Dare 2 Share - Then there was the time that the Risen Savior played a little game of hide and seek with the two depressed guys who were leaving Jerusalem
(Luke 24). Oh yeah, He disguised Himself and had them tell the story about the very Person with whom they were walking! I so wish I could have been there- how funny that would have been to see.
Were you thinking that Jesus doesn’t have a sense of humor? Think again Baptist Boy- Christ would blow away the greatest comedic minds of all time. Not that He took life lightly- are you kidding? Yet where do you think laughter and joy came from if not from God Himself? The point is that whenever Jesus jests, it is to communicate truth.
Not only does the Lord have a heart for humor, the angels do as well. One of my favorites is the incident that occurred not that long after the first Easter. Allow me to set up the scene: Jesus had appeared to more than 500 people in all kinds of places and circumstances; spoke to people- ate food- and generally proved to everyone that He had returned from the dead. Now it was time to take His rightful place at the right hand of God in heaven. Jesus speaks His final words to the disciples, and ‘POOF’ He’s taken up into the sky lickety split. Here’s what happened next:
They (the disciples) stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared--in white robes! They said, "You Galileans!-why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly--and mysteriously--as he left." (Acts 1:10-11)
Can you picture it? Jesus makes this fantastic and glorious exit- and the disciples are frozen in time with their heads tilted back and their mouths hanging open as they gaze up at the heavens. The angels don’t waste a second. “Hey- what’s going on boys? You looking for alien encounters or what? We’re pretty sure Jesus' famous last words before He left were marching orders, so we highly recommend that you get going, because He’ll be back to check on your work…”
O.K., that’s a pretty loose interpretation of mine, but basically that was the gist of the reprimand. And how funny would that have been to see!
So what was the truth they were communicating through their comedy? Simple: don’t be a blockheaded believer. Every Christian who has ever lived, is living, or will live is under the exact same ‘life purpose statement’- which is: “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Problem is that many of us are just standing around ‘looking at the sky’ (so to speak) - and consequently the whole ‘witness’ thing is not getting done!
So what condition are you in? Are you a sky gazer or a witnessing laser? Sky gazers are all about the ‘wait and see’ scene. They wait around and see if people will drop out of the the heavens so they can share the gospel with them- but I would ask the same question: why do you stand around staring at the sky? People in this post-modern potpourri are not particularly positive about approaching believers- that’s why Jesus said: “Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19)!
Witnessing lasers, on the other hand, are armed to the teeth with winsome ways to share Christ with others. The firepower comes from the Holy Spirit, but you must take the aim and pull the trigger. Remember, every day brings a potential chance to be a witness for the risen Christ.
I’m so glad that the heavenly host has a sense of humor- but don’t think that sharing your faith is a joking matter, and don’t stand around too long, because He really is going to follow up with His famous last words!
Questions:
1) Are you a sky gazer or a witnessing laser?
2) What things distract you from being a witness?
3) Who in your life desperately needs to hear the good news?
Memory verse:
Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)
