120 Years

I was reading a book today.

The chapter I was reading begins with the following quote:

It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity.(1)

My first thought, upon reading those words, is of the remarkable truth they speak. This is often my experience: I don't often see science, or atheism, or pantheism or agnosticism attacking the church all that much. Most often the detractors to faith are self-fulfillment. People today are hesitant to seek God because they don't need God. Even people in the church seem to be meeting all their own needs instead of looking to God for help. 

I thought this quote, because it spoke so plainly of today's North America church, must be recent. Turns out it's not. Unless there is a typo in the book's citation, the quote is from 1890. Crazy that for 120 years the issues have been much the same. 

I wonder why this is so. 

The chapter goes on to deal with our lukewarmness. As in, our response to Jesus is often more lukewarm than we realize. It's as if we're not fully buying in to the words Jesus has for his followers. 

It's as if we're not taking Jesus at his word. 

A few minutes later I was reading John 4 when these words jumped off the page at me: 

The man took Jesus at his word and departed.

(John 4:50b)

Because this guy "took Jesus at his word" amazing things happened in his life: his son, who was on the verge of dying, lived. 

That is incredible. 

I can't help but think that if we took Jesus more literally we'd see incredible things too: the dying would live. Churches would be filled with people who don't see God as another thing to have* but as their source of life. 

And so I pose this question: What words of Jesus do we need to be taking more literally?

- - - 

(1) Frederic D. Huntington, Forum magazine, 1890. Cited in Francis Chan, Crazy Love, p. 65 David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, 2008

* Got Jesus?

Baskets Full

I found myself rereading a popular Bible story today that was being used as an illustration withing another book.

The Bible story is commonly know as "The Feeding of the Five Thousand." You can read it for yourself in Matthew 14, or Mark 6, or Luke 9, or John 6. Actually, it's one of the few stories that each gospel writer thought important enough to include.

The basics of the story are this: Jesus and his disciples are out in the countryside enjoying some time together. According to Luke, it's a debriefing time after the disciples had been out ministering. A large crowd gathers and meal time is approaching. The disciples solution is for Jesus to send the crowd away so they will boost the local economy by dropping 8 months' wages on the local shop owners.

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, found his dinner in the lunch bag of a local boy and thought it best to make Jesus aware of his discovery. Perhaps the boy had enough to share with one or two others, but how far can five buns and a couple small fish go?

Jesus had a better idea for the potential sandwiches and instructed the crowd sit on the grass in groups. Luke says groups of about fifty.

Have you ever sat in a group of fifty? Fifty isn't a small group. That lunch would look ridiculous to fifty men. We're looking at one bun for every ten guys in the share circle. Guys will be thinking: I've eaten boogers bigger than this crumb.

Yet they're in groups of fifty.

100 groups of 50.

Then Jesus thanked God for the food and the disciples began to pass it around. Everyone ate as much as they wanted. They were all filled up. We get the idea that no one left hungry.

And not to leave a mess, or perhaps so the disciples could have a breakfast of leftovers, Jesus gave instructions for clean up. "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." He instructed.

Then each gospel records that 12 baskets were filled with the remnants.

Usually when this story is taught the miracle of the multiplication of the food is expounded upon. I mean, it looks like they picked up more leftovers than they had to begin with. And that was after 5000 men ate their fill. There had to be serious amounts of food to accomplish that. I'm not sure I can even imagine what food for 5000 of me must look like.

Today, I was struck by two other miracles within the story that I don't think I've ever heard mentioned.

The first one I call the miracle of the sit.

The group of 5000 men were divided into groups of 50 and seated on the grass.

I have a hard enough time getting a group of 20 youth to split up into groups of 5 on their own. How long did this process take? It's pretty easy to look around and count me plus four equals five, we're done. How did making groups of 50 go?

None the less, groups of 50 were made and it sounds like the meal didn't become breakfast.

This amazes me. That must have been some holy chaos on par with the creation of the world. I wish I was there to observe it. I would love to see how that feat was pulled off.

Then there is what I call the miracle of the weaver.

Where did they get 12 baskets from?

There is no previous mention of baskets.

I was at an event as a kid that was free. Well, they told you it was free but half way through buckets that may, or may not, have previously contained Kentucky Fried Chicken were passed through the crowd to collect donations. It's hard to enjoy a free event when the Colonel is staring you down. How can you not give something while under the watchful eye of a high ranking official?

I understand now that this is a common practice among "free" Christian events that traces roots back to the Biblical story told above. Only instead of wanting baskets full of leftover food the event organizers hope to have baskets left over of cold hard cash.

But in Jesus day they could not go steal, or "borrow" as these groups say, paper buckets from a local fried poultry retailer. They had baskets because someone brought baskets. Why was this individual cut out of the scriptures? Why is their contribution to the story not important enough to include? We know that the lunch was brought by a nameless boy, why don't we know why, or simply that, one gentleman from the town was notorious for carrying a dozen baskets wherever he went.

Or maybe some guy's wife said: "Honey, don't forget to take the baskets. You never know when they'll come in handy."

Or maybe the crowd mugged a traveling basket merchant.

Or was this grass really straw, and what we don't know is the Bartholomew was wicked good at weaving and he whipped up a dozen baskets?

I guess what I'm saying is that we don't know enough about the baskets. I wish I knew more. I'm itching for the baskets to get some attention.

I have other basket related questions. How large were they? Because the miracle seems greater if these baskets were huge. Were they float a baby down the Nile big, or the first century version of a ring box small?

I guess I bring all this up because here we see that even in a story, that we can read and re-read hundreds of times, there is always something in the Bible to make us think. And while thinking about the foolishness of how to get men organized in groups of 50, or what it looks like for a guy to have twelve baskets hidden under his tunic, are not particularly major theological issues, or even issues important enough for God to make sure one of the four gospel writers included, they have gotten me thinking more about an important afternoon in the life of one I strive to be like.

In life I find myself coming up with a lot of excuses for not doing stuff. Usually those excuses are some version of "that's impossible." "We can't take youth on a mission trip there, that's impossible." "We can't hold an outreach event of that magnitude, that's impossible." "We can't actually expect people to serve in that way, it's not possible."

I read Jesus words "nothing is impossible with God" and I act as if Jesus wasn't telling the truth. My actions demonstrate a heart that believes God is limited.

Jesus knew we would struggle with understanding what "nothing is impossible with God" means, so he showed us an excellent example of something crazy amazing so that we might go, "if God can turn one meal into 5000 meals what else can he do?"

Perhaps this story is so important because in it I come closer to living more like Jesus who lived knowing fully the meaning of "nothing is impossible with God."

May you also gain a better understanding of those words of Jesus demonstrated in this story full of miracles.

Lightish

I am not a fan of the darkness. To say I’m afraid of the dark is a stretch that I’m not comfortable making given that I may not know you the reader. But darkness provides far too many opportunities for stubbed toes and other sorts of danger. Thus, I avoid it.

I’m torn, however, because Light, the alternative, isn’t exactly 100% safe either. Have you ever burned yourself on a lamp? Those suckers get hot: hot enough even to back a cupcake. Or how about that time you heard a noise and turned on the light to find yourself face to face with a mouse? No, that wasn’t you. Anyways, light can burn and scar, and scarier yet, reveal truth that we’d rather have hidden in the dark.

In our previous house we had a light in the basement that was notorious for burning out bulbs. This socket could kill a bulb in a matter of seconds: often with the first flick of the switch. The annoying thing was that this light was situated in the darkest corner of the basement. The place needing the light the most could not get any. For all the work I had to do in that corner of the basement I wish I could have gotten some light.

Jesus says some pretty important stuff about light in John chapter 9. As Jesus and his disciples were traveling along they come across a man born blind. His disciples turn to Jesus and ask, “Who sinned, this man or his parents?” Jesus disciples had an understanding that people born with issues such as blindness or crippled limbs were that way because of sin: either their or their parents. In other words, they believe that if you sinned your kids could be born blind.

This was not true.

This issue needed some light shined on it.

Jesus responds then by saying: “Neither, this guy isn’t blind because someone sinned. He’s blind so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

Do you think it suddenly got brighter in everyone’s life?

Then Jesus goes on to say: “While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

He’s the light revealing what’s lying in the darkness, debunking myths, correcting false teaching and showing us the way.

But, if Jesus is gone does that mean the world is in darkness?

Fortunately God doesn’t work that way. Jesus said to his followers in Matthew five: “You are the Light of the world.” God’s plan is that his followers are to be the light. Again, being light is part of our makeup and wiring. We are salty torches.

So, what are we going to do with our light?

Lights can grow dim if not maintained. Batteries die, oil levels run low and if fuel is not supplied the light will die out. Christians who aren’t refueling are going to stop shining.

And lights can be hidden by shades so as to not become uncomfortable to those around. Does God want us to simply be mood lighting setting a nice atmosphere?

And only one light creates shadows while two or three or more, well-positioned lights illuminate the entire space. If all your lights are pointing at the same subject only that one subject will be seen and everything else will be in the dark.

And most importantly, light travels. Darkness is not a wall hemming light in. The light of a single candle can be seen miles away. How far away can our light be seen?

Salty

Sorry, but this is not about a singing song book.

I’ve been studying a few metaphors lately from Matthew 5. In Matthew chapter 5 Jesus tells His disciples: “You are the salt of the earth.” Have you heard this expression before? This “salt of the earth” saying floats around. You might say, “Oh, that Martin, he’s so swell. He’s just the salt of the earth.”

But what does that mean?

It’s a weird thing to be called salt. I’m sure this isn’t a reference to our tendency to become salty when we sweat.

For years I’ve assumed this is strictly talking about value. Salt, for the ancient world is valuable. Today, for a couple bucks I can go to the store and get a box of it. In times past it was currency: it held that much value. I don’t think I can walk into Chevron and plop a bag of salt on the counter as payment for my fuel. It doesn’t work that way today.

It also could be that someone is like salt if they have many uses: or perform many duties. Salt can be used for all sorts of things, from preserving meat to cleaning, to softening water. On the website for Windsor salt company they list about 20 different uses for salt besides using it as a seasoning.

So when you liken someone to salt you can be talking about their value and worth and usefulness.

But there is another property of salt, and that is found in the everlasting nature of pure salt. Pure salt never goes bad. Pure salt lasts forever. What if this is what Jesus meant? What if Jesus was saying “You are to last. You will never perish.”

In Second Chronicles chapter 13 verse five, the King of Judah reminds the Israelites that God made a covenant of salt with David setting David’s line as kings forever over the people of God.

Pure salt lasts. Salt doesn’t stop being salty. In the same way we are to continue living as disciples and witnesses. True disciples last.

But there is impure salt. Fake salt you might even call it.

Impure salt looses its saltiness. Impure salt does not last.

So what kind of salt are we? Are we living as pure salt with a witness that will last forever, or as impure salt that is essentially useless?

Will we abstain from the things that make us impure?

Think about this the next time you use salt in one of its twenty plus uses.