By Erin Wiens St. John for prayr.cc (CC BY 2.0)

He said, “Watch out that you don’t get led astray, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he’ and, ‘The time is at hand.’ Therefore don’t follow them. Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. You will be handed over even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. (Luke 21: 8-10; 16)

For we hear of some who walk among you in rebellion [idleness], who don’t work at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they work with quietness and eat their own bread. (2 Thessalonians 3: 11-12)

I love to put myself in other people’s shoes.

When someone else has an opinion that’s different from mine, I try to get inside their head. What’s their logic? What was their upbringing and worldview? What are their fundamental assumptions that make them think the way they do?

Usually, this succeeds in giving me empathy for the person on the other side of the argument. But it can also make me doubt myself.

Of course, to paraphrase Luke 21, I want to follow the right Jesus. I don’t want to get led astray by others or by my own sinfulness.

But when I think I’m following Jesus, and someone says they are following Jesus, what then? How do I strike the balance between humility and conviction?

Sometimes, it makes me want to give up altogether. Forget discernment of God’s will—how will I ever know when I’ve got it right?

The good news is, this text doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The Bible gives us other pointers toward righteousness. Our Epistle text for Sunday, from 2 Thessalonians, points us toward dignified work as one indicator of spiritual maturity.

Idleness, the author admonishes, isn’t the way of Jesus. And, of course, there are many other parts of the Bible that point us toward certain indicators of righteous action.

Then there’s your own discernment and experience of the Holy Spirit.

Still, none of this definitively declares who is following the right Jesus when we and our kingdoms go to war. Sometimes, it’s us. Sometimes, we need others to bring us back onto Jesus’ path. We’re never going to have certainty, at least in this life.

But, as a Christian, Jesus’ exhortation reminds me that I’m still called follow God as best I can.

Jesus knows I’m trapped in my own blinkered, biased brain. He’s given me the Spirit and scripture to help me discern. He knows my intentions, good and bad. And he has promised to forgive me when I am led astray.

And that is enough.

Related Scripture: Luke 21 and 2 Thessalonians 3

Luke 21: 8-19: ⁸ He said, “Watch out that you don’t get led astray, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he†,’ and, ‘The time is at hand.’ Therefore don’t follow them. ⁹  When you hear of wars and disturbances, don’t be terrified, for these things must happen first, but the end won’t come immediately.”¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹  There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places. There will be terrors and great signs from heaven. ¹²  But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name’s sake. ¹³  It will turn out as a testimony for you. ¹⁴  Settle it therefore in your hearts not to meditate beforehand how to answer, ¹⁵  for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to withstand or to contradict. ¹⁶  You will be handed over even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. They will cause some of you to be put to death. ¹⁷  You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake. ¹⁸  And not a hair of your head will perish.¹⁹  “By your endurance you will win your lives. (World English Bible, public domain).

2 Thessalonians 3: 6-13: Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother who walks in rebellion and not after the tradition which they received from us. ⁷ For you know how you ought to imitate us. For we didn’t behave ourselves rebelliously among you, ⁸ neither did we eat bread from anyone’s hand without paying for it, but in labor and travail worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you. ⁹ This was not because we don’t have the right, but to make ourselves an example to you, that you should imitate us. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: “If anyone is not willing to work, don’t let him eat.” ¹¹ For we hear of some who walk among you in rebellion, who don’t work at all, but are busybodies. ¹² Now those who are that way, we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they work with quietness and eat their own bread.¹³ But you, brothers, don’t be weary in doing what is right. (World English Bible, public domain).

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