Day 2 - Leaving Home

Day 2: Matthew 2

LEAVING HOME

Read Matthew 2 here first

Take a moment to think about what you’d struggle to give up if you had to. What would be the hardest thing? Make-up? Sport? Chocolate? TV? Xbox? Facebook? Whatever it is, there are things we’d all find hard to give up. Every year, people try and give up various things for Lent. Following the pancake glory of Shrove Tuesday (best day of the year?), Ash Wednesday arrives and often people put themselves through 40 days of sacrifice. In the past, I remember giving up sweets, biscuits, cakes, fizzy drinks, chocolate and crisps, meaning I could only snack on fruit. After about 4 days I hit a real sugar low. I was so desperate that I would’ve considered selling my grandma for a Cadbury’s Twirl, or chopping off my own arm in exchange for just one Blue Ribband.

Some years ago, I decided to give up drinking alcohol for 9 months. I believe drinking alcohol is a personal choice, but that isn't what this is about really. During this time a friend had made some mistakes in her life and had developed a problem with smoking cannabis. She became a Christian and began to turn her life around. However, she still struggled with smoking cannabis even though she was desperate to get rid of the habit. I had no idea how to help but the more I thought and prayed about it, the more I felt I had to be willing to give something up to help her. Eventually I came to the decision that I’d give up alcohol for her. The theory was that every time she’d be tempted, it would act as one final incentive to not give up, recognising that a friend had made a sacrifice to help. It wasn’t an easy time for her, but she made it through and now she’s married, still following God, and hasn’t smoked cannabis since.

I say this as a tiny, insignificant example of a sacrifice for someone else, especially compared to the magnitude of what Jesus did by coming to earth. Jesus looked at the world and realised that it needed help. Jesus knew that people had become distant from God and needed bringing back. Jesus gave up all the glory of heaven. Jesus didn’t just sacrifice one part of his life, but sacrificed his home in a perfect place, putting himself into a world which was corrupt, broken and hurting. Jesus came down knowing what he’d go through. He became a baby, relying on the very people he’d created to feed him and look after him. As he grew up, Jesus had to put up with people abandoning him, plotting to kill him, spitting on him. Ultimately Jesus gave up all the luxury of heaven to be a man. He chose to walk the earth being hated by the very people he’d came to rescue. As Jesus urged people to follow him, he was scorned and ultimately died, naked on a cross like a common criminal.

The truly amazing thing about God is that He didn’t just see His people struggling and feel bad. He saw His people struggling and made the ultimate sacrifice so that they could be restored. Jesus didn’t come just for the perfect people. He came for those who struggle. He came for those who feel they’re not very good at life. He came for those who know they could do better but somehow seem unable to live up to it. He came for you and he came for me.

It cost Jesus his home, his dignity and ultimately his life. That was a price that he was so willing to pay for us. Somehow, he looked at us and decided that we were worth it.

Just as Jesus paid a price to come to Earth, following him also has a cost. As we study Matthew, we will be challenged by the life and words of Jesus. We must let these words change us and awaken things in us. There are some tough things in here, which may bring big life changes if we take them seriously. I don’t know about you, but I like to be comfortable. As we really look at Jesus, I believe we will see him call us out of our comfort, off the couch and into the challenging business of being his disciples.

There’s an old quote which says ‘He died for us. The least we can do is live for him.’ It may cost but it’s worth the price. At no time does Jesus ever look at you and regret coming to Earth. He never looks at you and thinks you weren’t worth it. Living for God may carry a cost, but it’ll always be worth it.