"After this The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place he was about to go." (Luke 10:1 NIV)
"After this..." After what? A good place to begin an examination of a passage is to stop and look ahead and behind. In this case if we look behind we see conflict among Jesus' still naive followers. John and another (probably James) had been arguing about which one was the greatest. In the next scene, perhaps in an effort to prove their worth and gain an advantage over the others, John and James volunteer to wipe out an entire village for failing to show what they deemed was a proper level of respect and hospitality. And, of course, they were those redneck Samaritans--most likely the real reason they wanted to burn them out.
There are numerous interpretations for the above verse and the mission it announces.Missionaries (and we all are missionaries) should be good guests. Missionaries should speak the truth in love and not berate folks for not accepting it. Missionaries should leave the success/failure evaluation of the mission to God. But for me, today at least, I can't get past the fact that Jesus sent them out two by two. If they had each gone to a different village Jesus could have double the coverage--perhaps twice the harvest yielded by the mission.
But the people in the surrounding towns weren't the only people Jesus was trying to reach. His followers needed to learn that the mission was God's, not theirs. Given John and James' propensity to make it all about them, the disciples needed a little accountability. By going in twos they could remind each other about Jesus' rebuke for bad attitude toward Samaritans. They also needed to learn to work together. Jesus' band of followers would include fishermen, tax collectors, physicians, religious zealots, and who knows what else. Jesus wanted them to present a sign of the coming kingdom, not reflect the dysfunctional world he came to renew.
When I went to Sudan in in 2009 I remember feeling very intimidated at the first team meeting because I didn't really know any of the other team members My insecurity in a group of unfamiliar people caused me to immediately start forming opinions about them, most of which proved to be way off the mark. (I have since repented of my neurotic judgments.) Though some of us still don't have a lot in common, we learned to love and respect each other through our common bond as followers of Jesus and our shared commitment to the mission.
Are you actively involved with others in Jesus' mission to transform the world? When was the last time any of us did something for Jesus along side someone we hardly know, if at all? Following Jesus is not intended to be an individual endeavor. We need the accountability (a very Wesleyan notion). We also need encouragement and occasional correction. Perhaps we could enrich our Lenten journey by walking a while with someone we don't really know. And don't worry if you're not sure how it will turn out. Just relax and enjoy the walk. God will determine the outcome.
Blessings,
Larry
Monday, February 18, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Is It Worth It?
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62 NIV, biblegateway.com)
Everyone who wants to have children will, at some point, come to this crossroad. It's a meandering thought process that goes something like this. We really want a child, but children are expensive. There will be new, ongoing medical expenses. How much is our deductible? We'll need to equip and decorate a nursery. (Thoughts come faster about here) Food, diapers, clothes,
childcare, school supplies, backpack, more clothes, lunch money, piano lessons, soccer uniform (more medical expenses), dance class, karate (even more medical expenses), money for field trips, more clothes, prom dress/tux, (frantic thoughts impossible to stop) college tuition (accepted to Harvard!? why yes, honey, that's...won...der...[gulp]...ful...), wedding, money to spoil the grand-kids (!!!). Then the inevitable question flies out of our mouth before we can stop it, "Can we afford it?"That is the question that is bubbling under the passage. Compared with what's coming it's been a pony ride so far for Jesus' followers. Miraculous healings, fabulous teaching, and growing crowds are creating an intoxicating buzz of celebrity for the disciples. (See Barney Fife Syndrome) When the man said, "I will follow you wherever you go," Jesus might have been thinking, "Sure, up to this point." But the man couldn't see the jealous religious leaders, the angry crowds, and the cross that were looming just beyond the horizon that was creeping closer and closer.
This is the first of two occasions when Jesus breaks out the calculator and presents the crowd with a subtotal of what it will cost to follow him all the way. What about when the needs of family and friends press? What about when your family and friends start questioning your thinking? Will you still follow when there is no place to sleep, no place to turn? It wasn't that Jesus wasn't concerned about their families. It's just that the kingdom would have to come first. Later he would be even more direct when he says unless you hate your mother and father you can't follow me. It's not likely he would abrogate the Fifth Commandment considering that he wrote it. But, he knows that if they put him and the kingdom first, they will be able to more rightly and fully love family and friends.
But they were just going to have to trust him on this one. The time would come when the resurrection would prove that everything he said about giving all creation, including them, a makeover was true. Any cost incurred along the way would be absorbed into the price Jesus would pay to bring the plan to fruition. Only then would humankind be able to begin to imagine the incalculable love of God for his children.
It's impossible to accurately answer the question of whether we can afford children until we have looked into their squinting, moments-old eyes and see the reflection of God's eternal love shining back. It's impossible to calculate the cost of following Jesus without looking deeply into his eternal love as it is reflected in the cross. But once we do, we realize there truly is no place else to turn, and we're all in.
Blessings.
Larry
Friday, February 15, 2013
Barney Fife Syndrome
52And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53but they did not receive him, because his face was set towards Jerusalem. 54When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ 55But he turned and rebuked them. 56Then they went on to another village. (Luke 9:52-56 NIV)
I realize that an Andy Griffith Show reference is dicey 50-plus years removed from its initial run. But, for the purposes of this post, my hope is that cable TV is making it fresh for subsequent generations. Having said that, I couldn't help but think of Barney and his bullet as I considered the two disciples and their request to napalm a Samaritan village because the residents reacted to Jesus out of hundreds of years of tradition. It's unfortunate that hatred becomes institutionalized in religious and cultural traditions, but it is sadly so. Blood is still being spilled and lives are lived in oppressive fear and limitation because people operate out of a centuries-old sense of authorization to hate certain groups because, doggone it, that's what we do, it's what we've always done.
What's interesting is that Jesus' disciples were responding out of the same sense of religious and cultural authorization, only they were coming from the other side of the barbed wire. Jews and Samaritans hated each other, mostly because each group continued to drag suitcases and steamer trunks full of musty ill-will through each successive generation. The problem is that Jesus had come to pry this destructive baggage out of clinched fists and suggest that hatred doesn't have to be the motivating factor in relationships, either personal or communal. But the disciples apparently had been sleeping the day he preached about loving our enemies and not judging others (Luke 6:27-42). Perhaps they did hear the part about "authority" and shaking the dust off their sandals in unwelcoming villages when Jesus sent them on their first mission trip. But you can't separate the two teachings. Love is the primary principle, the first identifying mark of Jesus follower.
What is really telling about this is the fact that just before they came to the village some disciples had been arguing about who would be the greatest among them. All the attention Jesus was receiving was infecting them with a case of swollen sense of self. John is mentioned explicitly, but Peter and James are placed at the scene only a few verses earlier. I'm thinking that James and John, who are identified in the passage, may have been thinking about their "bullet" and feeling pretty full of themselves. I can just see Barney patting his gun as he goes off on one of his patented rants about how law violators would not be tolerated in Mayberry. James and John may have been thinking about the story in 1 Kings 18 when Elijah intimidated Ahab by calling down fire during a duel with Ahab's prophets. I can also see James and John sticking out their chests and saying, "Hey Jesus, do you want us to go Elijah on them? heheheh."
Now, here's the part we don't want to hear. How many times have we done the same thing? We see people who come from different religious or cultural traditions, feel threatened, start judging, we menacingly pat the Jesus we keep in our pocket, and call for air support from heaven. We take out our bullet and take aim for anyone or anything that threatens our sense of authority. To be sure it's not that we have to simply go along with everyone we meet and overlook things we don't agree with. I don't think Jesus rebuked the disciples because they were hurt that the Samaritan village had rejected them. Jesus was upset that they wanted to retaliate.
We bump into people every day who scare us, confuse us, infuriate us. I think Jesus would like for us to be sure we don't have the same effect on them. We are not authorized to pull a hate bullet out of our pocket and load up with fiery speech and actions. We are authorized to pull a love arrow out of our quivering heart and aim for theirs.
That's what I'm thinking. What about you?
Blessings,
Larry
I realize that an Andy Griffith Show reference is dicey 50-plus years removed from its initial run. But, for the purposes of this post, my hope is that cable TV is making it fresh for subsequent generations. Having said that, I couldn't help but think of Barney and his bullet as I considered the two disciples and their request to napalm a Samaritan village because the residents reacted to Jesus out of hundreds of years of tradition. It's unfortunate that hatred becomes institutionalized in religious and cultural traditions, but it is sadly so. Blood is still being spilled and lives are lived in oppressive fear and limitation because people operate out of a centuries-old sense of authorization to hate certain groups because, doggone it, that's what we do, it's what we've always done.
What's interesting is that Jesus' disciples were responding out of the same sense of religious and cultural authorization, only they were coming from the other side of the barbed wire. Jews and Samaritans hated each other, mostly because each group continued to drag suitcases and steamer trunks full of musty ill-will through each successive generation. The problem is that Jesus had come to pry this destructive baggage out of clinched fists and suggest that hatred doesn't have to be the motivating factor in relationships, either personal or communal. But the disciples apparently had been sleeping the day he preached about loving our enemies and not judging others (Luke 6:27-42). Perhaps they did hear the part about "authority" and shaking the dust off their sandals in unwelcoming villages when Jesus sent them on their first mission trip. But you can't separate the two teachings. Love is the primary principle, the first identifying mark of Jesus follower.
What is really telling about this is the fact that just before they came to the village some disciples had been arguing about who would be the greatest among them. All the attention Jesus was receiving was infecting them with a case of swollen sense of self. John is mentioned explicitly, but Peter and James are placed at the scene only a few verses earlier. I'm thinking that James and John, who are identified in the passage, may have been thinking about their "bullet" and feeling pretty full of themselves. I can just see Barney patting his gun as he goes off on one of his patented rants about how law violators would not be tolerated in Mayberry. James and John may have been thinking about the story in 1 Kings 18 when Elijah intimidated Ahab by calling down fire during a duel with Ahab's prophets. I can also see James and John sticking out their chests and saying, "Hey Jesus, do you want us to go Elijah on them? heheheh."
Now, here's the part we don't want to hear. How many times have we done the same thing? We see people who come from different religious or cultural traditions, feel threatened, start judging, we menacingly pat the Jesus we keep in our pocket, and call for air support from heaven. We take out our bullet and take aim for anyone or anything that threatens our sense of authority. To be sure it's not that we have to simply go along with everyone we meet and overlook things we don't agree with. I don't think Jesus rebuked the disciples because they were hurt that the Samaritan village had rejected them. Jesus was upset that they wanted to retaliate.
We bump into people every day who scare us, confuse us, infuriate us. I think Jesus would like for us to be sure we don't have the same effect on them. We are not authorized to pull a hate bullet out of our pocket and load up with fiery speech and actions. We are authorized to pull a love arrow out of our quivering heart and aim for theirs.
That's what I'm thinking. What about you?
Blessings,
Larry
Thursday, February 14, 2013
High Definition Christians
"As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." (Luke 9:51 NIV)
For me, "resolutely" is the key word in this pivotal (in a literal sense) moment in Luke's account of Jesus' life. The mission to reveal "the Father," implicated in Luke 10:22, had turned a corner. Up to this point Jesus had revealed numerous dimensions of God's character as he passionately preached about kingdom values such as forgiveness and justice, and compassionately healed broken bodies, fractured relationships, and tortured spirits. Now, he resolutely steps out on the last leg of a journey that will end at a cross where the depth of the Father's love will be revealed in a vivid image of sacrifice.
"Resolutely" comes from "resolve" which means, among other things, "to come to a definite or earnest decision..." according to Dictionary.com. Jesus had made an earnest decision to see the mission through to its ultimate conclusion. But consider this. "Resolution" also comes from "resolve" and has interesting implications for our 21st century sensibilities. In this digital age resolution has a new meaning: the amount of detail from an original image that is captured and stored in a copy of the image. If our TVs and smartphones aren't HD, we look the other way because higher resolution means a clearer, more realistic copy of the original image. We demand it.
Jesus came to offer a uniquely perfect, high resolution image of the Father that would be seen in its highest and purest rendering on the cross. While you and I are not called to the type of sacrifice Jesus accepted, perhaps our lives could become higher resolution images of the Father as we follow Jesus daily. Maybe we could resolve to put more pixels in the picture of Jesus that, hopefully, appears when people look at how we live our lives. Could we be bold enough to demand HD from the image of Jesus our lives represent? May we pray daily to offer a world that is often gray and blurry a more colorful, higher resolution image of Jesus' compassionate and unconditional love.
For me, "resolutely" is the key word in this pivotal (in a literal sense) moment in Luke's account of Jesus' life. The mission to reveal "the Father," implicated in Luke 10:22, had turned a corner. Up to this point Jesus had revealed numerous dimensions of God's character as he passionately preached about kingdom values such as forgiveness and justice, and compassionately healed broken bodies, fractured relationships, and tortured spirits. Now, he resolutely steps out on the last leg of a journey that will end at a cross where the depth of the Father's love will be revealed in a vivid image of sacrifice.
"Resolutely" comes from "resolve" which means, among other things, "to come to a definite or earnest decision..." according to Dictionary.com. Jesus had made an earnest decision to see the mission through to its ultimate conclusion. But consider this. "Resolution" also comes from "resolve" and has interesting implications for our 21st century sensibilities. In this digital age resolution has a new meaning: the amount of detail from an original image that is captured and stored in a copy of the image. If our TVs and smartphones aren't HD, we look the other way because higher resolution means a clearer, more realistic copy of the original image. We demand it.
Jesus came to offer a uniquely perfect, high resolution image of the Father that would be seen in its highest and purest rendering on the cross. While you and I are not called to the type of sacrifice Jesus accepted, perhaps our lives could become higher resolution images of the Father as we follow Jesus daily. Maybe we could resolve to put more pixels in the picture of Jesus that, hopefully, appears when people look at how we live our lives. Could we be bold enough to demand HD from the image of Jesus our lives represent? May we pray daily to offer a world that is often gray and blurry a more colorful, higher resolution image of Jesus' compassionate and unconditional love.
Blessings,
Larry
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
First Steps
(Deep breath...okay...I've got this...here we go...)
I have avoided participating in the blogosphere, at least as a blogger, for several reasons. One, I know me. To blog with any consistency requires discipline and some degree of planning, neither of which are necessarily native to my nature. Two, blogging runs the risk of appearing with a blush, if not a downright luminescent paint job, of arrogance. Do my thoughts really merit space on someones server sealed with a permalink? And third, blogging invites criticism and I am fragile to a fault. The idea of tossing up an idea like a sunny yellow balloon only to have cold-hearted cynics with pellet guns trying to bring it down is not appealing.
That said, I'm taking the plunge for a specific reason. I do a daily (well, almost) devotional at breakfast. Eating a bowl of something that looks more like coarse mulch than cereal I peruse some Scripture and try to spend a few minutes thinking about what difference the ancient words might have on my present situation. Rarely does the sun set without some degree of scriptural relevance finding experiential residence somewhere in my day. Sometimes I wonder if other people might make similar connections that could cast a beam of light into a darkened corner.
So here's what I'm thinking. I could toss out a Scripture and an angle for reflection and then anyone who wants to could beam back a reflection that we could all see. Think of it as an informal Bible study at Starbuck's only you can make our own coffee and save $5 and stay in your pajamas.
To get started I thought we would play off our Lenten sermon series "On the Way to the Cross" and take a series of daily "Detours." (clever, right?) We will use Luke's gospel because it has that wonderfully profound moment in Chapter Nine when it says, "...Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." It was the beginning of his last journey to Jerusalem and includes some dramatic detours that hold rich treasures for those willing to stop and check out the scenery.
For easy access I'll post links on Facebook and Twitter that will take you directly to the blog. All you need to do is sign into the blog and you can post your reflections and questions which we'll consider as a group. Of course, you can also just read the blog and comments without posting. It's up to you.
The first post will be tomorrow morning. I hope this will be enriching for all of us as we consider Jesus' love and sacrifice, and all the implications they have for our world.
Blessings,
Larry
I have avoided participating in the blogosphere, at least as a blogger, for several reasons. One, I know me. To blog with any consistency requires discipline and some degree of planning, neither of which are necessarily native to my nature. Two, blogging runs the risk of appearing with a blush, if not a downright luminescent paint job, of arrogance. Do my thoughts really merit space on someones server sealed with a permalink? And third, blogging invites criticism and I am fragile to a fault. The idea of tossing up an idea like a sunny yellow balloon only to have cold-hearted cynics with pellet guns trying to bring it down is not appealing.
That said, I'm taking the plunge for a specific reason. I do a daily (well, almost) devotional at breakfast. Eating a bowl of something that looks more like coarse mulch than cereal I peruse some Scripture and try to spend a few minutes thinking about what difference the ancient words might have on my present situation. Rarely does the sun set without some degree of scriptural relevance finding experiential residence somewhere in my day. Sometimes I wonder if other people might make similar connections that could cast a beam of light into a darkened corner.
So here's what I'm thinking. I could toss out a Scripture and an angle for reflection and then anyone who wants to could beam back a reflection that we could all see. Think of it as an informal Bible study at Starbuck's only you can make our own coffee and save $5 and stay in your pajamas.
To get started I thought we would play off our Lenten sermon series "On the Way to the Cross" and take a series of daily "Detours." (clever, right?) We will use Luke's gospel because it has that wonderfully profound moment in Chapter Nine when it says, "...Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." It was the beginning of his last journey to Jerusalem and includes some dramatic detours that hold rich treasures for those willing to stop and check out the scenery.
For easy access I'll post links on Facebook and Twitter that will take you directly to the blog. All you need to do is sign into the blog and you can post your reflections and questions which we'll consider as a group. Of course, you can also just read the blog and comments without posting. It's up to you.
The first post will be tomorrow morning. I hope this will be enriching for all of us as we consider Jesus' love and sacrifice, and all the implications they have for our world.
Blessings,
Larry
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)