Following Through On Asking Jesus
Or, The Need to Press On in Prayer
Before I jump into the follow-through topic today, I want to point you to a new resource that was just released in English last week. Over the last several years we’ve been serving and sending short-term mission teams to Rome, Italy to encourage and support a sister congregation, Breccia di Roma. Their pastors, Leonardo De Chirico and Clay Kannard have become dear friends of mine and brothers in the ministry.
2025 is a unique year for the city of Rome as the Vatican has declared this year a jubilee year where Roman Catholic faithful and encouraged to make a pilgrimage to Rome. Religious pilgrims to the city are offered the hope of liberation from purgatory, divine forgiveness, reconciled relationships, and spiritual vitality in exchange for obedience to superstitious customs of walking through "holy doors" that are only opened every twenty-five years at the Pope's command.
To help evangelical, Protestant Christians (that would be us at Woodside Bible Church), Pastor Leonardo has written a short book that explores what is truly Biblical about a year of jubilee, how Roman Catholicism distorts the truth, and how the gospel gives us true freedom and hope apart from works. The resourcing ministry
(of which I am the Executive Director) is giving away the digital ebook as a free download. Check out Jubilee: Much More and Much Better than a Holy Year so you can engage and interact with your Roman Catholic friends and neighbors well.Now, on to the topic at hand: leaning on Jesus. I love this wedding story in John 2:1-11. Specifically, I am encouraged at how Jesus’ mother, Mary, lays out the problem before him. Jesus was under no obligation or necessity to work and act. It wasn’t his problem. Yet, Mary believed if anyone or anything could intervene, it was Jesus. Her faith was set on her son. The object of her faith, Jesus, gave her the confidence to present the problem of the failed wine to him.
So she asked. She leaned in and laid out the issue straight before him.
Do we have the same kind of faith? Do we believe Jesus is competent enough and compassionate enough to take our cares to him? Faith starts here with going to Jesus.
But then there’s the rebuttal and rebuke that comes from Jesus. He’s not interested at all. “Woman, what does that have to do with me? My hour has not come” (John 2:4). It’s at this point of defeat that we would assume Mary would walk away sad and distraught. Perhaps that is what you are afriad of in coming to Jesus yourself. He’s say “What do I have to do with you?”
Will your faith die there? Or will take the harder step of faith and persevere in trust? Mary does this and tells the servants to “do whatever he tells you.” She keeps after Jesus’ help because she is confident in who Jesus is. Martin Luther commented on this in a powerful way:
This part of the Gospel-reading is the most important and should be meditated on: we must grant God honor, he is good and merciful, whether he presents himself otherwise and says otherwise even all sense and feeling think otherwise… Here you see his mother retains an unfettered faith and holds up an example for us. She is certain that he will be merciful, even though she does not feel it. And it’s certain that she feels differently than she believes. Thus she freely commends the matter to his kindness and demands from him neither time nor place, neither manner nor measure, neither person nor name.1
Mary keeps pressing on and entrusting herself, and the situation to Jesus. Her faith endures on and rests in Jesus, despite not feeling as if Jesus is going to work.
I encourage you, especially if you’re confused or troubled at why Jesus doesn’t seem to be acting on your timetable or plan, to keep pressing on in trusting Jesus. Keep the truth of who he is and his great love for you in your heart and continue to press on in prayer.
This Weekend’s Message
You Asked About….
Miracles. Many questions rolled in this week about miracles and their purpose. Some of you wanted to know about miracles even for today. I had already written up an article for you on that, and then realized that next Sunday I’m going to be addressing those questions from the passage already. So, I’m going to make you wait for next week!
Thanks for sending in those questions and comments. I love to hear from you and help you grow.
For this week, let’s be eager to lean in on Jesus and trust him in everything. Where there is need in our lives, I am praying he will replace the shame of your need with the dignity and honor of his presence and love!
P.S. Here’s a little teaser on this coming Sunday… you don’t need a sign (do you??).
Craig S. Farmer et al., eds., John 1–12: New Testament, vol. IV, Reformation Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014), 71.
Thanks!