Any Objections?
Dave Faust
Jesus made a request, but John the Baptist was reluctant to comply. John preached a baptism of repentance. Why should he baptize someone who had never committed a sin? To deter Jesus, he said, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
Jesus replied, "Let it be so now, for it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented (Matthew 3:13, 15). John's hesitation was understandable, but his objections couldn't override the plan of God.
Questioning the Lord's Ways
After Lazarus died, Jesus made an unusual request and Martha, the dead man's sister, was reluctant to comply. When Jesus ordered, "Take away the stone," Martha stated the obvious: "But Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Yet when the stone was removed, Lazarus came forth from the dead. Martha's concerns were reasonable, but she didn't comprehend the Lord's life-giving power (John 11:38-44).
Simon Peter could be so right, and the next moment he could be so wrong. When a key question arose about Jesus, Peter had the right answer. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Soon afterward Jesus explained what it meant for him to be the Christ: he would suffer, he would be killed, and he would rise again on the third day. Appalled that the Lord would endure such a painful fate, Peter took him aside and rebuked him, saying, "Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!"
"Jesus turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men'" (Matthew 16:23). Although Peter meant well, his objections revealed a woefully inadequate understanding of God's plan.
Again, at the Last Supper, Peter objected when Jesus approached him with a towel and a basin of water. Stubbornly Peter asked, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
Peter persisted. "No! You shall never wash my feet."
But Jesus did not yield to the misguided humility of his strong-willed disciple. "Unless I wash you," the Lord insisted, "you have no part with me."
Finally Peter got the message. "Then, Lord," he answered, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" (John 13:6-9). Peter meant well, but the Lord's way was best.
Yielding to a Greater Wisdom
Truth is, if I had been there, I probably would have agreed with the concerns voiced by John, Martha, and Peter. Sometimes in prayer I raise objections of my own: "Lord, I don't understand you. Why do you allow my problems to remain unresolved? Why must I wait so long for your answer?"
Or I offer suggestions to God based on my own analysis of things: "Lord, I can see a simple solution. Why don't you handle things my way?"
But God's ways are higher than my ways. As Philip Yancey puts it, my arms aren't long enough to box with God. My loftiest ideas are tiny grains of sand compared to the mountains of his wisdom. He desires my companionship, but he doesn't need my advice.
In this complicated world where I know so little, I'm glad the Lord is the one in charge.
This column first appeared in The Lookout on May 16, 2004.
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