Observation: Jesus is in the midst of a very direct lecture to the scribes and Pharisees. He is very clearly telling them that he is the Messiah, and son of God, whom Moses and the prophets proclaimed, whom John the Baptist introduced, and whom the Holy Spirit itself testifies to in the hearts of others ... and the Pharisees are missing it because they are too busy enforcing the laws of God without understanding the heart of God.
However, all that said, Jesus' mission is not to correct the Pharisees, and by their leadership correct the Jews in their understanding of the law. Jesus' mission is to bring salvation to the world. Full stop.
This salvation comes from seeing Jesus for who he is - the son of God - and believing it that fact. With that faith, the Lord engages with a believer in a unique way, by the Holy Spirit, and thus guides the believers in how they should be and what they should do. This is the work of Jesus ... not the miracles, not the preaching, not the parables ... the loving of the world so much that he will show himself to be Messiah, so by faith anyone can be saved.
Application: We have so many 'things' we try to do to "reach" others for Jesus. At our church alone, these include major efforts like our Christmas lights event, running Alpha classes, and serving our city on July 4th. It is VERY important that we keep in our hearts the reason we do these things. We do not do them in order to ... do them. Our purpose is not to be well thought-of by our city or people attending a light show. Rather, we do this work so that others can discover the love of Jesus, believe in him as the son of God, and be saved.
I need to think very clearly about what I am doing to join Jesus in his mission.
Prayer: Lord, as you know I have been doing less at church lately. I would like to find the activity you have for me that serves you and your mission, Jesus. Amen.
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