Few See and Believe

Scripture: So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Mark 15:31-32a

Observation: In watching the death of Jesus, the priests and Pharisees claim they will believe he is Christ if he saves himself and comes down from the cross. However, God had something bigger in mind ... he would allow Jesus to die, and then resurrect him. Many people saw Jesus after the resurrection, and yet very few of the priests and Pharisees then believed in him. It seems very unlikely, then, they would have believed if Jesus had come off the cross. They would have chalked it up to poor work by the Romans and continued with killing Jesus.

It seems, then, that seeing the mighty power of God, manifested in the love of Jesus, has never had tremendous sway on faith. People claim they would believe if they saw signs, then ignore the majesty of nature; They claim they would believe if they saw God at work, then explain away the healing of diseases as mistaken diagnosis and/or the work of doctors.

Application: If people do NOT see and believe, then what is it that turns hearts? The answer is ... relationship. People believe in Jesus when he touches their lives and personally loves them. This is why the work of the church cannot be about showing and telling people things. It must be about loving them and discussing how Jesus has already interacted - and continues to interact - directly in their lives.

Prayer: Lord, as I go forward today, may I relate to others. May I show just a little bit of your relationship to others so they might learn of you. Amen.