Back to Jordan (John 10:40-42) 280307
There was once, I went hiking with some of my student leaders when I was still teaching, and I was training a small group of student leaders. We had our maps and compasses, but we were new to the place, we were venturing into new ground for hiking. And we were lost. We sort of came to a dead end, and we took out our parang knife, trying to make a new path, but we the vegetation ahead of us were simply too thick for us to bash through. We were lost. My students were tired, we rested. We made a calculation, if we continued the direction we were bashing, we will not make it out to civilization in time, and we were not equip to camp overnight in the wild. Therefore, I decided to turn back, and back track to where we first branched out to venture this new track.
In previous section, the Jews wanted to stone Jesus, because He spelled out His mission and identity to them and they could not accept that (v31). They tried to seek and seize Him, but somehow, Jesus managed to elude (v39). Then He went to Jordan, the place where John the Baptist baptizing (v40), and it was also where He was baptized and stayed there. Many came to Jesus because these people believed what John said about Jesus and put their faith in Him (v41,42). I was wondering why? How come it was easier to believe in John who performed no sign (v41) than Jesus who performed so many miracles? Who will you believe?
I also have this kind of struggle. I know I have certain kind of gifting and ability, and I can do a good job if I were given a chance to do it. Now my question is that how do I let other knows that I know? Do I simply tell people I know or let other who knows I know tell other I know? Confusing right? And who will people believe? Will they believe me when I say I know or will they believe other who say they know I know? I don’t know.
Jesus went back to Jordan, a place where He was familiar, a place where there were people who really know Him, and a place where He started off His ministry on earth. I do not know if there is any significant why Jesus went back to Jordan, but I know that He must have been frustrated with people who kept asking about Him and do not want to believe who He was. Sometime we behave like that too. We pray to want to know God’s will, we study the Bible to find our what did the Bible really say about certain issue, or we consult mature Christian to give us godly advise concerning our life; but when the Lord really speaks and gives an answer, we choose not to follow the answer. And we are lost.
When we are lost, we just have to go back to where we first start off. Like Jesus, He may not be lost, but in His total humanity, He must have been frustrated about the Jews, He went back to where He started off His ministry, Jordan. I led my student leaders back to the open track where we first branched off to venture new track and lost, and we completed our hike before nightfall. When you are lost, you may want to go to the place where you first walked away from the right path. You can back track to the place where you first started. I do not know if you can find your first love there, but I am sure that the place where we first started can help us to get ourselves re-orientated, so that we know where we should be going again there.
Where is your Jordan? Let’s go back to Jordan if you are lost.
