All That Jesus Did For Us!

All That Jesus Did For Us!

Riding around the countryside of Israel for the past couple of weeks in our luxury bus with wifi, water, and yes even a cappuccino maker, my attention was once again arrested by the terrain of the country.

It was my tenth trip to Israel and I heard the statement made more than once (as has been true on every trip) by the sojourners who were with us, “I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like in Biblical days for people to travel in this country.

If Jesus started in Capernaum and worked only in the region around the Sea of Galilee it would have been a great feat of endurance. There are the imposing Arbel Mountains, Mount Eremos (The Mount of Beatitudes), the Horns of Hattin, or even the area around the Gaza Strip. Then imagine the walk from the Galilean region to Jerusalem (and the mountains surrounding Jerusalem, you know the song), Bethlehem, Cana, and Nazareth. Finally, imagine Jesus walking from the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane through the Kidron Valley, to be tried at the Antonio Fortress and the palace of Caiaphas, and carrying His own cross to the Place of the Skull, all with very little rest, where they nailed Him to that tree.

I don’t mean this to be unkind, brothers, but it seems to me that this needs to be said. We need to quit whining and complaining because somebody says something negative about our sermon on Sunday. We need to stop complaining because the elders got on to us for not working enough last week. Preaching and the work of ministry is not for the faint of heart, the lazy, or those who get their feelings easily hurt.

May God help us remember that the same Lord who did all the above for us promised us that He will not leave us or forsake us. Aren’t you glad that Jesus didn’t quit? We love you and we are thankful for you. If you need to talk, we are here.