The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29
And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. Matthew 9:35
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto Him, Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another? Matthew 11:2-3
Dear Fellow Christians, the scriptures quoted above are a stark reminder to us of how fragile our faith can be. We may be so right and enthusiastic about our salvation in Jesus Christ in good times, but how far we can fall when times get tough!
For many years Dar and I have been blessed to serve the Lord in nursing home ministry. In our labors it was not unusual to meet a dear brother or sister in Christ whose heart was burdened because their faith in our Lord Jesus was shaken by the suffering, and deprivation, and loneliness of their circumstances.
John the Baptist had been the one who introduced Jesus to the Jewish world as “the Lamb Who takes away the sin of the world!” If you remember, John had heard the testimony of God the Father when he baptized Jesus: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” see Matthew 3:17. Now, in Matthew 11, he has been imprisoned by Herod and the power of his earlier profession about Jesus Christ was weakened by the disillusionment of his struggles. Like everyone else in Israel in his day, John thought the Messiah was going to fix their plight under the hobnailed boots of Roman rule. But, instead, John heard that Jesus was going about the countryside ministering to the weak and the sick and the poor! John was sure to have thought, “What about me? Why doesn’t the Messiah come and destroy these oppressors and set me free?!!!” O, how John’s suffering had challenged his faith: he must have forgotten the very words of Father God Almighty, “This is My beloved Son!!!”
In every hymn booklet we send out there is a summary of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In every service we conducted in long-term care ministry we sought to encourage unwavering faith in the Lord in all the dear souls that He put before us.
Maybe we do very well in our profession of faith in Christ when we are up and about and we are secure in our circumstances and our relationships are stable and reassuring and our body has not begun to fail us. But how quick our situation can change! This is what has happened to so many who now call an institution of long-term care their home. And rather than cluck our cheeks at their weakness and their doubt, the Lord Jesus calls us to lift them up with an attitude of love and understanding in our testimony and our deeds. If you are still out and about in a world of activity and good health, please do not forget the hurting people the Lord has placed in your life and down the street in the nursing home! Everyone needs Jesus! Everyone is challenged by sin and suffering and temptation! Our weak and sickly and poor family members, and neighbors and nursing home residents are the very type of souls to whom Jesus was ministering when John questioned who He was!
This letter goes out to dear friends who have helped us financially in the past year. We know many of you pray for Dar and I regularly. How we need your prayers! From us and on behalf of the thousands of nursing home residents you have enabled us to minister to through our materials and resources and our website we say: “Thanks so much for your kind support!”
Love to You In Christ,
Jerry and Dar Johnson