Some things are just … well, easy.
Perhaps they can be accomplished in just a few steps, or do not require any specific, well-developed skill. In most locations of the world, making a cup of hot coffee or tea would likely be a good example. Learning the dance called “the two-step” seems like it should be simple. There are only two steps, right?
While some things in life are challenging and difficult, it’s refreshing to know that there are still some simple pleasures in life that do not require dedicated training or intense effort.
Today’s verse says:
THOSE WHO LISTEN TO MY MESSAGE AND BELIEVE IN GOD WHO SENT ME HAVE ETERNAL LIFE
Jesus had a knack for simplifying things. He told the Centurion whose servant was deathly ill, “Go home, he is healed.” Wow, simple.
The Centurion had come to ask Jesus for something, and Jesus appeared ready to drop everything and come grant his request. Now the Centurion had a dilemma, though. He had spent considerable effort to locate and then get to Jesus. He had to determine where Jesus was, travel to that part of the area, and find the specific location where Jesus was teaching. Jesus wouldn’t have been streaming it live on his social media, right!
The Centurion also had to deal with the social struggles caused by the fact of being a member of the occupying force. For the most part, they were not exactly the most welcome; as you can well understand. He was a Roman officer who was about to approach a Jewish rabbi and ask him to heal a man that was likely a conscripted servant. All sorts of things could go wrong! The last thing the Centurion needed was a politically-charged confrontation with the man he was asking for help.
But dealing with Jesus had ended up being a very simple matter. Jesus had been willing to come and heal the servant, and it had been the Centurion who expressed faith in Jesus’ ability to simply speak the order of healing and have it done. In the end, it came down to the Centurion having to take Jesus at His word.
You and I face the same simple question. Are we willing to take Jesus at his word?
I’ve spoken many times about the simplicity of accepting His offer of grace. In fact, I typically say that it is as simple as A-B-C ….
A — ADMIT that you’re a sinner and need Him to forgive you; that you cannot do it alone
B — BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died for YOUR sin and was raised physically from the dead, establishing His victory
C — CONFESS Jesus as your Lord
In today’s verse Jesus has done me one better – He’s compressed the road to salvation to two steps.
THOSE WHO LISTEN TO MY MESSAGE AND BELIEVE IN GOD WHO SENT ME HAVE ETERNAL LIFE
Jesus says that listening to His message is where the road to life begins. His words have the power of eternal life, and His words alone. It’s not Mohammed’s message that will unlock eternity, nor did Buddha find a new path. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me”
The next step after listening is to believe in God. Simple. Elegant, even.
Jesus understands that true belief affects our actions. It is the only thing that does. If you had reason to believe that your house was on fire, it would certainly affect your actions. If you had reason to believe that someone had just deposited ten million dollars into your bank account, your actions would be affected. What we truly believe impacts what we do and how we do it. You can SAY you believe something, but if it is never reflected in your life – you don’t really.
Jesus presents a simple offer that even a child can understand. Listen. Believe.
If you listen to His message and believe it – you will have eternal life. Your belief will affect not only your actions; it will impact your eternity.
Some things are as simple as one-two-three.
Other things are even simpler.
THOSE WHO LISTEN TO MY MESSAGE AND BELIEVE IN GOD WHO SENT ME HAVE ETERNAL LIFE
