I have said it. You probably have, too. “I will do anything for the gospel.” The words voiced our deepest passion to pay any price for the privilege of sharing the good news that God has made salvation possible through faith in Jesus Christ.
The commitment is good but like any promise, there is a danger. One must make sure the actions that flow from this vow are consistent with the purposes of God and His Kingdom.
When Satan carried Jesus to the highest point of the temple and commanded Him to throw Himself off (Matt. 4:5–7), the issue at stake was whether Jesus’ actions would be consistent with the purpose of God and the establishment of His Kingdom.
For 40 days, Jesus had prayed and fasted as He clarified His calling and came to grips with the personal cost of His life’s purpose. When the devil tempted Him, he did so to turn Jesus from His confession that He would do anything for mankind’s salvation.
Satan’s urging for Jesus to float down from the top of the temple to the ground below was not so much a test of God’s care for His Son as it was a way to immediately draw the crowds to Jesus. If Jesus would just do the spectacular, then the crowds would flock to Him, Satan knew. He could have a kingdom without dying on a cross. If Jesus added a little razzle-dazzle to His teachings, then that would keep the crowds at His feet.
Satan was right on one point. As long as Jesus worked miracles, the crowds surrounded Him. Mark 1:29ff tells how Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law, and when news of that miracle spread, “the whole town gathered at the door and Jesus healed many who had various diseases” (v. 33).
Most of us equate “crowds” with the blessings of God. We really believe bigger is better. That is why denominations study churches that attract the most people or why preachers attempt to emulate the one who draws the biggest crowds.
Jesus’ values are not like ours. The morning after healing Simon’s mother-in-law, Jesus slipped away for some private prayer time. When the disciples awoke and found Him missing, they searched for Him. “Everyone is looking for you,” they breathlessly told Jesus when they found His place of prayer.
To the disciples, the crowd represented opportunity. There were needs to be met and ministries to perform. The demands of the crowd became the driving force of the disciples. But not for Jesus. Jesus told the disciples it was time to leave the crowd gathered in Capernaum and go into the tiny villages sprinkled across the Galilee. “That is why I have come,” He shared.
Had Jesus spent all His time healing people, His popularity would have soared but the purpose of His coming would have gone undone. Had Jesus jumped from the pinnacle of the temple and floated to the ground in the palm of the unseen hand of His heavenly Father, the crowds would have been amazed, but crowd approval has never been an accurate measure of God’s approval.
The Bible gives no record of Jesus ever working a miracle just to display His power or call attention to Himself. He refused to give “signs” to prove His authority. Jesus knew that God’s Kingdom could not be founded on razzle-dazzle or the spectacular. People had to come to God through faith in Jesus to be part of the Kingdom. If they came to be entertained, astounded and amazed, then they were still lost in their sin.
Jesus would not be distracted from His calling “to give His life a ransom for many.” He would not dissipate His energy in activities that were not in keeping with His calling and the purposes of the kingdom of God. He would not be diverted by Satan or by the crowd.
Today one can still draw a crowd with the spectacular and razzle-dazzle. But drawing a crowd does not mean one is building up the kingdom of God. Living for the crowd may produce a following, but it also can mean dying to the mission of one’s life. How often has God’s clear calling taken a backseat to the demands of the moment? How often have God-given visions been lost in clouds of activity?
Jesus knew who He was and what He was about. He determined to do nothing that distracted from that goal. He would not dabble in razzle-dazzle in order to draw a crowd, and He would not be limited by the crowds when they came. He was the “Bread of Life,” and He would never be guilty of offering people “rocks” when they came seeking bread.
Neither should we. We can do anything for the gospel as long as it is consistent with the purposes of God and His calling on our lives.
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