Only God’s Opinion Matters
Though John doubted or misunderstood what the Messiah would do, he did not lose his favor with God. I think there are many of us who need to honestly hear that today. Though John showed weakness, his calling never left him; his Savior never stopped loving; his obedience to God was not erased. Romans 11:29 promises: “God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” In the same way that salvation is not given to those who deserve it, God’s gifts and His call are not given to those who are worthy of them. Gifts are not earned. They are given. This means we cannot lose them because we suddenly are found less than worthy. John’s moment of doubt did not diminish him in Jesus’ eyes. In fact, as soon as John’s disciples left, Jesus made a point to make sure the crowds did not change their opinion of John. He reminded them of just what and who they had traveled out to the wilderness to see.
John the Baptist devoted his life to the Lord. He refused to live a ‘normal’ life, opting instead to be markedly different. He drew crowds of people to himself but refused to accept the glory or the attention. At every turn, he pointed people to their sin and to their God. Then, locked in prison and awaiting what would be his beheading, John wondered if Jesus was going to be the Messiah his people had long awaited. Except, John and the rest of the Jews, had the wrong expectation. They were looking for an earthly king and physical deliverance. God sent a Savior who would set their spirits free. Some of the people in the crowd might have been tempted to discredit all the work John did simply because of his one moment of error and weakness. People haven’t changed. Part of humanity’s weakness is a desire to make ourselves feel better by comparing ourselves to others. It doesn’t always work. In fact, it never really works. If we compare our strengths to another’s weakness, we aren’t honestly seeing a true comparison. If we compare our weakness to others’ strengths, we don’t see an accurate picture either. The truth is, we all faulter sometimes. We struggle in different ways, but we still all struggle.
There will always be people who will want to exploit our mistakes to make themselves appear more righteous. There will always be those who want to highlight our weaknesses in hopes that we don’t notice theirs. God; however, is not a person. He isn’t shallow, or petty. He doesn’t change allegiances like the shifting of the wind. He is steadfast. He is constant. We cannot even understand the quality of God’s love for us. Even the most exceptional of parents fail miserably to portray God’s fatherly love for His children.
After John’s disciples left to report to him everything they had seen and experienced of Jesus, he turned his attention to the crowd. Before they could doubt the message John had preached, Jesus reminded them it was true. Before they could dismiss the prophet, Jesus praised him. We may think that our failures negate all the good we have done with the help of the Lord, but that is not what Jesus showed in his response to the crowd. The good we do echoes throughout time. It isn’t lost simply because of our human frailty. Perhaps it is even magnified because of it. Afterall, our shortcomings only highlight God’s work through broken and imperfect vessels. In the end, it doesn’t matter what the world thinks of us. It only matters what God knows about us. Ultimately, it only matters that Jesus says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34)
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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