By Kevin Harris, pastor of the Illawarra Community Baptist Church in Wollongong, NSW
And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
Matthew 27:39-40
If you intend to drive north to Sydney, but someone stipulates that in order for them to join your team you must drive south to Melbourne, will you change your destination just to please them?
Sometimes we demand or expect from God the very opposite of what He wants to do.
I’ve heard of an atheist who demanded, ‘God, if You’re real, prove it by striking me dead.’ After 30 seconds passed with nothing happening, he exclaimed, ‘See? There is no God.’
But God does not delight in killing atheists. He’d rather they repent, according to Ezekiel 33:11, ‘Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?’
In our text, passersby taunt our Saviour as He hangs on the cross. They demand that He come down from the cross in order to prove that He is God.
Of course He could have. But hadn’t He come for the very opposite purpose? ‘To this end was I born,’ He said to Pilate (John 18:37). He had come in order ‘to give his life a ransom for many’ (Matthew 20:28).
Even believers have to be careful that we don’t demand that the Lord dance to our tune (Matthew 11:17). Many consider prayer to be a means of getting what we want from God. Some have left the faith because God didn’t meet their expectations.
Let’s let God be God!
Father, ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ Help me to get in my rightful place under Your leadership. Rather than tell You what to do, I choose to follow You wherever You lead. I ask this in the Name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
This article was written by Kevin Harris Dapto pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church.