From “Abandon the Orderly House: Good News for Skeptics & Burned Out Believers” by A. W. Regets
In returning home, Jesus shows us what it looks like to choose faithfulness, over our desire to be successful. Because he could have gone somewhere else; Jesus could have gone to a town that would have gladly received his message and his healing, and he could have avoided failure completely. But instead, he goes home. He goes where the Spirit is leading, even if he won’t be welcomed, and even if he won’t succeed.
And this is an example we all benefit from seeing. We live in a world that is hyper-focused on success. We elect politicians based on the size of their bank accounts, we idolize athletes based on their number of championships, and we judge leaders by the number in their following. And we excuse all kinds of terrible behavior for those we see as winners.
And through prosperity gospel preaching, the flaunting of numerical growth, and the rise of celebrity pastors, we have conditioned the people of God to accept this American ideal without question. We have proclaimed that worldly success is always a reflection of God’s blessing.
But today’s reading is whispering in our ears, saying, what if that’s not the case? What if bigger isn’t always better? What if winning is not the only measure of your worth? And what if we are sometimes called to fail, because success will require the contamination of our witness, while death will provide a path toward resurrection?