There is an interesting approach to life that says it’s good to believe the best and expect the worst.
This is applied particularly to whatever requires interaction with others. When we believe in the best, it expresses the part in us that believes we can work together coherently and produce the goods. We believe it, and we look forward to celebrating that. We work with that in mind. Expecting the worst is done to cushion any possible disappointments. You cannot feel that bad if you’re expecting the worst. It doesn’t have to be such a fall if, indeed, people didn’t do their best. It doesn’t have to hurt as much if we have it in mind that we’re dealing with faulty people in a faulty world where the faults can indeed corrupt and corrode and leave things in a …. faulty place.
How does this fit with how Jesus approaches things? Was He disappointed in the failings of His disciples? When He references how little the disciples have faith, is He referring to what He expects from them as opposed to what He experiences? His heart is clearly heavy when He informs His disciples that one of them will betray Him – He knows it will happen, and He’s weighed down by that. He even gives Peter the heads up about the denials and how it’s to be expected. And He still restores Him.
Even in receiving the worst, Jesus still restores and does not lose faith. Jesus knew what people were like. That’s why He didn’t entrust Himself to them. That’s why He wasn’t keen to go with them when they were keen to make Him the king by force. His wisdom about human nature influenced how He interacted with them. It meant He could heal them and show others how odd it was that not all of them returned to give thanks.
Jesus' love for us does not mean He always overlooks faults or accepts flaws. Jesus’ love for me often reveals the work that needs to be done to address our problems. I’m not a fan of turning to Him and telling Him that the failings will never happen again. Those emotional outbursts reflect contrition for sinning and a desire to re-establish the right relationship. It does not take into account what will happen going forward. I certainly won’t tell Jesus I’ll try not to fail again because that whole thing about trying is largely worthless. And if you think I’m wrong, point out to me the times when people are commended for what they tried. We’re certainly very trying at times, but pitting our hopes on what we’ll try is not worthwhile.
What is truly valuable is clinging to Jesus. Asking for help. Trusting in his grace. Taking life moment by moment and returning to the path of righteousness. Making no claims as to what will or will not happen other than to commit to trusting Him and relying on His grace for the next step. This is where true security lies.
When I read of Jesus saying well done to those who have been good and faithful servants, I don’t read of Jesus saying well done to flawless and totally perfect servants. I hear Jesus talking to saints who live out what it is to be faithful and what it is to be a good servant because they trust God for the best, even as they can expect the typical worst of humanity. They know that God wins in the end.
For His Name's Sake
C. L. J. Dryden
Shalom
