Look to the teacher Himself for true blessings
Jesus was a man who knew that the ‘mountaintop’ was not a place of honour and respect as the man of God, but rather it was a place of suffering, obedience and death.
WHAT does blessing look like? Jesus knew that the growing crowds of people were hungry for the blessings of God.
News of Jesus’ radical teaching, his ‘good news’ of ‘Kingdom Now’ message, his compassion and healing ministry… it had all drawn thousands to seek a blessing.
And there was so much pain and sorrow out there; so many needs, from demon possession to disappointment and even death!
Knowing this clamouring call for ‘blessings’, Jesus climbs a little higher and sits down to teach us all: “What does real blessing look like?”
Like the people back in the day, we too have all these needs and hopes, these expectations based on false teaching and misplaced zeal. First and foremost, let me encourage you: Look at the teacher himself!
1. Jesus had no remarkable beauty, style or fashion sense. “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2)
2. Jesus had no material possessions at all. In fact, he even said: “The Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 9:20) Even the clothes he wore on the day of his crucifixion were donated to the ‘Destitute Roman Soldiers Fund’. (John 19:23/24)
3. Jesus’ ministry profile and style were radically divergent and opposed to modern day popularism; they bore no relation to the number of followers, to the number of ‘likes’ or re-tweets. He poured most of his life and time into 12 men and a few faithful women, that was it.
4. Jesus was a man who knew that the ‘mountaintop’ was not a place of honour and respect as the man of God, but rather it was a place of suffering, obedience and death. It isn’t buildings left behind or sermon series published into best sellers that qualified him – it was a life and a path of self-sacrifice, faith; daily provision, yes, but ultimately, of persecution and death. (Mark 9:2,5,9)
There are a lot of pastors and teachers, prophets and apostles out there – all self-styled and self-proclaimed… many of them offering a blessing for sale. Look at the teacher himself.
Does he look like, live like, love like Jesus did? If not, the blessing ain’t worth the paper it’s written on! God’s blessings are free.
Pastor Chris Anderson, Margate Baptist Church
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