LJI wk 8 -- My True North
Some days Jesus has to shepherd me like this...
The above link, which was supposed to embed but wouldn't, features a man lying down reaching into what is seemingly solid grassy earth, gradually pulling out an entire sheep by the back ankles, blocking it from returning to the hole, turning it around and sending it on it's way. The shepherd and the cameraman are laughing and chatting in Spanish throughout. The caption to the video says (in English) "Some days Jesus has to shepherd me like this...".
A bible passage that has been on my mind a lot lately is the one I am naming the feeding of the 20,000+. This is the one that is more commonly known as the feeding of the 5,000, but that's 5,000 men, not including women and children, who were also there, and so I've renamed it for the purpose of egalitarianism. Because women and children are people too. (The headings of the chapter sections in the bible are not to be considered part of the actual text for holy purposes, only for fast reference, so I'm fine with renaming the title of this one and not losing any of the implied holiness of the words. jsyk *wink*) The full details of the story can be found in the book of Mark, beginning in Chapter 6.
This passage and the parts that surround it is the subject of three of the most powerful/insightful sermons I've ever heard; one from the previous reverend of my current church (Nik), and two from preaching I've heard on the internet, by Priscilla Shirer, and Stephen Furtick, and it's this preaching, this pointing out of details that are hidden in plain sight, that is the reason it has been on my mind.
If I may summarise/paraphrase:
Jesus sends twelve disciples out on their first assignments without him, which involved travelling, preaching, visiting and anointing the sick, miracle healings, and evicting evil forces that are possessing people. Quite intense stuff. Not sure how long this was for, probably several days at least.
Then there's a sidebar about the death beheading of John the Baptist; Jesus' close relative and the one who had been preparing the way for him spiritually.
Then the disciples are back with Jesus, trying to debrief and desperate for some rest. It says they did not even have time to eat, because of the people still coming and going. So Jesus tries to get them away to a quiet place to regroup with him. But the multitude follow him.
So this is Priscilla's first point, that sometimes when you are that rung out and exhausted, the blessing that you get is the multitude, the exact opposite of what you want, because what you wanted would have made you selfish. Not sure if I agree with that or just that that's life, and that sometimes when you are that wrung out, a multitude still happens.
Then Stephen points out that when Peter (more or less, the 'lead' disciple) says to Jesus, "Lord, shall we send these people away so that they can get something to eat?", that's actually... Peter wants something to eat. And he wants the crowd to go away. Because he wants that alone time hanging out with Jesus... that Jesus had offered him. Peter wonders if Jesus has forgotten him. So I think it's worth noting that sometimes Jesus does sometimes do something different than he had been doing, he has compassion on people (in this case, the multitude who needed healing), and his priorities change, and when they do, it's important to still stick with him.
But Jesus says, "you give them something to eat". They find a small boy with a packed lunch who gives it to Jesus. Jesus gives thanks for the food and tells everyone to sit down. Something odd happens here, and you need to look carefully to see it (thanks to Nik for pointing this out). The people sit down in groups of 50 or 100. Note, Jesus does not say, sit in groups of 50 or 100. Jesus just says, sit down. The people do that by themselves. The reason they do this, is because there were set prayers for food that would be said by the rabbi or other spiritual leader of the group, depending on the number of people that were present.
Then the disciples distributed the food to the people, and the people, following the lead of their rabbis and other spiritual leaders, put a portion of their meal to one side to go to the temple to feed the poor. Well, that's where it ended up, but they weren't doing it to be overtly charitable, they were doing it to offer to God. To be obedient, religiously. And then the disciples collected 12 baskets of these pieces. (>>Where did they get 12 baskets from, anyway, if they only had one packed lunch between 20,000+ people? That's a side point but it just crossed my mind.<<) Anyway, and thanks again to Nik for this, the point is that these 12 baskets of pieces were not "leftovers", they had been set aside on purpose. Even though the word "leftovers" is often used in the translation into English, a better word is "pieces". (I'm coming back to this point later.)
Stephen makes another excellent point here. Peter was hungry. He didn't get given food. But he was given a seed, one boy's packed lunch. (Via Jesus.) And when he planted that seed -- distributed the packed lunch -- then the seed grew and the provision was so great that he was able to eat, along with 20,000+ others. So sometimes, you bring a need, and you don't get the need fulfilled, but you do get a seed. And then you have a choice. And if you choose to plant the seed, then the provision grows, giving an abundance not only for yourself but for many others as well.
Thinking back to Priscilla, she also said "everyone wants to see a miracle, but no one wants to get to the point where a miracle is required." I'm still thinking about Peter. He didn't want to get to the point where he was distributing food to the crowds... but like everyone, I'm sure he wanted to see a miracle. (Okay, okay, she actually said that in a different sermon. But it still fits here.)
Then Jesus sends the disciples away in the boat so that they can actually get some rest after their adventurous week. But he stays behind, goes up the mountain and prays by himself for a while. I think digesting the news about John the Baptist? And the disciples are rowing through the night to the other side of the lake, with the wind against them.
Then Jesus appeared, walking on the water, terrifying everybody, and Peter walked out to him, and then looked at the waves and nearly drowned.
And on the other side of the lake there are more crowds, more teaching, more healing, another mass-feeding miracle. Lather, rinse, repeat.
On the way back to this side of the lake, Jesus warns them not to get infected with the yeast of "Herod and the Pharisees".
(Herod was the Governor, the one who had John the Baptist beheaded. The Pharisees were religious leaders who tried really hard to do the right thing, but liked boasting about it too, and tended to make things harder rather than easier for the ordinary people to come to God. Jesus had a lot of arguments with them.)
So what is the yeast of Herod and the Pharisees? Well Herod quite literally killed someone who was doing God's work, not believing it, not giving it room to flourish. Also he had liked to listen to John the Baptist, but he hadn't wanted to join in or believe, so there's also an element of thinking that knowing about God is going to be enough, that he doesn't need to actually do anything, and it starts so subtly, but it does turn the whole heart poisonous with the pride of wanting to do it all on one's own terms. The Pharisees were a bit like that too, thinking that just because they were disciplined, that discipline by itself mattered, instead of potentially just being a complete waste of energy because it didn't actually accomplish anything worthwhile. And the other thing, and thanks to Nik for pointing this out: when the people are sitting down with a Rabbi or a Pharisee at the head of their groups, saying their set prayers, don't forget that Jesus had already given thanks for the food. And don't forget that it's only out of God's provision that they even had any food in the first place, because they were all eating one boy's packed lunch. And when you put those things together, it's saying that the Pharisees did not think that Jesus was good enough for God. Jesus' prayer wasn't good enough, they felt the need to pray again themselves. Jesus' obedience to God to take care of them wasn't good enough, they had to add their own obedience by keeping the portion to one side. So before long you get to, what Jesus is offering isn't good enough for God, you have to do that yourself. But that's still the pride to set your own terms for coming to God, and not the humility to accept the terms that God has laid out. Which is entirely to do with Jesus and nothing to with our discipline, but you can find out more about that on your own, because the main point here, is just, who gets to set the terms?
And I think the other point of note, is, Peter, like the Pharisees, expected recognition and a reward for what he had already accomplished. That because he had done a lot, he thought that excused him from having to do any more. Same as how the Pharisees thought that their disciplined lives alone made them worthy of honour.
So when I find that the road is long and only ever getting harder, when I am wrung out and exhausted, as I have been recently... sometimes I just have to face a multitude. Sometimes I get a seed to plant, good I can still do. And I get so, so tempted to want to hold something back, just one thing, to "not want to have to" give up anything else. ...To want to set the terms. When I give in to that, that's when I end up in holes and need full-body rescuing in a very non-dignified way that may or may not also have been painful. And it starts so, so subtly. Jesus is a good shepherd and he does always rescue me. But he is also teaching me. That when I actually don't try to run the show, when I just go with it, even when it's not what I was expecting (or promised), that my harvest comes and my strength renews, and I have so much to be thankful for. *smile*
The above link, which was supposed to embed but wouldn't, features a man lying down reaching into what is seemingly solid grassy earth, gradually pulling out an entire sheep by the back ankles, blocking it from returning to the hole, turning it around and sending it on it's way. The shepherd and the cameraman are laughing and chatting in Spanish throughout. The caption to the video says (in English) "Some days Jesus has to shepherd me like this...".
A bible passage that has been on my mind a lot lately is the one I am naming the feeding of the 20,000+. This is the one that is more commonly known as the feeding of the 5,000, but that's 5,000 men, not including women and children, who were also there, and so I've renamed it for the purpose of egalitarianism. Because women and children are people too. (The headings of the chapter sections in the bible are not to be considered part of the actual text for holy purposes, only for fast reference, so I'm fine with renaming the title of this one and not losing any of the implied holiness of the words. jsyk *wink*) The full details of the story can be found in the book of Mark, beginning in Chapter 6.
This passage and the parts that surround it is the subject of three of the most powerful/insightful sermons I've ever heard; one from the previous reverend of my current church (Nik), and two from preaching I've heard on the internet, by Priscilla Shirer, and Stephen Furtick, and it's this preaching, this pointing out of details that are hidden in plain sight, that is the reason it has been on my mind.
If I may summarise/paraphrase:
Jesus sends twelve disciples out on their first assignments without him, which involved travelling, preaching, visiting and anointing the sick, miracle healings, and evicting evil forces that are possessing people. Quite intense stuff. Not sure how long this was for, probably several days at least.
Then there's a sidebar about the death beheading of John the Baptist; Jesus' close relative and the one who had been preparing the way for him spiritually.
Then the disciples are back with Jesus, trying to debrief and desperate for some rest. It says they did not even have time to eat, because of the people still coming and going. So Jesus tries to get them away to a quiet place to regroup with him. But the multitude follow him.
So this is Priscilla's first point, that sometimes when you are that rung out and exhausted, the blessing that you get is the multitude, the exact opposite of what you want, because what you wanted would have made you selfish. Not sure if I agree with that or just that that's life, and that sometimes when you are that wrung out, a multitude still happens.
Then Stephen points out that when Peter (more or less, the 'lead' disciple) says to Jesus, "Lord, shall we send these people away so that they can get something to eat?", that's actually... Peter wants something to eat. And he wants the crowd to go away. Because he wants that alone time hanging out with Jesus... that Jesus had offered him. Peter wonders if Jesus has forgotten him. So I think it's worth noting that sometimes Jesus does sometimes do something different than he had been doing, he has compassion on people (in this case, the multitude who needed healing), and his priorities change, and when they do, it's important to still stick with him.
But Jesus says, "you give them something to eat". They find a small boy with a packed lunch who gives it to Jesus. Jesus gives thanks for the food and tells everyone to sit down. Something odd happens here, and you need to look carefully to see it (thanks to Nik for pointing this out). The people sit down in groups of 50 or 100. Note, Jesus does not say, sit in groups of 50 or 100. Jesus just says, sit down. The people do that by themselves. The reason they do this, is because there were set prayers for food that would be said by the rabbi or other spiritual leader of the group, depending on the number of people that were present.
Then the disciples distributed the food to the people, and the people, following the lead of their rabbis and other spiritual leaders, put a portion of their meal to one side to go to the temple to feed the poor. Well, that's where it ended up, but they weren't doing it to be overtly charitable, they were doing it to offer to God. To be obedient, religiously. And then the disciples collected 12 baskets of these pieces. (>>Where did they get 12 baskets from, anyway, if they only had one packed lunch between 20,000+ people? That's a side point but it just crossed my mind.<<) Anyway, and thanks again to Nik for this, the point is that these 12 baskets of pieces were not "leftovers", they had been set aside on purpose. Even though the word "leftovers" is often used in the translation into English, a better word is "pieces". (I'm coming back to this point later.)
Stephen makes another excellent point here. Peter was hungry. He didn't get given food. But he was given a seed, one boy's packed lunch. (Via Jesus.) And when he planted that seed -- distributed the packed lunch -- then the seed grew and the provision was so great that he was able to eat, along with 20,000+ others. So sometimes, you bring a need, and you don't get the need fulfilled, but you do get a seed. And then you have a choice. And if you choose to plant the seed, then the provision grows, giving an abundance not only for yourself but for many others as well.
Thinking back to Priscilla, she also said "everyone wants to see a miracle, but no one wants to get to the point where a miracle is required." I'm still thinking about Peter. He didn't want to get to the point where he was distributing food to the crowds... but like everyone, I'm sure he wanted to see a miracle. (Okay, okay, she actually said that in a different sermon. But it still fits here.)
Then Jesus sends the disciples away in the boat so that they can actually get some rest after their adventurous week. But he stays behind, goes up the mountain and prays by himself for a while. I think digesting the news about John the Baptist? And the disciples are rowing through the night to the other side of the lake, with the wind against them.
Then Jesus appeared, walking on the water, terrifying everybody, and Peter walked out to him, and then looked at the waves and nearly drowned.
And on the other side of the lake there are more crowds, more teaching, more healing, another mass-feeding miracle. Lather, rinse, repeat.
On the way back to this side of the lake, Jesus warns them not to get infected with the yeast of "Herod and the Pharisees".
(Herod was the Governor, the one who had John the Baptist beheaded. The Pharisees were religious leaders who tried really hard to do the right thing, but liked boasting about it too, and tended to make things harder rather than easier for the ordinary people to come to God. Jesus had a lot of arguments with them.)
So what is the yeast of Herod and the Pharisees? Well Herod quite literally killed someone who was doing God's work, not believing it, not giving it room to flourish. Also he had liked to listen to John the Baptist, but he hadn't wanted to join in or believe, so there's also an element of thinking that knowing about God is going to be enough, that he doesn't need to actually do anything, and it starts so subtly, but it does turn the whole heart poisonous with the pride of wanting to do it all on one's own terms. The Pharisees were a bit like that too, thinking that just because they were disciplined, that discipline by itself mattered, instead of potentially just being a complete waste of energy because it didn't actually accomplish anything worthwhile. And the other thing, and thanks to Nik for pointing this out: when the people are sitting down with a Rabbi or a Pharisee at the head of their groups, saying their set prayers, don't forget that Jesus had already given thanks for the food. And don't forget that it's only out of God's provision that they even had any food in the first place, because they were all eating one boy's packed lunch. And when you put those things together, it's saying that the Pharisees did not think that Jesus was good enough for God. Jesus' prayer wasn't good enough, they felt the need to pray again themselves. Jesus' obedience to God to take care of them wasn't good enough, they had to add their own obedience by keeping the portion to one side. So before long you get to, what Jesus is offering isn't good enough for God, you have to do that yourself. But that's still the pride to set your own terms for coming to God, and not the humility to accept the terms that God has laid out. Which is entirely to do with Jesus and nothing to with our discipline, but you can find out more about that on your own, because the main point here, is just, who gets to set the terms?
And I think the other point of note, is, Peter, like the Pharisees, expected recognition and a reward for what he had already accomplished. That because he had done a lot, he thought that excused him from having to do any more. Same as how the Pharisees thought that their disciplined lives alone made them worthy of honour.
So when I find that the road is long and only ever getting harder, when I am wrung out and exhausted, as I have been recently... sometimes I just have to face a multitude. Sometimes I get a seed to plant, good I can still do. And I get so, so tempted to want to hold something back, just one thing, to "not want to have to" give up anything else. ...To want to set the terms. When I give in to that, that's when I end up in holes and need full-body rescuing in a very non-dignified way that may or may not also have been painful. And it starts so, so subtly. Jesus is a good shepherd and he does always rescue me. But he is also teaching me. That when I actually don't try to run the show, when I just go with it, even when it's not what I was expecting (or promised), that my harvest comes and my strength renews, and I have so much to be thankful for. *smile*