every knee, really?

“at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:10-11

Early in my ministry with Young Life, a high school girl come up to me at our weekly club to tell me something, to “tattle-tail” in a sense. She had heard something at a local youth group and was truly appalled. She wanted me to be as frustrated as she was. What she heard one of the leaders say was, “one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.”

She said it in a huff, adding, “I can’t believe he said that. And he said it would happen no matter what because it’s in the Bible.” She was mad at the assumed arrogance of the Youth Group leader. She wanted me to be upset as well.

Well, of course her anger at the leader was misdirected. Take that up with God! It’s God saying, and meaning, that bold statement in His word!

There was not much I could say other than, “that’s what the Bible says in Philippians 2. Yes, one day, it will happen.” The details are fuzzy, but I remember she simply continued to be mystified and annoyed.

I’ve thought about that instance many times over the years for several reasons:

1. I want to be as bold as that youth group leader was… bold and confident standing on God’s Word, not my own. I want to care more about sharing God’s Word than about saying what people want to hear.

2. What kind of ministry was I leading at the time that she thought I would be “on her side?” On one hand I was approachable about her frustrations, but on the other hand, had she not heard me speak that confidently about the Word?

3. And, yes, every knee bowing to Jesus will happen, but more importantly, it will happen because of the many times Jesus bowed his own knees for us- to heal the blind and the lame, to save a woman from death, to serve by the washing of feet, to pray in a garden for God’s will and not his own, to be arrested and beaten, to stumble while carrying his own cross like a criminal, to die and be forsaken.

Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess because Jesus Christ is Lord. And He lovingly and patiently waits for us to see that truth.

My hope is that I will be bold when it comes to God’s Word and gentle when it comes to helping friends understand it. My prayer is that I will bend my knees as Jesus did- to pray, to serve, to give my life away, knowing that, in love, He first set the example for me.