We’ve all got them.
You know who it is in your life. The mercurial boss whose mood swings keep the entire office tiptoeing around the land mines. The “friend” whose phone calls you screen because you know the conversation is going to be an hour of drama. The constant critics who leave you feeling like you’ve been nibbled to death by ducks. The impossible-to-please relative, or the antagonist who lurks in the background, waiting for you to mess up.
You’ve got faces in your mind right now, don’t you? Me too.
So did Jesus.
I’ve been spending time in the gospels lately, and it struck me on this read-through how constant the presence of the energy stealers were in Jesus’ life. Matthew, Mark, and Luke call them the scribes and Pharisees. John simply calls them “the Jews”–a reference in John’s gospel to the Jewish religious leaders who opposed Jesus, not the nation as a whole. They’re there, lurking at the edges of almost every story.
When Jesus heals a lame man and pronounces his sins forgiven, they’re there. How dare he say that? Does he think he’s God or something?
They’re there when he sits down to eat with friends. What is he doing eating with those sinners? Doesn’t he know sin is catching?
They nibble at him like ducks. Your disciples don’t fast enough! They’re picking grain on the sabbath! And they didn’t wash their hands before they ate!
They spread lies about him. He casts out demons? He’s obviously got a demon himself!
They set traps for him. Adultery carries the death penalty. If he spares her, he’s breaking the law. If he judges her, we hand him over to Rome. We’ve got him now, boys!
And they finally conspire to put him to death. Raising the dead? We can’t have that. Time for him to go.
Jesus’ energy thieves were a constant presence, yet they never distracted Jesus from his mission. Somehow I don’t see Jesus laying awake at night wondering what stunt the Pharisees were going to pull tomorrow. Or rehearsing conversations in his head for the next time they asked him a ridiculous question.He had strong words for them at times, but he never let them keep him from fulfilling his mission.
How did he stay strong? How did he keep on preaching, keep on healing, knowing they stood in the background looking for ways to accuse him? I’m not sure this is all the answer, but I think these things are part of it.
- Jesus knew his identity. One thing energy thieves have in common is their desire to define you. They throw labels at you. They try to explain how you should react and feel. “Oh, I’m sorry that upset you. You should be less sensitive.” They try to control your thoughts, actions, and beliefs. Jesus rejected the labels others put on him and defined himself as who he truly was. Great Physician. Messiah. Lord of the Sabbath. Bread of Life. Son of God. You, dear friend, are a child of God. You are a new creation–redeemed, transformed, and renewed. Know your identity and walk securely as the citizen of the kingdom God has made you to be. The only label that matters is the name God has already given you: His.
- Jesus accepted the reality of sin. I believe when Jesus set out on his mission he knew that not everyone would follow him. He knew he would face opposition and rejection. He knew that sin prefers darkness instead of light. He knew this, and so he wasn’t surprised when the energy stealers gathered at the periphery of the crowd. I think sometimes it’s the surprise that gets us. We know the reality of sin, but we still expect those around us to act like saints. Employers are supposed to be fair. Friends are supposed to be loyal. Christians are supposed to act like it. When they don’t, we get broadsided and waste energy wondering why sinful people sin. People are going to mistreat us. We can’t change that. But we can choose how we respond.
- Jesus focused on his mission. Jesus knew what he came to do: bring healing to the brokenness of sin. He lavished attention on the wounded. The lepers, the sinners, the prostitutes, the tax collectors–he had all the time in the world for them. But he didn’t waste time or energy trying to fix those who refused to recognize their own sickness. He didn’t shy away from confronting it–but he didn’t chase them down and beg them to like him, either. Sometimes we look at the energy stealers in our lives and try to fix them, as if the right words or right set of circumstances could somehow convince them to change. That’s not our job. Oh, we shouldn’t hesitate to call sin what it is, but it’s the Spirit’s job to convict and transform. What has Jesus called you to do? Focus on that, and let him take care of the detractors.
We can’t escape the energy stealers, but we can refuse to let them steal our joy. We can choose to act as children of light, bringing the light of Jesus into our circumstances and transforming them with the power of the gospel. We can refuse to divert our attention to those who only want to destroy and derail. We can be loving servants, secure in the knowledge of who they are.
Because they can try to steal your energy–but they can never take you out of His hand.