I want to tell you about the insanity of Jesus.
You may ask, “What kind of statement is that, Brother Jesse?”
Well, what you’ve got to realize is that many non-Christians believe that Jesus was insane. It’s true. Look at Jesus’ mamma even. She thought He was nuts. His brothers thought that too. Even His own staff thought so.
Was Jesus insane? Well, they thought He was. They thought He was completely crazy.
Once Jesus asked, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?”
Peter heard that and said, “My Lord, He doesn’t even know His mamma anymore. Things are getting bad, Jack. There’s no telling what’s going to happen now.” And His staff began to doubt Him.
Jesus was making people mad because He was healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out devils and breaking the bondage of religion. He was setting people free by the power that operated in His life. Why was that considered insanity? That was nothing more than the will of God. Yet people still thought Jesus was crazy.
Can’t you just see His disciples huddled together? Peter’s telling Matthew, “He’s getting worse.”
Jesus preached to the common people, but one day the Greeks came to see Him. We’re talking about the Greeks here, you understand? We’re talking Cadillac and Continental donkeys, Rolls Royce mules. They came to see the Man.
You could just see the disciples saying, “We’re gonna eat out tonight, Jack, glory to God! Hallelujah! We’re going to have us an offering tonight! We got the Greeks. Glory to God, the Greeks! These are not the Galilaeans. These are the Greeks!”
The Greeks walked up to Philip and Andrew and said, “We would see Jesus!” (John 12:21.). And the disciples thought, Praise God! Wow! We got these boys on our side!
The disciples said, “Well, just a minute; we’ll go talk to Him.” So Philip said, “Jesus? Jesus! Jesus, come here. Come on.”
And Jesus said, “What, Philip?”
“Listen,” Philip said, “You’re going to love – you’re gonna lo-ove this. There are some Greeks out there! The Greeks, Jesus! The intellectuals, the Ph.Ds. And they said, ‘We would see Jesus.’ Do You want to see them, Jesus?”
Jesus looked at him and said, “Hmmm. It’s time for the Son of man to be glorified. If a corn of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it will abide by itself; but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit!” (John 12:24.).
Say, what? Philip must have been thinking, Corn? I can just imagine what went through Philip’s mind. He’s thinking, Jesus is going nuts. Jesus said, “Ah, corn, wheat, die, abide.” What’s He talking about?
So Philip went back to Andrew, and Andrew said, “Well, what’d He say? What’d He say? What’d He say?”
Philip tried to explain it to him. “He said – well, He said something about corn, wheat and dying. I don’t know what He said!” Philip couldn’t even repeat the thing, man. It was too confusing. Philip told Andrew, “It’s one of those days. He’s beside Himself again.”
Andrew said, “Philip, you didn’t explain it to Him right. These are the Greeks, man! The Greeks, you understand! The Greeks! Go over there and ask Him again.”
So Philip goes back to Jesus and says, “Jesus, let me say this a little more slowly. The Greeks are outside. The Greeks, the Ph.Ds. You know, they could bless the ministry. We won’t have to sleep on a hill tonight. We could sleep at the Marriott if You’d just talk to them. You understand? I don’t mind sleeping on the grass, but a bed would be nice once in a while. And, Jesus, they said, ‘We would see Jesus.’ So, whatcha think?”
Jesus looks at Philip and says, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24 RSV).
“Ehhh, ehhh, ehhh. Hehhhh. Ohhhhhhh,” Philip says. “I see.”
Philip had to go back to the Greeks and say, “Uh, fellas, yeah. He ain’t seeing nobody today at all. He wants to fast and pray.”
Jesus was insane according to the world, but He was in right fellowship according to God. Everyone else just had to get the right perspective on things in order to understand Him. Jesus was talking to a bigger group than just the Greeks. His words were going out to the whole world! He was speaking truth that could set people free!
What did He mean when He said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain”? He was talking about His death, burial, resurrection and ascension. Philip was the one who was nuts! Philip couldn’t figure out a thing because He thought Jesus was off His rocker.
And how many times has God told you to do something that made you think He was nuts? Maybe you decided you were going to give someone $20, but God said to give $100. You thought, That’s crazy! I can’t give $100! so you say, “But, God, that’s a $100, and he doesn’t even deserve it!” But God is simply trying to get you blessed. God sees the harvest your $100 will bring you.
God may tell you things that won’t make sense right at the moment – things that even sound crazy at the time. But if God’s really in it, it will make a whole lot of sense later. Remember, God can see the past, present and future. He knows what one little act of obedience can do for you or for someone else. He knows how much you will be blessed.
Sometimes it may seem crazy to believe what God tells you. But it’s not – ultimately it’s a blessing!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Jesse Duplantis, minister of the Gospel, motivational speaker, television personality, and best-selling author, has been in full-time ministry since 1976 and is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries, located in the Greater New Orleans area of south Louisiana in the United States of America. With over four decades of sharing his unique blend of humor and faith around the world, generations of believers have been inspired by his messages and countless numbers have come to know Jesus Christ as Savior through his ministry.
Known for his unflinching, status-quo-breaking messages and humorous take on experiences in the life of the believer, Jesse continues to draw large audiences of believers through social media, television, and meetings held around the world. With speaking engagements booked years in advance, Jesse Duplantis continues to keep an intense traveling schedule, flying throughout the United States and the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With no booking agents pursuing meetings for him and no set fees imposed upon churches for speaking engagements, Jesse chooses his outreach meetings based on the same two criteria he always has: invitations that come in and prayer over each one. This uncommon way of scheduling in today’s world means Jesse’s many followers may find him speaking in some of the largest churches and venues in America and the world, as well as a great many small and growing congregations, too. No church is too big or small for the Holy Spirit, as he says.
Side by side with his wife Cathy Duplantis, the co-founder and chief of staff of Jesse Duplantis Ministries and the senior pastor of Covenant Church in Destrehan, Louisiana, Jesse continues to fulfill his life’s calling by daily taking up the Great Commission of Jesus Christ: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Through social media, television broadcasts, books, and other ministry products, as well as through many evangelistic meetings, the JDM website, the JDM app, and Voice of the Covenant magazine, Jesse Duplantis continues to see growth in his ministry and expand each year while maintaining his roots. Jesus is the center of his life. The salvation of lost people and the growth of believers is the purpose of his ministry. And for both he and his wife, every day is another day to “Reach People and Change Lives, One Soul at a Time.”