Knowing Jesus and Making Him Known

Our church is reading through the Bible in a year.   The children and I read through the old testament during the school year last year, which was arranged over 5 days a week and only during the school months.   This reading is much easier than 5-6 chapters a day allowing more time to hover over The Word.  We read it together during the week and on our own on the weekend.   The weekends, I hover!

Matthew 11 was a weekend read for me to hover over.   First, I never thought about the fact that John did not know who Jesus was.  There were no baby showers, family reunions,  or social media accounts to reacquaint those babies once they became men.   John heard about Jesus just like others.  

 John sent messengers to ask Jesus, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"  

I love this!   I love that he asked and let him know I'm going to keep looking if it's not you.   John KNEW who he was looking for.  

Jesus responded:

"Go and tell John what you hear and see;"   He then listed the following of his actions for John to determine if He was The One:

The blind--------receive sight.

The lame--------walk.

Lepers------------are cleansed.

The deaf...……..hear.  

The dead...……..are raised.

The poor...……..?   get rich?  never go hungry?  have all of their needs met?   are provided for?

While in Haiti, we were constantly faced with people in need, legit needs too.   I know I have read in the Bible that we will always have the poor among us....yes,  you know when someone "wasted" the bottle of perfume in worshipping Jesus.  He said it then, " you will always have the poor among you."  The needs of the poor around me were never ending.  Formula, school fees, medication, clothes, blankets, backpacks, food....  Whatever I did, was never enough.   Everyday someone needed something.  

But Matthew 11:5 says, in evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, that the poor.....

The poor...…..have good news preached to them!

A wave of peace rushed over me as I continue to reflect on our time in Haiti.

 For precious Annette, the need was money for the medication to treat her diabetes.   I tried to teach her a skill but my friend had to rescue us both from a crafting mess...not my gift y'all.    Annette never got the hang of the craft that we hoped would allow her to earn the money she needed for her medication.  It probably didn't work out because diabetes was stealing her eyesight.  We left Haiti with others stepping in to care for her. Annette died earlier this year leaving a one-month-old baby.   I couldn't help wondering if my attempts to share about Jesus with her in broken Creole and with a Creole Jesus Storybook Bible prepared her for her eternity.  Our friend Robenson called to share the news with me after he learned....months later.   I just needed to know if it was enough.   Robenson shared with me about his conversations with Annette and he was sure she is with Jesus.   He was sad for me to lose my friend but excited for her presence with God.  

 Joe, a pretty faced street vendor, comes to mind.   Joe worked a shop for our friend Simon.  I once took a friend who was visiting to his little shack of a shop and he would not negotiate on a piece of metal.   As we were walking away, without the metal piece, Joe came after us.   The veteran street workers interceded him on our behalf knowing that if he got me to come to his shop, he would get all of my guest too.  Friends and family bought goods from Joe via  Facebook  so that we could help him and other street vendors financially.  He knew, along with other street vendors, if they were in trouble with money, they could find me and I would come to their shop or bring someone to their shop to make a purchase to help them out.  I don't have contact with Joe since our move but I see his metal hanging in my friends' homes.  A couple of months ago, a friend shared with us that Joe had placed his faith in Jesus Christ.

I could not rescue Annette from her poverty nor could I make Joe or any other street vendor rich from my visits to their shops with friends and visitors.  But, my words, actions and prayers can do just what Jesus did....preach the good news, just like He did.