Shell Shocked
Many will say to me in that day, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we . . “ Matthew 7:22
Many – How does the saying go? “The highway to hell is paved with good intentions.” Well, set that one aside. Jesus is not talking about intentions. He’s talking about real actions. These people stand before Him and point to precisely the things that we would count as worthy of the kingdom.
First, they point to proclaiming. “Didn’t we prophesy?” Don’t get confused. This is not about fortune-tellers or those conference speakers who claim to know the signs of the end-times. The word here means “proclaim”. It is the equivalent of preaching. “Lord, didn’t we preach Your word? Didn’t we tell people the plan of salvation, teach them about prayer and the Spirit?” “Yes, you did. It’s too bad, isn’t it?”
“But, Lord, didn’t we cast of demons?” This is the first century equivalent of healing. “Yes, you did heal those who were in need. Too bad.”
“But, Lord! Didn’t we do all these other great works of power?” Ah, the one that trips us up the most – the big program, the big impact, the big influence, the big campaign. All that stuff Jesus could only have dreamed of – now accomplished in a flash with worldwide technology. “Yes, you did all that. Too bad.”
Many, say Jesus. The word is polloi. You can see our English equivalent in “populace.” A great multitude will come to Jesus, thinking that they have done God’s works, only to be turned aside. Not just a few. A great multitude. And they will be shocked! How can this be? They were absolutely convinced that they were OK. Preaching, healing and doing great and wonderful things – who wouldn’t have thought this was a sure sign of God’s favor?
But Jesus is looking for something else. Do you know what it is?
Since it has nothing to do with all those outside indicators of spiritual dynamics, perhaps it would be wise to look someplace else. Perhaps we need to start where Jesus did – as a helpless newborn, completely dependent, vulnerable, humble. A nobody sent from God.
