What Will Jesus Find When He Returns?
As Jesus, Peter, James, and John came down the mountain after Jesus’ transformation and conversation with Moses and Elijah, they came upon a crazy scene. The disciples were fighting with the scribes. A crowd was growing impatient as they waited for some type of miraculous display. A father desperately wanted someone – anyone – to heal his demon possessed son. The ones he had left in charge were unable to do what he had given them the power to do. Nothing was as it should be. As I read these words, I could not help but think of how Jesus will find his church and the world when he returns. Will he find us serving him with boldness of faith and the love of grace, or will we be involved in needless arguments and stunted by the weakness of our belief?
Each part of the scene at the foot of the mountain teaches us an important lesson as we await our Savior’s return. First, we see the disciples engaged in an argument with scribes. We aren’t told what they were fighting about, but that part is irrelevant. The action itself is what we need to learn from. It was a pointless endeavor. The scribes were only there to find some fault in what they were doing. Arguing with them was never going to soften their heart to the gospel. Nothing the disciples could have done or said would have impressed them. They had often sat in the presence of Jesus and witnessed things their imagination could only have come up with. Still, they refused to believe. If they refused to believe the Son of God, what on earth would make the disciples think they could be the ones to convince them? There will always be those who claim to be spiritually superior while lacking any depth of relationship. Ironically, it is these who will fight tooth and nail to make everyone else think see things from their mistaken point of view. Titus 3:9 tells us, “But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile.”
As with the display at the base of the mountain, there will always be a crowd of onlookers to our faith. Many watch to find fault. Some want to see a show or at least be entertained. A few truly want to see if God can do what we say He can. When Jesus returns in all his glory, it won’t matter if you are in the ‘right’ crowd. There are no spectators at the final judgment. Each of us will have to give an account for the words we spoke and the decisions we made or hesitated to make. We will also have to answer for the way we interacted with the crowd. Did we ignore their hunger? Did we downplay their sin and leave them in its bondage? Did we speak the truth even if they didn’t want to hear it? The crowd can’t cost us our salvation but the way we respond to it might just lead someone in it towards theirs.
Finally, we see the disciples almost defeated because they could not cast the demon out of the man’s son. Remember, they had the authority to do this. In Mark 6:7 we read, “And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.” Still, they were unable to do what Jesus had given them the authority and power to do. Jesus’ answer as to why they failed was that they needed more prayer. Does prayer and fasting give us power? More like it reminds us from where our power comes from. Warren Wiersbe commented, “The authority that Jesus had given them was effective only if exercised by faith, but faith must be cultivated through spiritual discipline and devotion.”
When Jesus comes again, I want to be found faithful. I want to be found busy at the work that God has called me to do. I pray that I am found with a faith that has deep roots entwined around the foot of the cross. I pray that I have not grown deaf or blind to the people around me, and that I have not gotten stuck in the trap of confrontations. Jesus may be just out of our view at this moment, but one day – one day soon – he will return. What will he find when he does?
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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