Jesus is Worth It

Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. The were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. Then went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated – of whom the world was not worth – wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Hebrews 11:36-40

What does Jesus mean to you? Is He simply an authority figure to whom we tip our hats? Is He little more than a lucky charm, a place to turn when we need a little bit of “blessing”? Do we merely think of Him as we do some distant cousin that we enjoy being around? Or, is our commitment to Jesus more valuable than anything we possess? Are we willing to die for Him? Does He mean more to us than life itself?

When we read the above passage, we see the commitment level of those who have gone before us. These people were radically committed to their God. Nothing was going to separate them from their passion, commitment, and zeal for serving Him. Hebrews 11 was written for the express purpose of motivating those who were waffling in their faith. It was written to be an encouragement – a motivation.

When we read of people who were mocked, flogged, imprisoned, stoned, sawn in two, and killed by the sword – it should move us. And, when we read of others who hid out in sheep skins and goat skins, who were destitute, afflicted, and mistreated – and yet the stood strong – we should be motivated to press on in our faith. These people knew that their relationship with God was more valuable than other thing they had.

Let us evaluate what Jesus means to us. I hope He is more than a few feelings of comfort or security. I hope that He is truly our all in all.

THE SAVIOR, A SHORT GUY, AND A TREE

If you grew up in church, you will likely remember singing, “Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he…” The story behind that song is found in Luke 19. Jesus is passing through Jericho. An incredible crowd has gathered to see Jesus, but one man in the crowd desires to see Jesus more than anyone. His name is Zacchaeus. We are told three things about Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, he was rich, and he was small in stature (vs. 2-3).

Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus so desperately that he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a tree. Not exactly a dignified action for a rich man who is trying to keep up a certain reputation. However, his behavior is rewarded when Jesus sees him and says, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today” (v. 5).

This story causes me to ask myself a question; how bad do I want to see Jesus? How bad do you want to see Jesus? Of course, I’m spiritualizing the story a bit and essentially applying it to believers, but what extent would we go to in order to get a fresh glimpse of our Lord? How much time are we willing to spend in prayer? How serious are we willing to get about Bible study? What sin are we willing to step out of through repentance? All good things for us to consider.

We learn of Zacchaeus that he was willing to go the whole way. Scripture tells us his response to Christ, “Behold Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold” (v. 8). That’s quite a commitment. However, those are the words of a man who is serious about truly seeing his Lord.