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What is Our Greatest Need?
When we consider Jesus' invitation to come, we need to be clear about what it is we are coming to Jesus for. What are we coming to receive, what do we perceive that we need from Jesus? What do we anticipate Him providing? The invitation from Christ is direct, it is clear and concise - and yet it is often misunderstood. It is not misunderstood for lack of clarity, for ambiguity, or needless complexity. It is not because Jesus is being elusive or purposefully unclear in His wording. The problem comes from a preconceived bias that is so pervasive in every one of us.
There is the danger of completely missing the hopelessness of our personal plight. If we are not aware of our desperate need, then what we are looking for from Jesus will totally miss the point of His invitation, and will be completely inadequate to meet the real need of our soul. There are many things people come to Jesus for that fall far short of what Jesus is offering. Some people come to Jesus hoping to find a way to live a better life - from a material and self-serving perspective. That is not what Jesus is talking about. The life that Jesus offers is indeed far better - but it is better on a much higher plane than the physical - it includes every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Some people come to Jesus hoping to become more successful and prosperous. Jesus clearly warned about this kind of misunderstanding.
Other people come to Jesus looking for a way to avoid the consequences of sin. It may be anything from physical, emotional, social or even psychological consequences. Sometimes a person comes to Jesus looking to get rid of their guilt, their depression, their anger, their feeling of unworthiness or futility. There are those who come to Jesus for help in mastering a particular area of weakness. They may be generally satisfied with their lives, except for one or more specific kinds of sin that are interfering with their health and happiness.
There is a real sense in which many of these things are dealt with, in coming to Jesus - but only as a result of coming to Him for something more fundamental. When Jesus speaks of our coming to Him, He is speaking of our coming to Him for forgiveness, deliverance, and cleansing from our sin. He is speaking of our bowing in submission before the Lord of glory, turning away from our rebellion, and putting our trust in God's Christ to save us from our sin. We come to be delivered from sin's power, sin's eternal consequences, and eventually from sin's very presence - in heaven. When we come to Jesus for relief from the shame or consequences of only the sins we find to be personally disgraceful or debilitating, we are not accepting the Lord's invitation. Coming to Jesus is a matter of desiring to be free - not only of eternal consequences, or of certain sins we find to be especially distasteful - but of sin's power over us. It is a desire to be free from the enslaving domination of sin and self. This is what Jesus offers to us - no matter how bad our sin may be.
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"If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
John 8:31-32
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1115 Glenn St. Washington, IL 61571 |