Jesus had a sharp word to say. He was doing miracles and signs and proving to John the Baptist and the crowds of people that He was the Christ. Some attested to the truth of His work while others rejected God and His purposes. How did Jesus respond?
“The people who reject me are like children who can’t be pleased,” He said. “You could play a happy song for them and they won’t dance, or you could play a sad song for them and they won’t cry. The truth is, John the Baptist came with a hard message of repentance and they didn’t accept that; I come with a message of love, forgiveness, and grace, and that’s no good for them either. Truth will be proved and seen by those people who know me and follow me.” In essence, those who rejected Christ were spoiled brat children, obstinate and stubborn.
Jesus does that. He is not politically correct, nor a respecter of persons. He is divisive and drawing lines, calling those who don’t follow Him spoiled children, faithless and twisted, evil snakes, or empty tombs. There are only two ways: following Christ or not following Christ. This is no surprise because there have always been only two ways, all the way back to the time of Noah, and Moses, and Joshua, and David. Today we are called to count the cost of following Him, and dying to self, and picking up our cross, and following Him. This is a serious issue; eternal life, today and in the future, hang in the balance.
Jesus said you must be born again, born of water and the Spirit, born of God and His ways, from above. For those who hear and follow, there is forgiveness and grace, love and mercy, wisdom and peace. Punishment waits for those who reject. I implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. What will you choose to do today? Which side will you be on?