Seeing The Extraordinary In The Ordinary

So the other day I asked Tyler a question that immediately made him nervous. He didn’t want to give me the wrong answer… But I wanted an answer.

The question I asked him was: “When am I at my best?” Tyler’s reply was, “You’re always at your best.” Hahaha thanks, honey, but we both know that ain’t true.

Since Tyler wouldn’t answer that for me, I reflected on that question myself. And I came up with this: I am at my best when I humbly serve. When I’m a humble servant. When I’m not preoccupied or consumed with getting or gaining or doing. It’s when I act like the humble servant who came 2000 years ago and taught us how to live.

We’re going to dive into Luke 4.

So in Luke 4, Jesus is being tempted by the devil. And every time the devil tells Jesus to do something, Jesus answers with Scripture. For 40 days and 40 nights Jesus is tested and tempted. Then at the end of this story, it says, “The Devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity.”

This is so significant. It’s significant because it shows us that the devil will go away if we stand firm. But we also have to know that he will be back, so we can’t let our guard down.

Next it says that Jesus returns to Galilee powerful in the Spirit. This is significant too because Jesus could have returned defeated, upset, tired, and worn out. But Jesus was equipped. He was strong in the Word. He didn’t let the lies of the enemy keep Him from rejoicing in the truth He knew.

Sometimes we can get defeated after we stand firm in the truth. We can feel worn out. Hurt. Abandoned. But we have to be willing to let the Holy Spirit do its work so we can rejoice and be powerful in the Spirit (like Jesus) after the hard things come into our lives.

Next it says that Jesus started teaching. It says all who were watching and listening were surprised at how well he spoke. They said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son, the one we’ve known since he was a youngster?” They questioned Jesus.

Here’s the thing: Some people may question you too. They may look at you and only see your alcoholic mom. Or your father who abandoned you. From the mistake you made. They may only see you through their narrow lens. But Jesus didn’t let their view dictate His identity. Yes, He was the son of Joseph, a carpenter. Yes, these people knew Him at a young age. But He didn’t let that keep him from doing what God called Him to do.

You can’t let those labels or that judgement keep you from stepping into your God-given identity either.

So Jesus heads toward Capernaum, another village, and started teaching again. Again, the crowd was “surprised and impressed - His teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative.”

Here’s the deal: Jesus looked ordinary to the world. He came from two ordinary people. His dad was an ordinary carpenter for crying out loud… nothing fancy. He wasn’t laid in a throne when He was born. He was laid in a manger. He didn’t preach from a castle or Carnegie Hall. He preached from a fishing boat. When He entered into the city, He didn’t ride in on the newest, coolest whip. He rode in on a donkey. He was a humble servant.

He looked like an ordinary guy.

Sadly, some people missed it. They were stuck on His ordinary. How could an ordinary man be the Messiah, the One who was coming to save the lost? How could an ordinary man be the Son of God? They didn’t have the faith to see past what they perceived to be ordinary.

So Jesus, our savior, the Son of God, was crucified with ordinary nails on an ordinary cross next to two ordinary men on an ordinary Friday. But what the people who hurt him, beat him, and crucified him didn’t see coming was the extraordinary moment that happened three days later when He rose again. 

Because you see, three days later when they went to the ordinary tomb Jesus was laid in after he died, they realized that the ordinary stone that was placed in front of this ordinary tomb, was rolled back. Jesus had conquered death.

And on that ordinary Sunday, everything changed. The most extraordinary thing happened. Jesus was there to take the punishment we deserved. The man they mocked and beat and nailed to a cross became a man who died and rose again, the Savior of the world.

It takes faith to see what others can’t see. It takes faith to believe in the extraordinary that lies in the ordinary. It takes faith to believe in the good when your situation seems so bad.

So my question to you is will you have the guts to see the extraordinary in the ordinary? Will you have the faith to see God as moving in your life?

So many of you think, “God’s not working. I don’t see Him. I don’t hear Him. I don’t know Him. It’s not working.” 

If you are looking for God in a huge extraordinary in-your-face moment, that’s typically not how we encounter Him. It’s in the ordinary. It’s in the way the birds chirp. It’s in the way the sun shines. It’s in the colors of the leaves when they change. In the smiles you see from strangers. In how intricately and beautifully we’re woven together as humans. It’s in the whispers. But if you don’t have the faith to believe in the extraordinary even in the most ordinary moments, you may end up like the people who nailed Jesus up on a cross. Missing. The. Point.

It’s not always easy to believe in the extraordinary. To believe in Jesus. Sometimes people make fun of us. Sometimes we have to go against the crowd. Sometimes our situations are so bad that it can make us question if He’s there. But just like Jesus, sometimes we must suffer before we are saved. Saved from our current circumstances, our trials, our hardships.

It may be hard to be a humble servant. To see the extraordinary in the ordinary. To live a Christ-centered life. But whether you live a Christ-centered life or you don’t, there are going to be people who don’t like you. Who want to crucify you and persecute you. On either side. So you might as well pick the extraordinary one. The side that lives for Jesus.

So take it from me… I’ve seen myself at my best. I’ve seen myself at my worst. But when I’m at my best, I’m a humble servant having faith in the extraordinary.

I hope that’s how you choose to live your life too.