Ordinary Life

I believe in miracles and in a God who still performs them. God wants to do “greater things” (John 14:12) among us than we “can hope for or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). While there is nothing ordinary about Jesus, part of fully knowing him means looking beyond his supernatural expressions and realizing that he desires that we know him in the normalcy of our lives.

I am not suggesting that we settle and compromise or deny for a moment that Jesus isn’t in the miracle business. Instead, I propose that we seek to base our relationship with Jesus on the ins and outs, ups and downs, of real, everyday life rather than the sensational supernatural relationship that we often crave.

Have you noticed that many are skeptical about Jesus because they don’t see more of the extraordinary things we read about in the scriptures? Perhaps you lead a deflated Christian life because you aren’t living the dynamic, miracle-laden life that is often proposed as the way to live. If so, look for Jesus in the ordinary!

As the Pharisees of Jesus’ Day sought to fulfill their craving for sensational spirituality by demanding yet another miracle (Matthew 12:38), Jesus responded by saying it is “a wicked and perverse generation that looks for a sign.” I don’t think Jesus is saying that miracles are wrong or will cease (because they certainly haven’t); I think he’s just saying that we shouldn’t live our lives looking for the next extraordinary spiritual high – because Jesus wants us to know the extraordinary things he does in our ordinary lives. Let me put it this way:

• Jesus would instead want us to be disciplined in our relationship with him rather than dazzled by what he can do for us.
• Jesus wants to invade our mundane rather than have us hop from miraculous hope to the next miracle. To change the metaphor, he would put money into a steady investment plan rather than try to get rich by buying a lottery ticket.
• Jesus more frequently operates in the subtleties of our life than the sensational.

In the passage listed above (Matthew 12), Jesus aggressively speaks to how we can let God Jesus invade our ordinary lives - rather than looking for extraordinary signs of his presence with us. The theology of incarnation teaches us that God meets us where we are rather than going where we think he is. Here are some thoughts about meeting Jesus ordinary life:

1. Extraordinary signs alone can never satisfy. Those calling for the miraculous had already seen incredible miracles. They asked that the next sign be more thrilling, exciting, and sensational (vs38). Like gaining “enough” money, looking for dramatic signs never satisfies.
2. Signs of Jesus are visible in the daily routine; we don’t tend to look there. One of the fundamental mistakes of the Pharisees was that they looked for God in the abnormal. They forget that we are never nearer God, and God never shows himself to us so much and so continually as in the ordinary things of every day.
3. The sensational can quickly become idolatrous. Jesus calls a culture that always looks for the spectacular “evil and adulterous.” They are adulterous because they have become apostates (vs. 39). The relationship between God and Israel had been described as a marriage bond. Because of Israel’s unfaithfulness, she is now adulterous. She (we) are primarily adulterous because of our love for idols. This is a temptation to us—that a dramatic sign from God can become a god.
4. Jesus is God’s sign! (vs 41). The only sign Jesus says is needed is the sign of repentance and redemption – the sign given through Jonah. In this story (Jonah 1-4), the pagans repented at the preaching of Jonah, but here, the Jews and religious teachers chose not to in response to Jesus’ teaching. Why? Because life, and often the church, inoculates us against reading the signs of life's ordinariness. Unfortunately, a little bit of Jesus can prevent us from seeing a lot of Jesus.
5. We must curiously look at our everyday life. The Queen of the South (Sheba) (vs 42) traveled to see Solomon and to learn about his great wisdom (1 Kings 10:1-10). In her curiosity, she was pursuing God’s truth. It is far better for us to investigate and wrestle than to look and be impressed.
6. Repentance and wisdom are of greater value. Jesus is greater than Jonah in his ability to extend forgiveness. Solomon, in his ability to impart wisdom (vs. 42), said that a grounded life of repentance and wisdom is of greater value than a sensation-seeking faith.

Jesus knows how to exist and function in the extraordinary… but wants to meet you in your often ordinary life. This week, try to find Jesus in some of your monotonous situations.