Reflection: Stubborn, or Focussed on God?”In this week’s Gospel reading from Luke 13, we find Jesus resolutely walking, day after day, in the direction of Jerusalem.
Nevertheless, he still makes time for others, because to Jesus, single mindedness is not the same as tunnel vision. On this final journey he’s still teaching the common people, telling parables, healing the physically and mentally ill and making time for dining out with disreputable characters. But his course is set for Jerusalem with its promise of inevitable suffering and his death. Some of the Pharisees warn him to get away because Herod wants to kill him. But Jesus rebuked them, asking them to “tell that fox that I am driving out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I shall finish my work.” Jesus refuses to be diverted from his destiny and he wasn’t going to be deflected from going to confront his critics in the Holy City, even though he knew that such confrontation would certainly result in his death. It leaves us in no doubt about the outcome. We have to ask ourselves: is that being stubborn, or dedicated? Maybe there were some among his followers who thought Jesus was just stubborn. From their viewpoint, it was both unwise, and unnecessary, for him to go to Jerusalem - where the religious leaders were waiting for him, rubbing their hands in anticipation. Why couldn’t he stay in Galilee, where there were thousands of people who needed him. In the cities of that region were wonderful opportunities for his continued teaching, and almost endless sufferers who wanted to receive his healing touch. It would have seemed to his followers that Jesus was being quite pig-headed by insisting on heading to Jerusalem. In hindsight, we know that he wasn’t just being stubborn, in fact, Jesus was being loyal to the cause of his father, God, understanding that no matter how much the prospect of crucifixion appalled him, it was the right thing to do. He believed that doing the will of God mattered more than popularity, or even of life itself. He realised that by his being willing to lose his life, something far larger would be accomplished. Don’t misunderstand and think that his decision to confront his foes in Jerusalem was easy. You and I can never fully understand the prayer and self-discipline that braced his will and kept him moving. With the life of Jesus as an example, many followers since that time have put their faith in Jesus and his way. For example, the single-mindedness of Stephen saw him stoned to death outside Jerusalem. James was beheaded, Paul and Peter were martyred in Rome and Thomas was killed in far-away India. And it didn’t just end with the apostles, because there are many notable examples throughout Christian history. The witness of those who stuck to their belief, at the cost of their well-being, health, freedom and often, their life. In sermons from our previous generation, you would probably have heard some of these names often mentioned. Regrettably, these days, we rarely seem to mention these remarkable, historical figures. Like the aged Bishop Polycarp in the 2nd Century AD, a much-loved minister who, when asked to curse Christ and worship Caesar as Lord, or face death by burning at the stake, replied: “Eighty and six years I have served Christ, and he has done me no wrong. How can I then curse my Lord and my Saviour?” Or St Francis of Assisi and his disciple Claire. For much of their lives they were misunderstood and hassled by church authorities. Yet they persisted in their way of Christ’s love, welcoming poverty and hardship for the cause of Christ. And there are many more examples, like: John Wycliffe - Oxford scholar and English Bible translator, and Martin Luther - the harried but determined German reformer. These people didn’t find comfort and prosperity for their single-minded devotion to God, but they refused to compromise and ignore the task they had been given. The list goes on in a more modern context: John Bunyan of The Pilgrims Progress fame, the Hugenots in France, Elizabeth Fry and her social work in Newgate Prison, George Whitfield - refusing to keep the Gospel confined to a church setting, William Booth - creating the Salvation Army, Caroline Chisholm and Mary McKillop of Australia, Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany Martin Luther King Jr in the USA, and Oscar Romero in San Salvador. All of them at some time rebuked and abused, and some paid the ultimate sacrifice. They weren’t stubborn fools, simply people committed to Christ and self-disciplined to the glory of God. But back in our story from Luke: Herod had already killed John the Baptist and the Pharisees feared that Jesus would be next. Instead of heeding their warning, Jesus tells them that he has a mission to accomplish. Threats and the likelihood of death wouldn’t turn him from his path. Regardless of the cost, his intention was to do what God has called him to do. How many of us are willing to do what God calls us to do? Isn't it true that we often try to reinterpret the will of God, so that it fits more comfortably with our own spiritual timidity? We squirm under the very thought of facing opposition, rejection, or ridicule, so we define for ourselves a notion of faithfulness that will not seriously put us at odds with the mainstream of our cultures. How disappointing - our Lord expects better of us. Even old Abram, the father of the Jewish nation (later to be called Abraham), initially doubted that the Lord could make him the father of many peoples, but his faith in the power of God allowed him to make a covenant with the Lord, which was the first of the great covenants between God and his people. We’re not likely to become martyrs and be put to death here in Lane Cove, but that’s not to say that we shouldn’t be willing to stand up for our faith when we’re challenged. I encourage you to take this thought to heart and prayerfully consider it in the weeks and months ahead. What will you be prepared to do, when the time comes for you to stand up for your Lord God? Pastor Rick “Within the embrace of God’s care, we regain our strength and courage and find the will to emerge from where we have been hiding. Striding out into the world to keep living a faithful life.” Amen
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LANE COVE UNITING CHURCH
PO Box 225
LANE COVE NSW 1595 |
Worship Service:9:30am Sunday
© Lane Cove Uniting Church | 2020
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