hello ! i wanted to share the words Greg Pirtle spoke into my journey.
Words by Greg:
as a child growing up in church, i learned something by observing all the visuals that my teachers used. everyone loves Jesus. in every picture or video, people were always smiling and happy to see Jesus. that made sense at five years old, but as i grew and started to read the Gospels, it didn’t seem to match. in fact, it seemed like more often it was the opposite, at least for some. then i read a book recently that pointed out the ways Jesus failed to meet people’s expectations. in fact, many who encountered Jesus left disappointed.
it’s quite possible that Jesus is the greatest disappointment who ever lived.
think about it.
the people of Israel were waiting on a Messiah who was going to bring them to political prominence. in Jesus, many of them saw the man who was going to overthrow the government and expand their physical kingdom to one of great power, wealth, and dominance.
the religious leaders expected Jesus to follow their interpretation of the law, validating their status and assumptions. they had everything figured out, identifying those who got it right and those who didn’t. they expected Jesus to be an ally who bolstered their power.
then there are the disciples who spent 3 years listening, observing, and experiencing life with Jesus. some of them questioned, doubted, and even abandoned him. within the group there was competition and deceit as they sought the attention and power that following Jesus would bring them.
and the list goes on. He told the rich to sell their possessions and give to the poor. He ate dinner and associated with sinners. He allowed those with no status to belong – women, children, the poor, the sick. it seems everywhere he went, Jesus disappointed people.
what allowed Jesus to be a disappointment to some is the same thing that made him a hero to others. Jesus’ mission and purpose were so crystal clear that he didn’t have the time, nor the need, to be what others expected him to be. Jesus was selfless, but not to the point of losing himself and his purpose. Jesus defies those who seek to use him to achieve their own purposes, unless those purposes align with his.
and in that disappointment for the powerful and chosen, it is the weak and outcast who find hope. a hope that unfathomably goes beyond expectation. a hope that is welcome and real. the hope that Jesus brings is for all people, but it’s often not in the ways we expect. it is a hope that calls us to a great sense of self, no better or worse than anyone else. a hope that calls us to serve selflessly while not losing our sense of purpose and identity. and when we encounter Jesus and find disappointment, or maybe when we encounter him and find complete agreement with our way of living and thinking…may that be our cue to look again and have our perspective changed, so that we may find living hope.
lean into you and Jesus’ common ground of disappointing people.He gets us. He relates.
much love,
emi (and Greg !!)
