Lessons from the Ascension - Part Two

This will be part two of my two-part message drawn from the ascension of the Lord Jesus as Luke records in Acts chapter one. So, let’s turn our attention to that text:

“The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

 

And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.”

 

Last week we focused on three points found in this short text. The first point was this: Luke wrote his gospel and his history of the early church from eyewitness accounts and other research. Scoffers want us to doubt the veracity of Luke’s accounts – as well as the rest of the Bible – because Satan knows that God's infallible word from Genesis through Revelation is, as St Paul tells us – “able to give us wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

 

The second point we looked at last week was this: Jesus WILL return to earth. That’s good news for some, but very bad news for most. And finally, last week, point number three: God does not work according to OUR expectations. He works whatever He works to bring forth His will and His kingdom. His will, of course, is the eternal salvation of souls who will be part of His Kingdom forever.

 

Which now brings us to today’s message and two more points found in this short text from Acts. We begin first with verse 10 – “And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven. The Greek verb translated in this text as ‘gazing intently’ also can be rendered as ‘they were fastening their eyes’ on the sky as Jesus ascended.

 

Some might think they were gazing so intently because they were watching yet another miracle of the Lord. But I’m not so sure that’s the reason.

 

The apostles were not strangers to His miracles. They’d witnessed His feeding thousands with only a few loaves and fish. They saw Him raise Lazarus from the dead. They saw Him walk on water, heal lepers, deaf mutes, and paralytics. And, of course, they saw Him after His resurrection. And now – Jesus defied gravity and disappeared into the clouds.

 

So, I don’t think they were stunned to see Jesus defy gravity and ascend into the clouds. I believe there was much more going on in their minds as they watched Him leave them, because much more would have gone in in MY mind. I would have stared into the sky and thought: He’s gone.

 

He. Is. Gone.

 

Perhaps they’d been hoping – even if it was unconsciously – that Jesus hadn’t meant what they thought He meant when He told them: (John 13:33, 36) Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’ . . . . Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.”

 

He also told them: (John 16:5-6) “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.”

 

I think sorrow and grief and pain filled their hearts because they lost Him – again. This time . . . for the rest of their lives?

 

They loved Jesus. Let me say that again for emphasis – they loved Jesus. But now He was gone. and I think they thought what I would have thought: “What do I do now? How can I go on without Him? I cannot bear the thought of not being with Him.”

 

As I pondered this scene, my mind brought me to another ‘farewell’ scene that Luke records for us later in Acts. Its poignancy reminded me of what was likely happening to the apostles at the Ascension.

 

St Paul and his missionary companions were traveling toward Jerusalem to be there in time for the Feast of Pentecost. Because he was hurrying to be there, he decided to avoid visiting Ephesus where, earlier, he’d stayed for about two years and developed many close friends among that church. So, when the ship they’d been sailing on docked at Miletus, Paul sent a message to the church at Ephesus, asking the elders to meet with him at Miletus. When they arrived, here’s what happened:

 

(Acts 20:36-21:1) “When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship. When we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran a straight course to Cos and the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patara . . . .”

 

The Greek word translated into English for ‘parted’ means, “to tear oneself away.’ And it is THIS scene that is not only analogous to the scene on Mount Olive, but it is also applicable to us in the 21^st century.

 

Do you know of Christians who’ve lost a beloved spouse, or very close friend with who they’d spent years and years together, enjoying their companionship, their counsel, their emotional intimacy. Many of you here know what I am talking about. And then suddenly – they’re gone. Death has torn them away. The grave has ripped them from your life.

 

If that’s happened to you, then perhaps some of you at that time also said to yourself: “What do I do now? Where do I go?”  And perhaps even more to the point, you may have asked yourself, “WHY should I go and do?”

 

Those questions are quite normal for the grieving heart. And that’s also why this text in Acts is so very applicable to us in 2024. Most of us know from experience that after a time, the raw emotions become less enflamed, and what most mourners eventually want to do is more than just ‘move on.’  They want to successfully move on. But to do that – to successfully move on with life – the mourner first must find the answer to the question: “How do I move on?”

 

A quick and what might seem to some in the midst of their grief an insensitive answer might sound something like, “Get closer to Jesus.”

 

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. That answer is the right answer. And what might seem to some as an insensitive answer is, actually, a profoundly significant answer.

 

Listen, we all know life is neither simple nor superficial. And so, what I want to try to do at this moment is attempt to answer that question, “HOW does the grieving heart draw closer to Christ?” After all, it is never God's plan nor His desire for us to remain in grief. The prophet Hosea told his grieving nation: (Hosea 6:3) “So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.” And from prison, St Paul wrote words to encourage his readers – including us in 2024: (Philippians 3:13-14) “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

 

Press on. One foot in front of the other. And then the other. And then the other. But now let me give you a flawless recipe how to fail in pressing on: Do it on your own. Do it without God's supernatural help to put one foot in front of the other. Remember the Lord’s counsel to His disciples: (John 15:4-5, NIV) “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Now listen to His counsel through Solomon – and I paraphrase: (Proverbs 3:5-6): “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and not on your own understanding. In all your ways, call on Him, and He will direct your path.”

 

And now Jeremiah (33:3) “Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.”

 

How do we press on when we don’t know what to do or where to go – or even WHY to press on? We press on – successfully press on – when we do so with and through the Lord’s supernatural help. No one should expect grief to dissipate quickly. But we surely CAN cope better with and through our Lord Jesus Christ who lives in us. And so, by His supernatural strength we keep seeking; We keep trusting; We keep walking with our Savior.

Which now brings us to the second point number of today’s message: That they – even in their grief –  “Shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” And, by the way, Ashwood Meadows is included in that “remotest part of the earth” text.

I think it instructive that we focus attention now on what the Lord told His disciples to do after He was gone. He gave them WORK to do even in the midst of their grief. I believe He gave them that work for at least two purposes. First: To get them focused AWAY from themselves and onto others. As He once told them: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

 

And the second reason: To win souls for the Kingdom. As He had told them once before, (John 4:35-36) “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.” 

 

It was also the Psalmist who wrote (126:5-6): Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

If you’ve been with me for any length of time, you know I often urge all of us to not only be bold in our witness for Christ, but also to walk the talk that we talk. I’ve reminded all of us of the importance, for example, of bowing our heads at the table before we begin eating – whether at a restaurant out in town, or in the dining room.

 

Consider this: If we’re afraid or ashamed about thanking the Lord publicly for our food when it is NOT dangerous to be a Christian, then how will we act when it IS dangerous to be a true follower of Christ?

 

The other way we share our faith with others is by LIVING our faith before them. For example, we avoid gossip, telling or laughing at off-color jokes, we won’t lie, or look for faults in others, and we will be quick to forgive those who offend us.

 

These are all ways to be faithful witnesses for Christ in our own spheres of influence among our families, friends, and acquaintances, especially here in this Peyton Place called Ashwood Meadows.

 

But there is one method of sharing Christ with others that I do not speak about often enough. To that end, let me remind us of two of the Lord’s parables, one which follows the other. You’ll find them in Matthew 25:14-41. Because of time, the text is too long to read now in its entirety, so I will summarize the parables:

 

In the first one, a man went on a journey and entrusted his slaves with his possessions. He gave one slave five talents – meaning, ‘money.’ To another he gave two, and to another, one. If you remember the story, the ones who received the five and the two talents traded with them and earned more money for their master. But the one who’d received the one piece of money buried it in the ground. When the master returned, he praised the first two slaves, but the third received his wrath for wasting what was entrusted to him.

 

The Lord immediately followed that parable with the one about the final judgement of the sheep and the goats. The sheep were those who took care of those who were sick, and lonely, and imprisoned, and hungry, and naked. The goats, on the other hand, were those who did NOT take care of others.

 

Both groups were confused. They did not remember when they’d seen the Lord hungry or sick or naked and in need. And the Lord answered them – and I again paraphrase: ‘When you did it for others, you did it for Me. When you did NOT do it for others, you did NOT do it for Me.’ And then Jesus concluded with this very sobering word: “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Jesus was serious when He warned us about using – or ignoring – the various gifts He’s given us – gifts of time, talent, or treasure. And Christians also know that each of the gifts He’s given us are ultimately intended for the sake of HIS Kingdom. But sometimes we don’t know how or where to use those gifts – including His gifts of finances.

 

I’m sure many of you are already sending money to various Christian organizations. But there might be those here who would like to support Christian ministries, but do not know where to find reputable ones. That’s why I’ve prepared in a separate handout with a list of some ministries for your consideration. Whether it’s five dollars a month or a hundred dollars each month, every Christ-centered organization can use our support.

St Therese of Avila died in 1582, but what she said here reverberates across the centuries and into 2024:

 

“Christ has no body but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which He looks compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good, yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes . . .. Christ has no body now but yours.”

 

PLEASE!  I implore you. Do not bury what the Lord has given you. Offer it to Him as the young boy offered Jesus his few fish and pieces of bread. No one wants to face God at the Judgment and have to explain why we used what He gave us on ourselves and our pleasures when souls in need were left alone.

 

As I preached last week, Jesus is LORD. And He will return someday for His own. But on that note, If Jesus is not Lord of everything in our life – including our time, talents, AND treasure, then He is truly not Lord of our life at all.

 

Lessons from the Ascension - Part One

 Last week we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. It would be yet another 40 days before He ascended to His heavenly throne, and over the next week or so I will focus our attention on that event. I will do so because the Lord’s ascension holds significant implications for Christians – AND for non-Christians. More about that in a few moments. But first, let’s turn our attention to St Luke’s account of Christ’s ascension. You’ll find it in the Acts of the Apostles, which is an addendum to the gospel according to Luke. As many of you may know, the gospel of Luke is his record of Jesus’ life and ministry while among us. The book of the Acts is Luke’s record of the Holy Spirit’s work and ministry in and through the early days of the Church.

By the way, who was Luke? Very briefly, he was not an apostle, but one of many disciples who followed Jesus. He was a physician (Colossians 4:14), and the only Gentile to write any part of the New Testament. He also accompanied St Paul on some of his missionary journeys (Acts 16, 17, 20, 27).

So, here is Acts 1: (Acts 1:1-12) “The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

 

And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.”

 

At the very outset of Luke’s record of the early church, he makes several important points with timely application to our lives in Christ today. For the sake of time, we will look at only three today.

So, point number one: Luke wrote two books of the New Testament – the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. In both cases his purpose was to inform Theophilus – probably his friend – about the ‘exact truth’ concerning the things he’d been taught about the life and ministry of Jesus, and also about the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the early church.

 

Luke started his account of the history of the early church this way: “The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.” 

Let’s turn to that first account for a moment because it introduces a critically important component in the history of the Acts of the Apostles that Luke is about to write:

 

(Luke, 1:1-4) “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus;  so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

It’s imperative to note that Luke’s account of both the gospel AND the Acts of the Apostles is rooted in investigative research during which he interviewed eyewitnesses of the events he records. And why is it important to recognize that he wrote his accounts from meticulous investigation? Because there were then, and there are today, masses of naysayers and scoffers and mockers who want to discredit not only Luke, but all of the writers of the New AND THE OLD Testaments.

Why do scoffers mock? Why do so many people – even of academic and theological rank – why do they go out of their way to try to discredit the inerrancy, infallibility, and full inspiration of God's word?

 

The answer to that is easy: Because the entire thrust of the entire Bible is toward one aim, one purpose. As the apostle Paul writes: (2 Timothy 3:13-17) “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

 

THAT is why scoffers and liars – children of Satan as they are – try to seduce YOU and me into dismissing the infallibility, inerrancy, and inspiration of the Scriptures – so we can be robbed of the ONLY wisdom that leads to salvation.

 

But let me make one final point about point number one: Why is it so incredible to believe that the One who simply spoke and the entire universe and all things in that universe into existence – including all we see and know on planet Earth – why is it so impossible for some to believe that the Creator Himself ensured the accurate recording AND transmission of His word through the millennia, down to this very moment? Why is that so difficult for some to believe?

 

Well, that all was point number one: Both the gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are completely trustworthy and able to give us wisdom that leads to salvation.

 

Now, point number two, which is found in verses 10-11 of Acts chapter 1: “And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

 

Please hear this: Just as Jesus had ascended to His heavenly throne, this same Jesus is going to one day return and set His feet firmly on earth. We know He will return because He TOLD us He is going to return.

 

For example, John 14:1-3 – “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

 

Jesus WILL return. That’s good news for some. It’s also very bad news for others. Christ’s return for those whose sins have by faith been washed in His most precious blood will enjoy an eternity with Him in Paradise. That, of course, is the good news.

 

But the bad news about His return is that those who’ve rejected Christ’s atonement will spend eternity in a place of unbelievable torment – a place God originally prepared for the devil and his demons. You’ll find that text in Matthew 25:41.

 

Here is only one of the Lord’s warnings to the scoffer and unbeliever: (Luke 17:26-30) And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

 

And St Paul warned them: (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9) “The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed.”

 

“But,” unbelievers often mock, “it’s been 2000 years and you Christians are still waiting.” 

 

The answer? “Yes, we are. But just as humanity waited a very, very long time for Messiah’s first advent – which occurred just as God promised – so also we wait now for a very, very long time for His second advent – which WILL occur because God never breaks His promise.”

 

And, listen – Please. It will all happen SUDDENLY. There will be no time to repent when it occurs SUDDENLY. That’s surely why Jesus used the example of the apocalypse of Sodom and Gomorrah: [T]hey were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. (Luke 17:27-30)

 

Christian here in this sanctuary – and non-Christian (even the religious non-Christian) – PLEASE, PLEASE do not let that day catch you unaware. Seek the Holy Spirit’s help to daily walk more closely and more obediently with Jesus. Daily. Each day, starting today and on for the rest of your life.

 

So, the take-home message of point number two: Eternity with Jesus in Paradise, or eternity in torment away from His presence. Those are humanity’s only choices.

 

Which leads us now to the third point of today’s message, which has to do with our expectations of Christ. Luke tells us that even Jesus’ closest friends, the ones who for three years walked with Him, listened to His teachings, saw His miracles, heard His warnings, remembered Him telling them to seek first God's kingdom and to listen for the Father’s voice . . .

 

And they STILL didn’t get it.

 

Even after the resurrection, they remained fixated on what had been their expectations of Him all along: “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” They STILL expected Jesus to militarily overthrow Rome. But Jesus didn’t come from heaven to earth to overthrow Rome.  Rome was NOT the enemy – and nor is any government on earth today the enemy. Jesus came to overthrow the spiritual kingdom of darkness – the deep, pervasive darkness that had bound the souls of men, women, dragging them captive to eternal death. It was rescue from THAT enemy that the Lord had come – to them and to us.

 

But we should be careful not to point an accusatory finger at the disciples. How many of us today live with unfulfilled expectations? How many of us, having walked with Christ for so many years and yet STILL miss the purpose of His first advent?.

 

Notice how the Lord responded when they asked if He was about to restore Israel to its former ascendency over the nations: “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.

 

In other words, Jesus said, “Guys, it’s none of your business when – or IF – I will meet your expectations.” And what did He next tell them? He commanded them to get about doing the work He had called them to do – which was (and is) to bring the gospel into the world held bound by Satan and by sin.

 

We’ll look more closely next week at that mission to which He has called us, but for now let me reiterate for myself and also for you who live with unfulfilled expectations:

 

It’s none of our business when – or even IF – Jesus meets our expectations. What IS our business is to lay aside our disappointments and simply trust Him to always do justly. What IS our business is that we not focus on how WE want things to turn out, but on how He wants things to turn out.

 

Isn’t that what we pray when we pray, “THY Kingdom come, THY will be done”? Our business is to lay aside what WE want and what WE hope for, and trust Him, serve Him, follow Him, to seek His kingdom and His righteousness all the days of our very short lives.

 

So, let me now bring this message to a close by way of review:

 

Point number one: Luke wrote for Theophilus – as well as for you and me in 2024 – an accurate record of Jesus’ life and ministry, as well as an accurate record of the events in the early church. He did so in order that Theophilus – and we – might know the ‘exact truth’ about the things we’ve been taught and which we believe.

 

Point two: Jesus is coming back to earth. That’s good news for some. It is very bad news for most. If you have never asked Jesus to forgive yours sins, if you have never humbled yourself before Christ’s cross and promised to follow Him wherever He leads, then you might be ‘religious’ – but – and please hear me – you will be terrified when the Lord returns.

 

Point number three: We ought to learn, as the apostles learned - God's role is NOT to meet our expectations. His purpose is to conform you and me into the image of His Son – who learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

 

Listen to Romans 8:28-29a – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.”

 

And now Hebrews 5:8-9 “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.”

 

Christian – we can trust the Bible to give us the exact truth of what God wants us to know. I hope you routinely – even daily – seek His guidance through His word.

 

We will return to Luke’s account of the ascension next week.

 

 

Throwing Jesus over a Cliff

 I wrote this many years ago:

----------

As I sat one morning on my couch and pondered the idea of God’s absolute control over our every circumstance, a question slipped into my mind: Is God good all the time and in all circumstances?

And I remembered a passage from St. Luke’s gospel about the Lord’s visit to Nazareth. The people in Jesus’ hometown challenged Him to work miracles for them as He’d done in other cities.

I could understand their argument. Jesus grew up in Nazareth. The people asking for miracles were His childhood friends and neighbors. He’d been in their homes, and they’d been in His. Why shouldn’t they expect Him to heal their sick and touch their hurting as He’d done in other cities?

But they learned, as I’ve learned – and have had to relearn time without number – God doesn’t always do what we want Him to do.

“Indeed, I tell you,” Jesus answered, “there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian" (Luke 4:25-27).

In other words, God does what He chooses and for whom He chooses. And no one – not even Jesus’ neighbors and childhood friends – has a right to expect or demand He do otherwise.

But Jesus’ remark infuriated them. In a flood of passion, the crowd “rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill . . . to hurl him down headlong” (Luke 4:28-29).

Seems to me, people haven’t changed much since that day two millennia ago in Nazareth. Many still grow bitter toward God over withered dreams and crushed hopes. They rail against Him because an accident took someone they love, or their marriage crumbled, or their child wasn’t healed, or . . . .

And so, unable to throw the Lord over a cliff, they throw away their faith instead.

It’s a danger we all face.

Like Martha who wept at the Lord’s feet over her brother Lazarus’ death, I often wonder why God is silent when I need Him to speak to my heart. I wonder why He says no when I need so much for Him to say yes. Why does He work miracles for others, but not for me?

In my many years of walking with Christ, I’ve come to recognize these questions are critical questions of faith -- and I don’t think God will let any of us gloss over them. Our maturity as Christians depends on how we answer those questions, because each time we don’t receive what we ask, each time we get knocked to the ground, we face two choices: throw Christ over the cliff, or persevere in our faith that God will work grace into our circumstances – regardless of how things look or feel.

In her short life – she was only twenty-four when she died – St. Therese of Lisieux discovered, “Everything is a grace. Everything is the direct effect of our Father's love – difficulties, contradictions, humiliations, all the soul's miseries, her burdens, her needs – everything. Because through them she learns humility, realizes her weakness. Everything is a grace because everything is God's gift. Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events, to the heart that loves, all is well.”

The answer to the question, Is God good all the time and in all circumstances? is rooted in what St. Therese can teach those who listen. When doubts hammer our heart into the ground – God is good. When tragedy explodes through our life – God is good. When all of hell itself rises against our soul and overwhelms our strength – in all circumstances and at all times, God is good.

We come to that conclusion because it is simply not possible for Him to be anything else.

Rich Maffeo
maffeo.richard@outlook.com 

Blog: www.inhimonly.blogspot.com