nothing more than to be a servant, but he didn’t get a chance. While the son walked back rehearsing his speech, the Father saw him first. 

The text tells us, “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

How long was the Father waiting on the patio and staring off into the distance? 

Was this a daily routine? Was this going on for weeks? Months? 

And what happened next was unheard of - the dad ran out to his son.

In Jesus’ culture, Father’s didn’t run. Kids ran. Maybe the women would run. But the men were too dignified for that kind of behavior. If the Father ran out, he’d have to hike up his robe, show the skin of his legs and do what no dignified man would do. 

But that’s exactly what he did.

He didn’t care what it cost him. The disgrace was worth it. Before the neighbors even had a chance to start talking about what son did wrong or the nerve he had to show back up in this town, the Father distracted them with his undignified bare legs. 

I don’t know what sins make you want to hang your head in shame, but what I do know is this: @@Jesus loves to distract people from your sin with his love.@@ Jesus loves to give up his dignity for the sake of yours. 

And then there’s the party.

Imagine what people were thinking when they got invited to the welcome home party. We know how the older brother reacted, he excused himself from the party. But what about the community? But the Father didn’t care. The celebration of a returned prodigal was more important than the feelings of a hundred who were possibly offended. 

Customarily, the son would be despised and cut off from the community, but the Father brought him in and celebrated. There wasn’t a gift or a speech required. 

And then the father left the party. 

In Jesus’ culture, not only did the party not make sense, but the Father was even more disgraced when he chose to leave the party for the other son. To throw a party and not have one of your kids there would have been embarrassing. The father shouldn’t have to plead or beg, but that’s exactly what he did.

He ignored the damage that leaving the party might cause his own reputation, and he risked it for the possibility that his son might come back in. The disgrace was worth it in order for him to remind his son, “Everything I have is yours.” 

The Father’s disgrace frees us the shame and self-righteousness that keep us from the party. The Father puts dignity in the backseat in order to cover over our shame. And the Father allows himself to be disgraced to confront our self-righteousness by reminding us what is already ours.

He counts the cost and ignores the foolishness of the deal. @@The cross is the spectacle that robs sin and shame of it’s power over us.@@ In that bloody spectacle, the eyes come off of us and our failure, and we can finally feel the embrace of our Father. 

Welcome home. Welcome to the party.

And in the midst of the disaster, a forecast of strong winds, no rain, and low humidity became a recipe for the disaster to just keep on going. With the critical conditions, new fires can quickly spread and create new and worse problems. 

James warned us about this same kind of problem - not with forest fires but with our words  - when he wrote, “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.”

One spark spreads like a wildfire. One subtle comment becomes defining to how we see ourselves. One reminder of that sin that you thought was in the past, and it gets put on repeat. Grace gets shoved to the side for whatever solution makes us feel the best.

Sometimes it’s even true words, take God’s as an example. It’s often God’s own commands that get so misused and abused that people are reminded in a thousand different ways that they’ll never be enough. It’s as though in our dried up, low humidity world that is desperate for some hope instead has a bunch of people pouring gas on the fire. 

James believes that kind of fire comes from hell.

When people have the powerful words of God in their hands, they have the power to give life, to heal, to forgive, and to make new. 

But instead they often do something else. 

Maybe it’s for this reason, James suggests that “not everyone should teach.” 

Maybe that’s where we’ve gone wrong. Maybe the Church has ignored James warning and now we are witnessing the repercussions of what happens when people who shouldn’t teach teach. Maybe we are witnessing people walk out of the church not because they are offended by truth, but because they’ve been hurt with words that have little to do with what Jesus wants to do. 

But what if there was a different word? What if there was a more powerful word? What if there was a word that could bring life to those who were hurting? 

In Matthew 8, a centurion experiences what happens when Jesus’ words do their work: 

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.

The centurion is familiar with the power of words. When he speaks, people listen. He’s a man of authority and he’s learned that if he needs something done, he only has to speak the word. He understands this about Jesus. Jesus has an authority that other people don’t have. And the centurion recognizes it enough to suggest that Jesus, “only say the word.” 

But this isn’t how most of the miracles work. 

All the miracles of Jesus are miraculous. But usually they involve more than words. Think about it, Jesus heals lepers while touching them. Jesus heals a man born blind, but when he does it he uses mud and saliva. Even the paralytic who gets carried in on a mat, he’s still brought to Jesus. 

But in this miracle, the servant isn’t even in close proximity to Jesus. And with nothing more than a word - Jesus speaks and the servant is healed. 

@@When Jesus speaks, what he says is going to happen, happens.@@ And when Jesus speaks, his words have the power to undo the damage of a thousand other words. 

“They have no more wine.” That’s what Mary said when the wedding party debacle was about to make the groom look like a joke and bring shame to his family. Weddings have a way of bringing things out of people - bridezillas, mother-in-laws, wedding crashers, and creepy-drunk-uncles. The only thing that reveals more about a person than a party is a failure. This had both.

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.  - John 2:1-11

When Mary tells Jesus that they’ve run out of wine, she’s not trying to annoy Jesus, and she’s certainly not trying to ensure that people are loosened up enough to keep dancing. Wine represents something more than wine. It’s a symbol of joy. 

When the Psalmist says that God gave “wine to gladden the heart of man,” he is speaking of the joy that comes from God. 

And at this joyous occasion, Mary’s coming to Jesus because the joy’s about to run out. 

When the Joy Runs Out

Have you ever had one of those moments when you realize that the wine was running out? Not the wine at the party, but the moment that you saw the inevitable crash and burn coming? It was all about to fall apart. Maybe it was the job that was too good to be true. A diagnosis that came at the worst possible time. A relationship that you thought was good until you found out it wasn’t. 

Sometimes the joy runs out. 

When we look for joy in the temporary, it always runs out. 

It doesn’t matter how good the job, how great the sex, or how life-changing the opportunity, when those things become the source of joy, it won’t last. It might be intoxicating while it lasts, but eventually it runs out. 

It always runs out.  

But when Jesus shows up at the party, he cares enough for the people at the party to make sure the joy doesn’t run out. And the way he makes sure that joy doesn’t run out is simply by becoming the  source of joy. When Jesus is invited to your party, he makes sure to give you a joy that goes beyond the temporary

There’s even more to this miracle, though. In the first-century, there was great shame that would come to the husband and his family if wine ran out at a party. He’d immediately become an embarrassment to his family. 

By making more wine, not only does the joy not run out, but shame doesn’t win.

When Jesus shows up at the party, shame doesn’t tell the story. 

The moment the groom started to hear rumors about how much wine was left, he probably started to play out the scenario in his head. Joy was coming to a screeching halt and shame was closing in just a quick. 

At that point, he’d be coming up with some kind of plan to run - or hide. 

Shame does that. Shame makes us all want to hide. It makes it hard to face the reality of the situation. It makes it hard to face anyone at the party. Shame always puts an end to the party. Shame ruins a person’s dignity and his reputation. 

But when Jesus shows up, shame doesn’t win. 

The party - and the failure - in that moment reveal more about Jesus than it does about anyone else. Jesus doesn’t let shame rob you of your dignity or your joy. Jesus doesn’t let your failure define you and he certainly doesn’t let end the party. 

What are we supposed to do with that? Perfection? Really? 

There are really two solutions that people create to the shocking reality of this statement. After all, Jesus couldn't have actually meant be perfect. The solutions: Jesus either meant just "try your best" or he believed that perfection was within our reach. 

Both of these miss the point. 

Perfect vs. Good Intentions

Let's take the first solution, Jesus really meant "try your best." 

The problem with the idea that Jesus is after good intentions is that the rest of the Sermon on the Mount suggests exactly the opposite. “Don’t commit adultery” becomes “don’t even lust.” “Thou shall not murder,” becomes “don’t even call someone a fool.”

All throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is raising the bar. Jesus is calling his followers to go above and beyond what they’ve been commanded to do so far. Jesus doesn’t lower the expectations, he raises them. 

So when Jesus says, “Be perfect,” there’s really no good reason to believe that Jesus is doing anything other than raising the bar. 

Perfection vs. Perfectionism

Now the other solution that people believe is that perfection is attainable. If you want an example of what this looks like in the Scriptures, you can look at Jesus’ interaction with the religious leaders. Paul himself references his own behavior as “blameless” in Philippians. Imagine the level of obedience that would allow Paul to call his own behavior "blameless." The religious elite of Jesus day had perfectionism figured out. 

Perfect, however, is different than perfectionism.

Perfectionism is a driving desire to look perfect, to act perfect, to work perfect. But the reason a perfectionist is a perfectionist is this underlying sense that they aren’t good enough and a driving desire to make sure nobody ever sees that. 

Brenè Brown in an interview about perfectionism said, “When perfectionism is driving, shame is always riding shotgun and fear is the annoying backseat driver.”  

I need to do enough, be enough, make enough, work hard enough, be devoted enough. I need my family, my career, my home, my faith, my spirituality to reach a certain level. And if I can do all those things, it minimizes the pain. If I'm good enough, I can minimize this underlying feeling that I'm not. If I work hard enough, I can ignore the pain that comes from failing. If I'm devoted enough, I can feel like I've justified my disobedience. 

Perfectionism is our self-made strategy for protection. 

This is what Brenè Brown refers to as a “20 ton shield.” We think it’s protecting us but it really just weighs us down. The only thing perfectionism does is hide who we really are. It hides the insecurity. It hides the failure. It hides the struggle. It hides the sin. It doesn’t help. 

Ephesians 6:13 describes a different way to protect us. “Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground…” and then it says, “take up the shield of faith.” 

Faith believes that the shame that rides shotgun doesn’t get the last word. 

Faith believes that the thing we are afraid of doesn’t have the power of us.

Faith believes that the behavior that we are guilty of that it won’t define us. 

Faith protects us. 

Faith protects us because it clings to perfect not to perfectionism. 

Faith protects us because it clings to perfect not to good intentions. 

Faith clings to the perfection of Jesus, not our own perfection.  

Jesus is perfect where we fail to be. Jesus is perfect because we fail to be. Jesus is perfect because we can't do enough. Jesus is perfect because we will never try hard enough. Jesus is perfect because the bar is raised and we can't measure up. Jesus is perfect because we are not.

Debt stands in the way of what we want, and it robs us of our freedom. 

We can’t just by the thing we want because we owe someone. We can’t just go on the trip we want because we have a bill that’s overdue. Debt stands between us and the things we want to do. Debt stands between us and freedom. 

It’s very possible that you may have never considered this, but central to our faith is a financial metaphor. The word "forgiveness" is a debt metaphor. Consider the words of Paul in Colossians 2:13-14: 

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Jesus uses the same kind of financial language when he teaches the disciples how to pray by saying, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” 

Forgiveness utilizes the language of debt, payments, and IOUs. It’s the relationship between creditors and debtors. We’ve overspent our accounts with every act of rebellion against God and we have a bill that needs to be paid. And just like in the financial world, many of us utilize  get-out-of-debt strategies in our spiritual lives. 

*note: I am indebted to the post Creditors, Debtors, Forgiveness, and God for helping shape many of these ideas

1)  Growth

One way that people will try to get out of debt is by financial growth. If they can work hard enough, accumulate enough wealth, and grow their assets, eventually the debt that they owe can be paid for and they can move on. The strategy isn't paying of the debt, it's growing wealth enough that the size of the debt no longer matters.

The problem is this is difficult, hard, and rare when it comes to finances. And when it comes to our relationship with God, it’s impossible. But the attitude creeps in - we see our debt and we want to make things right so we commit to doing more, to work really hard, to pay God back, and to make things right. We find a way to right our wrongs and give back to the world.  And you might do a lot of really good things, but this strategy believes the lie that tells us, “I can be good enough.” And when we believe the lie, we end up trapped in debt, not freed from it.

Growth doesn’t happen as we get ourselves out of spiritual debt, it happens as we find ourselves in the place that we’re spiritually bankrupt without Jesus. 

2) Changing the Terms

The other way that people will try to get out of debt is by changing the terms. The idea with this is that if they can manage to change the terms of the original agreement, the debt becomes more manageable. If they can work out an agreement with the bank, they can change the interest rate, consolidate the debt, or refinance and the debt will become more payable.

Again, we do this same thing when it comes to our relationship with God.

We find ways to negotiate with God. We try to convince him and convince ourselves to lower the standard. We know we’re in debt, but we try to get a better deal so our debt can be more payable.  We’ll look at the terms of the agreement and when Jesus says something like, “Be perfect, therefore, as you heavenly Father is perfect,” we’ll say - well he couldn’t have meant “perfect.”  And instead of considering the possibility that Jesus meant perfect, we’ll try to make the terms payable by our good intentions. We'll come up with a plan that makes the Law do-able and debts payable. 

3) Default

The third way that people will choose to deal with their debt is to ignore the debt. Eventually the reality of facing the problem becomes too much, and they’ll give up on their end of the contract. Once the person who's in debt stops paying whats due, that’s called defaulting.

This happens too when it comes to our spiritual lives when many of us drift. Defaulting in our relationship with God is when we ignore God and we ignore sin. We just do what we want to do with no regard to the cost.  

And at first, this might seem like a good strategy.  After all before the debt catches up to you, you can do all the things you want. You can open up new lines of credit while ignoring the other debts. You can buy the TV and the car and the vacation and live in a fantasy world where the debt is nonexistent. But eventually it catches up to you. Your debt always catches up to you. 

And it's in that moment that you find out that what was fun isn't giving you freedom and joy, it's now robbing you of it. The same is true of sin. Sin can be fun for a season. We can do the things we want to do while ignoring the cost and the consequences. But eventually that debt will catch up to us. And once it does we are reminded that what we thought was good robs us of our freedom instead of giving us freedom. 

4) Forgiveness

This final way that debts can be dealt with is the only way that is truly freeing.. Jesus tells a story about this in Matthew 18: 

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’  

Now notice what happens here. The servant is trying to re-negotiate. He’s trying to change the deal; he’s asking for more time. And the Master doesn’t give him what he asks for.

And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 

Maybe you’re in a season where you’ve been trying to negotiate with God. Maybe you’ve been asking him for just a few more months to make things right. Maybe you’ve been looking for a little bit more time to invest in your own spiritual health so you can right your wrongs. 

Jesus ignores you’re negotiation and does one better.

Jesus cancels your debts with his blood. He reads your statement, he sees the charges, and where it says “amount owed,” he stamps in blood red, “paid in full.” Jesus nailed your IOUs to the cross and when he died, so did your debt.  And when he came out of the grave, your debts didn’t follow him. 

Your debt is gone. 

Paid. In. Full. 

There’s something interesting about this story, however. EP regularly went on walks around his neighborhood, and despite not being able to remember his own house or the streets in his neighborhood, he’d take the exact same route every time. He couldn’t write down his own address, recognize his neighbors, or even tell you what he was doing—but he repeated the same route and unknowingly found himself returning home every time.

Sometimes there are things that we work hard to learn. We take notes, study, memorize, highlight, and do whatever we can to cram as much information into our heads. We study for the test only to later find out what we managed to remember (or forget).

Other times we remember things that we didn’t even know we ever learned. When’s the last time your teenager had to recall the mechanics of bike riding before hoping on a bike? When’s the last time your toddler had to search the depths of his memory to know what folder you keep his apps in? Or the last time your third-grader had to concentrate at what makes a circle a circle?

There are probably still remnants of Christmas reminders—candle wax in the carpet, shreds of wrapping paper in the living room, and classrooms still decorated with trees and gifts. In the midst of the exhaustion, mess, and hint of relief—what happens in those moments that follow Christmas?

What do we do in the week between the end of one year and the beginning of another?

Interestingly, it’s actually not that different from what happened on the first Christmas.

In our house, we go all out with Christmas. We love the decorations, the stories, the movies - we embrace it all! We get excited about going to see Santa and making our lists. My kids have been asking about Christmas since early October, so to say this comment was unexpected would be an understatement. 

But there it was, “I hope tomorrow’s not Christmas.” 

What makes a kid want to wait longer for Christmas? What changes excitement and anticipation into dread and anxiousness?  So I asked her, “Why?”

Her response was to the point, “I had a bad day. I was naughty.”

It all made perfect sense. Because if Santa knows if she’s bad or good, his judgement of what kind of gifts she should get on Christmas morning was in jeopardy. If her good behavior determined the gifts of Christmas morning, she needed more time. She needed another shot to be on her best behavior. She needed one more chance to make it onto the nice list. 

But if Christmas was only hours away, she was in big trouble. 

For a kid, “He’s making a list and checking twice,” is hardly good news. Certainly the pressure is alluring for a desperate parent like myself trying to find some strategy to create more well-behaved children. But the results are generally dismal. 

I love how this post from Mockingbird described this same dilemma: 

As we all know, any gift premised on deserving is not really a gift at all. It’s more of a paycheck, an act based in reciprocity rather than generosity. A gift, on the other hand, is a decidedly lopsided transaction, and therefore a fitting image for Christmas, which marks the remembrance of Christ’s birth.

@@In a season full of gifts and giving, pure gift is still scandalous.@@ Our world can hardly fathom the idea of a pure gift. Gifts seem to only be for the deserving. They're a transaction for those who've earned our appreciation or our attention. Gifts always come with strings attached - this for that. But pure, undeserved, unexpected gift? That doesn't happen. 

And it's in the midst of a dark night, that pure gift arrives. In an unbecoming bed, Jesus arrives unlike other gifts. He's not wrapped up very nice and the shepherds certainly weren't expecting what the angels would say, "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."

And just like that, God's pure gift was born. Jesus arrives, no strings attached. 

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" - 2 Corinthians 9:15

@@If Karma is true, we’re all screwed.@@

If somebody believes in Karma and believes things are going well for them, they have an arrogant view of themselves. Karma suggests that everybody gets what they deserve. This means that if somebody is rewarded, they get the credit. And if somebody is punished, they get the blame.

If things are going well - if you got the job, the marriage, the house - then you are receiving rewards for what you have done. But if things are going poorly - if you lost your job, your marriage is falling apart, or you have an incurable disease - then you are receiving exactly what you deserve.

In this world nothing happens to a person that he does not for some reason or other deserve. Usually, men of ordinary intellect cannot comprehend the actual reason or reasons. The definite invisible cause or causes of the visible effect is not necessarily confined to the present life, they may be traced to a proximate or remote past birth. - Buddhanet.net

You’d better hope you were really good in your past lives!

This worldview runs totally contrary to the Christian God’s message of grace. Grace is the enemy of Karma.

What is grace? Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return. Grace is love coming at you that has nothing to do with you. Grace is being loved when you are unlovable. It is being loved when you are the opposite of lovable. - Paul Zahl

Grace knows what we deserve. And it gives us the opposite. And in the face of things going poorly, grace - instead of trying to answer why - simply promises to be with us in the midst of the pain.

While Karma suggests that we end up damned, grace gives us eternal life. While Karma requires an eye-for-an-eye, grace turns the other cheek. While Karma always balances the scales, grace never stops giving because the scales will never balance (God always gives more). While Karma suggests that it is all about our work, grace suggests that it is all about the work of Jesus.

If Karma were applied as a teaching of Christianity, Karma would be all Law. Karma relies on our own effort to add weight to the scale of “good” in our life. Karma relies on our own efforts to justify ourselves with enough good to outweigh the bad. 

What if the Apostle Paul believed in Karma?

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” - Romans 3:11-12

Paul suggests that if Karma were true, we’re all going to hell. This is what makes grace so scandalous to the human mind. We don’t get what we deserve. We deserve punishment. We deserve death. 

What is Karma’s answer to death? Cancer? Divorce? We deserved it. It’s punishment. 

Grace doesn’t play by these rules. Grace is the scandal that never gives us what we deserve and always gives us what we need:

Mercy. 

Peace.

Hope. 

Joy. 

Forgiveness. 

The band Relient K once described this by saying, “But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair.” @@Grace says what the Law never will.@@ Grace creates beauty, hope, and peace that rests not in our own efforts but in the finished work of Jesus.

Many Christians have become functional Buddhists, trusting in their own works, believing a theology that paints everything within a system of obedience, rewards, and punishment - a system that is often eerily similar to Karma.

This isn’t Christianity, it’s B.S. This is a Law-based system that gives people false assurance and burdened consciences - exactly what every other religion offers. Every religion besides Christianity is Law-based. 

And while the work of the Law is important in Christianity, the Law never has the last word.  When the Law gets the last word, we find ourselves crushed and without hope. @@Grace is the pronouncement of “done” that quiets words that judge.@@ 

If people are looking for good Karma - guilt in failure or advice to balance to scales - they can get that anywhere. From Islam to Buddhism to Atheism, “do this” or “don’t do this” is the primary message. From the bestseller list to mommy-bloggers, the Law is the default message. 

If you’re looking for peace, Karma doesn’t offer it. If you’re looking for hope, Karma doesn’t point to it. Mercy? Karma’s got nothing. 

What you’re looking for can be found in the Church. Grace is given freely by the family of God. Jesus gives peace, hope, and mercy and it has nothing to do with obedience, rewards, or punishment. 

If you’re looking for a perfect Christian church, you won’t find one. They’re all filled with hypocrites who like to point out other people’s sin before their own. They’re made up of gossips, liars, and cheaters. Sin does to a church what it does to everyone - it ruins relationships, including in the family of God. 

The Church has a lot of problems, but grace ain’t one. Grace is the one thing that unites the church. It is the one thing that breaks down barriers between sinners. Every age, every race, and every socio-economic status are united by one thing, “Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 

If somebody is looking for a self-help program, they aren't going to come to your church - the world offers better ones. If somebody is looking for the structure of a religious life, they have thousands of religions to choose from. In fact, the demands of secular life are difficult enough that most people don't need religion to add to it. 

There is no place but the Church that forgives with no questions asked. If somebody is a rebel, an outcast, or on the verge of death, the Church of Jesus specializes in the one who comes for the rebels, welcomes in the outcasts, and raises the dead. The death and resurrection sets the Church apart from the world, no one else can offer that to the world, including Buddha. 

Grace gets the last word. 

“It is finished.”

We crave closure. We want neat and tidy packages. We need to know what happened.

When movies end too soon, we wonder: Did the couple stay together? Did the good guy live?  Did the bad guy get his? Did she ever find him?

Good storytellers have the ability create compelling stories while still holding back. In movies, writers, producers and editors continuously craft the film to keep viewers engaged and wondering what will happen next. Tension is built and released in a calculated manner. One difference between a good storyteller and a bad one is how they build and release tension.

The same is true for theologians.  

@@Good theologians know when to increase the tension of the Law and when to release it by sharing the Gospel.@@

Did Jesus Know His Own Theology?

A rich, young man asked Jesus a seemingly simple theological question when he said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus responded, “You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal…”

This is one of those places in the Bible where my good theological training makes me freak out. Jesus answered the question wrong. Luther would have even argued the answer was wrong!

What are we supposed to do with the theological issue that Jesus created when his answer to, “How do I inherit eternal life?” is a list of commands?

Did Jesus forget about grace?  

Jesus showed his artistry as a theologian. Jesus knew exactly what he was doing when he delivered his answer. Jesus created an unresolved tension in this powerful scene.

The young man believed that he had kept the commandments since he was a young boy. Jesus seemingly ignored the young man’s arrogance at his ability to follow the law and responded, “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.”

And the rich, young man walked away. Sad.

And that was the end. The credits rolled. The house lights came up. The story was done. 

Where’s the closure? What’s the rest of the story.

Jesus didn’t chase after the rich, young ruler to clarify. Jesus said, “Give away all your stuff,” and the young man left. 

The End.

Not even close.

As we share the message of the Scriptures, we have the same difficult choice that Jesus faced with the rich, young man. What words do we share? If the Bible is a book of two words: Law and Gospel, the great art for the Christian is distinguishing Law and Gospel in the midst of spiritual conversations. It requires skill to discern when to build the tension in order to point someone toward repentance, and when to release the tension so one might rest in the grace of Jesus.

When do we share the words that expose the sin and condemn the sinner? 

When do we share the words that offer grace and forgiveness and life to that same person? 

The rich, young ruler was a bit arrogant in judging his ability to keep the Law and he needed to hear a word that would bring him back to reality and realize his need for grace. Neither his money nor his obedience entitle him to a life of grace and forgiveness. His pride must be killed in order that he might be given life. 

@@The Law shatters the self-made delusions about the goodness we offer and leaves us broken with nowhere to turn but the cross.@@ 

The young man’s response to Jesus’s words wasn’t surprising. In fact it’s all too common a response even centuries later. Christianity, numerically speaking, is in a decline. Everyday people are walking away from grace. Many walk away like the Rich Man, arrogant enough to believe that they are good enough on their own.

At this point, Jesus made an important decision.  Jesus let the story end. And that was really the end. There is no follow up with this man … no personal visits, phone calls, e-mails or texts that offer grace. The final scene was the lingering sting of the Law. 

Jesus embraced the unresolved tension by not sharing grace so that the law might linger and do its work.

The disciples on the other hand responded much differently to Jesus’ conversation with the young man.

Jesus’ preaching of Law led the disciples to ask the question, “Well, who then can be saved?”  

This is the point. 

The law did its work for the disciples; they recognized their inability to measure up to God’s demands. The disciples felt the screws tighten. They felt the pressure. They knew that what they had to offer would never be enough.

So the disciples needed a different word. The disciples didn’t need words that condemned. They didn’t need more rules and laws. They didn’t need “Seven Steps to a Life of Discipleship.” They needed the Gospel.  They needed the word that brings life. 

My son has always had a way with questions and observations about Jesus and being the theology-nerd, pastor that I am - I climbed up to his bed to start talking. “Well, Jesus is invisible, but he’s here. He’s with us and he’s in our hearts.” 

He wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to see Jesus. 

So I turned to when we will see Jesus visibly again - the end of the world. His reaction wasn’t what I was hoping for. The end of the world wasn’t good news for a toddler (or for that matter, it’s not really exciting to most people). The idea of the world ending, for my son, meant an end to most of the things he cares about - fun, toys, family, and friends.

I back-paddled. “No, no, no… it’s not like that. When Jesus comes back that doesn’t mean we are all gone, only the bad stuff goes away.” 

At that moment, we were talking about a pretty big theological concept in five-year old language.  This is what the Bible describes as the restoration of God's creation. It's the promise of the resurrection that we look forward to. It's what comes after heaven - Jesus returns and all the dead are raised, all creation is restored, and heaven comes to earth.
 

We continued, “You know how sometimes you have sad days? When Jesus comes back, those days are going to be gone.”  I assured him there will be a day when bad dreams are gone - even bed times won’t be necessary. 

His initial fear turned to a smile. 

He had another important question, “What about working days?” For my son, if I have to work - it’s really not as good as it could be. So I ran with it and said, “No more working days!” That prompted giggles of joy as he imagined the endless days of playing and no more bedtimes. I described what that day will be like, Jesus coming down from the clouds in order to make all the sad things come untrue.

Which led to another question, “Where will we live?” 

I pulled out my experience with far too much Christian music in the 90s by saying, “There will be a big, big house with lots and lots of rooms," which comes from the words of Jesus when he says, “My Father's house has many rooms.” 

The giggles became more frequent as he imagined the house and asked, “Can I have a sleep over?” And knowing exactly who he was referencing, I could assure him they'd be enjoying this new creation, endless playing days, and a house bigger than we could imagine. Mommy and daddy would be there. His best friends would be there. His sisters would be there. I told him, “Everybody who loves Jesus will be there with us.” 

And then, in the midst of the giggles and joy, he looked me in the eye and said, “Go tell Mommy. We need to tell everyone.” 

“Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.” - Matthew 21:12

I can't help but wonder, "What’s gotten into Jesus?" This isn't the children's version of Jesus we are used to. This isn't the soft-spoken Jesus with his robe nicely pressed and every hair in place. This is an angry, bold, and even harsh version of Jesus.  

But why? Why was he so harsh? And why with these people? And why was this number one on his agenda after arriving to the crowds shouting, "Hosanna, Hosanna!" 

The only way to really know is to look at what Jesus said in that moment: “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.”

This language wouldn’t have been unfamiliar to any of the Jews who were at the temple that day. As good students of the Scriptures they would have heard words like “house of prayer” and “den of robbers” as words that carried weight. Words that referenced the great prophets of Isaiah and Jeremiah. 

Jesus was referencing Isaiah when he wrote: 

“And foreigners…who hold fast to my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” - Isaiah 56:6-7

The House of Prayer, For the Nations

Not a house of prayer for the Israelites. Not a house of prayers for a select few. A house of prayer for the nations. It's a house of prayer for those who have been kept on the outside. It's a house of prayer for even the unclean. 

That’s why Jesus was upset when he shows up at the temple. Think about the chaotic scene.

When Jesus started flipping tables, he’s was in the outer court of the temple. He was in the one place that was reserved for the foreigners. It was the only place an outsider could worship at the temple - the closest they could get to the presence of God. And it was being stolen from them by a group of insiders who wanted to make some money. 

No wonder Jesus was furious. Jesus was upset because they ignored the mission outside the temple. Jesus wasn't upset about commerce, he was upset that they eliminated the place for outsiders to worship.  

And so the tables went flying and those who were cast to the fringes of the community started showing up. 

“The bind and lame came to him at the temple, and Jesus healed them.” - Matthew 21:14

The tables that kept the outsiders on the outside were thrown aside. The tables that kept the unclean distant were tossed out. Those who were on the outside were being invited in - to be loved, to be healed, and to have their sins atoned for. 

What tables are standing between you and God? 

Whatever stands between you and God, Jesus leverages his own life and authority to ensure that it won't stand for very long. Jesus throws to the side anything that stands between you and him.

This is why Paul writes in Romans 8:38-39: 

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In other words, nothing can separate you from the love of God. For those who are in Christ Jesus, there is no table that can stand in your way. 

@@Jesus is greater than anything that tries to keep you on the outside.@@

Jesus is greater than any sin you commit and any shame you experience. Jesus is greater than your addiction. He’s greater than your abuse. He’s greater than the anger, the anxiety, the depression. He’s greater the sickness and he's greater than death. 

No matter what tries to stand in the way, Jesus pushes it to the side because he’s come for all the nations - and he's come for you. 

And I love my kids' reactions when they met her. 

Welcome to the family, Alice!

As Paul begins Romans, he exposes our self-worshiping hearts. He exposes the hearts that have been given over to worship the created rather than the Creator. He exposes the sin that has been given over to passions and lusts. 

For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.  - Romans 1:21-25

Luther wrote: 

"They worshiped Him not as God but in the likeness of an image, and so they worshiped not God but a figment of their own imagination. How many people are there even today who worship God not as God but as something that they have imagined in their own hearts? 

Just look at all our strange, superstitious practices, products of utter vanity. 

We can also simply say: “They did not honor Him as God,” that is, they did not honor Him as it was fitting for them to render to Him honor and thanks. Look at the order and the various levels of perdition: 

The first level is ingratitude, or the omission of gratitude. Self-satisfaction is responsible for this, for it takes pleasure in things received as though they were not received at all, and it leaves the Giver out of consideration. 

The second level is vanity. One feasts on oneself and on all of creation and enjoys the things that bring profit. Thus one becomes of necessity vain “in his thoughts,” that is, in his plans, endeavors, and ambitions. For whatever one seeks in and through these gifts is completely vain. One seeks only himself, that is, one’s own glory, delight, and advantage. 

The third level is blindness. A person becomes necessarily blind in his whole heart and in all his thoughts, because he has turned completely away from God. Since he is then lodged in darkness, what else can he do except the things for which an erring man or a fool strives? For a blind man errs very easily, yes, he errs all the time. 

And so the fourth level is the error over against God. 

This is the worst. It leads directly to idolatry. To have arrived at this point means to have arrived at the abyss. For when a person has lost God, nothing remains except that he be given over to every type of turpitude according to the will of the devil. The result is that deluge of evils and blood-letting of which the apostle goes on to speak in the following passages. 

By the same steps people also today arrive at spiritual idolatry of a more refined type, which at present is widespread. Here they worship God not as He is but as they imagine and think Him to be. 

From this text we may therefore deduce that if someone surrenders to these passions, it is a sure sign that he has left the worship of God and has worshiped an idol, or he has turned the truth of God into a lie (cf. Romans 1:25). Those who do not “see fit to acknowledge God” (Romans 1:28) are branded in this way, that they are permitted to fall into all kinds of vices. 

It is bad enough to change the glory of God into the likeness of an image. This is the sin of blindness, of lack of knowledge, or of an erring heart. But it is still worse if one does not only err in this way but in the perversion of one’s heart also worships those images and adores a creature. 

And as they have not glorified God, neither in their hearts nor in their actions, but have instead transferred His glory to something else and have thus become filled with shame in their hearts, so it is only fair that they should also bring shame upon their own bodies and likewise upon others on their bodies." 

Operating the Elevators of Idolatry

If you’re anything like me, when you read these words from both Paul and Luther, you can watch yourself go up the elevator from ingratitude to vanity to blindness to idolatry. 

I’ll arrive on the first floor without much thought, especially when life is good. The moment things are going well, I like to take credit. The promotion, my kids' good behavior, the compliments from my wife—they say something about me. My house—I work hard for it. My sermon—I nailed it. My family—I sacrifice everything for them. Notice what happens when you start your journey toward idolatry: you become the subject of all the verbs. You’re the one doing the work. You’re the one deserving the credit. You’re the giver, everyone else is the recipient.

@@A lack of gratitude is just an early indicator that you think you’re god.@@ 

The second floor doesn’t take long to reach once you’ve explored the first. When I have no need for gratitude, vanity is the natural overflow. Vanity looks for the glory and the fame and the renown. It’s the desire that all things point to your own greatness. 

The third floor is when you stop seeing. Blindness makes you ignorant to the call of Jesus. Blindness misses the fact that you are called child of God and ignores the life that Jesus calls you to. 

The fourth level is idolatry. It’s when your fear, your love, and your trust clings to something other than Christ. It’s when your identity is wrapped up in you, your accomplishments, and your stuff. It’s when you cling to your own work instead of Christ’s work on the cross. 

There’s not one of us who isn’t familiar with these floors. We could be the elevator operators, sending people up to the floors of all the sinful places we have been to. 

This is why Luther wrote, "The apostle is interested to show that all were sinners and needed the grace of Christ." 

When God exposes our elevator climb towards idolatry, we will find all the ways we've abandoned our worship of God for the worship of something inferior. As God exposes our hearts, we will find our faulty trust and hope in a god that never saves. Yet it's even in that exposing work that Jesus comes to us exposing to us something greater - an identity not wrapped up in our own work, but an identity wrapped up in the work of Jesus. 

And then there's the dishes, have you ever noticed that dishes are never clean? The moment our dishwasher is emptied, there's another pile waiting to go in.  

And why do socks never come out of the dryer in pairs? If God has a reason for everything, will somebody please find out why God makes us bear the torture of having an endless pile of socks without matches? 

Daily Defeat and Dirty Floors

My wife is a stay-at-home mom of two (almost three) little terrorists who in a moment's notice transform our house from a battle zone to a dance floor or from a movie theater to a shopping mall. Because of the age of our kids, it's almost daily that I hear from my wife, "I got nothing done today."  

For my wife - this is a defeat.

By her standards of motherhood, she's failed. After all, a good mom would have the smell of a home-cooked dinner wafting in the air when I walk in the door (mixed, of course, with the smell of diffusing essential oils). The children would be neatly doing crafts, every sock would have its match, and every toy would be in its place. 

Now, I don't know where moms come up with this standard, but I do know it crushes exhausted mothers. When parenting success is based on an arbitrary (and unattainable) list of rules, you are always a failure. And when that arbitrary list of rules determines the good parent from the bad - you are never good enough.  

But what if there were something better? 

Your worth is not measured by the cleanliness of your house, the obedience of your kids, or neatly-folded laundry. Your worth is not measured by your ability to meet your own standard of success. @@Your worth is not - and never will be - measured by your performance.@@ 

1 John 3:1 says, "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" When Jesus said, "It is finished," your worth was forever secured independent of your performance.  

@@Jesus doesn't need your clean floors.@@ 

The completion of your to-do list doesn't make you a good spouse. Your ability to have an organic, home-cooked meal on the table everyday might give you more standing for your instagram followers, but it doesn't before God or your family. The legos on the floor - they might not be good for your feet, but they're good for your kids. 

In fact, maybe the freedom to forget the self-made rules will allow you, today, to embrace the mess. God loves messy floors. He loves the freedom of the mom who gets nothing done but playing and pretending. He loves the freedom of the mom who doesn't measure up to her standard of cleanliness yet exceeds the expectations of her kids when she's laughing and dancing. He loves the freedom of the spouses who come home, not with expectations of tasks being completed but of a family being loved. 

God loves messy floors because God loves when his children love their children. 

God loves messy floors because in it we do the work that can't be measured - it can't be checked for dust, crossed off a list, or put in a box - only given. And it's in that kind of love, a love that only a parent can give, that you might see God's own love for you. His love doesn't change with the mess, can't be crossed off a list, and always gives endlessly to His children. 

This is the kind of behavior that we see when Jesus talked with a Samaritan woman at a well in Sychar. 

Jesus’ barrier-crossing love would’ve caused great concern for the people around him. Cultural differences and ethnic divides were significant and well-known between Jews and Samaritans. Gender roles in the first-century world would have made it surprising for Jesus to initiate a conversation with this woman. And on top of that all, we will quickly learn that this woman had some scandalous sins to hide. 

She came to the well at noon because it was more bearable to endure the scorn of the sun than to bear the scorn of the shame. She wasn't up for the scorn she'd have to endure in a crowd of women from her community; it was easier to go when she wouldn’t run into anyone. The heat was easier than the whispers behind her back. 

But when Jesus arrived at this well, he knew all this and ignored the damage her reputation might have caused his own. He knew all the cultural, social, and ethnic barriers. He knew why she was there and he even knew the things that she didn't want to talk about.

But Jesus still brought it up: 

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” - John 4:17-18

Jesus didn't let any of this change what he offered her. He didn't let the scandal of her sin stop him. He didn't revoke his offer of living water once this came out. In fact, he made the offer before this yet already knowing the behavior she was hiding. Jesus gave what no one else could give to her.

This is what Jesus always does. He gets criticized for dining with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:11) and gets accused of being a drunk and a glutton (Luke 7:34). Jesus regularly has his own reputation damaged when he crosses the boundaries that other people weren’t willing to cross. @@Jesus doesn’t give himself to the deserving or the desirable, he gives himself to the people who aren't.@@ 

Jesus crosses every barrier that stands between you and him. Every barrier that you’ve built up to keep your sin hidden. Every barrier that the culture or religion has created that makes you feel like you’re not good enough. Jesus crosses those barriers, ignores the damage it might cause his reputation, and offers you a drink. 

He offers you a glass of water that will give you life. In the heat of the sun, hiding from the sins you’re ashamed of, Jesus meets you with unwavering grace. And suddenly with a simple sip of water, things change.

Things change just like they did for that Samaritan woman who avoided her community. When she was met with a love that had no conditions, she responded by returning to the community she once hid from. She went back to the people who knew who she’d been with and instead of hiding in shame, that same sin that once isolated her led to a beautiful invitation, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”

Luther’s works can be incredibly intimidating, yet in the midst of that intimidating work are beautiful Gospel treasures. And as I’ve prepared for the launch of this book and have interacted with so many of the people who have already been reading of it, I’m grateful that I’ve been able to be a small part of guiding people into the work of Luther. 

Here’s what one of the reviews on Amazon said about it: 

Martin Luther's commentary on Romans is a gospel treasure! And RJ has done a wonderful job making it more accessible to all of us. His selection and comments on Luther's work are very helpful and unfolding the message Luther wished to communicate - Christ, as our substitute and righteousness.

If you haven’t purchased Reading Romans with Luther yet, please make sure to get yourself (and all your friends, maybe?) a copy. Note: Amazon is currently out-of-stock, but you can also order from Concordia Publishing House and get them soon. 

How You Can Help

Leading up to the launch of this book, I have had an incredible team of early readers, friends, and family who have been passionate about spreading the word about this book. But now, I want to also make sure that you know how you can join in and help spread the word about Luther. 

1. Share readingromans.com with your friends so they can know about the book. Use whatever means you want, but please make sure people know about the book. 

2. As you read the book, use the hashtag #readingromans so that you can share what is resonating with you. 

3. As you are reading, engage the conversation around the hashtag #readingromans so that people are studying the book of Romans in a community instead of alone.

4. Take a selfie with your book once it arrives so that we know that you got it. This is partly promotional, but it's also just fun to see you getting your books!

5. Once you read the book, please post a review on Amazon. Reviews are very important to success on Amazon, so if you love the book, please add your review to the mix. 

If that weren't enough, even wanting to get better is sometimes difficult. I know what I'm supposed to want to do, but actually wanting to do those things  (and not do others) is another story. It's like the Law, although I know it's from God, doesn't seem to make me want to do what it commands. 

@@The Law is great at describing good works. It's not very good at getting me to do them.@@ 

The Inability of the Law  

Telling me to be a better husband has never made me a better husband. Telling me to give more generously or to love more sacrificially has never made me do so. If you put a sign out that says, "Do not touch," I can guarantee it will not motivate me to avoid touching.  

That doesn't mean those commands aren't important. They are absolutely important; they just don't produce what they demand. The Law doesn't make me want to obey. And even when I do want to obey (which certainly didn't come from myself), the commands don't give me the strength to do so. 

This is the lie that I have to fight to not believe: the Law gives people the ability to do what it demands. It doesn't. And far too often I'm caught believing that the Law can do what only the Gospel can do. It's not the Law that will make me good, it's Christ. And Christ who makes me good will also empower me to do good, the good that the Law demands yet I fail to fulfill.

God's Law is important. It functions to curb the behavior of society, it acts as a mirror to reveal to us our own sinfulness, and it even guides the Christian in love and life. God's Law does all of these things - sometimes all at the same time and sometimes in one way more than others.

The problem creeps into our thinking when life-coaches disguised as pastors give sermons that convince us if they talk enough about what we should be doing, we will start doing it. And I'm all for practical, life-applying sermons that helping me love my neighbor better. But we have to understand the role the law plays and what it can and cannot do. 

It doesn't matter how compelling the sermon was; the law will never actually make you better. It doesn't matter how clear the law is, the law will never make your heart desire obedience. @@The Law, apart from the Gospel, at best will generate a begrudging submission to rules.@@  

Commands don't make us better, the Gospel does. Commands don't produce the godly desires of a new heart, at best they showcase what godliness looks like. The new creation that comes by the power of the Gospel produces holiness. The Law doesn't make me obedient, the work of the Holy Spirit by the power of the Gospel does. The Law doesn't even make me want to be good, it convinces me that I'm not good and shows me what good looks like. It's only the Gospel that creates a desire in me that wants to be good, or at least wants to want to be good. 

The Law isn't bad - it's absolutely necessary, helpful, and valuable. We need the law for the sake of society and for the sake of the Christian life. But whatever you do, please don't believe that the Law will make you better. Because it won't. Only Jesus will do that. 

This is why the Apostle Paul boasts about the power of the Gospel: 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith." - Romans 1:16-17

The Law has power, but not that kind of power. 

The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” - Luke 7:18-20

John's doubts were the kind of doubts that come with unmet expectations. Prison made him question God's provision and power. The messiah he expected to show up didn't seem to match the messiah he always envisioned. And on top of that Jesus' miracles seemed to be for everyone else but him; Jesus' freed everyone else except for the guy in prison!

John had to ask, "Are you who I expected you to be or should I be expecting someone else?" 

Jesus response was simple - a brief report of who he is and what he's done:

And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” - Luke 7:22-23

Simplicity and clarity from Jesus gave John an expectation adjustment that created hope in a moment of despair. Despite prison, questions, and confusion, John is able to maintain hope in the work of Jesus. Hope that doesn't come from his circumstances or answers, but hope that comes from the unfailing work of Jesus. 

Hope and Adjusted Expectations

I do not know what's caused you to question God's goodness. I don't know the prison you've been in or the frustration you've experienced. I don't know what prayers you've prayed and don't ever seem to get the answer you are looking for. 

But here's what I do know.

@@Jesus doesn’t always meet our expectations but he always gives us what we need.@@ He doesn’t always respond the way we want, when we want, or how we want, but he always gives us that which we need the most.

The birth of Jesus is not about meeting the expectations of the people who are waiting for him, the birth of Jesus is about God giving to people what they need the most. Hope comes not in met expectations, but in knowing how God gives himself to me.  Hope comes not by meeting our expectations but by giving us a picture of what we can expect instead: 

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. - Galatians 4:4-7

When the time was right. It may have not been the time that the people were expecting or hoping for but when it was right, God sent his son. And that son came to do an important work. Some people were healed and others weren’t. Some people were touched by Jesus and others never even got to see him. But Jesus showed up to do an important work. He gave himself to make you a child of God. 

The unmet expectations are met with expectations that God will never fail to met. Expect God to always be there for you; Jesus will never leave you. Expect God to always forgive you; Jesus remembers your sins no more. Expect God to listen to you; God always hears the cries of his children. Expect God to fight for you; Jesus is victorious in every fight against sin, death, and the devil. Expect Jesus to make all things new; Jesus will restore all of his creation.