One of the greatest signals to Jesus’ human relatability is his willingness to “be real” with his disciples in the ministry to which he called them. There are moments in his preaching when Jesus lays out what the hard reality of life following him looks like… and it isn’t always pretty. But there are plenty of worthwhile things in our own life that aren’t always pretty – right? For Christians, “ministry” isn’t limited to being ordained… but rather, it is for each one of us. This is why Jesus prepares his followers, through his preaching, that there will be moments of difficulty. There is a cost that comes with discipleship. There is no sugar-coating way around it. We follow Jesus and practice being truth-tellers about the story of our faith that is founded in the reality that God sent his Son to earth in order to begin the redemption mission of God’s that includes modeling for us a way to live that honors God, then dying on the cross to atone for our sins and was raised on the third day in glory by conquering death. That is the story, the reality, that we tell as Christians. And it is a massive one, that invites all sorts of responses from others. As Jesus preached to his followers, he brought a message of assurance for us all…that in our ministry, we must prepare ourselves to face whatever comes our way. When we rightly focus ourselves on serving God, it may seem to the world that we are “losing ourselves”. We need to focus on the one thing that will always remain: God. In his loving and enduring strength, God will sustain us and calls us to charge forward with unwavering dedication to this story. The story of Jesus. The story of true love.
These are the key themes of Jesus’ preaching during his adult ministry in Israel. As the long-awaited Messiah, you would think people would be eager to hear his sermons, right? Many times, Jesus is met with reluctance, confusion, or skepticism from the majority of religious leaders and onlookers. However, for those who meet Jesus and believe, their lives are transformed. Let’s explore the themes, many of which connect us to those of the Old Testament, which are woven into Jesus’ preaching as he ushers in the Kingdom of Heaven to a world so desperately needing it. These stories and lessons bring a new hope and perspective that ground our hope in Jesus.
