A series of children’s books featured Amelia Bedelia, a maid who consistently misinterpreted directions (with disastrous results) dismaying her employers. She took every directive literally: planting lightbulbs (instead of flower bulbs) in pots, cutting holes in a polka-dot dress to “remove the spots,” and tying expensive cuts of meat in the garden to “stake the beans.” She meant well but missed the point.
This well-intentioned response played out at our house recently when I asked our two-and-a-half-year-old grandson if he liked to count. Cheerily, he answered, “I do!” and then proceeded to count to ten. He uncurled his fingers at random until he had all fingers extended, because that’s what you do when counting. JB then asked if he could count higher. Without missing a beat, and in all seriousness, he raised his hands above his head and repeated the process in a high-pitched voice. Unsure if counting “higher” meant vertically or vocally, he did both! We laughed at his literal interpretation!
Similar confusion can extend to our faith. Jesus was probably the most misunderstood person in human history. The crowds followed Him seeking relief from their problems, but also expecting entertainment and free food. His disciples often missed the point. They offered to call down fire from heaven to destroy those who would not welcome Him. Seeking political power, they argued over who would be His “right hand man” in what they assumed would be a Roman-Empire-conquering kingdom. And Peter repeatedly stuck his foot in his mouth, offering “good ideas” that countered Jesus’s true purpose. For that reason we see Jesus basically rolling His eyes at them and asking, “How long must I put up with you? When will you get it?” Meanwhile, the Pharisees accused him of being from the devil!
Many today similarly wrongly believe that Jesus simply came to give them an easy life, that He intends to rule over American politics, or that He’s controlling everything–making Him the ultimate force behind all evil in the world.
But He repeatedly explained and demonstrated why He came: healing the sick, cleansing the leper, preaching the good news of His Father’s kingdom, healing the broken hearted, driving out demons and destroying the works of the devil. He came to serve rather than to be served (Matthew 20:28). He came to atone for the sin of all mankind (Hebrews 2:17). And ultimately, He came to reveal God’s true loving nature by doing God’s will on earth (Matthew 11:27, John 6:38).
Others today fear God or dislike Jesus because of misinterpretation. They assume He is angry, legalistic, unloving. To correct this misinterpretation, John 3:16-17 (NET) clarifies: For this is the way God LOVED the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did NOT send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him (emphasis mine).
Christmas is the best time to remember and remind others of the truth: God is love. God loves people. And Jesus came to heal, deliver, serve, and ultimately save whoever will believe. Let’s help clear up the confusion!
