Without the Presence of Jesus
The night of his betrayal Jesus told his disciples that he would soon be leaving them. He understood that a painful death awaited him, followed by a glorious resurrection, and ascension to be with the Father.
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.”
All of this would happen in the next forty-some days, but the disciples didn’t know that. All they knew was that the man they called “Lord” was leaving for a place they could not go.
This was the man they experienced life with for the past three years. He was the one who brought them all together. He was the common bond among these fishermen, tax collectors, and political activists.
He had once called each of them saying, “Follow Me,” and they responded. Peter left his fishing boat. Matthew left his lucrative financial career. Each one of them had dropped everything they had and threw their lot in with the Jewish carpenter who spoke words that resonated in their souls. And now he was leaving.
The rug was pulled from underneath their feet. The foundation they had built their lives upon was seemingly crumbling. Sorrow must have surged through their hearts, stealing their breath and closing their mouths. James and John, called the “Sons of Thunder” for their boisterous nature, now had nothing to say.
They had no religious practices to turn to. There were no best-seller books to read or conferences to attend. They didn’t have the luxury of piously flavored, religious distractions to occupy them in his absence. They couldn’t just walk back into the local Jewish synagogue after having experienced life with Jesus.
He had become the center and reason of their lives. Imagining life without his presence was inconceivable. It would have left them inconsolable.
Now we know the whole story. We know how Jesus rose from the dead, how he ascended to his Father in heaven, how the Spirit was poured out on Pentecost. But they did not. All they knew was that Jesus was going to be missing and it devastated them.
As I read this story, I have to ask myself how content am I to live without the presence of Jesus in my life. Can I go a day, a week, or a month without really missing his absence?
How many times have I left church services without experiencing his presence? Worse yet, how often have I quieted this inner disappointment by saying, “Well, we can’t always expect to feel his presence.” Worse still, how many times have I spoke this cheap excuse to others?
Are our standards so low that we can find contentment without the presence of Jesus? We can gather together, sing a few songs, and listen to a lengthy sermon – all without encountering the Person of Jesus Christ. What does that say about our form of Christianity?
I am done with living an emaciated life, starved from the presence of Jesus. I am finished trying to find contentment in the outward motions of “spiritual discipline” while my soul remains untouched by His presence.
There is one thing I want and it is Jesus – completely, entirely, exclusively, unashamedly Jesus.
“One thing I ask, this one thing I will seek, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord all the days of my life” (Ps 27:4).
Amen! The problem with much of modern Christianity, if the truth be told, is that Jesus isn’t necessary in many religious meetings. It’s a hard reality, but the script is in place, the bulletin states the line-up of the show, and if Jesus shows up or not, not to worry because He is the guest of honor, or at least given honorable mention. He is the one who is generally honored by the songs, the sermons, the worship team, the “fellow-ship time,” etc. This “honoring” of Him fills up the empty places of His presence and thus lulls us into a false sense of reality.
One topic I have been musing over lately is the expression “Whenever two or more gather together in My Name, there I am in your midst.”
I find myself wondering what this “really” means. And what is the difference between meeting together “in His Name,” and merely meeting together to socialize with other Christians and to follow a religious program. And are we guilty of attributing the former to the latter indiscriminately or haphazardly? I’m beginning to think that while we so often use this expression “In The Name of Jesus,” we really haven’t plumbed its depths. That expression is but a talisman to many of us who use it so glibly.
I’m believing that to truly gather “in His Name,” is to gather under His headship, under His authority. In such a meeting, Jesus isn’t just the guest of honor, He is the CEO. He directs the gathering. He directs the speaking mutually among His members, who are His body. In such a meeting, our eyes and hearts are riveted on Him, and waiting on Him to speak, and move, and bring us into the reality of His presence.
Clark
Clark, you wrote:
“In such a meeting, Jesus isn’t just the guest of honor, He is the CEO. He directs the gathering. He directs the speaking mutually among His members, who are His body. In such a meeting, our eyes and hearts are riveted on Him, and waiting on Him to speak, and move, and bring us into the reality of His presence.”
I like what you said about Jesus not being a guest of honor in our meetings. We ought to rely on Him for all the details. I was raised to pray before a service, but many times that is all the leadership we allow Him to have. We still had our 30 min of worship, followed by offering, followed by a message. In our words, we claimed to be submitted to His leadership, but we proved otherwise with our practice. It was always more of the same thing, cookie-cutter experiences with God.
Don’t misunderstand me. I am extremely grateful for the people I’ve met in the institution. It was in that system that I was baptized and shown some of the deep things of God. However, I believe that most people are victims of the system they are in. Many believe that the cookie-cutter mentality is the right way. Many sincerely believe that they are submitting to the headship of Jesus. Many have a difficult time envisioning another way.