It’s interesting that Jesus, as far as I can remember, never told the crowds, “I’m a big deal, in fact I’m the real deal. Now, watch as I amaze you and I’ll prove it to you.” Instead, it seems like most often, Jesus told the people about who He was in response to being questioned about how/why He did what He did. In other words, people were curious about what they saw -- His actions elicited an interest in Him, which caused people to ask more about Him.
These days, we’ve approached people differently. We have the habit of saying, “We are Christians, I’ll prove it to you...” which usually entails unpacking a long list of doctrines of which we are correct about, while having very little to do with our ability to “practice what we preach.” Rarely do our actions proceed our explanation, unless we are caught in a mistake...
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the impression Jesus left on people. I doubt many people of His day walked away from encountering Jesus feeling merely indifferent about Him. I think most all of the people knew from the way Jesus carried Himself and how He acted, He was the real deal.
It has occurred to me, people (probably quite frequently) used some culturally-relevant form of “Wow!” after interacting with Jesus. And I wonder how this world would be, if we too left this type of impression. Would churches even need to advertise? Would we have to invite people to visit our churches? What could happen if we wowed the world...?
Not all of the people were wowed by Jesus, obviously. He was crucified after all. Still, there is something in Jesus’ example for us to consider implementing. People said “Wow!” or something to its equivalent, because was Jesus so special.
Guess what, you are special! Sadly, I think we forget this. I’m not writing about Jesus’ wow-factor to make you feel guilty or to discourage you, no it’s quite the opposite. I want to encourage you. I want you to rethink how you approach people (or rethink how we respond to our difficulties in front of others), and how you can lead others to a better understanding of you really are and what God is really like.
Remember: We have been raised to a new life by God, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and we are set free from sin and death! People will recognize our christianity when we live out what is within. We won’t have to “prove” our faith to them -- it will be evident. Hopefully as we face life’s challenges and sufferings people will ask, “How do you do it?” based on how we respond to our circumstances.
Life isn’t easy, and in fact for some of us it’s quite hard at times. What are you facing today, what are you going through? I can imagine it feels like you are the only one who has to deal with the problems you have, and maybe you are. This much I know, people are watching you, they are observing, and they will draw conclusions about you and your God as they watch.
We can’t expect people to react with amazement when we merely do something nice or good. Why? Simply put, because that is an expected behavior. For example, last week a cashier at the grocery store overpaid me when he gave me back my change. I mentioned he might want to recount the change as I handed him a $20 bill back. He didn’t say a word. No, he didn’t even fall to his knees asking how to find salvation. He didn’t ask me why was I so kind. If he had shortchanged me instead and I respond that politely, then he might have wondered to himself. Who knows, but I think you get the point.
I want to live my life, going forward, helping people to say “Wow!” and that might happen when I do good things. More than likely, I think it will happen as a result of how I control myself when the typical response for most people might be a display of hatred, anger, or revenge.
The world doesn’t need another Messiah, Jesus already died on a cross. The world needs more people who die to themselves daily and who reflect the image of their Risen Savior in every and all circumstances.
Until we “wow” the world on a more consistent basis, I don’t expect much to improve. I think the news will continue to be filled with mass-shootings, rampant crime, and gross inequality -- until that day comes. In the meanwhile, as I think of the potential of the wow-factor, I can’t help but think of the old saying, “Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary use words.”
