Worth a Thousand Words

I have a little devotional book called "Fresh Grounded Faith" by Jennifer Rothschild I picked up a few years ago.  It sits in my bathroom and I try to read one devotional from it every day.  Today, I enjoyed what she shared so I want to share it with you.  This is called "Worth a Thousand Words" and it's straight out of the book.  Go buy it - you'll be glad you did :)

     "Sometimes I like to read the Gospels as if I'm thumbing through a photo album chock-full of snapshots, glancing at each one.  Recently, in Matthew 9, a great snapshot of Jesus reclining at a dinner part caught my eye.
     It's a picture of Jesus and His disciples sharing a meal at Matthew's house - along with an apparently motley crew of sinners.  The Pharisees were in attendance that day with them were irritated and befuddled by how someone who claimed to be a rabbi could lower himself and have dinner with such riffraff.
     The smug Pharisees asked Jesus' disciples about it.  (And can't you just heart the contemptuous sniff?" "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
     Before His disciples could formulate their thoughts and answer the Pharisees, Jesus Himself spoke up.  "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick"  (Matthew 9:12)
     Did you catch that? The Word specifically says that Jesus answered the question of the Pharisees even though it was asked of the disciples.
     Now, why did Jesus answer a question that was clearly not directed to Him? The query was obviously aimed at Peter, John, and the boys.  Maybe it's because the question directly related to Jesus and not to His followers.
     Think about that for a moment.  Keep your eye on that picture of Jesus and His disciples.  Do you think the disciples gathered at Matthew's house that day could have answered the question well?  If you were there, could you have answered it well? Most likely they could have.  And most likely you too could have come up with a reasonable defense for why Jesus chose to dine with society's lesser lights.  Be neither we nor His disciples could have answered as well as Jesus did!
     This shows me that some questions are better left for Christ Himself, even if the questioner happens to direct the query at you or me.  So here's a novel way of looking at it:  Perhaps the questions that most directly relate to Christ should be left for Christ to answer for Himself.
     People will ask questions like "Why do the innocent suffer?" Or maybe "Why does God allow evil?" The fact is, I really don't have a lot of zingy answers when I am confronted with those kinds of questions.  As His disciple, I have an idea, but I don't hold the definitive answers.  Only God does.
     To assume ownership of the mysteries of God, as if I truly understand and can explain them, would be an arrogant, ignorant thing to do, and it wouldn't help the honest questioner at all.  On the other hand, to pause after a question is asked (instead of barging in and blurting out a pithy religious answer) gives the Master Teacher an opportunity to overhear and answer for Himself, just as He did that day in Matthew's house.
     We all must practice a spiritual conversation that has enough pauses for Jesus to interrupt.  The discourse of our lives is full of unanswerable questions.
      Let Jesus interrupt and show who He is, not just who you think He is.  Our answers offer a limited view of Him.  To confine the infinite in finite terms is silly.  To attempt to explain omniscience with our limited breadth of understanding is equally unhelpful.  God is capable of defending His position when He so chooses.  He is unruffled by scrutiny and undaunted by interrogation.
     Let Him be God, and you can focus on being His follower.  When you are asked a tough question about the one you serve, pause, look toward the Master, and listen for His voice.  God is always listening, and He will always answer a sincere questioner.  You and I, as His disciples, are often questioned, and we should be prepared to offer good answers.  But don't let your good answer simply placate a questioner when Christ Himself could offer the best and most satisfying answer.  He will reveal Himself to those who wish to see, and He will speak to those who want to hear.
     And one glimpse, one picture of Christ, is worth a thousand of our words.

Luke 12:11-12 "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."