In 2001, Heath Ledger starred in one of the year’s most popular movies, A Knight’s Tale. After his master dies, a peasant squire, fueled by his desire for food and glory, creates a new identity for himself as a knight. My favorite quote from the movie comes from the book of Daniel. It’s …
Weighed and Found Wanting.
“You have been weighed, you have been measured and you have been found wanting.”
In other words … you’re not who you thought you were. Tried by fire, your behavior discredited your beliefs.
In A Knight’s Tale, it was an arrogant prince whose beliefs in his own jousting abilities did not line up with his behavior. For me, it’s been a variety of beliefs that, once weighed, were found wanting. For example, I thought I could still run a six-minute mile. Or, more serious, the countless times my perceived priorities (God, others, self) were betrayed by my behavior.
Does this explain the gravity of Matthew 7:21-23 where many believers are turned away? Talk about the group you don’t want to be a part of. These people believed, but were weighed and found wanting—eternally. Why?
They thought they were supposed to believe in Jesus. Believing in Jesus is great, but it’s not what they were invited to do. He invited them to follow Him.
Follow Me
It doesn’t take a degree in theology to figure out what following Jesus might look like. It’s probably similar to following anyone else. Think about it. What would it look like to follow President Obama or Peyton Manning today? How long would it take to learn their passions and priorities? In a day, let alone a week, we could see whether or not we wanted to continue following or do our own thing. This is important.
The reason Jesus invited us to follow Him has been clearly stated: “I came that you might have life and have it abundantly.” —John 10:10
