It's a Wonderful Life

Watching It's a Wonderful Life is one of my favorite Christmas traditions! If I am not already in the Christmas spirit (which usually hits me around October), that movie instantly fills my heart with warmth. If you have never seen it, you are missing out on the best Christmas Movie ever! As the movie takes us through George Bailey's life, we see that he has it pretty good. He has a loving wife, beautiful children, a charming home, genuine friends, and a generous business. But, at the end of the movie, George begins to focus on the disappointments, not the opportunities, the stresses instead of the blessings, and his "wants" without his "haves". When George's business goes bankrupt, he cracks. He thinks about his dreams that never came true and the life he never had. 

Viewing life through a lens of what we do not have, blinds us from all that we do have.

In Matthew 16, the disciples' minds are on earthly things. While traveling with Jesus, they realized they forgot to bring the bread! When Jesus asks them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees”, the disciples think Jesus is talking about actual leaven. They panic, "We brought no bread." The disciples' concern over food reflects their ignorance, unbelief and forgetfulness.

1. The disciples were ignorant of Jesus' spiritual lesson. Jesus was not talking about actual leaven. Leaven symbolizes sin and corruption. Jesus was warning the disciples of the Pharisee's deceitful teachings. As rotten leaven ruins the whole lump of doe, so does false teaching corrupt an entire group of people. But because the disciples' minds were on physicals things, they miss out on Jesus' spiritual lesson. Jesus often uses the physical to illustrate the spiritual.

We fall prey to the worries of this world. Stresses, disappointments, and losses distract us from what is most important. While we are busy worrying about the temporary, God is calling our name. While our minds are wrapped up in tomorrow's worries, he is revealing Himself to us today. While we are trying to solve our problems, God is teaching us important lessons through our problems. "Do you not understand" (v. 11)? He wants to make us more like Jesus. If our minds are focused on the things of God, we can quickly identify and understand what God is teaching us. 

  Do you not yet perceive? ..... How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:11

2. The disciples were unbelieving of Jesus' ability to provide. Here they are worrying over food when the Bread of Life is standing right next to them! For a moment, they forget who Jesus is. In the verses that follow this account, Jesus asks the disciples, "Who do you say I am?". The world underestimates Jesus. Society's opinions of Jesus fluctuates and never settles on the truth. Thankfully, this time, the disciples completely grasp Jesus' identity. Simon Peter answers Jesus' question spot on, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” How the disciples view Jesus affects how they live. By firmly believing who Jesus is, they can fully trust Him with every detail of their life, lunch included. 

O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Matthew 16:8

Who do you say Jesus is? We answer this question every day by what we believe, think, feel, and do. If we really believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He is strong enough to defeat sin and death, we respond to even the smallest of set backs with assurance and peace. God works in spite of our small faith, but when we trust God more, He is free to work more often and more powerfully in our lives. The stronger our faith, the more God uses us for His kingdom!

3. The disciples were forgetful of Jesus' past blessings. How quickly the disciples forgot about Jesus' abundant provision and, instead, reverted to stress and worry. It had not been long since Jesus miraculously provided the disciples (plus thousands more) with an abundance of food. Not only did Jesus multiply bread from just one loaf, but He reminds the disciples that, after the multitude ate, there were baskets of bread leftover! 

Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Matthew 16:9

Do you not remember? God has asks us this question over and over. Like the disciples, we do not allow God's past acts of grace to dictate how we respond to our present circumstances. If we forget God's faithfulness and lessons in past problems, we will probably repeat the same sinful response to similar problems in the future. When we recall God's previous powerful acts that built up our faith, our faith is stronger for the next trial we face. 

Our memories are naturally like an hour-glass, no sooner filled with good instructions and experiments than running out again. It must be our prayer to God that he would put his finger upon the hole, and so make our memories like the pot of mana, preserving holy truths in the ark of the soul. Trapp 

Remember the last scene of It's a Wonderful Life? Despite George's discouragement and ungratefulness, his wife eagerly gathers every friend and family member to offer money to save George's failing business.  Friends and family all cram in to George's house laughing, giving, and congratulating. In the moment, I do not think George was thinking "Phew, my business is still alive! That's one problem I can check off. Now on to the next...Maybe now I can finally get out of this town and fulfill my long lost dreams!" No, I do not think George was dwelling on his tangible possessions. His heart was so filled with joy over his blessings, there was no room left for fear or regret. Instead, he was thinking about all the priceless things he had: joy, friendship, love, and contentment. George finally realizes he is the richest man in town....rich with company who will drop everything to help a friend in need.

We have all we need in Jesus. Listen for His call, trust in His power, and recall all His works. When we look at our wonderful life, we can say with all joy and gratitude, "all this and Jesus too?" 

When we fill our minds with who God is and what He has done, there is little room for worldly concerns. 

☎︎

The Girl Next Door