Anna at the park...

Testing the Waters

Have you ever acted like you weren’t going to do something that you really were going to do? Have you ever acted like you didn’t care about something you really do care about? Have you ever pretended that you didn’t want something when you way wanted it? I think this is something we all do from time to time…. Like when a couple of your friends are talking about going to this one movie you really want to see and you’re like, “Oh, you guys are going to see that?” And they say, “Yeah, you want to go?” And then you’re like, “Um, I don’t know…” And then they say that thing you were longing to hear the whole time… “Come one dude! You gotta come… it wouldn’t be the same without you!”

We’ve probably all done it… and we do it because we all have a question we need answered. Does anyone want to hang out with me? Am I cool? Do I have friends? Does anyone love me?

This type of behavior is exactly what you’d expect from insecure, sensitive people who need reassurance, but what does it mean when Jesus does it? Not only that, what does it mean when the victorious Christ, risen from the dead does something like this? This week I was reading Luke 24 where the resurrected Jesus appeared to two people walking to the village of Emmaus from Jerusalem. They didn’t recognize Him, but He explained to them from the Scriptures why the Christ had to suffer. Luke says, “As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if He were going farther. But they urged Him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them.”

Jesus acted like He was going on past Emmaus, but in reality He wanted to go with them… What is up with that? Jesus isn’t insecure the way I am… He isn’t constantly needy the way so many of us are, so why did He act like He was going to do one thing when it is obvious that He wanted to do something else? I think the answer is all wrapped up in the whole point of the resurrection…

Jesus is alive from the dead and He wants something. He wants to be in your life. He is alive from the dead and He wants to live in You. He wants to be a part of your everyday. He wants to go with you into your town… into your house. He wants to sit down to dinner with you and He wants to hang out. The risen Christ has been made (by His victory over sin and death) Lord of all, and as Lord He has dominion over everything. But He doesn’t want to barge in. He wants to know if He’s invited. It’s not about insecurity or neediness, but He wants to know if you love Him. Do you want Him coming home with you? Do you want this Living One to be in your life? True love is not forced, but chosen. The question is: do you love Him? Do you ‘urge Him strongly’ to stay? ‘Cause He really wants to stay…