Pop the Question

Scripture: Matthew 16.13-20

There are some men here, and maybe some women too, who remember exactly where and when they popped the question, “Will you marry me?” It’s a big question. It’s one you get nervous and excited and anxious to ask.

Another big question to ask someone is this, “What do think about Jesus?” I bet there are some men and some women here who can’t remember the last time they asked anyone outside of Sunday School that one. It’s a scary question to us, full of doubt. I bet many of us feel much more fear and trepidation in popping that question than the marital one. Our inner conviction seems to be, “I can handle you telling me that you don’t love me, but I can’t muster the nerve to ask you about your spiritual beliefs.”

Jesus had no such fears. Yeah, I know, he was Jesus, but we sometimes forget how often and effectively he drew people into conversation about their souls. We forget what an evangelist and a proselytizer Jesus was. Jesus knew how to get to the heart of the matter. Matthew the tax collector; the woman at the well; James and John working their fishing business; the rich young ruler. Jesus challenged people to make a decision, to change course, to get up and follow.

I think we worry too much about Jesus offending. As I’ve said before, our culture likes Jesus, that’s not the problem. They just haven’t listened to all that he’s had to say. Or else, they haven’t really allowed him to bring them to a decision point. And frankly, we believers have often been a hindrance rather than a help. How Do We Hinder?

We hinder the work of Jesus the Proselytizer when we make ourselves and our methods of presenting and living the gospel offensive. For example, when we equate our politics with God’s truth; when we present Jesus as invisible chairman of the Republican or Democratic Parties. Bono, lead singer of the group U2, put it nicely: The left mocks the right. The right knows it’s right. Two ugly traits. How far should we go to try to understand each other’s point of view? Maybe the distance grace covered on the cross is a clue.

It’s fine and good to be politically involved, but I believe the Gospel transcends political divides.

We get in the way of Jesus the Proselytizer when we present a weak, vague, and mushy message of what the heart of the Gospel is. Everyone is a sinner. Jesus, God’s only divine Son, came to earth and died on a cross so everyone who believes and trusts in him will be saved from their sins for eternal life. The Gospel is pretty straightforward and simple, and also a little discomfiting, a little blunt. So be it.

That Gospel is still a wonderful and dangerous message. But you know what? It’s a dangerous thing to seek the living God!

It’s like the man who got a cab ride in New York City. The man got upset when his cab driver ran a red light. “Do you realize you just ran a red light?
The driver said, “Relax. My brother drives like this.”
The driver ran another red light and said, “Relax. My brother drives like this.”
The next light was green, but the cabbie came to a screeching halt. The passenger became even more upset, “You ran two red lights, saying your brother drives like that, then you come to a green light and stop! What’s up with that?

The driver said, “Well, I have to stop at green lights, because my brother might be coming down a side street.”

Sometimes our witness is so vapid and weak is sounds like being a Christian is all nice and easy, and private, and not much will be required of you. But instinctively some of those seekers in our community we are witnessing to know that it’s risky to come to church. It’s dangerous to open your life to God. When you get nearer to God, you never leave the same. They know it’s a dangerous thing to put your self in the hands of the living God!

So how do you talk to someone about Jesus? Well, consider how you would do it on an airplane. Most of the time you sit next to people you’ve never met before and will never see again. Many Christians have talked about meaningful conversations they’ve had about Jesus with people on airplanes. This is probably because there is a certain urgency to the conversation. People know this ride will end soon. It’s now or never.

Maybe if we could take a little of that context and attitude to more everyday situations, we might find that boldness and urgency we need.

But one aspect of the “airplane witness’ I would caution you on: You are not responsible for other’s decisions or indecisions. It’s not up to you “to close the deal.”

I had a yard sale the other weekend and to be honest, I stink at it. People came to the yard sale – that was fine – people just didn’t buy anything at my yard sale. They would come and look and leave. And as this happened more and more I was filled with self-loathing. “This junk stinks. Nobody wants it. They’re laughing at me. What was I thinking trotting all this stuff out here?” I then identified part of the problem as this “I didn’t know how to close the deal.” I didn’t know how to get undecided people to commit themselves to buying.

When it comes to witnessing, there are times when people are ready to make a decision and we need to be ready to help them do that – help them pray, help them take the next steps of finding a church, finding a small group, and beginning spiritual disciplines. But witnessing isn’t the same as selling yard sale items. Witnessing is also about relationship.

There are many other times that we don’t have to worry about closing the deal. That’s Jesus’ job. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. God will take care of that. Our part is to just begin the conversation, pop the question, plant the seed.

You may have listened to all of this and still be saying, “I haven’t a clue what to say to anyone about Jesus – Here’s something to say: This past week at church we read the scripture where Jesus’ asks, “Who people say that I am?” So Bob, I was wondering, what do you think about Jesus? Who do you think he is?

That’s it. It’s pretty simple. It’s a beginning. The conversation may go any number of places from there, but it’s not too difficult for anyone to start there.