Most people commonly think of Jesus as a person who helps set people free, but what we don’t think about as naturally is the fact that Jesus Himself was free. We think of Jesus as someone who frees people, but not Jesus as a free person. Jesus enters into the world not only to lead humanity into freedom, he enters in and shows us what it looks like to lead humanity freely.
Jesus’ ‘Big Moment’
When we arrive at the end of John 6, Jesus’ ministry is filled with momentum. Jesus just multiplied fish and bread and miraculously fed a large group of people. Jesus performed what would eventually become one of the most famous miracles in human history—walking on water.
The Scriptures report that the people were searching for him, the people were following him, the people were calling him a prophet, the people were celebrating him, and the people were actually trying to force him to become king!
This is Jesus’ moment. This is where things are supposed to take off. Jesus is loved by the people. Jesus is adored by the masses. Jesus is celebrated by the crowds.
If this happened in our culture, then the next logical move would be a book deal and a speaking tour! But, right in the midst of this moment Jesus offers a challenging teaching, and many of the people completely change their posture toward him.
The Turning and The Faithful
John 6:66 says, “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.” The people who were moving toward him are now moving away from him. The people who were celebrating him are now criticizing him. The people who were ready to crown him king are now nowhere to be found.
And after this begins to happen, Jesus turns to one of his closest comrades, Peter, and essentially tells him he can leave too if he wants. Peter responds by saying something that communicates that he suspects that Jesus is genuine, and he rhetorically asks, “to whom shall we go?”
A close reading of Jesus’ response finds Jesus indicating that he’s not going to allow the responses of others to prevent him from living his truth. He’s not going to allow the expectations of others to prevent him from speaking His truth.
Jesus chooses authenticity over attraction. Jesus chooses what’s real over what’s right now. Ultimately, Jesus shows us that truth is something that is revealed, not rewarded.
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In Mark 8:31-32, we see Jesus revealing more about who he is and where this movement is actually heading. In Luke 9:51, we see Jesus “resolutely set out for Jerusalem,” and here in our scene in Mark, Jesus is explaining to the disciples that in order for him to live the full truth of who he is, he is not just going to Jerusalem, he is going to suffer and ultimately be killed there.
This is where it’s all heading. This is Jesus moving faithfully into not only the climax of his ministry, but the climax of the story of God as a whole! This is it, and Jesus knows it. And yet, despite the commitment and the conviction, when Jesus communicates the fullness of this truth, he is rebuked by one of the closest friends he has.
With Friends Like That…
How many pastors or leaders know what it’s like to have the people closest to you be the most critical, least understanding, and even the most discouraging?
Jesus commits to go to a place where he is not going to be welcomed by the public. He makes a decision to live and speak his truth even though he is misunderstood and discouraged by the people closest to him. Jesus is free enough to live and speak his truth and surrender all of the outcomes to God the Father. Jesus is free from the need to be liked, respected, admired, understood, supported, or celebrated. And it is this very freedom that enables him to live his truth with so much conviction.
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Jesus shows us that the feedback of other people says nothing about the faithfulness of God.
Faithfulness AND Freedom
No matter what people thought, no matter what people said, and no matter how other people responded to him, Jesus displayed a life lived in complete authenticity and truth. We need to learn the art of being faithful to people yet free from them.
It is both a humble and liberating thing to realize that our lives are simply offerings. We are not saviors, we cannot fix people, and we have absolutely no control over the volitional powers of others. The freedom Jesus reveals to us lies in our fully accepting those realities while still choosing to faithfully give our lives to people as an offering.
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