Resting His Case

Friends,

Alan Smith offers this -- I heard a story about a young mother with three children. The phone rang one day and a voice on the other end of the phone said, "Honey, it's Mom. I called because I know that you're busy with the kids, and I want to give you some help. I'm going to stop by to clean the house, take care of the baby, and prepare dinner for when the boys get home from school. "I want you to get ready to go to my beautician, I've paid her already, and she's going to give you 'the works,' your appointment is at 1:00. Give George a call at the office and tell him that you'll meet him at Olive Garden for dinner, it's on me..." At that point, the young mother interrupted and said, "George, who is George?"  "Your husband."  She said, "My husband's name is John."  "Oh. Is this 365-3212?"  "No this is 365-3213."  The caller said, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I've got the wrong number."  After a pause, the young mother said, "Does this mean that you're not coming over?"  Do you ever feel like you could use a phone call like that? Do you ever find yourself wishing someone would just come along and take care of things for you so that you can have a little rest?  I remember back in the 1970's, there was a big concern that computers and technology would radically change how many hours a week people would work.  In fact, there was testimony given to a Senate sub-committee forecasting that within 20 years, the average American would be working only 22 hours a week.  They said, "The great challenge would be figuring out what to do with all the excess time."  Now here we are, 40 years later, after major advances in technology – and how many of us are wondering what to do with all the excess time on our hands?  Our world has become the world of the Red Queen of Alice in Wonderland, who said, "It takes all the running you can do to stay in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that."

Rest is a theological principle that should lead to a practical principle, but it seems hard to come by.  It is interesting to note that this section of Scripture immediately follows Jesus message from Matthew 11:28-29, which says…"Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."  When Jesus says, "I will give you rest", I believe that He is talking about more than just heaven.  Keeping the Sabbath was a sacred principle for the Jews under the Old covenant…it was an integral part of the fabric of their culture and religion. As we are probably aware, commandment #4 of the Top Ten was, “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8ff)  The theological foundation for this principle concerning “rest” is that God created the heavens and earth in six days…and on the seventh, He “rested.”  So God’s people were to consider the seventh day, Saturday as it would fall on our calendars, as a rest from their labors. God intended for this to be a “spiritual principle” that would be beneficial to His people so that they could be restored.

Yet, by the time of Christ, a couple of millennia down the road, the Sabbath was no longer the spiritual/practical principle that God intended for His people.  It had become representative of the many legal traditions that the Jews were now imposing on themselves and others.  They made what was supposed to be a “spiritual principle” a heavy laden burden of rules and regulations that it was never intended to be.  So, it is from this perspective that Jesus presents His case concerning not only the Sabbath, but the entire Jewish “legal” system of regulations. In fact, as we see, Jesus deliberately violates the Sabbath “traditions” on several occasions…here, Luke 4, Luke 13, John 5 and John 9.  From the time that Jesus spent with the people teaching them from “the Sermon on the Mount” up to now, He was teaching them that mere external laws could never save them or make them holy. True righteousness has to come from the heart!

The Hebrew word – sabat means, “repose” or “rest.”  This explains why Matthew introduces these Sabbath conflicts at this point. (12:1-8) To satisfy your hunger from your neighbor’s field was lawful (Deuteronomy 23:24-25), but to do it on the Sabbath was a breach of the Law…according to the traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees.  This would mean having to do work.  Jesus’ response is poignant and powerful.  The consecrated bread was to be eaten only by the priests, yet David and his soldiers at it. If David “broke the law” and was not condemned, the Lord would be guiltless for breaking man’s traditions.  Surely the Son of David has the right to eat His Father’s grain from the field!  The Old Testament priests had to offer a given number of sacrifices on the Sabbath (Numbers 28:9-10), and yet were not condemned.  Their service was in obedience to the Law given by God, which suggests that man’s traditions about the Sabbath ran in contradiction even to God’s own law. Finally, the great quote from Hosea 6:6, “I desire compassion and not sacrifice,” reveals Jesus’ heart on this matter. (He also quotes this in Matthew 9:13).  Once again, it is all a matter of the heart. Sabbath law was given to Israel as a mark of her relationship to God (Exodus 20, also 31:13-17, Nehemiah 9:12-15).  But, it was also an act of mercy for both man and beast, to give them needed rest each week.  Any religious law that would be contrary to mercy should be considered with concern and even skepticism – God desires mercy, not sacrifice…love, not strife over traditions and words. We will come back to this later.

Diane Eaton shares this -- As a piano teacher, my job involves training students to work less.  It sounds like a contradiction, but it's not. For example, overworking arm muscles interferes with finger development. The student must "make every effort" to train the arms to relax so that the fingers can work freely and expressively. Unchecked tension causes the music to sound forced, weak, and unsteady. It can eventually cause pain, injury, and even the end of a musical career.  I see a spiritual parallel. Christians are cautioned to "make every effort to enter [Christ's] rest". This is not a passive affair. It takes "every effort" to cease from fruitless striving and enter into Christ's rest. As we come to rest in Him, then He can make beautiful "music" through us.  Concerning the beginning piano student: At his first lesson, he discovers that his fingers are so weak that they may make no sound at all — especially the pinky finger. His reaction is predictable. Instinctively, his arm pushes down on the hand in an attempt to compensate. With such force bearing down on it, it merely collapses on the keys. A little finger cannot develop its potential until the bigger muscles learn to rest. This really does take "every effort" — involving intentional and careful practice.  Do you see yourself as an over-functioning muscle? Are you habitually overworking? I'm not referring to physical work. Perhaps you strain your mind with anxiety and doubt. Perhaps you work too hard trying to prove your love-worthiness, or you are habitually working to absolve your sense of guilt. All these besetting habits deplete your energy and squelch God's Spirit.  Perhaps you have a habit of overcompensating for weaker "muscles": You do what others should learn to do. Perhaps you do the thinking for them, or the worrying. Such efforts merely hinder them from growing into maturity. In the long run, the entire Body of Christ suffers.  Just as for piano students, it takes "every effort" to surrender fruitless habits and to adopt new, effective life habits. Really, it's a joint effort involving support, encouragement, mentoring, faith, prayer, and so forth. This is how we come to function harmoniously — and make beautiful "music" together — displaying God's glory to a fallen humanity.

This is the challenge for each of us…finding ways to rest in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life.  Finding ways to work hard at working less from the correct perspective is a challenge, but also a blessing.  So, while we may not keep a “literal” Sabbath rest in the religious sense, we can and should do so from a practical and spiritual perspective, because the original principle is still important as it relates to how we live, move and breathe.

Blessings, Don

Men of Vision -- How This Looks at Church

Friends,

Philosopher Immanuel Kant had a saying, “Always treat a human being as a person, that is, as an end in himself, and not merely as a means to your end. The personality of ourselves we feel very intensely, and we are outraged when others seem to ignore that personality in us, but the personality of others we do not sense so keenly.” This thought, in a nutshell, really describes what is taking place in the passage that we are going to consider today.  Perhaps we can relate? I hope not…but, probably so.  If there is one thing that we humans are aware of, it is our own wants and desires.  And when we juxtapose this against the way of the cross, there is always going to be conflict – do I do what I want, or what Jesus wants. Well, it is interesting to see how Jesus’ disciples respond to Him (Matthew 20:21-28) after His third announcement concerning His death, burial and resurrection. (20:17)  They did not have the advantage of the New Testament, history and hindsight that we do. Jesus’ message does not penetrate their hearts at this time.  The big problem is that the disciples are focused on themselves, their desires, and it hinders their spiritual sight. They need to be refocused on what really matters, and Jesus helps their understanding in this way.

In contrast to Jesus’ announcement of suffering and death, we have the request of James and John…and their mother. Jesus has been speaking of the cross, but they, on the other hand, are more interested in a crown.  What is interesting is that this follows up a similar conversation that has already taken place over in Matthew 18. So, we can see the intensity of this thought on the part of the disciples. This, not so ironically, follows after Jesus twice displaying that the disciples need to be “as little children” in their innocence (Matthew 18, 19).  We do get the impression that the mother of James and John is the real inspiration behind this request, and that it is she who is interested in promoting her sons…she simply wants to be certain that her boys get the best reserved seats in heaven. So, every football dad and soccer mom can take a deep breath…they are not the only ones who do this. :-)

First, let’s notice some commendable features in this event. They do believe in prayer and they dare to believe the promise that Jesus has given them about “sitting on the throne.” (19:28)  But, several things are wrong with their request. First, it is born out of ignorance -- “You do not know what you ask,” is Jesus’ reply. They do not understand that “the path to the throne” is very difficult.  It is important to note that James would be the first of the apostles to be martyred, and John would endure some exceedingly hard days on the Isle of Patmos.  A second problem with their request is their lack of heavenly direction.  They are thinking like the world, just as Peter does in chapter 16.  It seems that James and John, perhaps unwittingly, want to “lord it over” the other disciples, the way that the pagan rulers lorded over their subjects.  I mean, after all…they have been “two of the three chosen to be in the inner circle.” And John understands that he is “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” No doubt, they feel relief that they approach Jesus with this request before Peter is able to do so. In reality, they are selfishly seeking glory for themselves, and not for the Lord. Jesus warns the mother and her sons that “thrones are available to those who are worthy of them.”  What He means is that humility must be the focus of the lives of those who follow Him, and not pride.

And what is the result of this request?  Indignation on the part of the other disciples. Surprise! Not really. Some of them may think – “How could you be so worldly?”…perhaps for others, “Why didn’t I think of it first!” Selfishness only results in dissension and division.  All of this presents Jesus the opportunity to teach a practical lesson in leadership. In His kingdom, we must not follow the example of the world, (in most cases) be like the corporate president or wealthy celebrity…our example is Jesus.  And what did Jesus reveal and display? “It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (vv. 26-28) This is as clear as anything Jesus ever shares.  Jesus came to give His life, therefore we should give our lives in service to Him and to others. In our churches today, there are a lot of people who “want attention”…but, not so many who want to serve.  If there is one thing we can take away from this message it is that the key to greatness is not found in position or power, but in character. We will “sit beside Jesus” by living lives worthy of such a placing.

“I believe it is beneficial to consider what “servant” really means.  "Servant" in our English New Testament usually represents the Greek doulos (bondslave). Sometimes it means diakonos (deacon or minister); this is strictly accurate, for doulos and diakonos are synonyms. Both words indicate a man who is not at his own disposal, but is his master's purchased property. Bought to serve his master's needs, to be at his beck and call every moment, the slave's sole business is to do as he is told. Christian service therefore means, first and foremost, living out a slave relationship to one's Savior.” (1 Corinthians. 6:19-20)  Paul certainly recognized this, as most of his letters begin with him calling himself “the bondservant…or slave…of the Lord.  “What work does Christ set his servants to do? The way that they serve him, he tells them, is by becoming the slaves of their fellow-servants and being willing to do literally anything, however costly, irksome, or undignified, in order to help them. This is what love means, as he himself showed at the Last Supper when he played the slave's part and washed the disciples' feet. When the New Testament speaks of ministering to the saints, it means not primarily preaching to them but devoting time, trouble, and substance to giving them all the practical help possible. The essence of Christian service is loyalty to the king expressing itself in care for his servants (Matthew 25: 31-46). Only the Holy Spirit can create in us the kind of love toward our Savior that will overflow in imaginative sympathy and practical helpfulness towards his people.” From James Packer, Your Father Loves You, Harold Shaw Publishers,

I have to say I have seen a lot of good things done for the cause of Christ in His churches, especially when The Golden Rule is at work.  Or, as I like to put it – a lot of good can be accomplished for the Lord in the church as long as nobody cares who gets the credit.  Problems only arise when selfishness, power-mongering take place, or in other words, “when someone needs the credit.”  When I hear other preachers and elders say, 80% of the people do 20% of the work (and I have been in such places), it is a truism that plays out in many churches and organizations.  This should not be the case with churches where people are taking the lead in being the servants that the Lord has called them to be.  We are all busy.  But, most of us have the opportunity to prioritize our lives and schedules in such a way that we can serve the Lord and the community. Considering how to be a man (or woman) of vision at church means closing my eyes to myself, submitting myself first to Christ, and then to others.  Let’s consider this principle and make the necessary preparations and arrangements to do just this.  True leadership (servant-hood) does not seek its own, but what is best for the other person…what is best for the body of Christ. This is Jesus’ style.

I want to close with one final story that captures what it is I am trying to share – that famous writer “anonymous” shares this:  Driving down a country road, I came to a very narrow bridge.  In front of the bridge, a sign was posted – “Yield.” Seeing no oncoming cars, I continued across the bridge and on to my destination.  On my way back, I came to the same one-lane bridge, now from the other direction.  To my surprise, I saw another “Yield” sign posted.  Curious, I thought, “I’m sure there was one posted on the other side.”  When I reached the other side of the bridge, I looked back.  Sure enough, yield signs had been placed at both ends of the bridge.  Drivers from both directions were requested to give the right of way.  It is a reasonable and gracious way of preventing a head-on collision.  The same applies in life and relationships…when the Bible commands us to “be in subjection” this is what it means – whether to the Lord, or to one another.

Blessings, Don

Men of Vision -- How This Looks at Home

Friends,

A Christian businessman tells this story -- the sun was shining brightly on a cold January day, and I was running late to work.  The only thought I had was – “I’ve got to get to my office as quickly as possible.”  As I approached a red light, I noticed a stalled truck on the right side of the road…and I gave him a passing thought – “poor guy.” But, then my busy mind hurried on to how I was going to handle the problems that I knew this day would throw in my lap. The sound of a knock on my window caused me to jump – it was the driver of the stalled vehicle. “Do you have a moment? My truck won’t start and I just need someone to give me a boost -- I have the booster cables.” I looked at my watch.  As late as it was, I didn’t even have five minutes to spare.  My boss would be frantic…I could even lose my job. My response was a stammered – “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t today…I am already late for work.”  “I understand,” he said, and then he walked to the car stopped behind me. I told myself that surely one of the next few cars that came by would have time to help this poor guy.  In reality, when the light turned green, I drove away feeling awful! I couldn’t help but think of the story of the Good Samaritan – was I the Priest or the Levite? To ease my conscience, I even mentioned the incident to my boss later that day.  As expected, he commended me for my decision to press on. His confirmation didn’t help ease my guilt…however – how often do I follow my own agenda ahead of the one that my heavenly Father has set out for me? All too often, when I ask God to sit in the driver’s seat of the car of my life, I act like a back seat driver – “Don’t turn right!” “Be careful!”  “Slow down!” Oh, there are also times when I put my back seat driver’s license in my pocket – these are the times when I literally wrench the wheel out of God’s hand on my personal autobahn of life.

Perhaps you can relate to this person in some way…I know that this has been “me” from time to time. Luke shares a story with certain similarities in relationship to two sisters, Mary and Martha…Jesus’ friends…and how they respond to Him. In referencing this particular Bible story, I want to keep in front of us the importance of the ladies in our lives and the influence they have on us…because, if we are married, our greatest responsibility at home is to treat them with love and respect.

In Romans 12:1-2, the apostle Paul helps us to understand that a general definition of worship, latreia, is at the heart of all that we are and all that we do in the Christian life. We are to live lives of service for the Lord as we “work out” our salvation, living as “Good Samaritans”. But, before we can effectively minister in these ways, we need to spend some time with our Master and learn from Him…taking some “time to be holy.” Mary of Bethany…one of several “Marys” in the New Testament…is seen three times in the gospel record, and on each occasion, she is in the same place – at Jesus’ feet!  In John 11:32, it is in relationship to her agonizing over the death of her brother Lazarus, and in 12:3 it is in relationship to her anointing Jesus feet. Mary, and her sister Martha, are often contrasted as though each believer must make a choice -- you can be a worker, like Martha, or a worshiper like Mary (Luke 10:38-42). This does not necessarily make worship and work an “either/or situation,” but it seems evident that, at least in the situation that is presented here, that one takes precedence over the other. Consider…Martha receives Jesus into her home, and then, as it appears, she neglects Him as she prepares an elaborate meal that He does not necessarily need.  There is nothing wrong with her doing this, in and of itself, but the point is – what we do with Jesus is more important than what we do for Jesus.

Mary has likely done her share of work in the kitchen…I am sure a few of you can relate…but she then goes to “feed” on the Lord’s teachings. Soon, Martha feels neglected after Mary leaves the kitchen…and so she begins to complain, suggesting that neither the Lord nor Mary really care!  Martha would have profited from what Jesus shares in John 15:5 that says – “without me, you can do nothing.” We may be on the go, go, go…just like we’re on that autobahn, speeding along…and we wonder why we do not have the spiritual energy or fortitude to deal with all of life’s offerings and struggles(?). Few things are as trying, and perhaps even troubling for the Christian, as trying to work for Christ without taking time to commune with Christ. In this situation, Mary chooses the better part…the part that could not be taken from her.  She knew that she could not live on “bread alone” (Matthew 4:4).

Writer and sociologist, Gordon Govier says, “Time affects us all equally, although there are those who believe that it seems to pick up speed as we get older.  But, most of us agree that we don’t have enough of it.  When Charles Hummel wrote his classic essay, Tyranny of the Urgent, in 1967, he identified the telephone as among the worst offenders against our peace and contemplation.  And that was before we carried it with us everywhere, embellished with e-mail, computers, cameras, downloadable ring tones and music files.  Hummel passed away in 2003, but his concept remains.  The main issue, Hummel states, is not so much a shortage of time, as a problem of priorities…or as a cotton mill manager once told him – “your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important.”  The essay points to the gospel accounts of Jesus who never seemed to be in a hurry, even when His friend Lazarus was dying.  Quoting Mark 1:35, Hummel saw the secret of Jesus’ life and work for God in that “He prayerfully waited for His Father’s instructions.”  Govier concludes in a way that is thoughtful and helpful…several years ago, I felt the weight of undone and half-done obligations weighing on me and realized that a big part of the problem was perspective.  Instead of complaining about why I was getting loaded down with so many responsibilities, I concluded that I should thank God that He was allowing me to be involved in many good things that I enjoyed doing and was really interested in.  Sure, I should be smart about not over-committing myself, but I was conscientiously and prayerfully considering my schedule in relationship to what I felt God wanted me to be involved in…then, I felt I could trust Him to make certain the priority things got done.

On our autobahn of life, it is really important to – stop.  We have simply got to take some time to slow down, and even stop, in the midst of our busyness and spend some meaningful time with the Lord, and with our family. We need to make and take time to be the men, husbands, fathers that the Lord would have us to be.  We need to spend some time in prayer every day…by ourselves, but also with our wives, and with our kids.  We need to do the same thing as it relates to reading the Word of God.  We also need to spend some meaningful time with our wives and kids.  If we are going to be “men of vision,” we must close our eyes to the whole world swirling around us on a regular basis and focus on the matters of life that truly matter. And I really can’t tell you how that “looks”…what “your vision” should be, individually or collectively.  But, I do hope to consider an effective vision of what the Lord wants for us. We serve a Master to whom a “day is to a thousand years and a thousand years is to a day.” He knows our busy schedules…he certainly understand us better than we know ourselves.  And as I have been known to say – I am not really going to be any good for the church or anyone else if I am not taking care of my business at home with my wife and family.

In Matthew 14, Mark 6, following the death of His cousin and friend, John the Baptist, Jesus needed to have some time alone with His Father. “Now when Jesus heard of it, He withdrew from there to a lonely place by Himself” (Mt 14:13). Still, people would follow after Him.  But, even later in the chapter (14:23), we see that He would go up to the mountain to pray after sending the multitude away.  Jesus knew how to “Stop” and “Yield.” We live in a culture where it is so easy to be seduced by the secondary, and distracted from what matters by sports, the internet, work, family, etc…all good things. Friends…the embodiment of the ancient faith is all about a personal relationship with Jesus.  We need to follow the example of our Lord and so many other faithful believers who make the time to spend some time, one of one with the Lord.  It is here that we meet our Lord in the most basic of ways through prayer, study, and meditation.  Then, our lives…ministry, work, play…can truly be efficient and effective.

Blessings, Don