Editor's note: Enjoy today's devotion from Living Unoffended by Brant Hansen.
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You do not want to leave too, do you? — John 6:67
Jesus talked about a pearl merchant, a man who really knew his business, who recognized what was truly valuable. And then he found it! A pearl worth everything he had. So he made his move. He had to have it. He sold everything to get it.
In another parable, Jesus said the Kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. A guy found the treasure, then hid it again. Why?
So he could go sell everything and buy that field. He had to get the treasure.
The pearl merchant, the treasure-field guy—they were not fools. Quite the opposite.
The Kingdom is just too appealing, too poetic, too stunning.
The alternatives grow dingy in its light. If you know what’s life-and-death valuable, well, you just have to have it.
It’s always kind of baffled me when Jesus talked about the Kingdom in Matthew and said “violent people” raid it. My understanding now is that He was referring to an eagerness to have it; some people will seize it. I’ve also heard it compared to the eagerness cows have to be let into a fresh, new green pasture after a long winter.1
So yes, I can talk about the abuses and weirdness of religion and things done in the name of Jesus. But I’m not leaving Jesus or my brothers and sisters who seek Him.
There may be fewer of us in the days ahead, at least in the US, where I live. But I feel now I’ve become like Jesus’ friends, the ones who stayed after everyone else walked away from Him. Jesus turned to them and asked,
You do not want to leave too, do you? — John 6:67
Nope.
Where else do I go? No one else has the words of life.
And no one else offers this joy, this peace, this sense of well-being regardless of circumstances. No one. The alternatives, I’m convinced, don’t work.
I can’t leave, because now I’ve seen too much, including a lot of things I’m going to tell you about in this book. I’m not going anywhere. Yes, there are religious hypocrites in the world. But I’m not going to give them the power to stop me from the best relationship of my life.
This gospel, this good news that the kingdom is now available to all of us? It’s too good to trade in for a sweet rush of very temporary freedom.
Jesus makes too much sense. I have to trust someone—we all do—so really:
Who better than Jesus?
Watch the video
1. Look it up on YouTube: When the gates swing open, the cows dance with glee, and now I realize I totally should have had a photo of that on the cover of this book and maybe changed the title: Life Is Hard. God Is Good. Check Out These Awesome Cows.
Excerpted with permission from Living Unoffended by Brant Hansen, copyright Brant Hansen.
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Your Turn
Even during (and especially during!) the most challenging seasons, during illness and suffering, through loss and bereavement, there’s no One better than Jesus! He is worthy of our trust. He’s worthy of our hope. He’s worthy of our worship! Amen! ~ Devotionals Daily