11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be? You must live holy and godly lives, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming day of God. Because of that day, the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. (2 Peter 3:11-13, CEB)
The admonition is for the reader to hasten the day.
How DO you hasten that day?
If there is anything worth hunting… it is wisdom. We live life in “pursuit” of so many things, but the greatest pursuit in the ancient texts is the pursuit of wisdom. And the call is to be as tenacious with that pursuit as you would with any other pursuit. Actually, even a little more tenacious.
22 Pursue her like a hunter,
and lie in wait by her paths.
23 Those who peer into her windows
will also listen at her doorways.
24 Those who lodge near her house
will also fasten a tent peg in her walls. (Sirach 14:22-24, CEB)
When we choose to seek out wisdom, and then really pursue wisdom… we will find the reward.
Don’t bother to pursue… and she stays far away.
8 She keeps far away from the arrogant,
and liars will never remember her. (Sirach 15:8, CEB)
Our pursuits must be intentional. This isn’t something for the lazy in life.
There are so many organizations responding now, it is hopeful. I heard another presentation today in my Kiwanis club on human trafficking. The statistics are astounding. Minnesota is ranked 13th in the nation for human trafficking.
It’s not something overseas. It is something here.
I love the story of William Wilberforce and his lifelong efforts to end the slave trade in Great Britain.
The question I ask is, “Are we in another era for a new movement of Wilberforces?”
Millions around the world are subjected to sex trafficking and slave labor. It is an enormous problem. So, where do we start?
These are matters of prayer. Is there something we can do locally? Is there something our church can partner with on a local level, or start something new?
I love the passion of youth and how they respond to these needs. They can raise money in a hurry for projects that work with slave trafficking all over the world. It may be time to harness that power and turn it toward home. What can we do locally with the passion of our youth driving it? What is possible?
This is Lent, but let’s not keep Lent at arm’s length. Let’s not talk about what the United Nations could do or Congress could do. What do WE do?
6 Isn’t this the fast I choose:
releasing wicked restraints,
untying the ropes of a yoke,
setting free the mistreated,
and breaking every yoke? (Isa. 58:6, CEB)
There are two stories of healing someone blind in Mark. In between those stories are three episodes where Jesus reveals to his disciples what will happen in a few days: He is going to Jerusalem. He will be handed over to the religious leaders to be put to death. He will rise up after three days.
The contrasts of the two stories of healing the blind man create a great story line to coordinate with the three “reveals” of Jesus concerning his last days.
The first story (Mark 8:22-26) has a blind man brought to Jesus. Jesus has to touch the man twice. Actually, he spits on his eyes.
But it takes two “touches” to heal the blind man completely.
The second story (Mark 10:46-52) has the blind man, Bartimaeus, calling out to Jesus. In all reality, he is shouting after Jesus. He won’t shut up.
46 Jesus and his followers came into Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho, together with his disciples and a sizable crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, Timaeus’ son, was sitting beside the road. 47 When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!” 48 Many scolded him, telling him to be quiet, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, show me mercy!” (CEB)
He knows exactly what he wants. He asks for the ability to see. There is no indication that Jesus even touched him. He spoke an affirmation of the man’s faith and Bartimaeus was healed.
The attitude of Bartimaeus and the attitude of the first man’s story stand out in the storyline of the gospel. With the healing of Bartimaeus, the story right before that episode is James and John coming to Jesus and asking for “most favored” status in the Kingdom.
THIS came right on the heels of Jesus explaining a third time what would happen to him in Jerusalem. (Talk about blind guys!)
While the disciples were “blind” to what was about to happen, and they were “blind” to the actual nature of the Kingdom, here is the story of Bartimaeus screaming out for the opportunity to see.
Mark’s story is great. The question is this: Do you want to see or not?
Do you want to go bumping around, not really wanting to understand what the Kingdom is TRULY about (and that includes the cross), or do you truly want to see and understand what the Kingdom has in store for those who will cry out?
In life there are those who remain blind and miss the Kingdom. There are those who have a “partial touch” and bump around. They see only one side of the Kingdom or the other. (They see only the cross or only the resurrection.) Then there are those screaming out to Jesus to SEE.
The cross, the resurrection… the cost. And they follow Jesus.
Do you WANT to see… truly see… or not?
Humans are intelligent beings. We do stupid things, but that doesn’t mean we are completely mindless. Too often we focus on the dumb things people do. Overall, the human race is intelligent.
While we sometimes focus on the dumb things people do, maybe we need a reminder from time to time that we try to seem “too smart.” It’s one thing to truly be intelligent. It’s another to try to go beyond what is “intelligent” into areas where we try to “look smart,” but really we are completely out of our element.
I think it’s pride. If we can sound smart in some arena and no one else can seem to challenge it, then we “look smart” to others. But pull the curtain back and we find we have no idea what in the world we’re talking about.
We venture into areas to feign intelligence because for some reason we may not think we’re very intelligent ourselves. Maybe we were told we couldn’t learn when we were younger. A parent or teacher foolishly degraded us and we thought we were dumb when, in reality, we possessed intelligence.
For whatever reason, we just can’t seem to give things a rest. We venture off into areas that are well beyond our understanding… and then act like we know what we’re doing.
We need the admonition of Scripture. Keep it simple.
21 Don’t seek out things
that are too difficult for you,
and don’t investigate matters
too perplexing for you.
22 Think about what
you have been commanded,
because you have no need
for matters that are hidden.
23 Don’t meddle in things
beyond your own affairs
since you have already been shown things beyond human understanding.
24 Speculation has led many people astray,
and false conjectures have
weakened their thought. (Sirach 3:21-24, CEB)
I think of Lent, Resurrection Sunday, the cross… and we get caught up in our theologies of why Jesus had to die. We talk about atonement theology and Christus Victor and God’s “spiritual child abuse” and on and on.
We keep seeking out things too difficult for us.
It really is this simple:
Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so.
You can take your “intelligent” arguments and shred that all you want. But simple truth won’t go away.
Whenever I take the time to read briefly in the Deuterocanonical Books (Apocrypha) I find such wonderful nuggets. Sirach, reading like Proverbs, continues to reveal the richness of pursuing God’s wisdom.
26 If you want to find Wisdom,
then keep the commandments,
and the Lord will supply her to you in
vast quantities. (Sirach 1:26, CEB)
God doesn’t sprinkle the richness of his Kingdom on us. He pours out his abundance on us. Seek the Lord. Pursue his way and find an abundance of the Kingdom.
We need a taste for the richness of the Kingdom again. We’re satisfied with fake desserts and processed meat-like substances. We are missing the incredible feast of the Kingdom of God.
One of the reasons I like the Common English Bible is they translated the Deuterocanonical Books. While I am not a regular student of these books, I love having easy access to them, and in such a readable translation.
Sirach is Proverbs all over again, with so much that is very familiar. This is great material for praying, meditation, and spiritual growth.
26 If you want to find Wisdom,
then keep the commandments,
and the Lord will supply her to you in
vast quantities.
27 Fearing the Lord brings
wisdom and education.
He is pleased with faithfulness
and gentleness.
28 Don’t disobey the fear of the Lord,
and don’t approach him
with a divided heart. (Sirach 1:26-28, CEB)
I am blatantly stealing from Tommy Barnett. I am an honest thief.
He had a sermon called, “There’s a miracle in your house!” (And then a book.)
2 Kings 4:1-7 tells the story of Elisha and the widow. She has nothing to pay her debts. Elisha asks what she has in the house. She had nothing but a small jar of oil. Elisha tells her to go collect as many jars from her neighbors as she can find. Bring them all into the house and start filling each jar. The widow went to find as many jars as possible. Then, she began pouring. The oil didn’t run out until the last jar was filled.
In Mark 8 Jesus has his disciples feed the 4,000. The disciples are worried about the huge crowd.
“How much do you have?” Jesus asked.
“Seven loaves.”
“Start feeding, then.”
8 They ate until they were full. They collected seven baskets full of leftovers. (Mark 8:8, CEB)
They ate all they needed. And then there were leftovers. God isn’t about scarcity. He is about abundance. But this is interesting in these stories: God isn’t about storing it up in our bank accounts, vast property holdings, or flashy jewelry, either. (Just a thought. I’m meddlin’ now… I know.)
Here is the incredible lesson of the Kingdom of God: pour out what you have and watch God keep supplying. Don’t wait for a better day, or a richer day. Pour out NOW.
We can’t be pursuing Jesus simply for the signs. We are in pursuit because of who he is. May we not be in the generation where Jesus says, “No more signs.”
11 The Pharisees showed up and began to argue with Jesus. To test him, they asked for a sign from heaven. 12 With an impatient sigh, Jesus said, “Why does this generation look for a sign? I assure you that no sign will be given to it.” 13 Leaving them, he got back in the boat and crossed to the other side of the lake. (Mark 8:11-13, CEB)
29 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Get ready, take my staff, and go! If you encounter anyone, don’t stop to greet them. If anyone greets you, don’t reply. Put my staff on the boy’s face.”
30 But the boy’s mother said, “I swear by your life and by the LORD’s life, I won’t leave you!” So Elisha got up and followed her.
31 Gehazi went on ahead of them. He set the staff on the young boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy didn’t wake up.” (2 Kings 4:29-31, CEB)
This post is more directed at me than anyone else. I’ve journaled about it as well, but I’m still thinking out loud about ministry, laziness, the flesh, egos… all that good stuff.
Elisha has prayed for the Shunnamite woman to conceive. Years before she had built a room for Elisha, allowing him a place to stay when he was in the area. Imagine the scandal. A single prophet living in the home of a married woman…
I digress.
Elisha prayed and the woman conceived. Flash forward several years. The son has just died and the woman has gone out to hunt down Elisha. Finding him she rips into him for giving her a son and then letting him die.
Elisha calls his servant Gehazi and gives him his staff. He tells Gehazi to run ahead and lay the staff on the dead son.
He didn’t get up and go right away. He sent the servant.
There are good reasons for doing this. Perhaps he is up in years a bit and he can’t move as fast. He wants the answer to come quickly so he sends the servant with his staff. It represents him.
Perhaps he is not feeling well. He just needs someone to get there quicker.
There is also a reason that’s not so “nice.” He may have just been lazy. He may have thought, “I am really tied up with things here. Sending my servant with my staff should do the job.”
We don’t know why. Those who love prophets and think prophets can do no wrong will go with the first option. That’s okay.
It’s that second option that challenges me. Not because I think Elisha was in that category. It’s because too often I find myself in that category.
There are several issues facing me currently that require far more of me than I feel I can give right now. Yet, it’s not a matter of wanting to be more busy. They are issues that truly need my attention.
And I’m trying to send substitutes. I am trying to throw a little effort in and hoping for a big result.
Of course it’s not working! DUH!
There are times as ministers, as pastors, as prophets… we need to push the effort through. YES we are tired. YES we are pushed to the limit. YES we have too many things on our plates.
But there is a call from God and sending some substitute won’t get it done. We have to go and lay on the dead body ourselves! Resurrection can happen.
Push through.
