And Jesus Wept

Then Jesus took his disciples up on the mountain and gathered them around Him. And He taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
Blessed are the meek,
Blessed are the merciful,
Blessed are you who thirst for justice,
Blessed are you who are persecuted,
Blessed are the peacemakers…

And Simon Peter said, "Do we have to write this stuff down?"
And Philip said, "Will this be on the test?"
And John said, "I'm sorry. Would you mind repeating that?"
And Andrew said, "John the Baptist's disciples don't have to learn this stuff!"
And Matthew said, "Huh?"
And Judas said, "What does this have to do with real life?"
Then, one of the Pharisees, and expert in the law said, "I don't see any of this in your syllabus. Do you have a lesson plan? Is there a summary? Where is the student guide? Will there be any follow-up assignments? How will this affect the bell curve?"
And Thomas, who had missed the sermon, came to Jesus privately and said, "Did we do anything important yesterday?" And Jesus wept.

When I read this little story, which has more basis in truth than we might imagine, I thought how easy it is to find ourselves unfocused on the primary call in our lives. We are not preparing for some great eternal test. We are not called to good works, but grace. And, that grace is rooted in the love of God toward all of us. He only asks that we love Him in return. Hear the words of Jesus today:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:29-39 ESV).

When Jesus thinks of your response to His love this morning, is He weeping or rejoicing? Have you lost your love for Him somewhere in the difficulty of the journey? Has your passion for being in His presence cooled because of the challenges you face? Let go of your life and watch the love and passion come flooding back to you! Find your life today!