Faith – Leah Wilkes

Jesus was constantly baffling the Pharisees with His seemingly cryptic statements. Even as I’ve been reading the gospels I have found myself thinking “well… of course they didn’t understand that” but the word also says “the pure in heart see God.” It was those who were not obsessed with having to explain everything or didn’t feel the need to defend their choice with intellect that followed Jesus. They purely believed. Their faith, though flawed and shaky, was in the right place, or should I say, person. 

Again and again I see this behavior from Jesus. I mean, telling a man “you must be born again” is pretty tough to understand if you’re hearing it for the first time. That’s Jesus’ character. He leaves us asking questions. He doesn’t explain everything, because what he loves and desires is always and only faith. 

He didn’t come to explain everything, he came to find faith. He never commended people’s intellect or knowledge, he commended their faith. The Pharisees could have pulled their hair out in frustration because that was everything opposite of what they stood for. Theirs was a proud and wordy religion. Theirs was a religion of intellect and law. One could clearly articulate every facet of their beliefs and describe the many deeds done to perfect their holiness. 

But not the followers of Jesus. Theirs was a faith of simplicity and grace. They, a group of flawed, competitive and backward human beings, followed the son of man in pure faith. They were humble enough to ask questions when they didn’t understand, but even when they still couldn’t comprehend it all, they followed, in faith. 

I smirk now as I see Jesus constantly throw wrenches in the religious workings of the Pharisees. His was a chain breaking work, against the grain of law and self-made righteousness. Jesus never asks for anything except faith. Never. And He rarely, if ever, explains Himself. Should we expect any different? When life isn’t spelled out and we just don’t see how it all weaves together, smirk a little, this is His way. Have faith that He will finish the work He has begun. The pure in heart see God, and pure faith is all He asks.