A New Devotion - Why Would We Assume

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

John 12:36b-43

After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them. Although he had performed so many signs in their presence, they did not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” And so they could not believe, because Isaiah also said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they might not look with their eyes, and understand with their heart and turn – and I would heal them.” Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke about him. Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God.

Why Would We Assume

When I was a young minister, I remember becoming discouraged because I felt my ministry was failing. You see, although I was working long hours, I was doing everything I’d been taught to do in seminary and I was trying to put as much natural energy and enthusiasm as I thought was appropriate into the sermons, services and studies, church attendance was stagnant. We just weren’t growing in the way I thought we would. And since those who came said that they thought what I provided was both meaningful and enjoyable, I was confused and discouraged. And I remember sharing this with a colleague friend of mine. And you know, what he told me, I’ve remembered for over 35 years. He said, “Remember, at the end of his ministry, Jesus had twelve people left. One betrayed him. One denied him. And the rest ran away. Why would we assume that we should do better?” Now that’s what he said, and frankly it really helped a lot.

And I’ll tell you, when you combine those words with this passage from John, I believe we can get an even better view of what serving God is really all about. I mean, according to the evangelist, God was in control of how Jesus was received. In other words, it wasn’t because he didn’t work hard enough or because he lacked enthusiasm. Rather, to fulfill prophecy, Jesus was rejected by his people. And even though I recognize that it’s dangerous to compare one’s self to Christ and we should never use the divine will to ignore shoddy work, I still think this is something we need to remember. You see, if we’re following the example of Jesus and using the gifts God has given us to do his work as best we can, maybe the kind of discouragement that comes from what we define as a lack of success, maybe that’s just another distraction, because, when you get right down to it, why would we assume.