Good News Does Not Always Look Like It

Luke 3:18-20 So, with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done, added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.

American media and marketing has led us to expect that life should be comfortable and fun all the time. Just watch any TV ad. If your life lacks anything other than pure pleasure and ease you MUST buy that product, visit that destination, or eat that food and then you will have life the way it is meant to be lived.

This idea of the “good life” and the “American dream” has infected our Christianity. Sadly, we have exported it around the world. Nigeria has many megachurches built on the prosperity gospel that says, “God want you to be rich and worldly successful.” I wonder what John the Baptist would say.

John “preached good news to the people.” Thousands responded to the message. He even got to baptize Jesus in direct fulfillment of the prophecy he gave. He was faithful. He successfully completed his mission. Yet, look how this episode ends: His faithfulness and success did not lead to wealth and comfort. Instead it led to prison and beheading.

Serving Jesus does not inevitably lead to prison and beheading. Millions of Christians have discovered God’s blessings flow in very tangible ways when we are faithfully obedient to him. Yet, we must not put our hope in the comforts of this life as if it is our divine right. The good news is about much more than that. I love the Laura Story song “Blessings” that drives this sentiment home:

What if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home