At times, we are like the disciples in John 11: confused about what Jesus is saying and convinced that there must be some misunderstanding. It is dangerous to believe that simply because I don’t understand Jesus, he must be mistaken. Perhaps I think that if I obey God’s word, I’ll bring dishonor to him. I won’t. The only thing that brings dishonor to God is disobedience. To put my idea of his honor above what he is clearly telling me to do is never right, even if it’s coming from a genuine desire to prevent his being slandered or shamed.
You can always tell when an instruction comes from God, because it comes with quiet persistence. When you begin to weigh the pros and cons, you bring in an element that isn’t of God. This is when you risk coming to the conclusion that what he’s saying must be a mistake. Many of us are loyal to our own ideas about Jesus, but how many of us are loyal to him? Loyalty to Jesus means you step out even when there is no path; loyalty to your own ideas means that you try to map out the path first, using your own intelligence. Faith is not intelligent understanding; faith is deliberate commitment to a person when we see no way.
Are you loyal to Jesus, or to your idea of Jesus? Are you loyal to what he says, or are you trying to compromise, bringing in your own rationalizations? When he says something and you start to debate, it’s because you have an idea of his honor that isn’t right.
“Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). Stop debating, and obey your Lord with a glad and reckless joy.
