A Crutch?
One excuse for ignoring Jesus centers around an opinion that, "He's
a crutch." Over the years I have
heard other men say such things as: “You need a crutch. If Jesus is good for
you, then go ahead.” Or “Jesus is a crutch. I’m okay the way I am.” I would shrug off the comment, sometimes
saying something resembling His awesomeness as a “crutch” if that is what He
would be referred to. It bothered me a
little, until finally during all these years of pondering it in the back of my
mind, I've realized how stupidly asinine such a thought really is. Jesus is not a crutch. He’s not even an awesome crutch. He is NOTHING of the kind. He frees. He does
not hinder. He enhances. He heals.
He makes whole. Everything a
crutch is not, Jesus is.
Crutches take care of the weak and
feeble. It’s a poor second to actually
walking or getting around on your own.
The broken or injured get crutches to help them in their brokenness, but
they are still broken. To parallel Jesus
as a crutch demonstrates an ignorance of just who He is and why He was called
upon this earth. Jesus is the best
solution for life, and not a poor, or even a
best, second.
So, the most ideal crutches remain poor
substitutes. They help the person just
get by until something better comes along, like a healing. Jesus skips the
"just-get-by" stuff. He heals.
"... And he healed every kind of disease and illness." (Matthew 4:23 NLT). Does this sound like a crutch to you? Of
course not.
Crutches come from man-made structures that
require manpower to function. It's all
from man. Jesus on the other hand came from heaven and His power comes from
God. It's all God-centered and
God-created.
One thing stands as a common bond between a
crutch and Jesus. Nobody wants a crutch,
and unfortunately, many don't seem to want Jesus either. Sad testimonies come regularly. However, further review would show many
diametrically opposed aspects. For
instance, scriptures say "And without faith it is impossible to please
God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he
rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6). Crutches can be observed with the earthly
senses of sight and feel. Jesus is in
the supernatural, the realm of faith.
Yet again, another similarity comes to mind.
Crutches at one time were made solely of wood so people could stand
up. Jesus was laid on wood. A cross.
He was nailed to it, and the cross was used for Him to stand up. This happened so that others, like you and
me, could stand free, healed, complete, and whole. Call on Jesus. Not for a handicap help, but for a whole
soul.
by Pastor Rob Stevenson, rob@acts2church.org
