Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:1-10
Is slavery a good thing or a bad thing? The answer isn’t quite as simple as we might think! The answer lies, not only in the attitude and actions of the slave owner, but even more so in the perspective of the slave. Certainly, the way the master treats the slave is important, but even more important, is how the slave views the slavery!
The slave trade in the 18th century was hateful. People were torn out of the lives that they had always known, and carried thousands of miles, against their will, to a land that wasn’t theirs, to work without compensation, and to live in constant agony. The traders, as well as the owners, saw little wrong with this system, but the African people saw nothing that could even approach being “good”. Do I need to say that this form of slavery is a bad thing?
However, scripture is full of references to our voluntary servitude to both Christ and the world. In Matthew 20:26-28, Jesus calls us to be a servant if we want to be great, to be a slave (the last and least in society) if we want to be first. This is not a commandment of the world by any way, shape or form, but it is certainly our foremost call from God! Putting, not only our Lord first, but also those who would do us harm, those who would lie to us, those who take a stand that is totally opposed to everything we know to be true. This is a holy and honorable slavery.
Read 1 Timothy 6:1-2
And when a disciple of Christ finds themselves as a slave to the world, how are we to show honor to our master, regardless of their attitude toward us? We must “consider our masters worthy of full respect.” Why? So that God’s name will not be vilified.
Have you ever had a boss who you had absolutely no respect for? Did you talk about him or her behind their back? Did you join in with the demeaning conversations of others during coffee breaks, and even add a negative thought or two of your own? Paul would have us know that this detracts from our Christian walk!
Have you ever had a Christian boss, who you treated more as a buddy than one who had authority over you? Did you treat the relationship more as friendship than as requiring obedience? Did you take advantage of the relationship to gain an advantage over your co-workers? Paul would have us know that this, too, detracts from our faith expression.
Respect must flow in both directions – up as well as down.
In the book “Imperfect Control“, a hugely successful owner of several companies talks about how he runs his organization. “You can insist on having control over everything,” he says, “but the people who'll stand for that will be second-rate. To keep the best people, you have to give them the freedom to make decisions and run their own show. To be the top dog of a first-rate organization, you need to be willing to give up some of your power.”
-Judith Viorst, Imperfect Control (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998), 201.
In order to be first, you need to allow others to have responsibility for some of your authority. If you want to be great, you need to allow others the opportunity to not only be great, but to be greater than you!
But slavery isn’t always imposed upon us – sometimes we intentionally embrace it.
Read 1 Timothy 6:3-5
If we teach something as being God’s will, when it isn’t, Paul proclaims that we are conceited and without understanding. James 3:1 says that “we who teach will be judged more strictly.” That should give us all pause! Whether we are teachers, leaders, preachers, or anyone who has authority and responsibility for others, we must be very intentional in what we say. Otherwise, we will be slaves to a lie, and that is not “good slavery”.
If we relish those conversations that run another person down, or cause agitation in a relationship, or bring about distrust or hatred for another, or complain that someone has more than they deserve, we have enslaved ourselves in selfish desires. Let’s go back to that coffee break for a moment. I remember a number of conversations when I was working at NYSEG that started out fine, but quickly sank deep into a gutter that was filled with corporate slim. I had forgotten my mother’s adage from many years ago – “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything!” I had become a slave to gossip and slander, and never thought twice about being a part of it.
Paul even tells us that this is an “unhealthy” attitude and practice, and leads us into nothing good.
Read 1 Timothy 6:6-10
But our willingness to be a slave for Christ, to allow Him to use us as He will, to be content to be His slave, will bring us a great gain! It isn’t the things of this world that condemn us, it's how we use them and how we see them.
Food is very beneficial to our bodies, but when we start bragging about the caviar and steak and lobster that we had for dinner last night, we have turned the good gift of God into a prideful idol.
A nice, reliable car is a good thing to have. It gets us to work on time, it allows us to give a ride to others who don’t have the means to get around, it gives us an opportunity to share our good fortune with others.
You may have noticed my truck out in the parking lot – I don’t brag about it very much, except to say that it is still running after 250,000 miles. But it does give me the opportunity to serve others – I’m willing to haul practically anything, anywhere, for anyone, and not worry about getting a scratch on the body! But if I had a brand new truck, I might not be quite as willing to haul a load of fertilizer for you.
Money is the thing that makes the world go round. We need it to buy the necessities of life – food, clothing, shelter, and so on. We need it to pay college bills for our children, to buy gasoline for our cars, to even take a vacation to rest up. But when we begin to focus on the accumulation of wealth, to consider building bigger and bigger barns, we have, once again, become slaves to the treasures that will only rust and mildew. I have quoted John D. Rockefeller a number of times – when asked how much is enough, Rockefeller replied “Just a little more!” We have to know when enough is enough, and what we need to do with the excess that life brings us. Will we surrender ourselves to the slavery of money, or to the glory that it can bring to the Lord?
Slavery to the things and standards of this world will destroy our lives if we don’t turn them over to the One who can raise us up above it.
African-American slaves were not allowed to have their own worship and were rarely allowed access to the Bible, so they held clandestine religious gatherings at night, a practice that continued after emancipation. The slaves saw in Nicodemus' night visit proof that it was possible to come to Jesus even when those in power forbade it. Nicodemus was a model, someone who was willing to act on his own against the will of the authorities. The slaves' faith surpassed that of Nicodemus. Nicodemus' night visit was only exploratory, and in this story in John 3, he does not understand the invitation Jesus extends to him. The slaves, by contrast, understood and embraced what Jesus had to offer. They were willing to risk their safety and their very lives to come to Jesus. The slaves are a powerful example of those who come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God (3:21). Of course, as John’s gospel proceeds, Nicodemus’ faith grows stronger and stronger, until we find him coming out of the shadows and into the Light of day at Calvary.
—Gail R. O'Day, The Gospel of John, The New Interpreter's Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995), 555.
Slavery in the world does not have to be the end. When we surrender our lives and situations to God, our slavery – whether in the world or in faith – takes on a whole new meaning. We can never let slavery be a burden – instead, let it be the means to glorifying the Lord, who Himself, chose to submit, to become the least, that we might become greater than we ever could on our own.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
“Good Ministry, as Opposed to the Other Kind”
Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:1-16
Dr. E. Max Case, director of the Indiana Office for Campus Ministries, calls the campus ministers to “Third Pig Thinking”. And his words are as appropriate to a church setting as they are to a campus setting.
It is easy, Case admits, for us to perceive ourselves as three poor, little pigs about ready to be gobbled by the Big Bad Wolf (government, church bureaucracy, or life in general). Furthermore, Case also admits that there are legitimate reasons to cry “Wolf!” in churches today. But the only way the church will survive is to shift from simplistic first and second pig thinking to innovative third pig thinking. It requires that we make a radical shift, a leap of faith, trying something no pigs have tried before; and that shift requires a clearer grasp of the wolf as our teacher.
The basic shift from first and second pig thinking to third pig thinking is the Easter shift from being victims of forces beyond our control (first and second pig thinkers) to stepping up and taking on the wolves in our midst (third pig thinkers) through the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.
--E. Max Case, A Modern Adaptation of a Fairy Tale: The Wolf as Teacher, unpublished manuscript.
I might also add to Mr. Case’s thoughts that, in addition to being more innovative, the third pig was more securely grounded and far better prepared than the other 2 when the wolf showed up on his doorstep!
And the wolf is only too happy to hang out at our doors, too – checking out the condition of our spiritual house, and if it turns out to be too strong to knock down, he will just wait to see if we open the door for him.
The church and her ministries are truly symbolized by this fairy tale, so let’s review the story, just in case it’s been a few years since you read it.
The 3 young pigs leave their Mother and the safety of their home, and strike out into the world to make their own way. They realize that they each need to construct a new home for themselves, and the first 2 pigs decide to take the easy way out – the first builds his home out of straw and the second builds his out of sticks. It was easier to work with these materials, and it took much less time to build.
But the third pig took the more involved way – he built his home out of bricks. Bricks were heavier and required a lot more exertion and a lot more time to compete the project. And yet, bricks were his chosen material, and the decision proved to be most fortunate.
It wasn’t long before the wolf heard about the new comers in the neighborhood, and he decided to pay them a “visit”. The first 2 didn’t last long, and the homes of each quickly fell apart at the wolf’s attacks. But the house that the third pig built was too strong for the wolf’s normal approach, so he tried some very devious means. He would invite the pig to join him to search for food, or to go out and have some fun, but each time, the pig was wary of the wolf’s invitations to join him, and he got the better of the deal every time.
Eventually, the wolf became angry at the pig for always seeing through his deceptions, so he decided to attack the house from its most vulnerable position – the chimney. But even though the 3rd little pig was very frightened over this new assault, he hit upon an ingenious way to defeat the wolf, and it became the permanent solution.
Read 1 Timothy 4:1-5
The church and her people need to begin with a firm foundation – knowing what is God’s truth and what is not. And that’s not always easy to discover! That’s why we have Bible studies and Sunday School and worship and other gatherings to sort through the possible interpretations of a passage, and to discover the truth of scripture and it’s meaning for our lives.
The truth can easily be misrepresented and distorted, if we take the easy way. Verse 4 tells us that “everything God created is good”, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be misused, misstated, misinterpreted, or rendered totally indistinguishable from its original meaning.
- The wolf invites the 3rd little pig to go dig turnips and pick fruit, and while those would normally be honorable pastimes, the wolf only had one meal on his mind, and it wasn’t vegetarian! He fully intended to use these invitations to ensure that his next meal was pork!
- When this approach fails, the wolf then invites the pig to join him in a relaxing time at the fair, but the invitation was only one more cover story that would have no relation whatsoever to his real intent.
All the wolf really wanted from the pig was for him to open the door so that his evil plan could play out.
All Satan wants from us to think is that the easy way is quite satisfactory. And if we take a different tact, he will work to get us to open the door of our hearts. For ultimately, his only desire is that we allow him access to the life that is growing within us, so that he can steal it away.
Read 1 Timothy 4:6-10
If we stay close to Christ, and give serious study to His teaching, we will see the world’s wily ways for what they truly are – lies and deceptions. Verse 6 tells us that we will be good ministers of Jesus Christ if we expose these lies and half truths to our brothers and sisters. But even then, we must be very careful that we aren’t pulled into the dark web. The closer we get to evil, the greater the chance that we might fall, but we can never forget that our ministry, in order to give glory God’s plan, will always take us into those trying places. The only way to stay strong is by putting on the armor of God, but that‘s a whole other topic for another day.
As an example of this issue of being lead astray from the way of the Lord, I would offer the following story:
Criminologist Byron Johnson of Lamar University in Texas complains that government will endorse everything from pet therapy to acupuncture for prisoners, but you'd better not mention God.
As an example of this, U. S. News & World Report, in [a 1996] cover article on “The Faith Factor”, illustrated the degree of government paranoia about religion by citing the sad case of Detroit's “Joy of Jesus” ministry. Here was a social program that offered job training along with Bible lessons, prayer and faith-centered discussions about the problems of life. Michigan officials, impressed with the ministry's success rate, offered state funding with one condition -- give up the prayers and Bible study.
The ministry reluctantly agreed.
The result? Where once the program had placed 60 percent of its students in jobs, the program's success rate, after state backing, began to approach zero. Eventually the ministry returned the state money and got back to its original mission.
-- U. S. News & World Report, 121, September 9, 1996, 46-53.
Enough said?
Read 1 Timothy 4:11-16
These last few verses give us some very important instructions, and we need to listen very closely.
1) We are to be diligent in the ministry that we are called to, and in all things, whatever, whenever, and wherever the Lord leads us, we are to teach that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, and that He is the only Hope of the world.
2) We will, in all probability, have some misgivings about who we witness to, but we can never let our fears deter us. Paul uses the example of being younger than those we are called to minister to, but it could just as easily be “They are smarter”, or “richer”, or “more highly educated”, or “hold a higher position”, or some other major worldly distinction.
But if we feel strongly that God wants us to say or do something, then we are to do it, and not worry about the consequences.
3) In all things, we are to use the gifts that God has given us, and to use them to His glory and in His way. We may be tempted to advance our own personal agenda or to gain some glory for ourselves, but if we do, our efforts are going to fail miserably. Know for certain that God is calling you to some particular purpose, and then go and do it!
The little pig knew who the wolf was, and knew what he was up to, and knew how he operated. This, along with the excellent preparations he had made, is what saved his life. He saw the lies for what they were, and he stayed in the truth that he knew to be sure. He didn’t stop eating – he simply found a better time to gather his food. He didn’t shut himself up in the house – he went out and had fun at a time when the wolf wasn’t around. And when the direct attack happened, he used innovative means to defeat his enemy.
Can we do any less in our service for Jesus Christ? Do we know the truth about both our Lord and the enemy? We had better know - they both are knocking on our door – do we know which one is which? Will we see through the cunning lies that may seem to ring with the truth, but in reality, are nothing less than methods designed to lure us to our death? And are we willing to try a new approach to ministry – one that will address a specific concern or need, or one that will speak to someone in a way that they will be able to understand?
May our ministries always be based in “third pig thinking”, to borrow the phrase from Max Case. And come to think about it, is being a pig any worse than being a sheep? Jesus will love us, regardless!
Dr. E. Max Case, director of the Indiana Office for Campus Ministries, calls the campus ministers to “Third Pig Thinking”. And his words are as appropriate to a church setting as they are to a campus setting.
It is easy, Case admits, for us to perceive ourselves as three poor, little pigs about ready to be gobbled by the Big Bad Wolf (government, church bureaucracy, or life in general). Furthermore, Case also admits that there are legitimate reasons to cry “Wolf!” in churches today. But the only way the church will survive is to shift from simplistic first and second pig thinking to innovative third pig thinking. It requires that we make a radical shift, a leap of faith, trying something no pigs have tried before; and that shift requires a clearer grasp of the wolf as our teacher.
The basic shift from first and second pig thinking to third pig thinking is the Easter shift from being victims of forces beyond our control (first and second pig thinkers) to stepping up and taking on the wolves in our midst (third pig thinkers) through the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.
--E. Max Case, A Modern Adaptation of a Fairy Tale: The Wolf as Teacher, unpublished manuscript.
I might also add to Mr. Case’s thoughts that, in addition to being more innovative, the third pig was more securely grounded and far better prepared than the other 2 when the wolf showed up on his doorstep!
And the wolf is only too happy to hang out at our doors, too – checking out the condition of our spiritual house, and if it turns out to be too strong to knock down, he will just wait to see if we open the door for him.
The church and her ministries are truly symbolized by this fairy tale, so let’s review the story, just in case it’s been a few years since you read it.
The 3 young pigs leave their Mother and the safety of their home, and strike out into the world to make their own way. They realize that they each need to construct a new home for themselves, and the first 2 pigs decide to take the easy way out – the first builds his home out of straw and the second builds his out of sticks. It was easier to work with these materials, and it took much less time to build.
But the third pig took the more involved way – he built his home out of bricks. Bricks were heavier and required a lot more exertion and a lot more time to compete the project. And yet, bricks were his chosen material, and the decision proved to be most fortunate.
It wasn’t long before the wolf heard about the new comers in the neighborhood, and he decided to pay them a “visit”. The first 2 didn’t last long, and the homes of each quickly fell apart at the wolf’s attacks. But the house that the third pig built was too strong for the wolf’s normal approach, so he tried some very devious means. He would invite the pig to join him to search for food, or to go out and have some fun, but each time, the pig was wary of the wolf’s invitations to join him, and he got the better of the deal every time.
Eventually, the wolf became angry at the pig for always seeing through his deceptions, so he decided to attack the house from its most vulnerable position – the chimney. But even though the 3rd little pig was very frightened over this new assault, he hit upon an ingenious way to defeat the wolf, and it became the permanent solution.
Read 1 Timothy 4:1-5
The church and her people need to begin with a firm foundation – knowing what is God’s truth and what is not. And that’s not always easy to discover! That’s why we have Bible studies and Sunday School and worship and other gatherings to sort through the possible interpretations of a passage, and to discover the truth of scripture and it’s meaning for our lives.
The truth can easily be misrepresented and distorted, if we take the easy way. Verse 4 tells us that “everything God created is good”, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be misused, misstated, misinterpreted, or rendered totally indistinguishable from its original meaning.
- The wolf invites the 3rd little pig to go dig turnips and pick fruit, and while those would normally be honorable pastimes, the wolf only had one meal on his mind, and it wasn’t vegetarian! He fully intended to use these invitations to ensure that his next meal was pork!
- When this approach fails, the wolf then invites the pig to join him in a relaxing time at the fair, but the invitation was only one more cover story that would have no relation whatsoever to his real intent.
All the wolf really wanted from the pig was for him to open the door so that his evil plan could play out.
All Satan wants from us to think is that the easy way is quite satisfactory. And if we take a different tact, he will work to get us to open the door of our hearts. For ultimately, his only desire is that we allow him access to the life that is growing within us, so that he can steal it away.
Read 1 Timothy 4:6-10
If we stay close to Christ, and give serious study to His teaching, we will see the world’s wily ways for what they truly are – lies and deceptions. Verse 6 tells us that we will be good ministers of Jesus Christ if we expose these lies and half truths to our brothers and sisters. But even then, we must be very careful that we aren’t pulled into the dark web. The closer we get to evil, the greater the chance that we might fall, but we can never forget that our ministry, in order to give glory God’s plan, will always take us into those trying places. The only way to stay strong is by putting on the armor of God, but that‘s a whole other topic for another day.
As an example of this issue of being lead astray from the way of the Lord, I would offer the following story:
Criminologist Byron Johnson of Lamar University in Texas complains that government will endorse everything from pet therapy to acupuncture for prisoners, but you'd better not mention God.
As an example of this, U. S. News & World Report, in [a 1996] cover article on “The Faith Factor”, illustrated the degree of government paranoia about religion by citing the sad case of Detroit's “Joy of Jesus” ministry. Here was a social program that offered job training along with Bible lessons, prayer and faith-centered discussions about the problems of life. Michigan officials, impressed with the ministry's success rate, offered state funding with one condition -- give up the prayers and Bible study.
The ministry reluctantly agreed.
The result? Where once the program had placed 60 percent of its students in jobs, the program's success rate, after state backing, began to approach zero. Eventually the ministry returned the state money and got back to its original mission.
-- U. S. News & World Report, 121, September 9, 1996, 46-53.
Enough said?
Read 1 Timothy 4:11-16
These last few verses give us some very important instructions, and we need to listen very closely.
1) We are to be diligent in the ministry that we are called to, and in all things, whatever, whenever, and wherever the Lord leads us, we are to teach that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, and that He is the only Hope of the world.
2) We will, in all probability, have some misgivings about who we witness to, but we can never let our fears deter us. Paul uses the example of being younger than those we are called to minister to, but it could just as easily be “They are smarter”, or “richer”, or “more highly educated”, or “hold a higher position”, or some other major worldly distinction.
But if we feel strongly that God wants us to say or do something, then we are to do it, and not worry about the consequences.
3) In all things, we are to use the gifts that God has given us, and to use them to His glory and in His way. We may be tempted to advance our own personal agenda or to gain some glory for ourselves, but if we do, our efforts are going to fail miserably. Know for certain that God is calling you to some particular purpose, and then go and do it!
The little pig knew who the wolf was, and knew what he was up to, and knew how he operated. This, along with the excellent preparations he had made, is what saved his life. He saw the lies for what they were, and he stayed in the truth that he knew to be sure. He didn’t stop eating – he simply found a better time to gather his food. He didn’t shut himself up in the house – he went out and had fun at a time when the wolf wasn’t around. And when the direct attack happened, he used innovative means to defeat his enemy.
Can we do any less in our service for Jesus Christ? Do we know the truth about both our Lord and the enemy? We had better know - they both are knocking on our door – do we know which one is which? Will we see through the cunning lies that may seem to ring with the truth, but in reality, are nothing less than methods designed to lure us to our death? And are we willing to try a new approach to ministry – one that will address a specific concern or need, or one that will speak to someone in a way that they will be able to understand?
May our ministries always be based in “third pig thinking”, to borrow the phrase from Max Case. And come to think about it, is being a pig any worse than being a sheep? Jesus will love us, regardless!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
“Sometimes, Silence is the Best Policy”
Scripture: Mark 9:33-37
I have always enjoyed reading passages that focused on the disciples. Not so much because of their holiness, but because of their humanness. Even as Jesus was calling each one individually to be His disciple, they needed a lot of time to move from their life in the world and into a life in Christ.
These were not holy men by any stretch of the imagination – they were very normal human beings who were very much like you and me.
They could be crude and worldly (not that you are, of course!).
They represented a very real cross section of society – they were fishermen, tax collectors, zealots (who, incidentally, had a tendency to live on the fringe of polite society), young and old, and even, God forbid, women!
But much of the time that they spent with Jesus seemed to be with one foot in their mouth! They argued, they doubted, they didn’t understand what Jesus was offering them, and on occasion, they made statements that revealed a very questionable faith.
How many times do we find Jesus saying to His closest friends “Oh you of little faith”?
Read Mark 9:33-34
Didn’t they know by now that Jesus knew everything, including their private thoughts and conversations? But in all fairness, this issue of “greatness” is one that Christians have struggled with throughout the centuries, and continue to struggle with today. Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, calls for humility and servanthood, but does that mean that personal success is a bad thing?
The disciples hadn’t quite learned this lesson yet. One day, they would become great, but not by position or resources, not by their own means. That was what Jesus was trying to teach them, and now it had become quite evident, not just to God, but to these men, that the answer was still eluding them.
Have you ever known someone who compensated for a lack of knowledge with an increased volume of their words? The more they talked, the more they irritated those around them. Have you heard the expression “They were wrong at the top of their lungs”? When it comes to God, we don’t have to prove our ignorance in a loud voice – we don’t even have to speak. God just knows. Sometimes silence, in voice and thought and heart, is the best voice.
So what does make us great?
Read Mark 9:35
It seems that the greatest in God’s eyes are the least and last of earth. So the question for today is this: Why?
What is there about being last that God sees as a superior attribute?
What is there about being a lowly servant that will make us great?
Matthew 23:11-12 tells us that “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” The 12 men were confused. The “greatest” that they were most familiar with were the masters, the exalted. The Pharisees and Sadducees were great – just ask them! The Roman solders, not to mention their leaders, were great – just ask anyone!
It was power, knowledge, authority that made men great, not humility, not servanthood! Or at least that was what they had always thought!
Think about the leaders who you have known – governmental, organizational, business, even those in the church. How many were humble and servant hearted? If I might venture a guess, I would have to say “Not very many!” Oh, I know that there will be a few – hopefully in the church – but not many. “Great leaders” are supposed to be strong, wise, courageous, skilled, authoritative.
They aren’t supposed to be servants! They are supposed to be out in front, giving orders, making decisions, moving us forward. That’s greatness in the world’s sense, but not in the Lord’s. In God’s kingdom, it isn’t the one who has the greatest theological understanding; Matthew 18 tells us that it’s the one who has the faith of a child.
Read Mark 9:36-37
And in their servant’s heart, they must also welcome the least. By the world’s standard, we use the least and welcome those who can help us the most! Children, at least in the 1st century, had little value. They couldn’t do much work in the fields, they consumed more than they contributed, and their value was always in their future worth – girls in the dowry that they could command, and boys in their ability to work and produce more wealth for the father. And the children of today are also seen as 2nd class citizens. Should they be seen and not heard? Are they always getting in the way and under foot? Are they more trouble than they are worth? Do we measure their significance by how much it costs to raise them and educate them? Have you ever heard “The children are the future of the church”? The truth is that they are the church of today!
Welcome a child? Most wouldn’t even recognize a child, let alone welcome them! And yet, Jesus says that if we welcome a child, we welcome Him, and when we welcome Him, we welcome the Father.
Reach out to a child – that is what makes us great!
Reach out, not to those who can repay us, but to the homeless and destitute – that is what makes us great!
Give, not a token, but our best to those in need – that is what makes us great!
Show love, not to the lovely, but to the unlovable – that is what makes us great!
Rejoice with, not just our friends in our church, but with those who believe differently or don’t believe at all – that is how they will come to see Jesus, and that will make us both great!
If we are ready to speak a word that won’t help these, then our best choice is to remain silent. I remember my folks telling me “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all!”
Perhaps the wisdom for the church today should be: “If you can’t say something nice, then do something nice. If you can’t do something nice, imagine something nice. And if you can’t even imagine something nice, then pray for your own spiritual healing.”
Be a servant to the least. Be gentle to the great. And above all, let your actions speak far louder than your words.
I have always enjoyed reading passages that focused on the disciples. Not so much because of their holiness, but because of their humanness. Even as Jesus was calling each one individually to be His disciple, they needed a lot of time to move from their life in the world and into a life in Christ.
These were not holy men by any stretch of the imagination – they were very normal human beings who were very much like you and me.
They could be crude and worldly (not that you are, of course!).
They represented a very real cross section of society – they were fishermen, tax collectors, zealots (who, incidentally, had a tendency to live on the fringe of polite society), young and old, and even, God forbid, women!
But much of the time that they spent with Jesus seemed to be with one foot in their mouth! They argued, they doubted, they didn’t understand what Jesus was offering them, and on occasion, they made statements that revealed a very questionable faith.
How many times do we find Jesus saying to His closest friends “Oh you of little faith”?
Read Mark 9:33-34
Didn’t they know by now that Jesus knew everything, including their private thoughts and conversations? But in all fairness, this issue of “greatness” is one that Christians have struggled with throughout the centuries, and continue to struggle with today. Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, calls for humility and servanthood, but does that mean that personal success is a bad thing?
The disciples hadn’t quite learned this lesson yet. One day, they would become great, but not by position or resources, not by their own means. That was what Jesus was trying to teach them, and now it had become quite evident, not just to God, but to these men, that the answer was still eluding them.
Have you ever known someone who compensated for a lack of knowledge with an increased volume of their words? The more they talked, the more they irritated those around them. Have you heard the expression “They were wrong at the top of their lungs”? When it comes to God, we don’t have to prove our ignorance in a loud voice – we don’t even have to speak. God just knows. Sometimes silence, in voice and thought and heart, is the best voice.
So what does make us great?
Read Mark 9:35
It seems that the greatest in God’s eyes are the least and last of earth. So the question for today is this: Why?
What is there about being last that God sees as a superior attribute?
What is there about being a lowly servant that will make us great?
Matthew 23:11-12 tells us that “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” The 12 men were confused. The “greatest” that they were most familiar with were the masters, the exalted. The Pharisees and Sadducees were great – just ask them! The Roman solders, not to mention their leaders, were great – just ask anyone!
It was power, knowledge, authority that made men great, not humility, not servanthood! Or at least that was what they had always thought!
Think about the leaders who you have known – governmental, organizational, business, even those in the church. How many were humble and servant hearted? If I might venture a guess, I would have to say “Not very many!” Oh, I know that there will be a few – hopefully in the church – but not many. “Great leaders” are supposed to be strong, wise, courageous, skilled, authoritative.
They aren’t supposed to be servants! They are supposed to be out in front, giving orders, making decisions, moving us forward. That’s greatness in the world’s sense, but not in the Lord’s. In God’s kingdom, it isn’t the one who has the greatest theological understanding; Matthew 18 tells us that it’s the one who has the faith of a child.
Read Mark 9:36-37
And in their servant’s heart, they must also welcome the least. By the world’s standard, we use the least and welcome those who can help us the most! Children, at least in the 1st century, had little value. They couldn’t do much work in the fields, they consumed more than they contributed, and their value was always in their future worth – girls in the dowry that they could command, and boys in their ability to work and produce more wealth for the father. And the children of today are also seen as 2nd class citizens. Should they be seen and not heard? Are they always getting in the way and under foot? Are they more trouble than they are worth? Do we measure their significance by how much it costs to raise them and educate them? Have you ever heard “The children are the future of the church”? The truth is that they are the church of today!
Welcome a child? Most wouldn’t even recognize a child, let alone welcome them! And yet, Jesus says that if we welcome a child, we welcome Him, and when we welcome Him, we welcome the Father.
Reach out to a child – that is what makes us great!
Reach out, not to those who can repay us, but to the homeless and destitute – that is what makes us great!
Give, not a token, but our best to those in need – that is what makes us great!
Show love, not to the lovely, but to the unlovable – that is what makes us great!
Rejoice with, not just our friends in our church, but with those who believe differently or don’t believe at all – that is how they will come to see Jesus, and that will make us both great!
If we are ready to speak a word that won’t help these, then our best choice is to remain silent. I remember my folks telling me “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all!”
Perhaps the wisdom for the church today should be: “If you can’t say something nice, then do something nice. If you can’t do something nice, imagine something nice. And if you can’t even imagine something nice, then pray for your own spiritual healing.”
Be a servant to the least. Be gentle to the great. And above all, let your actions speak far louder than your words.
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