pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Time and Space to Mourn

Reading: Matthew 14:22-23

Verse 23: “He went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.”

The first two verses of this week’s gospel lesson are a microcosm, a snapshot. Most often they are verses that we read and understand, but do not sit with. These two verses give a wonderful insight into Jesus’ humanity – and into ours.

After healing all day and then feeding the 5,000 Jesus sends the disciples off in the boat and then he dismisses the crowd. He is making time for what he needed to do before the huge crowd arrived. Jesus makes time to mourn the loss of his cousin and fellow prophet. In verse 23 we read, “He went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” Going up the mountain is God-speak for finding time alone with God. For Jesus, going up the mountain is time to connect with God, just as it was for Moses and Elijah.

Caring for immediate needs can defer grieving. It happens to many of us when we lose a loved one. The immediate and necessary tasks of writing an obituary, of planning and attending a funeral… they consume our attention and energy, much as the healing and feeding of the crowd did for Jesus. This was the divine Jesus in action. Then the human Jesus needed care. He needed time and space to mourn and to be with God in that grieving. Jesus honored his grief. In our times of loss may we follow this example too.

Prayer: Lord God, it can be tempting to defer or ignore our grief. The initial days of autopilot, of getting necessary things done, they can trick us. When that flurry passes, remind us of the intentional choice that Jesus made. Draw us into your peace and consolation, for there we begin to find real healing. Amen.


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At Once

Reading: Matthew 4: 18-23

Verse 20: “At once they left their nets and followed him”.

In our passage today, Jesus has begun his public ministry. He calls people to repent. Jesus begins by addressing the sin that he came to ultimately defeat. In our passage today Jesus gives us a great model for ministry. Yes, Jesus probably could have done some ministry by himself. In the moment he could have been successful in teaching obedience to God; he could have brought healing and wholeness to people’s lives; and, he could have drawn people closer to God. But if this were the case he’d have been more like another Elijah or Jeremiah instead of the Messiah. As much good as Jesus did in his three years of ministry, the work he did on the cross and through the grave are what made an eternal difference.

Jesus understood this. He knew that his ministry was not just for this three years and it was not just about what he could do. He saw his role in the bigger picture of God’s plans. In order to have a lasting impact, in order to reorient the human-divine relationship, Jesus knew that the ministry must extend beyond the person of Jesus. So he recruited and trained helpers. Today we hear the call of the first disciples. As he walked along the seashore Jesus calls first Andrew and Peter, then James and John. It is a simple call: “Come, follow me, and I will make you fish for people”. The ask itself is quite simple. No persuasive speech, no miracle to prepare them to say yes. The simple statement is followed by an immediate response. In verse twenty we read, “At once they left their nets and followed him”.

“At once” – no hesitation, no time to think through the pros and the cons. Jesus’ words must have carried some authority, his presence must have been tangible. “They left their nets” – all was set aside, no, all was given up to follow this new rabbi. These four men left their jobs, their families, their everything to follow Jesus. They “followed him” – to where? They did not know where. They did not know to what end. We can be almost positive that these four men knew very little about Jesus or what his invitation meant. Yet, “At once they left their nets and followed him”.

We too have our moments when Jesus says, “Come, follow me”. In fact, we have them over and over. What would our faith and our lives look like – what would our world look like – if we at once left our immediate situation and followed Jesus wherever he led?

Prayer: Prince of Peace, fill me with your peace, so that when your Holy Spirit tries to lead me, I may follow more often. Melt away my excuses with the fire of your love. Help me to more fully live out your love every day. Amen.