There is a fine line between remembering the birth of the Messiah and revering the Messiah. Between acknowledging Christ and worshipping Christ. Each Christmas we are reminded of the birth of Jesus and our imaginations perceive the nativity scene and the angels bringing the “good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:10). Many people become caught up in the festivities of the season before the fervor subsides and Jesus once again becomes a distant memory until next year.
Similarly, there is a fine line in believing in Jesus and following Him. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.’” (Matthew 16:24). Believing means so much more that intellectual assent. The Greek word translated as belief is the word pisteuo, which implies trust, loyalty and commitment; a deep conviction that compels action.
Authentic faith in Jesus brings about the regeneration of one’s spirit that results in a genuine desire to serve Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 teaches that “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.” And the result is good works. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul writes, “For we are God’s handiwork, created to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. There is a fine line between having an impotent faith and a saving faith.
WE ARE LED TO SERVE
When we are led to serve, we encounter many fine lines in the course of doing the will of our Father in heaven (Matthew 7:21). When we visit someone prison, we can appreciate that there is a fine line that they have crossed that separates them from our position and we could have just as easily been convicted of the times we messed up if we had been caught.
When we visit someone in a hospital bed that may have suffered an accident or been stricken with a debilitating-disease we come to terms with the fact that we ourselves have had close calls that could have placed us in their position. There is a fine line between being able and being disabled.
When we visit someone in long term care and realize that those with dementia were once clear headed and intellectually capable, we peer into a mirror with the recognition that someday we could be in their spot. There is a fine line between cognizance and obliviousness.
When we see a homeless person and learn they were once a hard-working father or husband until their circumstances suddenly met with catastrophe, we can easily imagine ourselves being destitute and living on the street. There is a fine line between material affluence and financial ruin. Many people live from paycheck to paycheck.
When we read about the innocent victims of war and violence, we can imagine our own society and how we often take our safety for granted. These days there is a fine line between living in a quiet neighborhood and acts of terrorism and violent crime.
WE OPENLY WORSHIP CHRIST
While we openly worship Christ in a land where we often take our personal rights and freedoms for granted, Christians are being persecuted in unimaginable ways in other countries. As our society bends to the agendas of inclusivity and acceptance, our freedom to spread the good news of the gospel in public spaces is becoming increasingly threatened. There is a fine line between the land of opportunity and the land of oppression.
Empathy compels us to transcend these fine lines and position ourselves in direct contact with the work of the Holy Spirit who provokes us to engage with those less fortunate. It is an attribute that was modeled by Jesus as He walked the roads of Judea and is characteristic of those who truly follow Him. He washed the feet of the disciples. It is a template for us to imitate.
And when we really examine ourselves, we perceive that there is really only a fine line that separates us from Barabbas, who was guilty of murder and walked free in exchange for Jesus, who was crucified in his place…. in our place. Jesus was crucified for our sins in the very same act of atonement that saw him take the place of Barabbas on the cross.
There is also a fine line between the loyalty of Judas Iscariot to the Messiah and his betrayal of Jesus of Nazareth. He had a deep desire to follow Christ yet he was weak enough to be persuaded to follow money. Each of us are susceptible to being like Judas. Each of us desire to follow Jesus but we are weak when we face the reality of setting aside our life for Him. We want to be associated with Jesus, we sympathize with Jesus, however, we quickly place him in a closet when we allow our personal aspirations and ambitions to dominate our mindset.
TRANSCENDING THE FINE LINES
Isaiah 53:4-6 captures the essence of transcending the fine lines between innocence and guilt. “Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”
This is more than symbolism; it is raw redemption in its purest form. This is Jesus changing places with us. Trading positions with the inmate, the sick person in the hospital bed, the widow in long term care, the homeless man in the cold – through us. Our acts of kindness bring the love of Christ to those less fortunate.
Jesus provides restitution for all of our sins, great and small. All we have to do is truly believe. And when we do, we reciprocate in faith by serving Him in ways many overlook. While the majority are busy pursuing self-fulfillment on the wide road, the few are quietly navigating the narrow path of servitude.
There is a fine line between the sheep and the goats. So fine that many don’t even realize it is there. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus illustrates that despite an almost indistinguishable difference in faith, some are saved through faith while others are not.
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the Goats on His left.
Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’
Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’
Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.
They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Many who profess to be Christians today say they believe in Jesus but they do not believe Jesus. Many people who adore the sweet face in the manger despise the bloody face on the cross. So many see salvation as a pardon from punishment but fail to recognize the kingdom of God in our very midst. There is a fine line between the kingdoms of God and of this world, between heaven and hell. And the Lord Himself transcends these lines.
