Did Jesus love Saul of Tarsus for trying to hinder him like this on his way to Damascus? Or should Jesus have said, Don’t try to hinder him. If he wants to go the wrong way, we’ll find someone to take his place. Goodbye, Saul. Is that what Jesus said?
If someone tried to save your life, wouldn’t you be thankful? Jesus met Saul and asked him this question, and told him he was ruining his life by kicking against the stick. But it wasn’t Jesus who was making his way “hard.” Jesus simply told him that the way he had chosen to go was already the “hard” way, not the easy way. That was that!
The Holy Spirit was convincing Saul deep in his heart that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah, the Savior. But Saul didn’t want to believe the truth. He was fighting the Holy Spirit. While trying to sleep at night, he must have been having nightmares, and would wake up in fear. Then he would choose again to go on in the way he had chosen, and “persecute Jesus.” But deep in his heart he was constantly fighting against the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and he learned how that’s the hardest thing any one can do.
Jesus doesn’t say, I will give you a hard time. No; those who refuse to come to Him are the ones who have a hard time; they have made their way hard.
What He says is true! In the long run, it’s easier to be saved in God’s kingdom, than it is to be lost. But many people have tried to twist what Jesus said backwards. They say it is hard to follow Jesus and it is easy to follow Satan. They think the path to heaven is hard, uphill all the way with all kinds of rocks and setbacks in the way. They think God has made it hard to be saved, that the path that goes downhill is the easy one. They think God just stands back and lets us keep on going the wrong way—which really means that He doesn’t care if we’re saved or lost. But He does care!
The path that goes downhill, the way the world follows, is the hard way because there are all kinds of things along the way to warn us, “Don’t go on!” The Lord loves us so much that He has put those things in the path that leads to hell.
And all along the way that leads to heaven, the Lord has put nice rest places for us, refreshing water of life, delicious fresh bread of life to feed us. Even the sacrifices we are called to make for Jesus become easy when we realize that Jesus is yoked up with us. He says, “Take My yoke and put it on you, and learn from Me, ... and you will find rest” (Matthew 11:29). Whatever sacrifices we think we make in order to follow Jesus are “easy” when we remember what He sacrificed for us!
Someone who was wise has said that if we don’t resist Jesus as we go along through life, He will lead us all the way into His everlasting kingdom. This reminds us of how much He loves us!