A little girl asked her mother one Sunday morning as she was preparing lunch, “Mommy, why do you cut off the ends of the ham before you cook it?”
The girl’s mother turned and looked at her and said, “Oh, sweetie, I am not sure why, but I suppose you cut the ends off the meat so that the meat can better absorb the juices and make it more tender. You had better ask Grandma since she was the one I learned from. She always did it that way.”
The little girl called her Grandmother later that day and asked her the same question. The Grandmother responded, “Oh, sweetie, I am not sure. It is so that the juices will be absorbed better. Call your Nana. She is the one I learned it from.”
The girl began to get a bit frustrated with the whole idea but decided to call her Great-Grandmother anyway. “Nona, I asked Mom and Grandma why they cut the ends of the ham before they cooked it. They said because the juices would absorb better, making it more tender. They did not really know why, so they told me to ask you. Nana, why do you cut the ends of the ham off before you cook it?”
There was a long pause and then the little girl heard what sounded like muffled laugh coming from the other end of the line. “What’s so funny, Nona?”
“Oh, sweetie, I cut the ends off of the ham before I cooked it that way because my pan was too small!”
Tradition can be a funny thing. Sometimes we limit what we do because we have never done it that way before. But God wants to do something beautiful with our life. He wants us to experience the Victorious Life that only Jesus can give. God can even take the weak, the outcast and the victimized and make a work of art if you let Him.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.”
In our text today, I noticed that the disciples kept putting limitations on Jesus. As the disciples put these limitations on Jesus, Jesus would get around their limitations. Nothing is impossible with God. We see in this scripture lesson that God breaks down those limitations the disciples have.
Jesus sends the disciples in a boat across the Sea of Galilee while Jesus goes and prays. As the disciples are rowing across the lake, a storm kicks up. Different accounts tell us that the disciples thought they saw a ghost, and they were afraid. Why? Because as far as they knew they left Jesus on the shore. They did not think that Jesus could walk on the water, but He did. Jesus never said what he could or could not do, these were limitations that the disciples put on Jesus.
Jesus communicated repeatedly that He does not have limitations. Here is the thought process for me. We all put limitations on Jesus, whether we know it or not. Why this matters is because in John 1, God tells us, “that in Him is life.” The word life here is not just a physical life, where our heart pumps blood and we take our first breath. It is a God authored quality of life that transcends physical and natural limitations. You see this throughout scripture where Jesus is giving people a quality of life, joy, peace, and wholeness at a time where physically it does not seem to be possible. Here is the point the limitations that you and I put on Jesus creates this roadblock that stops us from experiencing a victorious life.
What are your limitations? Maybe it’s wondering, “God are you here? Will you show up if I step out in faith? Do you even hear me?” What are your limitations?
Jesus comes into this situation and exposes all the limitations that the disciples had and walks right around them. One limitation we place on God is the question, where is God in all this? In this case it did not look like it. Jesus was there. Sure, it did not feel like it. But He was. If you want to experience God’s love to the fullest, you must remove those limitations that say Jesus is not with us.
In Isaiah 7:14, God gives Jesus the name Immanuel, which means “God with us.” What does it mean that God is Immanuel? Yes, the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts, but it’s more than just a proximity. “God with us” means that Jesus stepped into human history and put on human form (the incarnation where He became Immanuel.) What that means is that Jesus went through every single experience that you and I go through.
The enemy will have us believe that Jesus cannot understand what I am going through. Limitation. But, on the night when Jesus was betrayed, He was praying and asking the disciples to pray, yet they all fell asleep. Jesus knows what it feels like to be alone. When Jesus was on the cross, He said, “My God, My God why have You forsaken Me?” He knows what it is to be abandoned. For those of you who have been mistreated; Jesus was abused; He was abused and mistreated at an excruciating level. Jesus knows. He sees you. He does not just say “I know what you are going through,” He’s been there. Because now God can share in that. He can empathize with you. He can meet you where you are. Why? Because Jesus is Emmanuel.
Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
How many times have you and I sinned and wonder if we still can be in the presence of God? Jesus understands that He felt that shame, He felt the whole weight of the world’s sin on Him. He felt all of those things. Do not believe the limiting lie that says Jesus is not with you. Jesus is with you. It might not feel like it. It might not look like it. You might have a perspective that might suggest otherwise, but that is just not true. Jesus is Emmanuel – He is with you.
How do we stop putting limitations on God? Answer: have a humble heart and surrender. That is it. Jesus came to this earth and lived a sinless life and died on the cross in our place for our sin. Jesus did this and gives you a new nature, a new heart. Are you humble enough to let go of those limitations? The disciples had this problem of not seeing Jesus with them. In reality it was their brokenness that created these limitations. It is a humble person that can say “I am broken, and I’m in need. And I believe that Jesus is with me. I believe He has the power to bring about healing and restoration, joy, provision, and contentment. I trust that He will be good to me and that He can make something beautiful out of my life.”
Until Next Week When We Meet at the P.E.W
(Pastor’s Encouragement Weekly)
Pastor Joel