To Whom Shall We Go?

Some of you can remember when you were a new disciple. You can still remember what you felt as you came out of the waters of baptism. You once accepted Jesus’ offer, but then something interfered. He spoke of thorns that would grow up and choke out the faith of those who had made a good beginning. He mentioned specifically the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth. These, for sure, can be major culprits, but he was not giving a complete list. Some have allowed painful relationships and mistakes by others to harden or embitter them.

Risen!

Earlier, I suggested that we try to put ourselves in the place of one of the disciples at the Passover meal before Jesus died. I would suggest that we engage in that same exercise again, this time imagining what it would have felt like for one of them after his death.

           

The next day it was still the Sabbath. Normally you would have been with Jesus at a synagogue service, but you and the others dared not go out. It was the longest day of your life. The Sabbath ended at sundown. You slept fitfully that night. The morning of the first day of the week started with the others in awkward silence. No one seemed to know what to do or what to say. The word was that some of the women were trying to find the tomb where Jesus’ body had been taken. You had a vague feeling you should be doing something, but you were too numb to act.

One Passion: God's Will

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:35–36)

Jesus is in as mighty a struggle here as a human being can be in. Like a child, he pours out his soul to his Abba, Father, seeking some way to resolve an awful dilemma.

“Abba,” he says. He had never known anything but the deepest fellowship with his Abba, his Papa. Surely there was some way to maintain that relationship and not be cut off, but still save the world. But then his surrender to his Father emerges: “Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Fellowship in a Dark Hour

All the Gospels describe a final meal that Jesus had with his disciples. The first three Gospels make it clear that it was the Passover celebration. It is a helpful exercise to try putting yourself in the place of one of the Twelve and to imagine what you would have felt as the events unfolded that night at the feast.

At one point during the meal, Jesus takes the bread and he says: “This is my body.” He takes the cup and he says, “This is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many.” You have eaten the Passover feast maybe fifteen to twenty times since your were a teenager, but never have you heard anything like this. You have probably eaten the Passover with Jesus before, but now you are hearing him say something totally new and thoroughly strange. I would be surprised if some of them didn’t turn to others and ask, “What did he say? Did he say what I thought he said?”

Insanely Generous Love

When Jesus of Nazareth announced that the kingdom of God that he was ushering in was like a feast or like a banquet, people should have known that this was not your run-of-the-mill apocalyptic prophet. The declaration should have given his listeners a clue that there was something unusually upbeat about this man’s message. Sure, Jesus would talk of judgment and the consequences of sin and self-centeredness, because that was a part of reality; but his overriding message was that God is good and that he is out to do good in abundant ways to all people. 

His Good News of the Kingdom

The God of the universe has invaded our planet. He came in Jesus of Nazareth. The age to come has already broken into the present age. This means that Reality is on our side. Now that this has been made plain, there is nothing more important than seeking the kingdom of God. We must make the kingdom, the reign of God, our greatest passion. It is like a great treasure found in a field worth the sacrifice of all we have (Matthew 13:44). It is like the pearl of great price that a man would sell everything to gain (Matthew 13:45–46).

Jesus' Courage

While it may be surprising to speak of the submissiveness of a great man, we expect to see boldness and courage in the lives of those who have great impact, and we are not disappointed when we come to Jesus. Submissive—yes. Timid and fearful—absolutely not. It is this combination of qualities that we find hard to understand or implement, but which makes Jesus so unique and worthy of imitation.