Being Alone

There have been many times that I have had people tell me that they feel very alone as a Christian. The complaint is that coming to Christ alienates a person from friends and family, and can hinder other relationships as well. This is all true. Believing in Jesus means automatic enmity with the world. But for a new(er) Christian those things are extremely important; it is difficult to disciple people through those situations.

Obviously, the Body of Christ needs to step up and become involved in the lives of people who are struggling with these kinds of losses. We must also realize, though, that even Jesus experienced these same things. In John 6, Jesus miraculously feeds the 5,000. It is an incredible event that demonstrates Jesus' deity to His disciples and the people who ate from the five loaves and two fishes. You would think that this would be the perfect time to celebrate and to stand in awe of Jesus.

Not quite. The people miss the spiritual message and want to make Jesus their political king. Notice what happens next: "Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by Himself." Even as the Savior of the people Jesus was alone (notice that I did not say "lonely"). The people didn't get the message, which is in essence a rejection of Jesus Himself. When we come to Jesus, there will be others who don't get the message which often results in alienation. Take courage, my friends. Jesus experienced the same thing, and yet He still died for you. And when people reject you, they are not rejecting you, but the One who bought you.