Does Jesus shock you?

Does Jesus shock you in what he says or does? 

That is the question I am asked in my Lenten Devotional, Lent for Everyone by NT Wright. After recounting the story of Jesus answering the question asked of him by John's disciples, "Are you the Coming One, or should we expect someone else?" by healing people of diseases, casting out demons, and giving the blind their sight back. After reading this it would seem natural to be asked this question. What intrigues me is that it does not shock me.

In the passage, Jesus himself, says "And a blessing to the person who isn't shocked by me!" But I wonder if my reason for not being shocked is not what he is referring to. I find myself finding the actions in this passage to be normal for Jesus. I do not find myself blown away by the miraculous signs he is performing. I also acknowledge that the reason I am not shocked is because I have grown up with this. I have grown up in the church, always been told the stories from the Gospel, and even spent years memorizing and studying what Jesus said. With this head knowledge it is natural to not be shocked.

However, if I would apply this question to today, I think I would find a different kind of shock. I would be shocked to see Jesus do miraculous signs in my world, my community, and my family. I am shocked when I witness the good news of the Gospel actually permeate peoples lives. How sad is that? I confess in the Apostle's Creed that "I believe in Jesus Christ..." and all it says about Him. I have this head knowledge of who He is and all that He did, His miracles, death, and resurrection; and yet I find that I am still surprised when it is evident He is interacting with my life. This dissonance of reading about miracles and signs of Jesus and yet when I experience it in the lives of others and myself I find I am in shock.

How many of us are like this? How many of us have read and invested in what the Scriptures have said all of our lives that now we do not find shock in it? How many of us expect Jesus to do these radical things that would have shocked many in His time? And how many of us do not expect Jesus to do these same acts here in our own town, our own community, our own families?

As we read we are not shocked. As we live and experience we are shocked. May we trust Jesus in His goodness and know that we should not be shocked when he shows up in our lives. I would like to echo Wright's prayer when he says, Lord, give me the courage to understand what you really want to do for the world, for my community, and for me. Let us not be shocked, but let us rejoice and join Jesus in bringing His Kingdom here this Lenten season and beyond.