Don't Be Surprised

There are many surprises in the Christian life, for God is infinitely creative in His relationship with us! There are some things, however, that take us by surprise that really shouldn’t if we are careful readers of the Word.

— Don’t be surprised on the insistence that one must be “born again.” A co-worker of mine has a new baby daughter. He is not at all reluctant to tell us that Bridget was born yesterday morning because that’s how she arrived here to participate in human life—she was born. Jesus tried to explain to Nicodemus, a respected Jewish teacher, that if he wanted to participate in the Kingdom of God, he needed to be born a second time. Both kingdoms, the earthly one and the heavenly one, are entered by birth. Jesus told him, “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ “ (John 3:6, 7 NLT)

We were meant for the heavenly Kingdom; that was God’s plan all along, so don’t be surprised! Believing that to be true is as natural an expectation as telling an airliner sitting on the runway, “Don’t be surprised that I am expecting you to take off and fly. You were made to fly!”

— Don’t be surprised that Jesus is both Savior and Judge. The Jewish rulers were in an uproar because the Lord had healed a crippled man on the Sabbath. He took this opportunity to declare very openly His connection to the Father. He explained that in “an hour that is coming—and now is—” those who are dead in their sins receive life by hearing (believing) Him. He could give life because He was the Son of God; He was one with God. He also claimed that authority to judge had been given to Him. He could judge because he was the Son of Man; He was one of us. “Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.” (John 5:25-29 NLT)

— Don’t be surprised at God’s interventions. One afternoon Peter and John went up to the temple to the three o’clock prayer meeting. They were stopped by a crippled beggar who wanted alms, and the disciples gave Him what they had—the life of Jesus Christ! The man got up and went into the temple with them, leaping and praising God. When all the people saw the man whom they knew had been lame from his birth, they were amazed. Peter, seeing that he now had an audience, addressed the crowd. “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this.” (Acts 3:12, 13 NLT)

— Don’t be surprised at your difficulties. “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.” (I Peter 4:12, 13) Sometimes it is very difficult to wait for the glory, whether at the end of the particular trial or the end of life itself. “Hold on, my child, joy comes in the morning; weeping only lasts for the night. Hold on, my child, joy comes in the morning; the darkest hour means dawn is just in sight.” (Reader, do you know the author?)

— Don’t be surprised when not everyone accepts you. I often hear people lament the restraint or ridicule that Christians face in their workplaces, schools, or communities. Such mild opposition does not even merit the label “persecution” when every day Christians in some parts of the world are losing their lives for the faith. As the writer to the Hebrews cautioned, “In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through—all that bloodshed! So don't feel sorry for yourselves.” (Hebrews 12:4 MSG) Some Christians are angry at those who oppose them, even murderous in their hearts, but “we must not be like Cain, who joined the Evil One and then killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because he was deep in the practice of evil, while the acts of his brother were righteous. So don't be surprised, friends, when the world hates you. This has been going on a long time.” (I John 3:12, 13 MSG)

So . . . Don’t be too surprised. You’ve been warned!

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com