He Only Wants Our Hearts

 

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” *

At the recommendation of friends and family, Al and I started watching the online video series called, The Chosen, several months ago. We are slowly working our way through the forty-five-minute videos centered around Jesus and His disciples during the three years of Jesus’ ministry.

This multi-season show has stirred up my imagination. It is powerful and moving to see Jesus through the eyes of His disciples, through the relationships that He developed with them and especially through the outpouring of love in their lives.  

Due to the lack of information from the New Testament on the lives of many of Jesus’ followers, some of the episodes are largely hypothetical. However, many of the key events, words and actions of Jesus follow scripture closely.

 His relationships and interactions with those who followed Him seem plausible, although perhaps different from traditional interpretations or my perception of them. There are scenes of His followers camping out on the outskirts of villages, talking around a campfire in the evenings, eating simple meals and meeting people as they traveled—reminiscent of the backpacking trips Al and I used to take in the wilderness!

Jesus chose ordinary people to follow Him. They were real people just like ourselves, people with rough edges, people who often found it difficult to get along with each other. Many were on the fringes of society, and some were outcasts.

 Some responded to His call because they believed that He was the Messiah; others who had spent time under the teaching of John the Baptist followed Him after hearing John testify that Jesus was the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” His miraculous works caused several of the disciples to put their faith in Him.

Then there were the ones who not sure why He had chosen them, finding it difficult to believe that they were loved by God. Doubts and misgivings must have caused them to struggle, just as we sometimes struggle. Perhaps it took time for them to figure out why Jesus called them in the first place.

In an early episode of The Chosen, the life of Mary Magdalene prior to meeting Jesus was portrayed as one of horror and hopelessness. She had been possessed by demons and was on the verge of suicide when Jesus found her.

After being freed from Satan’s control, she became devoted to Jesus, traveling with Him, the twelve and a few other women as He began His ministry. Later however, she ran away and returned to her former life. Mary once again felt overwhelmed by sin and incapable of following Jesus, saying that “it was just too hard.”

When some of the disciples found her and brought her back, Jesus affirmed her with the words, “You don’t have to do anything. God wants your heart… you are forgiven.” Jesus’ response to her desire to change was that it would take a lifetime!

Even though this story is not included in the scripture, I could identify with Mary’s feeling of discouragement. There was a time in my life during college when it seemed like following Jesus was just too hard.

A group of friends from a Christian organization on campus helped me realize that I could never live up to God’s holy standard on my own, but that He had given me the power to follow Him through the Holy Spirit.  What did God require of me? Nothing but my heart!

A wave of relief swept over me when I learned that the Holy Spirit would be my comforter, guide, teacher and helper. He would transform my heart when I surrendered it to Him and would empower me to live the way God was calling me to live. That was a turning point for me.

So, what do we do when we fall short? Confess our sins to Him, humble ourselves and return. He loves us and has chosen us to be His followers.

“I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.” Psalm 86:12 NIV

* 1John 1:9 NIV

** The above picture (Simon Peter on Season 1, Mary Magdalene on Season 2) is taken from the following website: https://www.angel.com/watch/the-chosen  The series can be viewed on this website. There are 3 seasons with about 8 episodes in each season.