A Jesus problem

 Have you ever just had a problem you didn’t know what to do about? Maybe it was a pest problem, something financial or personal. Many of our problems are self-inflicted, and other issues just seem to happen on their own. However, most of our problems pale in comparison to the issues the Pharisees had during the last week of Jesus’ life on earth.

Luke chapter 22 tells us that it was the Passover celebration in Jerusalem, people were flooding into the city from all over. Verse 2 gives us a closer look at the problem when it says, “the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.” So, the Pharisees had more than just one issue, they had a mess on their hands; they had a Jesus problem, a people problem, a fear problem, and they needed an inside man in order to pull off and complete their plan, and that was to kill Jesus Christ. They were not afraid to kill Jesus, but they were terrified of upsetting the people. Many of these newcomers to the city were pro-Jesus, and any attempt on his life could create a revolt. An uprising would bring down the heat from Roman occupation, and the last thing the religious leaders wanted was for their Passover to be canceled.

So, let’s bring this home. I think much like the Pharisees of Jerusalem in 33 A.D., we have a Jesus problem ourselves. When we feel that quiet nudge from Jesus to say “no,” but we say “yes” anyway, we have a Jesus problem. The problem is, for a lot of us, we want Jesus present in our lives but would rather him keep quiet instructionally. Maybe for some of us, we have a people problem. When someone wants to kill “the presence of Jesus” in another person but can’t seem to pull it off, it’s because they’re surrounded by too many Godly influences; they have a people problem. I’ve witnessed someone’s passion to serve the Lord ripped away from them because of another person’s discomfort with their new-found excitement. In Luke chapter 19, the religious leaders became uncomfortable with the disciples shouting “Hosannah” when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. We are living in a day where true worship will bring discomfort to those who are spiritually dead.

Are we finding that we also have a fear problem? Are we more afraid of offending someone than we are of offending Jesus? It’s a dangerous place to be when we find ourselves casually lowering our standards of Christian living to satisfy our desires. And then there’s the inside man. Sadly, we all have one of these trying to destroy us every day. That person is us! We are our own worst enemy. We are the only ones we can’t escape or hide from. Scripture tells us that it’s not what goes into a man that defiles him but rather what comes out. We tell off on ourselves to the enemy regularly, then wonder why he has such an inside track to attack.

Let’s put the enemy on notice. I say we make sure every time he sees us, he sees Christ at work in us. Let’s give him a Jesus problem.

We’re on Liberty Square, in Sparta, and we have three service times this Sunday for your convenience: 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m., and 11:30 a.m. We’re real people, living real lives, serving a real God. Welcome home to Christpoint Church.