A few days ago I posted my Facebook status as "is about to press RESET. Don't mistake it for the Staples easy button." I have started on this city wide ('Nati) journey that allows the participants to start over in their ideas about who Jesus really is and to formulate a more precise understanding, stripped of the trappings and veneer that somehow has been adopted. Apparently there are some 50 churches in the Cincinnati metro area that are participating in this six week teaching/study/small group experience.Right away, as the Sunday morning message/teaching previewed, there will be nothing easy about this re-ordering of who we believe this Jesus to be. Truth is, I have allowed my surroundings and circumstances to influence my concept of who this God-man is. Maybe you have too. I guess that can be either good or bad depending upon the direction this influence has traveled. Environment and life events can either push you toward God or against him. For me, the darkest moments have ended up being the growing moments. Even still, I have a lot to learn when it comes to really knowing God. As I start this journey, I fully expect my mind to be challenged and heart to be hewn. At least that is what I am praying.
Hilary and I are hosting a group which started last night. After some of the preliminaries, the group began reading some verses from Luke's gospel. Here's one that we talked about for awhile. A quite unsettling quote from Jesus himself:
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple (14:26, NAS).Does Jesus really have to use that kind of rough language? Hate. Really? Looking more closely at the wording, Jesus in fact uses a word that apparently can be translated. Look here for a lesson from StudyLight. The most troubling thing for me is that Jesus is asking us to project an expression that is completely opposite toward the people to whom we are the most connected to and expect the most from in terms of relationship. Isn't Jesus the God of love? Why then would he expect hatred attached to his loyalty? Good discussion from the group. We finally settled on that perhaps Jesus was using hyperbole to make a very important point about being a follower. It takes my complete and unwavering devotion and focus to walk along side of him. No distractions can be tolerated, even from those we love most. Now I am getting in to some of my own thoughts not necessarily endorsed by the group, but I do not think Jesus is asking us to hate in the same way I understand the term. In other words, Jesus' statement is not a directive to dish out abusive thoughts and behaviors toward those individuals (or anyone for that matter). Maybe Jesus means 'hate the disconnect, distraction, distance that comes between us and do something to prevent it.'
Since I believe that I am only slightly scratching the surface and blogger has only so much space, I will stop for now. A more intense word study is needed here. RESET, week 2 is next and I am thinking this thing is going to get intense.
1 comment:
Joe and I, were just talking about this scripture the other day. The conclusion we came too, at this time in our lives, is that we should be so in love with Christ and willing to follow Him, that our love for our parents pales and doesn't even compare. If we care more about pleasing our family and being with them, than doing what God tells us, then we HATE God.
Though this scripture is talking about money, Luke 16:13 says, "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
This is a hard thing to find balance in when we put so much value on our family.
When you think about Jesus and his life, he walked this out. He left his family. He was speaking from his own experiences.
It's all or nothing, that is beyond challenging.
Good post!
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