Mike Novotny - You Can't Impress Jesus
In fact, he prefers it that. That you offer him nothing. That you open up your hands and say you need his grace and mercy every day. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm sitting, literally, in the place where Jesus' feet touched. I saw some amazing places. The old city of Jerusalem. In the Garden of Gethsemane. Beautiful Nazareth. At the Mount of Beatitudes. Capernaum, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. And I can't wait to share these video devotions with you.
Do you know what impresses Jesus? Nothing. That's what happened here in Capernaum in the Gospel of Matthew. I'm standing here in the beautiful, archeological dig, the beautiful synagogue from the fourth century behind me. And I'm thinking about a man, a non-Jewish man who approached Jesus. And by the end of the conversation, Jesus was so impressed because the man offered nothing. Listen to this from Matthew, chapter eight. I love that. "Should I come and heal your servant?" Jesus asked. And the guy said, "Jesus, I don't even deserve to have you step inside my home". And Jesus is shocked.
In a world and a culture where people think they deserve so much, this guy knew he didn't deserve anything. So he just asked for mercy. And that's the good news of Jesus, isn't it? You might not have much to offer, you might feel like Jesus shouldn't even come into your heart or your life, and that's okay with Jesus. In fact, he prefers it that way. That you offer you him nothing. That you open up your hands and say you need his grace and mercy every day. He is so impressed and so willing to help.
The man who brought nothing, ended up with a healed servant. And when we bring nothing, and just come to Jesus with open hands to cling to his cross, we get everything. Healing that lasts forever and eternal life with God. That's good news for those who are poor in spirit. And it's a lesson that Jesus taught right here at the city of Capernaum.