Jesus and John The Baptist:
Recently I heard on Moody radio a snippet of a discussion. I
listened long enough to learn another young black man had been shot and killed
by a white police officer. I also listened long enough to discover that the
verdict was fresh in acquitting the officer of any wrong doing.
I didn’t listen much longer because I wanted to focus on
something bigger than what the world had to say on such a subject. You see,
this year while taking an English composition class, I had to write a thesis
paper. I chose to write mine on media and the effects it has on your mind and
your mood. What I learned was truly scary. Especially when you understand that
we are in a spiritual war.
So, here I was, hoping that I would catch a great bible
teaching and instead I found myself in the midst of media taking my mind and
emotions in a direction that would be sure to ensnare me. I keep a CD in my car
for such times. It is full of words that make me remember the big message:
“Love God above all and Love one another” Every time I get too far in a
direction off of the path that I am to walk with Christ, this song, “People
Matter” by Rick Stump, helps me pull myself back in.
As proven by the research I had discovered for my paper,
this news story grabbed my mind again and again. This morning I awoke and
within the first forty five minutes, this was once again front and center in my
thoughts. The coolest thing about my mornings is the few moments I manage to
squeeze in with God, our Heavenly Father. Your mind is a really cool thing. The
closer you draw to God the more natural and open you become with your thought conversations
with Him. I call them thought conversations because that is truly what they
are. So I pondered, “What would Jesus do if one of His friends were killed for
absolutely no reason?”
Instantly God filled my head with the story of Jesus and
John the Baptist! I now know without a shadow of doubt, just how Jesus would
handle this situation if He were here.
Some of you may think of Jesus as docile. Some of you have
heard the stories of Him getting righteously angry and turning over tables in
the temple. Some of you think of Him as a great teacher. Many people in the
world say He was a good man. Others say He was a prophet. In the words of CS
Lewis: “He didn’t leave that open to us. Jesus is either the Son of God or a
lunatic!” As for me, I have no doubts when it comes to who Jesus is.
With that being said, I think before any of us take action
in this war, we should arm ourselves with the knowledge of truth and the wisdom
of God’s word. There are many examples of how Jesus handled situations
involving death. My mind sought for a closer type of death for this situation.
That is when God pointed me to John the Baptist.
John was related to Jesus. He baptized Jesus and he was
prophesizing about the coming Messiah in the wilderness as foretold by the Old
Testament prophets. You cannot deny that John was more than a stranger to
Jesus. They were the same race and they were related. During the beginning of Jesus’
ministry, John was imprisoned by King Herod, who later beheaded John at the
request of his step daughter. Talk about a wrongful death! Prior to John’s
beheading, this is what Jesus had to say about John the Baptist after he was visited
by the disciples of John:
When the messengers of John had left, Jesus began to speak
to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A
reed shaken by the wind?” Luke 7:24, (NASB)
I imagine He spoke these words because John was facing a
very certain death. To the end John wanted to ensure that He had lived and done
the will of God. Jesus was pointing out that even as events of the world came
against John and his disciples, John had remained firm in his faith, not easily
swayed by the wind.
We do not read of Jesus rallying troops against the gentiles
once John was put to death. He did not point out major differences between the
gentiles and the Jews based on their races. When it came to the two races, He
only stated that God was the God of both the gentile and the Jew. Just as God
is the God over all races of humanity.
When it comes to our differences, our problems with each
other, our anger, bitterness, any iniquity we face, God gives us this advice: Forgive
one another.
Never once does Jesus tell us to get angry. Never does He
teach that we are to take a stand against others or point to examples of how to
drag up past history full of hurts and unfairness or to hold onto past events
that only have confusion and anger to offer. Rather, He warns us to forgive our
enemies and to keep our focus on the truth.
Instead of pointing to past examples of unfairness, for they
are never ending in all situations, we should focus on the truth. Jesus came
for us and our children. My biggest question is did this boy know who He was in
Christ. Had he accepted Christ as His Lord and Savior? I pray He did. I pray
all of our children do. I pray we all begin praying for our children to accept
Christ. I pray all the children in the world realize that their future days are
not promised and that they begin to seek the truth and in turn find Christ,
have an abundant life here on earth and live eternally once they pass from
here.
Let us not dwell on the past. Tragedies take place every
day. Innocent lives are lost every day. With this truth facing us so boldly,
we, as the body of Christ, should go forth sharing the message of the Gospel,
not the message of bitterness and unfairness. Yes this could have been someone
we knew. This could easily happen to our own child. Because those statements
are so very true, it should be our mission to share the Love of Christ with as
many people as we can every day. Do not forget for one moment that the evil one
came to steal, kill and destroy. He will attempt to do that daily by any means
possible. Do not get caught up in the schemes of the devil! Put on your armor
and fight with the weapons God gave us!
Be blessed my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, be a
light for others, pray for the broken angry hearts of those who are held in
bondage. May they feel the love of the Lord. May they be filled with a sense of
peace. May those of us who are following Christ, find our faith strengthened
today and all the days of our lives. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
In ending, I am leaving you with the link to the song "People Matter" by Rick Stump. I took the time to type out all the words ~ I pray you listen and love and listen each time you need a boost in your day <3 Be blessed my friends and be a blessing to others <3
Wendy Glidden, walks with God, mom of many
© Wendy Glidden 2014