The Nature of Jesus' Ministry

​Why did you do that?
What were you trying to accomplish?
I know that is what you said but do you think your actions match your words?
 
We all go through life making decisions that set the trajectory of our lives. There are certain things we enjoy that others may not and there are things we avoid because they just don’t get the job done for us. This can show up in our decisions about the jobs we have, our hobbies, our budgets and our calendars just to name a few. Do you have any dissonance in your life?
 
In my case for instance, I feel great after I get some exercise but I am ridiculously inconsistent about making it a priority. Now, I could try to convince you that “I just don’t have time” but I am well aware that when I take time to exercise I will not only be more productive but I will also have a sense of balance or peace that helps me to enjoy my life a little easier. There is nothing to be celebrated when our culture exalts lives that have “no time” to do the things that need to be done like some exercise, or even more importantly serving others and showing the ones we say matter that they truly do matter.
 
It is fairly easy for me to admit my shortcomings regarding exercise because it really doesn’t come across as a glaring character flaw. But if I confess that there are times that I am selfish with my time, my resources and my life in general you might think – well, that is a problem. You would be right! And I am confessing to you that I have failed miserably at times in my life when it comes to living my life for others. I tell you this not so I can get it off my chest but so that we “can encourage each other toward good works.” Let’s follow Jesus since that is what we say we want to be about.
 
Then the obvious questions become – HOW did Jesus live? What mattered to Him? What was the nature of Jesus’ ministry?
 
A section of our text for this week tells us what Jesus was about and the nature of His ministry. We see his response to John the Baptizer’s followers when they asked if Jesus was the One – the Messiah.
“Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
Luke 7.22-23
 
The nature of Jesus ministry was to care for others. He came to give His life to others. He did this daily through his words and actions. Then He also did it once and for all on the Cross. We are invited to have the “nature of our ministry /life” to be like Jesus’. That we would give our lives in worship to our God and from that we reach into the lives of those around us that need to be loved and cared for. We do this because we can and because it is a must if we claim to be trying to follow Jesus.
 
Jesus lived all His days with clarity because He knew who He was and what He was about. His completed ministry has the capacity to pass that clarity on to us. Do we want it?
 
In Christ,
Pastor Nick