Refusing to Let the Secondary Become Primary

One of the most hilarious verses in the entire Bible is John 12:10. Yeah. The religious guys were so threatened by the resurrected Lazarus that they made plans to kill him. They wanted him dead. . . again. I mean, really guys? You would think they could come up with something better than that. The man had already died once. Jesus – the real One they were threatened by – could just raise him up again, and get more followers! Not very smart if you ask me. Misses the entire point.

John lets us know in other places these leaders were threatened by losing their power. Their position. Their place in that part of the world. Their security. Their status. They missed Jesus because of their positions. They missed the point of everything because they were stuck in what they assumed was the “right and proper” way.

Isn’t it interesting how we do the exact same thing? (Not you, I am sure, but other people you may know – grin and wink.)

• Traditional or contemporary.
• Hymns or Praise choruses.
• Beth Moore or John MacArthur.
• Reformed or Arminian.
• Vaccinated or Un-vaccinated.
• Trump or Biden.
• NBC or FOX.
• Sprinkle or Dunk.
• SEC or BIG TEN (I mean, this one’s a no brainer – but still . . . ).
• Weekly or Monthly Lord’s Supper.
• Expository or Topical.
• Tee-Totaler or Occasional/Social Drinker.
• Two Children or Ten Children.
• Home School, Private School, or Public School.
• Raise Hands in Worship or Keep Arms Folded.
• Pews or Chairs.
• Stained Glass or Screens.
• Women in Ministry or Just Men.
• Critical Race Theory (CRT) or BTS.

I could on and on and on and on. You get it. We are just as guilty as the religious leaders in Jesus’s day. We can get so stuck in our positions, that we miss Jesus. We can get so caught up in a side on one of these issues that it begins to consume our time and attention (and worship). We, dare I say it, can become so obsessed with winning an argument that we forget Jesus died for the person we are trying to defeat. Let the reader understand – I have thoughts and opinions and convictions about most all of the above. I am not saying some of these things aren’t important. But if any of the above prevents or robs me from seeing and enjoying and obeying and learning from and following and worshipping Jesus – I’ve lost.

I don’t want to try to kill Lazarus again when the Author of Life is right in front of my face. I don’t want to waste my time on things that ultimately do not matter when what is ultimate beckons me for relationship.

I am not sure the point of all this – other than to plead with you (as I do with myself) not to let anything – especially religious things – distract you from worshipping Jesus. Don’t let your position or your status or your comfort or your assumptions or your security get in the way of seeing and following Jesus. Don’t let anything secondary become primary.

Deal?