Jesus... Withdrew?

Modern Bibles are usually printed with each writing divided into smaller sections, usually with a title to help in finding particular passages by flipping through the general area where they are found. These divisions can be helpful, but it is important to realize that context is often really, really important. When reading a particular portion of scripture, it is useful to look a little before and after that portion to see better where it fits into the whole.

Matthew 14:13 starts one of these sections in this way: "When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place." From there, the story goes on to explain that the crowds found out where he was and went looking for him, seeking help. They became tired from traveling and had little to eat. This led to Jesus miraculously feeding over five thousand people with just a few small pieces of food. Great story.

But don't slip too easily past that first sentence: "When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place."

What is it that had happened? John the Baptist had been beheaded. His head was even delivered to a royal event on a plate. This is the same John who had been born to announce the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. This is the one who had humbly said of Jesus "He must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:30).

There is plenty of other excellent, meaty stuff in here. But today I am imagining Jesus withdrawing from the crowds for a bit. He was divine, yes, but also human. He grieved the loss of one he loved. At such a time, he took the time to step away for a period of time from the many demands of his life. He honored his humanity by living within its confines of weariness and grief and all that. And then he returned, restored.

What about us? It is easy sometimes to see an exceedingly long to-do list and just try to keep working hard to tackle each of those tasks. Sometimes it feels like being pecked to death by ducks. But in times like that, God calls us to withdraw for a period of time, to seek Him and discover again who He is and who we are invited to be in Him. God, knowing our humanity and understanding our limitations, invites us into His presence to be restored before returning to the demands of life. Every day, what a gift!

The Power of an Iota

An iota is a tiny little bit. I learned the word "iota" in Mrs. Brummel's 4th grade class, many years ago. I liked it instantly. I liked the way it is spelled, the way it sounded, the way it looked on paper. And, probably more than anything, I liked the way its spelling and pronunciation and presentation all fit together in my mind in such a way that it somehow represented its definition.

What I did not learn in the 4th grade is that iota is also the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet, corresponding more or less to the letter "i" in English. It is written as just a little line, the smallest letter of the alphabet. Matthew 5:18 speaks of the iota: "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will be any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." That is why we use the word iota, in the English language, even today.

Matthew 13:31-33 brings me back to that picture in my head of iota:

"He told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.' He told them still another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

Like an iota, a mustard seed is a tiny little bit, about the size of the dot on an "i" typed on the spine of a small book here on my desk. It looks incredibly insignificant. Yet this tiny little seed has within it the potential to develop a big tree which creates habitat and shade, and produces many more seeds for many more trees. Similarly, just a little bit of yeast in a big ball of dough brings about great growth throughout, transforming the whole loaf.

Imagine introducing into our world just a little bit more -- an iota -- of the perfect life and relationships God intends for us to experience. Think about how you have seen even just an iota of that kind of life -- a genuine smile, a well-timed phone call, a gentle response to anger, help with a difficult task -- make a difference in your own experiences. Think your iota of love won't make a difference? Think again. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, the iota of the seeds, which by the power of God multiplies in amazing ways!

Blessed, Blessing

God told Jacob, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring...." (Genesis 28:13-14). This is not the first place we read such words. God had promised Abram back in Genesis 12:2-3, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Do you see the blessings here? Yes, God promises offspring to these two men. But much of the blessing He proclaims is that they will bless others. As I read this, I think of how Pastor Sheryl pointed us today to Psalm 145:19. "The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." At the end of the day, would it surprise you to know that you were used of God to shower His mercy and goodness on someone? That is His plan; that is our blessing!

The Big Idea

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105).

My teen years were when I really started to read the Bible for myself and to start wrestling with what to do with it. In our youth group, proof texting (that is, pulling something out of context to make it seem like it means something in particular, even if it was not written with that meaning) was common. Sometimes it was done ignorantly; sometimes it was done out of selfishness. For some, it was almost like a hobby.

I finished up the first half of a class last week: "Tracing the Story of God in the Bible." Our goal is to look at the whole Bible with a big-picture perspective, developing a strong overview understanding. From this, we are able to see more clearly who God is. Many people are familiar with quite a few stories in the Bible (e.g., Adam and Eve, Noah and the Ark, God's promises to Abraham, etc.), but don't really see how they fit together. Similarly, how does the story of Jesus lead to the formation of the Church, and how does that tie to the various letters in the Bible? It has been a delight many times during the class to see, sometimes for the first time, incredible relationships between writings separated by hundreds of pages, even by thousands of years. It has been a joy to spend this time getting to know God better, to see Him more clearly through a broader, deeper understanding of scripture.

By the way, if you've ever read Matthew 5:38-42 and wondered about Jesus' teaching about getting slapped and getting sued and getting forced to walk a mile, I'd recommend checking out this talk by John Ortberg. Jesus' teaching here was an incredible statement within the culture and structure in which he was teaching. "Now you, as an agent of the Kingdom, can look for a strong, creative way to refuse to participate in mutual ongoing hostility." Fascinating!

Tyranny of the Urgent

I read a book yesterday, entitled Tyranny of the Urgent, by Charles E. Hummel. This morning I noticed that the one I read is apparently the "revised and expanded version." Amusing, since the book is 3.5" x 5", and only 32 pages long, including the usual blank and title-related pages at the beginning and end. It makes me wonder what the original un-expanded version looked like. And isn't 32 pages a nice, small size for someone who wants to read a book with that title? At any rate, the ten minutes it took to read it were worthwhile.

Consider this, from page six.... John 17 records that on the night before Jesus died, he prayed to his Father, "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." Hummel writes, "We wonder how Jesus could have talked about a completed work. His three-year ministry seemed all too short. A prostitute at Simon's banquet had found forgiveness and a new life, but many other still plied their trade. For every ten withered muscles that had flexed into health, a hundred remained impotent. The blind, maimed and diseased abounded throughout the land. Yet on that last night, with many urgent human needs unmet and useful tasks undone, the Lord had peace. He knew that he had completed the work God had given him."

There was a day recently when I had a to-do list as long as my arm, so I woke very early and headed into town so I could get plenty done before anything else had opportunity to wedge its way into my schedule. I made a brief stop along the way, and it stretched into an hour during which I accomplished absolutely nothing on my to-do list. As I left there and got into my car, I thought about how much I could have gotten done during that hour, but just briefly, because what I'd stopped to do was so much more important than what I'd stopped doing. While I wished my to-do list had somehow become shorter, I had no regrets.

"If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36). This is scripture, and true, right? But "many of us have experienced Christ's deliverance from the penalty and power of sin in our lives. Are we also letting him free us from the tyranny of the urgent?" (Hummel). I want to live in tune with God's plan and calling for my life. That is what captures my heart today.

Rest

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

As I've been reading through the lectionary, I've noticed that the designated passages are often short, and focus on the particularly core parts. At the same time, though, context is pretty important. I've tried to make sure I look around the lectionary passages, and not just read the verses given.

Yesterday's readings -- access them here -- include Matthew 11:25-30. I've heard Matthew 11:28-30 quoted a number of times, another of those comforting promises from an infinitely powerful God who chooses to love and care for us. And it is! But I also see it in light of the beginning of the chapter: "When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'" (Matthew 11:2-3, emphasis mine). John's physical situation was not comfortable, and he appears to have been struggling with questions about Jesus, to whom he had dedicated his entire life. Perhaps we would do well to remember, too, the events recorded just a few chapters later: "Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison.... Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people.... [Herodias] said, 'Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist' .... [Herod] had John beheaded in the prison" (see Matthew 14:1-12).

"My yoke is easy and my burden is light." What was the "yoke" to which Jesus referred? Farmers used yokes to attach oxen to each other and to their loads, so "yokes came to represent labor, service and submission to authority" (Quest Study Bible). Labor, service and submission are oppressive under the control of a tyrant, but even difficult situations can hold great joy when led by an excellent and honorable master and toward a worthy goal. The yoke of Jesus is not like the "good life" sometimes waved in front of us by our culture. It is not a life of ease, not a life of immediate gratification, not a life of having everything happen according to what we want. It is a life of great challenge and it requires full commitment. But we can rest and be refreshed at a soul level, even in very difficult times, as we walk with Christ.

Fruit

We stopped by Western Light Church of the Nazarene yesterday. Not to do work, but to visit. It’s where the SLC First youth group invested their time and energy on a Work & Witness trip in 1996, building the foundation of the building. Twelve years later, that congregation is thriving – worshiping with enthusiasm, helping people to follow Christ, reaching out to the surrounding community. It is exciting to see the early fruits of an investment with such obviously eternal significance.

Who Are You?

Mark and I worshiped on Sunday at Hillaby Church of the Nazarene, led by Rev. Leonce. We participated in the Sunday School class led by the pastor's wife, Thelma. She started by asking the group, "Who are you?" The responses varied, of course -- about passions, personality traits, behaviors that come naturally, changes made, changes in process, ways of thinking. One answered, "I am a sinner saved by grace."

I like that response. She did not gloss over the fact that she is a sinner. As Romans 3:23 reminds us, we all fall short of God's perfect plan and desire. She did not make the mistake of stopping her description at the sinful nature, though. She is more than a sinner; she is one saved by grace! Having no merit of her own, she has accepted God's gift of mercy.

Who am I? I am tempted to answer that in terms of what I do, what I enjoy, how I feel, what concerns me, how others perceive me. Ultimately, though, I choose the identity stated by this person whom I'd never met: I am a sinner saved by grace.