Tag: See

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Just another extraordinary day.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men. Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The calling of the first followers. Mark’s gospel has Jesus seemingly, randomly, asking men to join him in mission. We know this mission would be exciting at first, but eventually move towards a frightening, grief-stricken ending. We also know that each one of these first followers would later be called to martyrdom!

I don’t know if Jesus knew every detail of his life ahead in these first moments, or if he found out as he went along. If you’re wondering about Jesus’ omniscient ability as God, the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 2, that Jesus laid that down to fully live as a human being.

I do believe that Jesus received guidance, inspiration and power through the Holy Spirit, just as he would expect his followers to do (us as well). Maybe it was just a morning stroll, talking with God and enjoying the stunning vista of the Sea of Galilee- it is amazing. I find that God often speaks and leads in all kinds of situations. An S.S.A. (situational Spirit awareness) is required.

As God guided Jesus, he still had to SEE Simon. Jesus still had to SEE the Zebedee boys. And once he did, he called them out. Somewhere in there, I believe the Holy Spirit said “There they are. That’s them. You know what to do!” or something similar. Of course, we’re not told any of this, I just want you to know God moves in both very spiritual AND very ordinary ways at the same time.

Jesus saw them, he called them and they left everything to follow Him. Do you think maybe the Holy Spirit had been at work in their lives before that morning moment on the beach? I do. I am learning that God is ALWAYS at work (the Bible says so – John 5:17, Rom 8:28). God handles the hard part of working in the human heart! God also handles the providential details that astound us. When Jesus listened and obeyed the Holy Spirit, He was showing us that this is how easy it is to join God in His mission! Yeah, Jesus had to call them out – okay, that part is challenging for many of us. But God had already set the entire situation up for each one of those “yeses” to happen.

It takes a little practice to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us to be used of God. It takes a little practice to see God at work. And it does require the response that pleases God more than anything else – FAITH! But, come on, look at what happened when Jesus was obedient – those guys helped change the world. Jesus didn’t turn these ordinary men into extraordinary men. Jesus taught them to do just as he did, SEE, LISTEN AND OBEY. God did the supernatural, phenomenal miracles through them!

Next time you take a stroll, shop for snacks or get stuck in a line at the DMV, look around, listen for the Holy Spirit and wait to see if God might have a supernatural assignment for you. Then make God smile by believing and obeying his offer to join Him on mission. Just do it!

Prayer

Dad,
I get giddy watching you weave a plan together and marvel at watching you work! Sometimes I look around and see a sea of people and remind myself, you are working in that life, and that one, and another one over there, buying lottery tickets. Oh how I love it when a good God plan comes together. It’s like I am peeking into a whole other realm, an other-world experience that happens on the heart level in every human. It gives me Spirit chills to think that you invite us into that kind of Holy mission. Thank you for not just working in me, but working through me as well. Heaven will be filled with glorious stories of our great God! I can’t wait to see it all come together. Amen.

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The mystery of a good story.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭10‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus’ stories, his parables are fun, sticky and multifaceted. You can read them once or a hundred times and get so much out of them. Here, Matthew records the story of the farmer sowing seed. Or, is it a story of the receptivity of the soil? Hmmm. After he tells the story, he says one his often quoted phrases, “Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

One of the brave followers of Jesus simply asks him straight out, “Why?” Why stories? Why parables? If you search Rabbi teaching methods, you’ll find a mixed bag. Yes, parables were common and there were hundreds of them. And, parables we’re used, but Jesus stories were by far the ones more durable in antiquity.

The curious disciple’s question yielded an answer from Jesus. Which was rare, compared to how many questions Jesus retorted back to his audience. Jesus said that his disciples, his apprentices, were given a special pass to understanding what he called the “mysteries” of God. Wow. The mysteries, the secrets of God?

Jesus used this word, mystḗrion (the root of the English term, “mystery”) . But, in the Bible, a “mystery” is not something unknowable. Rather, it is what can only be known through revelation, i.e. because God reveals it. So, parables were a teaching style to engage the listener, creating a curiosity so the listener would WANT to learn. Which is so cool! When someone comes to hear a lecture, a teaching, a speech or a TED-talk, they are supposed to be listening with all five senses. They should see, hear, feel, touch and even taste. Sure the last two may need some help with an object in hand, like a fresh apple off a tree. But Jesus is telling them (and us), there is another sense that should be brought to the event. One should bring a spiritual sense of what is happening and what God is up to. I wouldn’t call it a sixth sense, because that gets confused with some metaphysical mysticism.

Jesus tells his followers that those who listen beyond their physical eyes and ears will see and hear God at work! The parable becomes like a whisper when someone wants you to lean in, get close, so you can focus, blocking out all other distractions because you really want to learn and understand. Those learners, those curious, will be given the gift of understanding the mystery and have an abundance of knowledge. Jesus wanted his students to be the kind of people who don’t just show up to hear what the speaker would be saying or doing, but to be extra curious of understanding of what God is doing. Our job, in almost any situation we find ourselves in, is to fully engage with every physical sense we can to be attentive, but also be fully aware that God is always up to something MORE and spectacularly, spiritually, mysterious!

Prayer

Dad,
You are always at work. I miss seeing that so often because I am distracted by so many other things. Things that I think are important, but in comparison to your eternal perspective, they are not. There was an old phrase I remember hearing, that may not be true at all. Someone was said to be “so spiritually minded that they are no earthly good.” I am often distracted by so many “earthly good” thoughts or deeds that I miss the spiritually minded completely. I think your vantage point is so much better than ours! Help me see, as often as I can, your mysteries of heaven.

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Intended consequences.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.” Luke‬ ‭19:1-7‬ ‭NLT‬

Luke writes this story in the context of the oldest city in Israel. This was the city the 12 spies surveyed and 10 of them thought it impossible to conquer; whose walls collapsed straight down into the earth.

This was a wealthy city. There was a sizable Roman garrison stationed there, and high ranking officers chose this city to retire from their military career. Jericho also held the biggest retirement population of Jewish priests.

What was Jesus doing in Jericho? Luke tells us after this story. The gospel writers often leave breadcrumbs of truth woven into these stories. One of them is the idea that people want to SEE Jesus. They’ve heard the stories spread from city to city, but they want to see for themselves. The other one is that Jesus (God) sees individuals, not just massive crowds. Jesus was the kind of guy that you could talk to and it felt like no one else was in the room. His gaze, his attention piercingly focused on just you. When Luke says this man wanted to see Jesus, it was far more than a looky-loo curiosity. Zach was drawn to Jesus because although he had everything a man would want, he was empty inside. Not all wealthy people are empty by the way, but Zach was.

Luke also points out that Zach was height challenged, which is super frustrating in a crowd. Jesus stopped, looked up and called out Zach’s name. He’d either heard of Zach’s reputation, or his name was murmured in the crowd as people looked ahead, or – the Holy Spirit gave Jesus the name well ahead of time in one of Jesus’ morning meetings with his Father. Having God see you and call out your name is a powerful experience.

As a young believer, I was in my bedroom, busy with something, when out of nowhere I heard my name called out. I didn’t think anyone else was home, so I just ignored it and thought was just hearing things. Then I heard my name a second time, it was quiet and clear. Being so new in my walk with Jesus, I just answered, “Yes God.” The moment moved to a nonverbal conversation with the Holy Spirit. That memory still gives me chills.

Jesus invited himself to Zach’s house for dinner. Zach was thrilled! Then Luke notes, the “people” were displeased. We know who those people were – the religious leaders. They were upset because of Zach’s reputation and they thought no self-aware holy person would be soiled and sullied by eating with a man like this! Ah, but it was quite the opposite wasn’t it? Zach can’t stain the Savior with his sin, but the Savior can remove the sin in Zach.

The religious leaders could not possibly imagine that Zach was so eager to change he gave half his wealth to the poor. Where would that money go? To the temple treasury, in a restricted fund which the Pharisees oversaw! Luke then tells us why Jesus came to Jericho – “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” The lost was both the religious leaders and Zach.

Prayer

Dad,
Of course it was wrong for the religious leaders to judge this man for his reputation. I have often judged far worse. I have judged for how people are dressed, or how they talk or how they carry themselves. I only see what they have or don’t have, own or don’t own. I have judged both rich and poor. And in that judgment, I cannot see what you always see. You see people in their need. You see their heart. You call their name, inviting yourself to meet with them. I need to see people as you see them or I will miss these amazing moments where their hearts are turned towards you and real change happens in their life. I don’t want to miss that opportunity to see you at work.