Do You Want a Showman...or Savior?

"Faith is the ticket to the feast, not the feast."  -Edwin Louis Cole

Who doesn't like to be entertained? One only needs only to look at how much money we spend on entertainment annually. For example, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statics, the average American spent an estimated $2, 827 on entertainment alone in 2015. That's almost 6% of their total annual income!

As such, it's not too hard to see that entertainment is a big part of our lives. What entertains one person may differ from another. Movies, sporting events, concerts, vacations, video games, etc., are but a few things that we like to dabble in. As long as it is done legally. and within the boundaries of social standards we are good to go.

Entertainment in itself is not bad. But, when it's more distracting than helpful to understanding something, it then becomes a problem. This is not something new or uncommon at all. Take the crowds that followed Jesus around the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and across to Capernaum (John 6:1; 24).

There were some who truly liked hearing Jesus' teachings and learned from him. Then there were others who followed Jesus purely for the entertainment value. They saw him as a walking, talking dinner show, if you will. It's true that Jesus performed miraculous acts, but not to entertain the crowd like a Las Vegas showman. They were always done to convey a message, or make a point.

Yes, by doing this he drew crowds who followed him, but not always for the right reasons. Many disciples lost sight of Jesus' message and became confused (John 6:60). Some were there because they wanted to see what his next act was, and maybe get a meal along with it, too. (John 6:26).

This was all fine until it came time to make a hard commitment to follow Jesus out of faith. Without true faith, it's not hard to imagine what the outcome was. Those who followed Christ because of his entertainment value had no real faith. Faith is not something gained from a flashy presentation, or sleight of hand.

When Jesus was asked what it would take to follow him they didn't like what they heard (John 6:44). No surprise here at all. They didn't hear, or didn't want to hear, what Jesus had been trying to tell them. It would take some commitment on their part, but they wanted no part of it. They wanted a showman, not a Savior (John 6:64-66).

Does this sound like you? Are you following Christ because of a strong belief in who he is and what he did for us? Or is Jesus just another source of entertainment to you? Are you following him expecting to be served instead of serving him?

Scripture: Proverbs 16:3; Matthew 22:37; Hebrews 11:6; James 4:8; Romans 1:21

Prayer: Jesus,  my commitment to you is real and without any doubt. May you guide and instruct me in Your ways every day of my life. Amen

God bless you!

Amanda