HERE AND NOW

GOOD NEWS

One day, my son blurted out, “Daddy, I have some bad news.” I thought he would tell me something no parent wants to hear. Like, “I don’t love you anymore.” Or “I want to play golf.” 

I was like, “What is it, buddy?” He had this super serious look. “I left my library book at school.” Whew! I was so relieved! In his world, that was bad news.Thank God for the innocence of kids!

Last year, I had a friend look at my house because we were just about to put it up for sale. He asked, “Do you want the bad news or the really bad news?” No, I’m kidding. He didn’t say that! That would have been terrible. He said what we are all used to hearing in a conversation like that: “Do you want the good news or the bad news?”

Which do you like to hear first: the good news or the bad news? That’s a no-brainer, right? Who wants to listen to the good news first and leave on a sour note? If you’re someone who likes bad news first, well, I have bad news for you–you’re weird.

The truth is we live in a world full of bad news. Sometimes, our life is even split into two parts by bad news. Here are some examples from my own journey. There was life before my nephew died and life after. There was life before my brother’s cancer and life after. 

What bad news changed things for you? Maybe it was a lost loved one. Perhaps it was a terrible diagnosis. For some of you, it was finding out a loved one betrayed you. Bad news can shake us to our core. It is personal. It is tragic. And it is real. Terrible things happen all over the world every day. But it is not the end of the story. If you focus on it too much, it will consume you.

Bad news always boils down to one of three things. Something was stolen–like property or an opportunity. Something was killed–like a person, group, or dream. Something was destroyed–like a natural disaster. Or Johnny Depp’s acting career. When something is stolen, killed, or destroyed. It can be devastating. It can be a tragedy. But it’s not the end of the story.

Here’s some good news. It is the Good News. Everyday with Jesus is better than any day without him because Jesus changes everything.

In the bible, the stories about Jesus are kicked off by a guy named Matthew. He was a dude whose story begins as a scam artist and overall crook, but he became someone else. Matthew became a guy willing to die for Jesus. He went from being willing to rob his neighbors blind to being willing to lay down his very life. What changed? Matthew encountered the Good News: everyday with Jesus is better than any day without him.

Matthew had experienced a lot of bad, and then he met Jesus. Matthew discovered Jesus changes everything. He even staked his very life on this idea. He was killed because of it. But Matthew’s journey with Jesus started with something we’re all challenged with.

One day, Jesus was hanging out with his friends when he encountered Matthew in his everyday routine. There Matthew was, sitting at his workstation, his authorized tax spot where he robbed his neighbors. Jesus saw Matthew. Matthew saw Jesus. He had to know who Jesus was. By then, Jesus had a pretty big reputation. Jesus looked at Matthew and gave the best sermon in human history, “Follow me.” And Matthew did. He got up and followed.

In one move, Matthew swapped being with the ancient Roman IRS to being with Jesus. He traded being in the mob for being a disciple. He’d gone from hurting the people to helping the people. With two words, Jesus changed everything, “Follow me.” 

Jesus changes everything—being with Jesus changes everything. When you follow Jesus, he restores who you were meant to be.

FOR YOU

After Matthew decided to follow Jesus, the whole gang wound up at his house for dinner. Something tells me that’s not what Matthew had in mind, but it’s a great picture. Many people I’ve known who say they plan to follow Jesus seem a little surprised when they find out he wants to hang out at their house. Sometimes I think it’s because we’re a little bummed by what we think he’ll discover if we let him get close. Other times I think we realize letting Jesus on the inside of our lives means putting out some things that have commanded our affections. This isn’t because Jesus demands perfection but because his love is too big to share space with anything trying to keep us from following him.

When Jesus showed up for supper at Matthew’s house, many other tax collectors and people like us showed up to eat, too. They’re called sinners. Some cranky religious guys saw what was happening and started interrogating the other disciples. Their line of questioning was pretty simple, but it’s also essential for you and me to understand. They wanted to know one thing. Why does Jesus hang out with broken people?

Have you ever wondered why God did something? It’s an innocent enough question when we’re being curious. I’m not convinced the cranky religious guys in the story were curious. I think their question was accusing. It seems they were questioning Jesus’ motives, but Jesus’ reason was simple. He saw people who had spent a lot of days without him. Everyone needs to experience their first day with Jesus before they can live everyday with Jesus. 

Jesus was pretty pointed with the religious guys. In his own way he said, “I didn’t come for the people like you who think they have it all figured out. I came for the ones who know they need me.”

There will always be cranky religious people around who wonder why Jesus showed up to hang out with you. Ignore them. They think they have it all figured out. But here’s a warning. If you think you have it all figured out–you’re one of the cranky religious people.

People who assume they have it all figured out aren’t fun to be around. They look down on the rest of us because we know we’re still working it out. They like to make you feel like you’re irredeemable, but Jesus says – you are redeemed. The religious folks will treat you like a discarded sinner, but Jesus calls you son or daughter. Religious people will keep telling you that you are lost, while Jesus simply says, “follow me.” Religious folks will show up with a list of all their qualifying expectations. Jesus will invite you into a lifetime of figuring it out with him.

FOR NOW

When we start talking about all the cool things Jesus did, it gets easy to focus on the cross, the resurrection, and our beliefs about what happens after we die. I believe in all of those things but don’t miss this. Jesus speaks the words “follow me” over all of our lives because Jesus wants to be with you right now. You don’t have to wait until everything is a train wreck to experience the good news of Jesus. Yes! Jesus will redeem your worst day. But you can experience the goodness of following Jesus through life here and now! 

Matthew became convinced of that by what he saw. He saw things that were so incredible he had to write them down! If you saw something unexplainable happen, what would you do? You’d probably put it on your Instagram or make a video about it for social media. We can’t ignore that bad things happen all the time, but we all see pretty amazing stuff happen everyday, too. Don’t ignore the incredible things because you’re too busy worrying about the bad stuff. Don’t overlook everyday miracles because you’re worried about wading through the mud.

Please hear me. Bad stuff happens every day, too. Jesus never promised bad things would stop. He promised us a path through them with him. Wading through the hard stuff is different when you’re with Jesus. I’m convinced Matthew wrote his Gospel story because being with Jesus everyday taught him that following Jesus wasn’t about what happens after you die. Following Jesus is about a better way to live.