Very Truly I Tell You

Many times in Matthew and many times in the book of John, you can find Jesus saying truly I tell you or very truly I tell you.   What?

Jesus is so different than us even now. To the disciples, he was a revolution that was hard to see or conceive in any way. So, Jesus again and again would say “the kingdom of heaven is like”

So, here his “truly I tell you” is not so surprising. They needed to wake up and see a kingdom so unlike the kingdom of men. They needed to be reminded that Jesus was not just teaching ethics. He wanted a revolution in their thinking.

Let us enter into that revolution. Can we take Jesus at his word? Can we see how great a revolution Jesus wants in our heart?

Wow, Jesus really needs to say Very Truly I Tell You

Can you imagine saying to your friend, “Jerry, Truly, I tell you that I will have lunch at noon”   Jesus could say that as he was opening a work that means transformation.

Jesus came to introduce the Kingdom of Heaven. Love God and love your neighbor as yourself were meant to be extended toward even our supposed enemies.  Jesus came to praise the Romans, tax collectors and prostitutes. The world and even his children, the Jews, refused the revolution and killed Him dead.

Do we also jump on with the Pharisees to hate those that Jesus died for? I was mad last night as some young people I know refused to move forward toward God at Christians. I wanted to criticize them and was mad in my heart toward them after all my wife and I did. Is that how God wanted us to be?

Is that how he reached us? My wife and I are first generation Christians who knew the darkness and how God gently and oh so patiently drew us out.  We forget and want others to just jump forward toward God. It’s a big step to reach out to our unseen God to accept his Kingdom, so different from ours. We all need to see just how big that gap is and love this Kingdom of God.