That's not Jesus

Well, the weekend has come and gone, and we're all still here. Another attempt by man to know the mind of God has failed as the predicted rapture/end of the world did not arrive at 6 p.m. on May 21.

Surprised? Not really. Disappointed? Yes and no.

Mainly I'm disappointed because all those skeptics have added another big log to their fire of doubt. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I find the rapture jokes not so funny. I guess that's because even though I don't believe Harold Camping, I do believe Jesus Christ, and He says one of these days it's going to happen.

But most of all, I find myself thinking of a Wayne Watson song called 'That's Not Jesus' off 'The Fine Line' album. The chorus goes:

"That's not Jesus, He doesn't carry on that way.
Just some flesh and blood like you and me, Somehow gone astray
That's not Jesus, no, No matter what they say
He doesn't need me to defend Him, He just wants me to obey."

And that's the problem, that when the world looks at ol' Mr. Camping, they just put the Jesus label on him with an asterisk that says: MAY BE CRAZY.


But that's not what Jesus looks like, and not the way he's going to be introduced when he comes either. In Matthew 24:23-24, Jesus warned his disciples to be wary:

"At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive ..."

Later in the same chapter, Jesus tells us what we should be doing when he comes, and it doesn't say anything about buying billboards or trying to scare people into heaven. Jesus say simply:

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns."

After 2,000 years and nearly as many wrong guesses as to the Lord's return, maybe we should all stick to following Jesus instead of predicting him. As the song says, he just wants us to obey.