Day 92: Good Friday

This week, I’ve been reading through the last chapters of the Gospel of Matthew because I find I must revisit who Jesus is. The church gets into trouble when we rely on old memories of Jesus to inform us about who He is or when we search the Bible only to find verses that fit our positions on various issues.  As I listen to myself and the conversations many Christians are having, I find that we are apt to get caught up in our own logic and arguments about who Jesus is and what He stands for. These conversations are necessary and important. But, I wonder whether we are more transfixed by our own ability to make compelling arguments than we are drawn to Jesus? What has drawn me back to Him in spite of life’s challenges is Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.” Jesus does not say, “Come to me when you’ve figured out a way to manage your hypocrisy and weaknesses or convinced other people to do the same.” He simply says, “Come.” I find that I become unburdened when I accept that invitation instead of bashing people over the head with scripture. I was raised in church but there was a point when I had to look at Jesus for myself and determine whether He was worth following. I still have to do that because I can fool myself into thinking I have God figured out when I’m just skimming the surface of His character.