People did not have difficulty believing John the Baptist. He drew great crowds for he preached what they already agreed with: the coming wrath of God. Like the prophets of old, John the Baptist proclaimed that the Messiah was coming to condemn and destroy the unfruitful, cut them off at their roots, and burn them up in the fire of his wrath. But then Jesus came saying hard-to-believe things like: “For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world” (Jn.12.47) and “I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5.32). 

We can hardly believe this Good News. What Jesus says turns most of our religious beliefs upside down, and all that has seemed so obvious to us is challenged by this Hard-to-Believe Gospel. It is hard to square this Good News up with the state of the world in which we live. And it is hard to look at our own lives and actually believe that God is as good as Jesus says he is. Jesus essentially says… You’ve got God all wrong. He is for you not against you. He wants to help you. He wants you to know that with his help, you can get this life right. But it will take his help, and Jesus also says clearly, it will also take my help… “so come to me, and I will refresh you.”

For the Good News is that God will do for you, if you want it, what he did for Jesus at the Jordan River: He will fill you with his Holy Spirit and his goodness will flow into you. The only thing is:  You will have to let it flow out to others. By forgiveness, simple kindness, good works, and by helping those who need help. AMEN.