We’ve all had a Fair Weather Friend. You’re there with a word of support during hard times, they need help moving, and you provide a shoulder to cry on. Then when the tables are turned, you need help moving, and that friend suddenly ghosts you.
It’s happened to everyone.
Even Jesus.
He was followed by hundreds - thousands - of people who needed to hear His message. When the crowd needed something to eat, He fed them by the thousands. When a pack of lepers showed up and needed to be healed, He did it. People who had been born blind or disabled got the healing touch. Then one day someone turned Him in to authorities to be executed.
The Roman soldiers, armed for battle, came to arrest Jesus and everyone bolted. Even His most vocal supporter vanished into the night. Sure, he followed to see what was going on, but he tagged along “at a distance.” Peter didn’t realize what he was doing when he three times swore he didn’t know Jesus - then the rooster crowed.
We all know that story, right?
There was a time when I was full of self-righteousness and said to myself, “If I’d been in the Garden of Eden I’d never have eaten the fruit. I wouldn’t have run off into the night and abandoned Jesus. Surely I would not have even THOUGHT of turning on Him and yelling ‘crucify Him.’ No, not I.”
The thing is, I’ve done all those things and more. I’ve denied Him, I’ve mocked those who believed in Him, and everything I’ve said I’d never do. I’ve been that fair weather friend.
“I’m not a Pharisee. I wouldn’t have plotted to kill Him.”
“Wanna bet?”
All that and more.
And so have you.
The very air you breathe is a gift from Him. Thank Him for it. Ask for His forgiveness, and you’ll receive it. His most ardent supporters turned away from Him, but they were welcomed back. Receive His forgiveness and you’ll be okay.
One of the most beloved verses in the bible is John 3:16, but mine is the very next one. It comes right after about how God so loved the world He gave His son. Right after that is the message that doesn’t get said enough.
“Not to condemn.” Jesus came so that all might be saved - even me.
Even you.
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