One and Done

Luke 18:31-34

　

The NCAA men’s Road to the Final Four ended this past Monday. If you’re not a follower of college basketball or didn’t get into an office bracket, there were 64 teams that started in a single elimination tournament with the final destination being in Arlington, Texas. Only one of those teams would survive. All the rest would be "one and done".

The emotions of the coaches, players and fans can be all over the place. Jim Jackson, a former Buckeye star, was quoted as saying that he still remembers the play that ultimately cost his team to advance even though it took place over 20 years ago. That’s the pain of "one and done".

Jesus’ disciples believed that he was the Messiah that was going to deliver Israel from Roman power. They believed that they would ride the crest of his popularity to political heights. They believed that by following Jesus they would rise up the social, economic and religious ladder. They were wrong.

Even when Jesus spoke plainly and in private to them, as he did in these few verses, they totally missed it. Why couldn’t they understand?

The fact is that human nature hasn’t changed. The disciples had certain expectations and everything that Jesus said and did was filtered through those expectations. Anything that didn’t jive with them did not compute. The idea of Jesus being "one and done" didn’t fit within their expectations.

Don’t we have the same problem today? There are certain expectations that we have for our relationship with Jesus. They color our relationship with him. They impact how much Jesus can do in our lives and through us.

What are your expectations of Jesus? Are they so small that God doesn’t seem to be at work in your life? Are they misdirected so that life is a series of frustrations? Or do they point to the resurrected Jesus who changed the world?

The bottom line question is this: Is your Jesus "one and done" or is he still leading, working and moving in your life as well as using you in the lives of those around you? Have you embraced his mission for you to follow and the power to do it?

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2018%3A31-34&version=NIV;MSG
http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Luke.18.31-Luke.18.34