Have you ever imagined what it would have been like to have been an eyewitness to the miraculous works of our Savior while He was on this earth. What would your response have been to watch the local blind man who had been begging for years, walking around with 20/20 vision? What would you have said when Legion the naked wild man was now “clothed and in his right mind”? Or what would you have done if you were one of the disciples in the boat and watched the storm immediately dissipate when He uttered 3 words? Besides the amazement and wonder that I think I would have felt at witnessing these incredible acts, I think another thought would have entered my mind. I think I would maybe have wondered something like, “Why not more Jesus? There are thousands of sick people all over this country; there are so many that are hungry, hurting, tired, and abused; hundreds have died as the result of storms; there are blind, maimed, and crippled beggars everywhere- why not more miracles Jesus?”
This just demonstrates our tendency as humans to focus on the physical. Jesus’ main purpose for coming to this earth was not to deal with physical problems and infirmities, it was to deal with the problem of men’s hearts.
Way too often we focus solely on the surface. We like formulas, ten step programs, behavior modification, and quick fixes of all sorts. We admire people who are good at looking at the surface, assessing the situation, and giving quick matter-of-fact instructions as to how to take care of the problem. We love the practical and down to earth solutions to life’s dilemmas.
Why then did Jesus not spend more time dealing with the practical? He could have been the most successful physician, clinical psychologist, counselor, or life coach ever known to man. Not only could He have given exact and precise answers to all of life’s dilemmas, He could have miraculously healed every ailment on the spot. He could easily have gained such an incredible following with His amazing acts that the then known world could have been greatly impacted. The question is, why didn’t He? Again, although I do not wish to presume upon the ways of God, I believe at least part of the answer lies in the fact that His purpose for coming was not primarily to change the outward impact of sin, but the inward. The human condition without Him was and is hopelessly bleak. People are full of self-centeredness, pride, anger, lust, etc. In short, our hearts are saturated with an incurable disease-sin. This is a disease that we brought on ourselves and deserve to die from. This sin impacts the human race in a powerfully negative way. The fallen state of mankind is responsible for all of the problems of humankind whether inward or outward. That is why when Jesus saw the masses He had compassion on them. It wasn’t just about seeing and changing their physical needs, it was, I believe, His desire to give them new hearts.
The Gospel focuses on the heart. It is the desire of the Gentle Healer to redeem us from the inside out. When our hearts are transformed our lives will begin to change. This will become evident in some very practical ways, but the change must begin inside.
It is my prayer that our churches would catch a vision for the life-transforming power of the Gospel. There is way too much outwardly focused change being attempted in our churches today. Whether through modern therapeutic methods or legalistic pressures, we are too often guilty of using man’s ways of attempting to change people rather than the ways of God. Quick fixes are in, patiently waiting on God, searching the Scriptures and seeking His answers to our dilemmas are out.
The difference between these two ways of dealing with life is illustrated in the two thieves that were crucified with Jesus. One of them railed on Him, calling Him to save them from execution. The other one, however, realized that his needs were more than physical. He knew that he was a degenerate sinner and he knew that he deserved to die. He also knew that this man, Jesus, did not deserve to die. He was not so concerned about being rescued from the extremely negative physical circumstances he was in, as he was concerned about the condition of his heart. Albeit in probably a limited way, he understood that he needed a Savior, and he called on Jesus to remember him.
This Good Friday as we remember the death and suffering of our Lord, may we be reminded to respond to His incredible sacrifice the way this thief did. May we go deeper than the outward and the physical. May we be honest and courageous enough to look at our human condition and realize that without Christ we are ugly, filthy, rotten, and most importantly - lost. We deserve everything that the thief got and more. May we turn to the only One Who can do anything about this condition we find ourselves in – the “One Who knew no sin” but “became sin” and took our penalty, so we could have our awful condition remedied. May we allow Him to renovate our hearts. We need His healing grace. We need it urgently. We have needed it ever since the fall of man. We need it today, and we need it every day of our lives.
As a pastor, former teacher, and not so far removed young person myself, I have a burden for the youth of our generation. Youth is a time of great passion and vigor. It is a time of enthusiasm, fun, and exhilaration. Young people thrive on excitement. In our time more than maybe any other there is opportunity for young people to experience thrills and adventures of almost anything you can imagine. They ski, snowboard, mountain bike, motorcycle, hunt cougars, travel the world, scuba dive, jump out of airplanes… you name it they do it.