Jesus’ Simple Three Step Plan to Overcome Fallbacks
Recently, my sweet Pastor husband and I have been binge watching Gilmore Girls. We get a good chuckle out of how they banter. In the episodes we have been watching, the character of Rory is a senior in High School and preparing to go to college. Though Rory desperately wants to attend Harvard, she wisely applies to other colleges and universities. She’s creating a fallback.
We often create fallbacks. Last summer, my sweet Pastor husband and I made plans to camp at Estes Park and hike Rocky Mountain National Park. Then we calculated how much we would spend on fuel to get there. We chose a fallback; we canceled our Estes Park camp site and made reservations at Crater Lake which is closer to our home.
A Fallback in John 8
In the book of John, chapter 8, we meet a group of Jews who have a fallback. The Pharisees weren’t pleased with what Jesus had been doing, especially on the Sabbath. Neither were they happy with Jesus because of the declarations Jesus made about Himself, His Father, and not being of this world.
The Pharisees confront Jesus in John 8 with the argument that His testimony is invalid because Jesus acts as His own witness. As the discussion continues, Jesus makes a statement about those who choose to be His disciples.
“…If you continues in my word, you really are my disciples. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32 CSB
The Jews who wanted to believe Jesus got stuck on the word free. From their point of view, they hadn’t been enslaved to anyone. They didn’t understand what Jesus was saying. For whatever reason, they felt the need to defend themselves, so they pulled out their fallback. “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone.” (John 8:33)
Christian Fallbacks
We must not criticize that particular group of Jews too harshly. I’ve heard many Christian fallbacks over my years in the church. Believers claim a variety of proofs to corroborate their declaration of being a disciple.
- I tithe.
- I try to read my Bible during the week.
- I went on a mission trip once.
- I serve in the nursery.
- I open my home for a small group Bible Study.
- I invite my neighbors to church on Easter.
- I shoveled the snow off my elderly neighbor’s driveway.
- I signed up to provide dinner to a family in crisis.
At various points on our journey, we all choose a fallback to elevate ourselves. For a variety of reasons, we perceive we must convince ourselves and others we’re not that bad. Consequently, if we aren’t bad, we must be good.
In John 8, the Jews declaring their heritage are counting on the fact that since they are descendants of Abraham, they must be in good with God. After all, they are people of The Promise. They had a sense of entitlement.
The Struggle of a Spiritual Fallback
Fallbacks in our spiritual life are tricky. It’s not that the fallback itself is wrong or sinful. Often what we reference in our fallback are good behaviors or positive choices. The struggle comes when we use the fallback for something other than its intended purpose.
Spiritual fallbacks lead us to protect ourselves. We rationalize our behavior. When we focus on our fallback, we attempt to cover up what we don’t know. We aim to appear as good as someone else, or perhaps even better than. Sometimes, dwelling on our fallback enables us to avoid dealing with conflict or a difficult issue.
We don’t grow in our relationship with God when we create a behavioral pattern of relying on a fallback. We end up protecting the status quo because we settle for an idealized image over reality.
An Antidote to the Fallback
Look again at John 8:31-32. In these two verses Jesus presents an antidote to depending on one’s fallback. The first step Jesus provides is “continue in my word.” Earlier in the chapter Jesus phrased it as “anyone who follows me…” (John 8:12). In other words, Jesus instructs us to do what He says, behave in ways He would choose to behave, and believe the things He teaches.
For many of us the first step feels like a tall order. I find comfort in the second step: accept the title of disciple. A disciple is someone who is learning from another. When we live into the identify of a disciple, we affirm we are in the process of learning and therefore not expected to know everything, nor understand everything that is being taught. We all have a learning curve.
When we adopt the name disciple, we recognize we are the student and not the Rabbi. Jesus is the Rabbi; He is the one teaching knowledge and modeling correct behavior. As students we are free to ask questions, practice new behaviors, fail, and try again. We each learn in a distinctive manner.
The third step Jesus gives is know the truth. Jesus is completely aware we are disciples, His students, who are still learning. Furthermore, Jesus is like any good teacher, He doesn’t want us to forget lesson A, while learning lesson B. Jesus desires for us to apply and practice what He teaches and models for us on a daily basis, as we go about our everyday lives.
Fallbacks and Entitlement
Jesus’ antidote appears simple, but just like the Jews in John 8, we don’t always understand. Sometimes the lessons we learn from Christ don’t seem to match the picture we create in our head of the mature Christian life. And, for each of us, we have moments when we display an attitude of entitlement.
We ask God for a better paying job because we have served Him diligently, tithing even when dollars were tight. We beg God for a better relationship with a spouse, a parent, or child because He loves us, right? We pray for healing, to be heard, to be respected or for relief from pain. And somewhere in our prayer we remind God all the ways we’ve been dedicated to Him, detailing our list of fallbacks.
Jesus’ Attitude vs. Fallback
Philippians 2:5 says, “Adopt the same attitude as that of Jesus Christ.” Jesus’ attitude compelled Him to continually say He only does what the Father tells Him to do. Jesus’ commitment to obey the Father led Him to serve us and offer His life as a sacrifice so our sin would be forgiven.
When we choose our fallback, we are not adopting Jesus’ attitude. We do not approach the Father with humility. We seek what we want instead of seeking His wisdom, forgiveness, and grace like a teachable disciple. We settle for something less than, and we open the door to being enslaved by our own choices and limitations.
Living out the Antidote
Let me remind us all of the truth in John 8:31-32. We are to continue in the words Jesus has said. Words like:
- “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24
- “I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” John 5:30
- “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11
- “…Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” John 11:40
- “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives, Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.” Jon 14:27
We are Christ’s disciples so we must acknowledge we are always learning. We must begin with the premise we don’t know, and God does. He is our truth, and the great I Am.
In all reality, with Jesus, we never need a fallback. Jesus says in John 15:9, “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.” Believing and trusting in God’s love anchors us in His truth. We are then enabled to move from relying on our fallback to resting in full-fledged faith. We are disciples of the Word, and with Him there is true freedom.
Bible Study Photo by Alexis Brown on Unsplash
