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NOVEMBER 1, 2011
INSIDER STATUS
Hearing this, Jesus was amazed and said to those following Him, “I assure you: I have not found anyone in Israel with so great
a faith!” (Matthew 8:10, HCSB)
Surely you are aware that conversation among golfers includes phrases and references that don’t make sense to the
uninitiated. “How many pops are you going to give me?” might be a perfectly appropriate first tee question, but step back from that context for a minute and consider too that I might be
asking how many colas you are going to put in my hands, or how many times you are going to hit me, or even how many old men you will be sending my way.
“Greens in reg,” “sandy par,” “you’re still away,” “nineteenth
hole,”—these are expressions that make perfect sense to golfers and virtually no sense to anyone else. They are part of the terminology of insiders.
It is increasingly common in our time to be careful about the words we use in describing the boundaries of the
Christian faith. We don’t want people being made to feel that they’re on the outside looking in, while those of us who “get it” are enjoying our merry Christian lives without
them. I understand this. Certainly the reflection of Christ is supposed to come through in our lives! But those who teach this need for care in the way we present ourselves to others suggest that they
have the real mind of Christ in this matter.
Here’s the problem: Jesus spoke often about those who would be inside and those who would be out. He talked of
those tossed from the wedding banquet and those invited in. He established a demarcation between those given more in the kingdom of God and those cast into darkness. This is not a different Jesus than
“the loving Jesus” we are told we should favor. So what is going on here? Is this Jesus’ fault, for wavering in His teaching? Or is this our fault, for picking and choosing the
perspective we find most palatable?
The problem is ours, and here’s why: our Lord was consistent in His teaching that faith wins the day. The line
between those who are inside and those who are not is no arbitrary one. It is fixed in eternity and crossed by those who trust God rather than themselves.
In Matthew 8, a Roman centurion came to Jesus and presented Him with a fact: “My servant is at home, paralyzed
and in pain.” Jesus replied that He would come and heal the man. But the centurion assured Jesus that he recognized no such visit would be necessary. Jesus just needed to say the word, the
centurion suggested, and his servant would be healed.
Jesus marveled at the centurion’s faith. He said, “I haven’t found faith like this anywhere in
Israel.” Jesus was not speaking geographically. His use of “Israel” almost always pointed to the collective Jewish people, not to the piece of land on the eastern edge of the
Mediterranean Sea. In this case, Jesus went on to make this differentiation clear. Many, He said, would come from the corners of the world to take their place at the table of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
while those intended to sit there would be cast out. The reason? Faith.
You see, we can soften the lines of inclusion all we want when it comes to talking about the borders of “the
faith.” But those lines must still be crossed—or not—in the heart of every person. And the lines are crossed in only one way: a step of faith. Do you believe in Jesus as the promised
salvation for all mankind? Do you believe in Him as the One who can work His salvation in you? Are you willing to make that faith known, as the centurion did, by trusting Him to do what only He can do?
If so, you’re in.
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Jeff Hopper
November 1, 2011
Copyright © 2011 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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