To Joy (part 6)
Jesus landed his disciples with an awkward situation. On the one hand, he told them “to go and bear fruit” and have a wonderful impact on people’s lives revealing God’s world of love and joy to them. On the other hand, however, he said people would hate them. So how on earth could they have any impact on people’s lives if people hated them and set their minds against responding to them?
Jesus had two answers to that. First of all, he said the same thing would happen to them that happened to him, which on the positive side meant that “If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also,” John 15:20. So some people would respond, just as they did to Jesus.
But what about all those millions of others who don’t respond, who are so soaked in the ways of this world – and so love them dearly too – that what we say just bounces off them? Even knowing we’re Christians is enough to turn them off. The doors to their minds clamp shut with a clang, and that’s it, no connection at all.
So now what? If we can’t even mention the name of Jesus, or get the tiniest bit of a toe in the door of their minds to explain who Jesus is and what he taught, what’s the point of being a disciple of Jesus at all? And where’s the joy in it too?
Ah but, “When the Counsellor comes…” Jesus went on to say in verse 26. Aha. Now it’s a different ballgame. All the odds would be totally stacked against us if it was up to us alone to reach into people’s minds and open them up. But we’re not alone. When Jesus ascended to his Father he got the Father’s OK to send “the Spirit of truth.” And “When he comes,” John 16:8, a new era would begin in which minds would be opened to the three things we humans least want to hear about – sin, righteousness and judgment (verses 8-11).
That’s the joy of being a disciple, then, because it means that at any time, anywhere, and totally out of the blue, a person might respond. And we have our own lives as proof of it. We responded. Our clamped shut minds were suddenly opened. So who knows what minds are being opened by the Holy Spirit through us now too?…(continues Monday)
Buck To Basics 