"Standing for the Jesus Party" - Reflections on Mark 3:7-35

In Mark 3, we again see enthusiastic crowds chasing Jesus from far and wide, so much so that Jesus had to get into a boat to avoid being crushed. This on the surface was a great response to Jesus, yet what was the crowd’s agenda – were they sincere or just seeking all they could get from him according to their personal desires. In the same breath we also read of the presence of “unclean spirits” who fall down at Jesus’ feet recognising their dire predicament; they were ready to identify who Jesus truly was, yet with the intent of subverting Jesus’ mission. The correct human response to Jesus would have to come purely through faith. Jesus will go on to talk in parables, which will only be understood through the ears of faith. Thus it was timely to now name those who were really ‘standing for the Jesus party’.

Having gone up a mountain, denoting that Jesus was acting in accord with God, Jesus called to twelve guys to come up to him, designating them for special service as his disciples and apostles. When called, they unhesitatingly “came to him”. These would spend quality time with Jesus, and would be entrusted to represent the saving and healing mission of God wherever they went. This ‘coming to Jesus’ has been described as “unreserved discipleship” – coming to Jesus means that he becomes their new and single goal in life.

Here in verse 14 are the two elements of the disciples’ job description: (i) “to be with Jesus” & (ii) to be sent out on mission … with the message of the gospel, and with Jesus’ power to heal. You might think it would be difficult to hold these two things together! The original disciples would spend three years with Jesus in person (part of that on mission), and then carry on with mission in Jesus’ absence; yet Jesus (following his resurrection) promised to be with his disciples to the end of the age. We ourselves can come to Jesus in repentance and obedience and commitment, be empowered for mission, head out onto the road, and also know that Jesus travels with us. So indeed we can “be with Jesus” and be on the road (of mission) at the same time.

“Twelve” is a number reminiscent of the twelve tribes of Israel; this new “twelve” however will represent a changing of the guard – they will be the foundational figures of a renewed Israel. They will represent God’s ultimate redemptive activity on behalf of historic Israel, yet also be the foundation stones of Jesus’ mission to all the peoples of the earth.

Still though, the jury was out on how well they would go! This list would include the four fishermen called to be disciples in chapter one – Simon Peter, Andrew, James & John. Matthew is probably Levi the former toll collector who hosted Jesus in his home. These ones had certainly left their careers and businesses behind to follow Jesus wherever this took them. Yet lurking at the end of the list is Judas, who seemed to be on board, yet we know that this selection didn’t turn out so well. Mark reminds us early on (v.19 - “Judas … who betrayed him”) that being in ‘the people business’ has risks attached to it (and again for Jesus the cross looms large)!

At this time Jesus heads home to be with his family and have some time to eat, yet crowds, controversy and opposition are at hand. One would have thought that the relatives of Jesus would have been on board, but they with others were suggesting that Jesus was showing signs of insanity, and therefore should be restrained. Then the religious leaders who were stalking him were actually suggesting he was demon possessed. In these times it was a fine line between mental illness and demon possession. The suggestion was, from both family and religious authorities … that Jesus was not who he claimed to be.

So Jesus told little parables to highlight the absurdity of their claims – the suggestion of Satan casting himself out is ridiculous; that Jesus is clearly not the ally of Satan, but rather the answer to Satan – the Light that vanquishes darkness. Then as we move into verses 28 & 29 we encounter the great danger of persisting down the self-destructive track of hardheartedness … “but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness”. What does this mean?

First we have to see that this text is preceded by a reminder of the breadth and depth of the availability of God’s forgiveness. But then we see that we have to actually want that forgiveness. We have to accept Jesus for who he truly is, if we are to access that forgiveness. Those who say that Jesus acts on behalf of Satan are belligerently denying the saving acts of God through Jesus. They are turning their backs on this, and worse, they are seeking to take other people down that disastrous path with them. Such people are therefore, sadly, condemning themselves; for they are undermining what is most central to God’s heart. Such people are grieving the Holy Spirit because they are suggesting that Jesus is acting by some other spirit, not God’s Spirit! There is a choice; we have to be prepared to be humble enough to know we need God’s mercy, and then be ready to receive this forgiveness. God leaves this decision with us! God does not force Himself on us.

We then have this troubling little epilogue in verses 31-35. Jesus’ family probably thought they had his best interests at heart, and were probably calling for him so that he could get away from the crowd and have something to eat. Also, in their passing on of the message in verse 32, members of the crowd would have been aware of Jesus’ cultural responsibilities to his family. Yet Jesus won’t accede to the wishes of those who just don’t get it (not yet at least), which at this time includes members of his family; Jesus won’t let anything stand in his way of reaching out to those who will accept him, his message, and God’s offer of forgiveness. Indeed Jesus is expressing the heart and will of God in his every word and action!

What Jesus says here might sound unkind (v.33-5), yet he wasn’t really being directly demeaning to his family. Rather Jesus was being uplifting to his disciples (that were here sitting around him), and also, all those who follow their example. Jesus was taking this opportunity to point out the value of those who were aligning themselves with Jesus (represented by the disciples that had been listed earlier). We think of our family as those who are most intimately connected to us. Jesus here was highlighting the intimacy, relationship and connectedness that he would be experiencing with his disciples, and all those who indeed do the will of God – v. 35. It is very heartening to know that we can be part of Jesus’ most intimate family unit – his spiritual family! Those who attach themselves to Jesus as disciples are more than just friends, they are family – sisters and brothers of Jesus.

Being divided from one’s birth family is not a condition of discipleship, but it may well be a consequence of it. Members of Mark’s Jesus following community around 70 CE may have been kicked out of their families because they had chosen Jesus, yet here they are encouraged that they have been wholly accepted in the eternal family of Jesus. These have been bonded to Jesus through their seeking to fulfil the purposes of God. We probably have not experienced this level of rejection by relations, however there may be tensions in our families because of our commitment to Jesus (maybe just because of where our priorities now lay) – we too are being reminded that we have been adopted into the greatest family of all, where there lies unconditional love and amazing grace!

Jesus will continue to seek to break through the hardheartedness of others through the integrity of his life, his desire to bring healing, by telling startling little stories with relevant truths; and when all else fails … dying on a cross so that humankind would always have the chance of forgiveness and a new start.

"The Die is Cast" (Mark 2:23-3:6)

By Introduction …

This passage is theologically complex, yet contains clear lessons to apply to our life and witness. Let’s see if we can find them together. Mark’s community in the first century were being reminded about the circumstances of Jesus’ death – what led up to this, and how they could emulate Jesus rather than his opponents.

We have already seen in the first part of Mark’s Gospel how Jesus has upset the apple-cart … forgiving sins (something only God could do), hanging out with the worst of sinners, and consistently critiquing the religious leaders’ application of their law. This was all just too much to handle, and something had to be done. So as early as verse six in chapter three, a plot was being conceived to destroy Jesus. We have here the Pharisees conspiring with the “Herodians” – who were likely to have been Jewish leaders in some way connected to Herod, thus wielding some political influence. Already a dark cloud hovers over the gospel story … while Jesus will continue to minister God’s grace, there is violence poised to strike against him. Jesus himself had already acknowledged his likely fate in 2:20 – “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day”.

Easter is approaching …

It won’t be that long before we gather on Good Friday to consider again the impact of Jesus being taken to a cross. Mark’s Gospel itself looks back to events about 40 years earlier and tries to grapple with the reasons behind Jesus’ death on the cross, and also what it means to follow Jesus in light of this. Can we possibly make similar errors of judgement about Jesus that the religious leaders of the time made? Those ‘leaders’ refused to believe Jesus was God incarnate, and rejected his challenge towards God’s true priorities. Could we possibly miss the wondrous call towards taking a new direction and experiencing life-changing faith? Might we also turn a blind eye to Jesus’ radical offer of grace and forgiveness to all humanity? Easy to point the finger at the Pharisees, but where do we stand on the subject of Jesus! Who is Jesus to us? This Gospel text is asking questions of us! Could we ever at times be opponents of Jesus without even knowing it?

Jesus’ Anger & Grief …

In verse 5 of chapter 3 we read that Jesus was angry and grieving. This was Jesus’ reaction to the opposition he was experiencing. What was this anger and grief directed at? The hardheartedness of his opponents! They just didn’t get the import of the presence of Jesus amongst them! And the longer the story goes, the worse this situation gets. They could not adjust their view of things (in line with God having done something new)!! You’ve probably met people who were so fixed in their ways, that even having something so reasonably and fully explained to them, they still wouldn’t be prepared to change their opinion. This can be so frustrating. This is what Jesus faced, but on so much of a greater scale than we would! Jesus could change lives (and the world) so much for the better, and this in some quarters was being thrown back in his face. Jesus grieved these missed opportunities. As we go on to read, all this potential for good was nailed to a cross, in an attempt to fatally disempower it. Of course we know that God had the final word on this – the resurrection – yet the responsibility for embodying Jesus’ offer of grace rests with the Jesus followers of each generation.

How did this hardheartedness show itself?

The religious leaders had put rigorous rules in place when it came to observing the Sabbath. Yet the “Sabbath” – the day of rest – was never meant to have a negative threat around it; rather it was purely designed to facilitate a more healthy life – physically as well as spiritually. So the “Sabbath” was not supposed to be primarily about restrictions, but rather about having time to celebrate God and life.

Once you start putting rules in place … dos and don’ts on the Sabbath (like you can’t do all sorts of work on this day) … then you have to start thinking about exceptions (like what if someone’s life is at risk, or in more contemporary terms – what if you have to work on this day to keep your job, or put food on the table) … then you have to have someone making judgements about these things … then suddenly all the joy and potential has been destroyed.

There was a time (that Jesus referred to in 2:25-26) when the greater good was served by David doing that which was technically unlawful so that he and his companions survived – this being accepted as a necessary course of action under the circumstances. Plucking a few heads of grain on the Sabbath, as the disciples were doing, was such a small issue, compared with the presence of Jesus among the people at this climatic point in history.

Jesus pointed out that the “Sabbath” was created for the benefit of humankind (rather than as their master), so that we would just pause to take seriously our need to rest and to reflect and to worship God. Then, as Jesus the Word created the “Sabbath”, Jesus has the authority to interpret the purpose of the “Sabbath”. If David’s ‘illegal’ actions on behalf of his companions were seen as acceptable in the circumstances, then Jesus’ support of his disciples’ actions should be seen as more than acceptable. The “Sabbath” as such (especially in this legalised form) was not central to Jesus, but rather the doing of good to others. Yet, clearly the point was not conceded, and the combative situation degenerated further!

Here was a case in point …

Jesus was being watched carefully (3:2). Would Jesus’ opponents be able to catch Jesus in the act of breaking the Sabbath regulations? Would Jesus heal the man with a withered hand, this being regarded as ‘illegal’ work, on the Sabbath? The Pharisee tradition listed thirty-nine majors works banned on the Sabbath (with six sub-categories each). If it was a matter of saving this man’s life then it would be permitted, but this on the surface wasn’t the case.

Jesus knew why these opponents were there in the synagogue – not to worship – but to try to negate Jesus’ mission. And so he threw up to them a question which no doubt interacted with some of the debates that such religious leaders would have continually discussed for generations (3:4). Any sensible consideration would see that to fail to do good … is to do harm (and to fail to save life … is to kill). This applies on the “Sabbath” as for every other day. The opponents had nowhere to go, but rather than admitting the ridiculousness of their attitudes, they remained silent. This might remind us of Israel’s rejection of their own prophets’ calls toward justice and loving-kindness, leading to God’s need to send Jesus in the first place.

Jesus would then confirm his own interpretation of the “Sabbath” (and thereby demonstrate the nature of God’s grace) in healing the man. The most important dynamic in this scene is when Jesus asked the man with the withered hand to … "Come forward" and become the centre of attention (3:3); here is the priority – the person in need. And saving a life – this would now be seen, not simply from the law’s perspective, but from the suffering man’s own perspective – to him it could well be a matter of life and death. Then this ‘saving activity’ would also be seen more broadly from the full perspective of Jesus’ ministry – to save a life also entails the eliciting of faith, the offer of spiritual enrichment, and the beginnings of a relationship with God.

The Challenge …

Hardheartedness, and rigidity, and an unwillingness to see things with new eyes … all such states lead to disrupting God’s purposes and being opponents of God. Do you see anything hypocritical or ironic here? It is ironic of course that Jesus was expected to refrain from healing on the Sabbath, yet it was not seen to be hypocrisy to be plotting Jesus’ demise on this same Sabbath (refer v. 6 – “immediately”). This was surely a very selective application of the law, and such cases of convenient selectivity usually reek of floored human agendas.

So what do we get from this passage for our everyday lives???
There are some very tough questions being asked here (unfortunately)!
· Are we putting Jesus on the cross again, or, on the other hand, participating in his resurrected life?
· Are we continuing Jesus’ work?
· Are we helping God, or getting in the way?
· Are we on mission with God, or on some other mission?
· Do we see the needs of others as central to our spiritual life; thus Who is Jesus to us?

"Preparing for the Day" - a sermon inspired by Psalm 5

How’s the beginning of the day for you? The morning people are probably quite bright and ready for the day. The night people are dreading getting up and maybe wishing they’d gone to bed earlier. Think about how you felt when waking up this morning? When it comes to starting the day, some of us will be more positive, others less so. This probably depends upon what day it is, and what might be on the agenda for the day ahead. Whatever the case, the most important question is … where is your trust going to lie as you approach the day?

Given that we don’t live in isolation, given that other people are going to impact our day, unexpected things are going to happen. Even having undertaken good planning, there are things that are going to happen that we could not have entirely planned for. So, who are we going to put our trust in to get through unscathed?

Maybe, sometimes deliberately, but other times by omission, we will put trust in ourselves. Now, we can be confident in the person we are becoming, to make good decisions, react well to circumstances, and interact with others helpfully … but maybe we sense our limitations, and realise that if we remain purely reliant on our own abilities we might actually fall short.

So can we in our first waking moments realise that God is with us? And then as we start off into the day realise that God can and will equip us for each challenge ahead! And then as we make our first mistake for the day realise that God can turn this into a learning experience which will enhance our future! In other words, do we have a constant sense of God’s presence at all times of the day in whatever we are doing wherever we are? This is what following Jesus is all about, constantly knowing and experiencing that we have a leader.

The psalmist David had such an understanding of God. David would open his mouth in the morning and know that God was listening. David prepared himself for the day in prayer, but not only this … also in complete confidence that God had listened and heard, but not only this … have a read of verse 3 > "… in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch". David also believed that God would act, and therefore was watching for every piece of evidence of God’s activity!! The NIV translates here “…in the morning I lay my requests before you, and wait in expectation”.

The prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures (OT) were often charged the responsibility of watching (for what God would do) eg. Isaiah (21:6-8):
“For thus the Lord said to me:
‘Go, post a lookout, let him announce what he sees …
… let him listen diligently, very diligently’”.

This continues the pattern of being conscious of God’s active presence right throughout the day. As we become more conscious of what God is doing about us, we are more ready to praise, sing for joy, thank and worship God throughout the day (v.11a). We see in verse 7 how David, through his experience of God, was in awe of God – so much had David embraced the abundance of God’s steadfast love.

The picture conveyed in this verse 7, is a relationship so close that it functions like a family relationship occurring within the same house. Because of this deep interactive relationship between David and God, David could rely on God to lead him in the face of all adversity. Verse 8 … "Lead me O Lord in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me". What do you think is meant by … "make your way straight before me"???

· That we might know what God’s will is, and that we might know what decisions to make; with so many confusing and critical voices around us, this can really cloud the issues and blur the vision. We want to truly know the ethically and morally right thing to do, and we need to know where the main priorities lay. This is a cry for good guidance in the face of complex choices. It is God who knows what is best for us, and the psalmist would like this plainly revealed.

· That we might not react badly, but rather positively …

Have a look at some of things David was up against. There was:
· wickedness and evil (v.4),
· boastfulness (v.5) – which of course usually means the belittling of others – the boastful are seeking their own agenda,
· lies, deceit & bloodthirstiness (v.6) – indicating a complete disregard for other people. This negativity seems to be summed up in verse 9 as we look into the hearts of some and seem to only find darkness.

Having acknowledged the reality of such negativity, David also acknowledged that there was a way through without firing back (vs. 7-8).

To seek God to make His way straight before us – is to want our response to adversity to be in line with God’s righteousness no matter how powerful the impact of what comes to us!!

We have to prepare well to have this level of trust and commitment. When we are unappreciated or unfairly criticised or personally attacked, we have to be completely and acutely aware that God loves and accepts us, and this is where we stand! This is where we draw our strength – not from human approval, but from God’s acceptance.

[[What then of our enemies? We can see how David felt about his enemies and detractors – with very strong resentment indeed. David also saw his enemies as enemies of God – given that he felt that the work he was doing was entirely God’s work. He thus desired their destruction, for them to be shown up for whom they really are and rejected – I guess this is human! David even reflected (in verse 5) that God hated his evil enemies – he might have even wished this was so!

David would have seen the corrupt behaviour of his enemies being so closely connected with their character and their person, that such an enemy could not be divorced from their actions. Hatred of the behaviour could not easily be separated by David from feelings about the person!!! We know however that God still loves people despite their behaviour – just as well for us! We know this best through Jesus who called us to love our enemies (Jesus himself dying to save those who were his own enemies).

We are called to look past negative behaviour and consider a person’s latent potential – difficult at times! Yet we do see here that wickedness, arrogance, deceitfulness and selfishness are the absolute opposite of God’s character and such behaviours have no place in God’s sight. So whereas God’s optimism about people may persist, God would also set Himself against the ultimate success of people who exhibit evil intent.

The main point to be noted here is that David left the destiny of his enemies in God’s hands. David does give God some advice (in verses 6 & 10), which we probably shouldn’t do, but David doesn’t take things into his own hands – he doesn’t even dwell long in thoughts of revenge; David quickly gets on with his own assurances of God’s undoubted protection and blessing of him (v.11-12). Even when we feel we want to, it will sometimes be impossible for us to do anything helpful when it comes to our oppressors. So, then too, we leave them for God to work with in His own way – which of course may surprise us (but hopefully also delight us)!]]

Let’s prepare well for each day by reminding ourselves of God’s availability to us. The Jerusalem Bible translates the second part of verse 3 this way – “…and at dawn I hold myself in readiness for you, I watch for you”.

As we draw close to God – God draws close to us! As God draws close to us – we should draw closer to Him!! We pray to One who we can absolutely trust. We then should be watching … observant and looking out for how God is answering our prayers and attending to our needs. God can turn difficult circumstances right around. Today’s problem can be tomorrow’s success story! So it is good for us to train ourselves to reflect often on the fact that God is travelling with us through life.

"Something New" - a sermon on Mark 2:18-22

We have seen from our study of Mark’s Gospel so far, that Jesus had taken a path that was radical and controversial, especially in his claim to have authority in forgiving sins. Jesus had also challenged the religious status-quo by accepting the hospitality of “tax collectors” and so-called “sinners”. For those looking on, in some ways Jesus resembled a prophet and a teacher – which would have been all right – but he was claiming to be on a par with God; then at the same time he was hanging around with the most disreputable of people … how confusing! Well this would be confusing if Jesus was restricted to a line of prophets within the religion of Israel, however Jesus was far more than this – far too new and revolutionary to be restricted to the capacity of the old wineskins!

Jesus was actually the turning point of all history. Following a long history of rebellion, Jesus was actually God’s predominant statement about the destructive nature of sin. Jesus was sent to make a once-and-for-all sacrifice for humanity. Jesus could not be contained by the religious parameters of the past. Jesus very much represented something very new. And where the pious or rigid practices of formal religion got in the way of God’s desires for the future welfare of human beings, Jesus opposed such practices.

As Werner Kelber comments, “The Kingdom of God entails a new lifestyle, a new sense of priority, a new community”. Sometimes you might scratch your head, when someone becomes a ‘Christian’, which should mean a ‘follower of Jesus’, and then you see no real change at all. There should at the very least be: an obvious sense of purpose and commitment, a concern for the well-being of others, and a desire to belong to a worshipping community. These three areas would provide evidence of a life’s new orientation in Jesus.

The followers of the Pharisees were fixated on their outward religious service. Even the disciples of John the Baptist, through their emphasis on repentance, followed in ritualistically observing fasting. Not to say this was a bad thing in itself – there is much benefit in fasting – in laying off from eating and other pursuits to fully focus on religious observance. As this is the period of lent (leading up to Easter), many people are fasting or sacrificing as an observance or preparation for the sacrifice of Jesus.

But when this was foisted upon Jesus and his disciples in a critical fashion, Jesus took the opportunity to further explain the significance of his coming! As the previous passage (2:15-17) indicates, Jesus’ ministry to the world was about accepting hospitality, eating with “tax collectors and sinners”, sharing life with such people (on the margins of society). Jesus was about connecting and engaging with people, taking up the presenting opportunities to show acceptance to the outcast, offer forgiveness to the wayward, and bring wholeness to the broken.

The metaphor of a wedding reception is used to make the point here (v.19-20). When the hosts of a wedding celebration have gone to all the trouble of providing elaborate provisions for a large feast, it would not be appropriate or respectful for wedding guests to refuse to partake. The time for fasting would be the next day when the wedding is over (when fasting would probably become a very good idea). Jesus’ three-year long incarnation is here likened to a wedding celebration, where every guest or participant makes the very most of everything on offer while it lasts! Celebration is the correct response when God breaks into history with redemption in mind.

The expression translated here “the wedding guests” could equally be translated “the groomsmen” (v.19) – and this particular translation would have particular application to Jesus’ own close disciples. The groomsmen’s job would be to help and support the bridegroom. Often this deteriorates these days to just the organisation of a ‘buck’s turn’. However, the real idea is for the ‘groomsmen’ to take some of the pressure off the bridegroom on his big day; and then later the bridegroom can relax and be a central part of the celebration. Thus the disciples were called to be significant contributors in the time of Jesus’ incarnation!

For the disciples in the time of Jesus, there would be ample time to fast (and mourn) after Jesus’ death on the cross (as alluded to in verse 20). In fact, because of their lack of courage and flight under pressure, the disciples will have great cause to “fast” and pray, and probably did so in that period between discovering the empty tomb and seeking out the resurrected Jesus in Galilee. So here in verse 20 we have a prediction of the emotions that will be felt by the disciples following the cross. More about this on Easter Sunday!

I think I can detect from this passage that there is a time for fasting and a time for action. Fasting in Judaism (as in some Greco-Roman religions) was undertaken as part of a spiritual preparation for special occasions; or was practiced in connection with a time of mourning because of the loss of a loved one; or more often being undertaken as part of a period of repentance. Combined with prayer, fasting was a statement of self-denial and submission to God. No doubt fasting is very useful for many people in helping them focus on God in a special way or in dedicating time to concerted confession and receiving forgiveness. But there would be other times where the ‘window of opportunity’ was such that individual and corporate action becomes the greatest priority.

The inappropriateness of ‘fasting’ at the time when the disciples should be celebrating God’s redemptive activity in Jesus, flows into the similar inappropriateness of sewing a patch of new cloth on an old garment, or pouring new wine into old wineskins. Now I don’t know much about sewing, or wine, but even I can see some problems here!

The new patch of cloth will shrink more than the old coat when it is washed and therefore it would tear away … so you wouldn’t do this. Old wineskins would not have had the required elasticity to cope with the expanding gases of the fermenting new wine and therefore would burst … so you wouldn’t do this either!! Nor would you then try to contain what is new and radical and exciting in Jesus within old parameters.

The “new wine” would be far too valuable to be wasted by skimping and using “old wineskins”. Believing in Jesus is not essentially about abstract rules and remote regulations, but much more about a daily relationship with the Triune God and a concern for the community around where we live … love for God and neighbour empowered by knowledge of Jesus (and the presence of the Holy Spirit). This is why I say, that if you what to know how to live the Christian life, you start with Jesus in the gospels, and then work back and forward from there. We should interpret the ancient Hebrew texts of the Old Testament through the eyes of Jesus. We should interpret events happening around us also through the eyes of Jesus.

Mark’s Jesus following community of 70CE will be encouraged to read that they are on the right track – following the “new wine” of Jesus in the face of those who would be antagonistic and threatening in their opposition to Jesus and them. Such communities as this drew together, supported one another, worshipped God, and sought the welfare of their city. Just like each generation of Christian community that has followed, we will have to discover together what these “fresh wineskins” carrying the “new wine” should look like in our context?

As another application of this text, we could look at the possibility that we accept Jesus into our lives, but try to use Jesus only to patch up our worn out coat, or contain Jesus in our old outmoded wineskin. This is where we have accepted Jesus only as a ‘mister-fix-it’! We want to keep things the way they have always been, and just get Jesus to cover over or fill the areas that cause us trouble or grief. But we’re not willing to let Jesus reign in everything! We’re not willing to allow Jesus to transform us from the inside out. We’re actually still comfortable with some of those pursuits or attitudes we’ve always had – that we’ve inherited from previous generations or from our cultural environment.

Can you see that this would be like sticking valuable new leather patches on old worthless clothes, or maybe like pouring clean water into dirty bottles … and seeing the waste involved here!! Truly accepting Jesus into our lives, and then following him (in community), is about allowing him to recreate what has let us down in the past into something that is radically new, different and thoroughly satisfying. In this way, the person we are can meet the person we could be!