Get on board

‘Here, see if you can get the lid off. I doubt you can, it’s stuck’. I take the bottle from her and, with a grunt and grimace, slacken it off and hand it back saying, ‘O ye of little faith!’ This phrase is what Jesus said when chiding his disciples in times of doubt or fear.

From this we might conclude that Jesus is telling his followers that they need to have ‘big’ faith. This is the line taken by a number who have claimed to be faith healers. It is, however, not the size of the faith that is important. Elsewhere, Jesus says that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, which is tiny, then we may say to a mountain, ‘Go jump in the lake’, and it will. I don’t think for a minute that Jesus wants us to become landscapers on a grand scale, but here’s the important thing: we need to ask the question ‘faith in what or, better still, faith in WHOM?’ That’s the point.

Therefore, when you hear a person say, ‘Well, you’ve got to have faith, haven’t you?’ they are not reflecting well the Christian message. They generally mean that we need an optimistic outlook as though faith is an end in itself. Christianity does not propose having faith in faith but rather faith in a person, namely Jesus. An illustration may help us here…

Two ladies travel on a transatlantic flight. One is particularly anxious about the whole venture, not having flown before. The other is a seasoned traveller and has confidence in the integrity of the aircraft and the competence of the pilot. They land safely in New York and disembark. One, we might say, had little faith whilst the other had more. It was, however, the aircraft and the pilot that got both of them to their desired destination; all they were required to do was get on board.

Jesus tells us that we should view life as a journey with a destination. He invites us to travel his route to a desirable destination (heaven). Do you have little or big faith to take up the invitation? We simply need enough faith to get on board and then trust him as our pilot (or, if you don’t like flying, sea captain!).

A sound investment

Joe Biden has his feet under the table of the Oval Office in the White House. On January 6th, it seemed a possibility that, with the march on Capitol Hill, a smooth transfer of power was in doubt. TV live coverage of the unrest on Capitol Hill disturbed many viewers. What also upset me was a prominent banner being held aloft by Donald Trump supporters; it read ‘Jesus saves’. Why should I feel offended by a statement of which I too am keen to tell?

To my mind, the setting was most inappropriate. I thought of Jesus’ words, ‘Do not throw your pearls before pigs lest they get trampled under feet and then they turn on you and tear you to pieces!’ Allow me to explain how I came to make this connection by giving an imagined scenario…

Would it have been appropriate for Cliff Richard, having just become a Christian, to have walked onto the stage at the London Palladium and instead of performing three of his hits as scheduled, spend most of the allocated time telling of his newfound faith and then conclude by singing Amazing Grace? No, people had paid for an evening’s entertainment and would have been in no mood to receive that. They would have rubbished that which was for Cliff, at least, like a precious pearl.

Once, Jesus said, ‘A merchant was looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.’ What did he mean?

Jesus offers to ‘save’ us – remember that banner on Capitol Hill? He wants to save us from spending ourselves - our energy, emotions, effort and ego - on that which ultimately won’t satisfy us. His teaching about the merchant and the valuable pearl tells us that we can cash in all of those deep-seated desires which drive us. We can invest ourselves in Jesus who is described as ‘the pearl of great value’. Yes, investments can be risky things but there are a lot of satisfied investors in Jesus.

When men and women give their allegiance to him, Jesus promises through words in the Bible, ‘…those who hope in me will not be disappointed’. Unforeseen circumstances frequently prevent politicians from fulfilling their promises. Circumstances will not prevent Jesus keeping his.

Relationships

How ‘distant’ were your relationships with friends and family over Christmas and the New Year? Christmas 2020 was different to what has gone before. Irrespective of COVID-19, it is often said that many relationships are under increased strain over the Christmas/New Year period. Currently the lockdown means some families are experiencing a home life where physical closeness is bringing its own pressures, resulting in a distancing of relationship.

The Christian message is about closer relationships. It tells us how the God of the universe came to earth, choosing to take the form of a man. At first hearing, that sounds incredible. This man, whose name is Jesus, referred to God as ‘my Father’ – a relationship which, he said, pre-existed his earthly life.

He would spend around three years of this life allowing his words and deeds to be scrutinised by political leaders, religious leaders and also men and women from all classes of society. No one could disprove his claim to be in an utterly unique relationship with God.

For 2000 years, some men and women have sought to label Jesus as an impostor, a blasphemer or nothing more than a rabbi (teacher) of his day. None have made their case stick. These days, the majority of us are vague about the claims made by Jesus and therefore are apathetic towards him.

What was the purpose in this coming of God as man? It’s to restore the distanced relationship that exists between God and people like you and me. This is what he says we need: our recognition of a damaged relationship and an effective reconciliation.

As we launch into 2021, we are hopeful of better things with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. The strong desire to return to unrestricted social and family relationships rather than connecting at a distance is a good picture of what God purposed in the sending of Jesus: he desires that our relationship with Him not be distant but restored to that of close family. Jesus has made this possible. Why not resolve, in 2021, to ask God for help in getting to know him personally. Jesus says, ‘…whoever comes to me I will never drive away.’ The effect of ‘coming to Jesus’ is that we come to God also.