"Really Desiring God's Best" - a reflection on Psalm 42

How much do we want God?? Is it as much as we can get … and all the time? Or is it something less than this? That is the challenge I’m seeking to present. And we’re turning to Psalm 42 for some guidance and inspiration.

What grabs you about this psalm? What do you notice of interest??

Here’s what I notice:
· this psalm moves quickly from what might seem one extreme to the other – from desperation or depression on the one hand to complete confidence in God (based on previous experience) on the other; yet really proposes that the two extremes actually walk hand-in-hand; as we endure difficulties we develop a greater thirst for God and come to rely more upon God and want to know God better – whilst God enters the domain of our suffering and dwells there; so here is an interaction between an expression of real despair and the knowledge of a comforting divine presence
· this psalm doesn’t so much talk about a propositional God that we believe in on an intellectual level, but much more so reflects a “living” God (v.2) that we experience through personal encounter and relationship
· that sometimes we need to give ourselves a real talking to or undertake an assessment of where we’re at (v.5 & 11) – what could be termed an ‘internal audit’ … checking for where things just don’t add up correctly or where resources have been misapplied
· that the way forward through tough times is through an active memory of God’s faithfulness in the past (v.4 & 6)

Sometimes I think we just go through the motions in our relationship with God. I know this because sometimes I do the same thing – paying lip service to God whilst attending to our own agenda – big on words, short on serious action. Or, we give the outward appearance of being in good contact with God, but this doesn’t really match what’s happening on the inside. Many things are allowed to get in the way; when actually nothing should be allowed to get in between us and God; nothing should be allowed to get in the way of an open worshipful conversational constant relationship with God. In the busyness of life, including busy church life, it’s so easy to lose track of what stands as most important and the very source of our survival.

Going to church, contributing to the various tasks, saying the right words and putting on a credible performance does not equate to the depth of relationship referred to in Psalm 42. If we do have issues that block us from knowing God’s best, it would actually be better, rather than carrying on with a charade and continuing to struggle, if we were more honest about this, and were prepared to do an ‘internal audit’ of ourselves. What is it that is holding us back?? Is it a burden we are carrying? Is it a concern for the future or another person? This psalm shows that God is our only real way forward no matter what the need!

This psalmist really thirsted for God! Here we read of a desire to spiritually experience God that is likened to the desire for a drink when one is most thirsty. And this thirst has been made all the more prominent by certain difficult circumstances. Water is the source of life for animals like a “deer”. When such water is scarce, when the streams and pools have dried up, the desire for water becomes even greater (it truly becomes a matter of life and death).

In a ‘Daily Bread’ devotional back in June, Cindy Hess Kasper told the story of when she visited her sister in Mali, West Africa. During an afternoon of seeing the sights, the temperature had risen well above the old 100 degrees Fahrenheit (so probably in excess of 40 degrees Celsius). When Cindy asked her sister Kathy for a drink, Kathy confessed to forgetting to bring the (filtered) water along. As time progressed as her thirst grew more intense, Cathy started to wonder what it would be like to die of thirst. Finally they arrived at an embassy, and imagine how Cathy felt at the beautiful sight of a cool water dispenser. Cathy says, “I grabbed one of the tiny paper cups and filled it again and again”.

Now in the case of this psalmist it is clear that whatever was happening in his life was very troubling. In verse 3 we read of tears that have been the psalmist’s food, perhaps indicating a physical or mental condition where eating and working have become very difficult or impossible.

Yet, rather than allowing life’s trials to disrupt or destroy his trust in God, this psalmist has allowed such tragedy and disappointment to grow and develop his relationship with God. He has taken his intense thirst to the right source of refreshment. No matter what, this psalmist’s “hope” will always be found in God (verses 5b & 11b). This psalmist, whilst shedding tears over his loss, has faced ridicule from those who would throw his faith back in his face by saying, ‘where is your God now’ (verses 3 & 10), yet will not waver from his certainty that God resides in the midst of his suffering.

Whereas at times it seemed that God was even more quiet than usual, and the forces that opposed him were even greater, where it seems everyone is out to get him – this psalmist would not give in. Twice we read this psalmist giving himself a bit of a talking to (verse 5a and again in verse 11a) – “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me”? It was time for a reality check! There was much more to this psalmist’s experience of life than just the current dilemmas. There were other more beneficial times in life to reflect upon. And as one is prepared to ask the hard questions, God will draw alongside to help bring the answers.

Now, it is true that unless we deliberately and actively seek God’s best for us, we are unlikely to get there by good luck or by accident. In Matthew 5:6 Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”. Putting this in other words – ‘It is those who are really desperate to seek God’s ways to reign in their lives, who will be ones who find fulfilment and live in a good place’. It is the ones who act as if their very lives depend upon it, and who see God as the only real source of refreshment and nutrient, that will get the results.

Those watching the football on the television can have no influence at all over what happens on the ground and whether their team wins. Even in the crowd at the game, one has very little impact on how well your team plays (although you might bring some influence over the umpiring). It is only those ones who have crossed the boundary line and fully entered the contest – the players – who can really influence the result.

We can sit at home in our lounge-room and bemoan life, or stay on the sidelines and wish things were better, or we can start to ask questions of ourselves and take positive steps toward obtaining God’s best for us. This will take the desire, the commitment and the courage to cross the boundary line and get into the game. Do we want to be filled to the brim with God?? Well just because that doesn’t sound too possible or realistic this side of heaven doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give it a go and see how far we get!

The strategy used by the writer of Psalm 42 was to “remember” (refer to verses 4 and 6). The active response of the psalmist in the face of his troubles was to “remember”. There were those joyous times when the psalmist led a huge crowd of people to the place of worshipping God in the midst of shouts and songs of thanksgiving to God for his goodness and provision (verse 4). Despite the inherent dangers in the world, there is the awesomeness of God’s creation to “remember” (verses 6-7) – the God who can create so impressively and brilliantly as this can surely help me overcome my difficulties.

As we have already alluded to, the result of this effective remembering was a renewed hope in God and the surety that his heart would again lift praise to God – “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God” (verses 5b-6 and 11b). This God is real, personal and brings healing!! It is a good idea to keep a record of God’s blessings, so that we can recall them when most necessary. The “Message” translates verse 6 this way: “When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you”.

We all can feel surrounded by doubters and scoffers at times, as they think they can point at us and our situation and decry the existence of a benevolent God; yet we can stand firm in our own surety because we have found God to be faithful in the past – there can be no other explanation for the answers to our prayers and the change in our circumstances than that God really cares for us, and is alive and active in the world. Those that ridicule us possibly think that God should provide an easy ride if he’s for real; but we know that life is not ever going to be plain-sailing this side of heaven, but rather is all about allowing God to journey with us through all the highs and lows.

In the “Man to Man” course currently being undertaken we read a statement connected to this concept of being ‘thirsty’ for God. It reads: “I am not prepared to go on living the way I am. I want to be changed. I want more than just to cope through the use of unhealthy behaviour patterns. I want to be truly human, truly whole; I want to be right within my whole being”. So, how might we get to this state of being?? We have talked about the importance of ‘remembering’, I will share just two further important actions.

(1) We should start to deal with some of the large and small issues in our lives that hold us back, that press us down, and cause us to feel oppressed and fearful. We should decide to not accept their power over us any longer and to take responsibility for rising above them. This might involve counselling, or participation in a particular course, or perhaps a confession to some trusted others – with a request for support and accountability. Prayer, especially prayer with others, will be our greatest resource in this.

There is one Bible verse that is the most threatening verse to so many Christians including myself, but has the most potential for healing you can find. Can anyone think what that verse might be? I have quoted it often, and ironically it comes from many people’s favourite biblical book!

James 5:16 reads: “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”

(2) We should start to worship God for all we are worth and with everything we have. We need to get over and beyond some of our inhibitions and embarrassment issues. We need to see past the temporal into the eternal. We don’t have to have it all together to wholly worship God … far from it … to throw ourselves into worshipping God is part of the cure. This is not just in a physical sense … what we do with our bodies in worship … but also disciplining and focussing our mind sufficiently to hear God’s voice and notice how God is answering our prayers. True worship is about our total mindset in life, and where our priorities lie.

The psalmist behind Psalm 42 thirsts not just for the idea of God, but ultimately for an experience of the “living” God (verse 2a). This is not the God we can put in a box and contain at our convenience; this is the God who will not rest until we (and all the rest of creation) have been filled with all the benefits that his Spirit can bring to us. This is a God of transformation and newness. And we remember that “hope” is only a good memory away!

Spiritual thirst cannot be quenched by the world, only by God. As we thirst for God, it will ultimately be Jesus who brings us the living water. Jesus said in John chapter four, “The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life”. The Samaritan woman, whom Jesus was speaking with, came to realise that her own resources would never be enough, and that she would need a big dose of this living water from Jesus if she was to get her life right and make the most of it (John 4:4-42).

Can we allow Jesus to give us the only living water that can quench our growing thirst, and in turn seek to grow in God and worship in all Spirit and truth? Can we so much desire God’s best for us that we deal with anything that gets in the way?? Can we help one another and pray for one another so that we might all grow to maturity in Jesus Christ our Lord? Amen!

"Neighbourliness Across Boundaries" - a reading of the 'Good Samaritan' parable (Luke 10:25-37)

1. Introduction – the Way to Eternal Life

The lawyer had got the answer to Jesus’ question spot on! He knew what the greatest commandment was … he knew what the scriptures indicated about the path to eternal life!! To love God with everything we have and to love our neighbour – this is the path to eternal life, that is, the path to a purposeful, satisfying and God-honouring life now … that leads us toward a secure eternity. You might be able to love your neighbour without loving God, but you can’t truly love God without loving your neighbour! This is a point not just to be conceded (as a theological truth), but something that has to be put into action; for Jesus said, “Do this, and you will live”.

You can hear the lawyer thinking … ‘well … loving God … that’s okay … I can do that … but loving my neighbour … now that’s a bit of an ask’ – especially when it’s loving our neighbour as ourself! To “love your neighbour as yourself” means that:
· we desire for others what we would desire for ourselves
· we would not want others to miss out on what we have
· we would not think of ourselves more highly than we think of others
· we are prepared to see others as just as deserving as we are (for all people have been created in the image of God)
· we would consider others just as positively as we consider ourselves.

So there must be limits to this concept of loving one’s neighbour mustn’t there – there just must be, thinks this lawyer! He wants to limit his responsibility here. He wants to limit neighbourliness in comfortable terms – pretty close to home and certainly within his own racial grouping. So, in the hope of drawing out some of these limits, the lawyer asks for clarification … “And who is my neighbour”? Perhaps this just might turn out to be something he can handle after all.

Now this was at the very centre of everything Jesus was about, so we hold our breath for the answer. What we get is a story … and probably one of the most famous stories ever told. Most people have some idea about the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’, but have they got a good grasp of its meaning? This story is about neighbourliness across boundaries!

2. Missing the point

This message welled up in me as I read a recent article about how 55 independent studies carried out in the United States, which included the views of 20,000 mostly Christian participants, had found that members of religious congregations tended to harbour prejudiced views of other races – people who were different to them. The analysis of this research suggested that the more devout the religious community, the greater the racism; and that this level of racism was greater than it was in people without strong religious beliefs. Doesn’t this appal you!?! A quarter of these studies were taken after the year 2000, and half of them since 1990.

The analysis of this data partly attributed the association between religion and racism to an “in-group identity” which encourages distinctions between people. Such distinctions then play out in very negative ways. In her analysis, Professor Wendy Wood, said that people who were religious because of their respect for tradition or social convention were especially likely to be racist. Does this all indicate an appalling level of biblical ignorance, and a tragic lack of discipleship in following the ways of Jesus?

Both the Jews and Samaritans were caught up in a culture of mutual hatred; which of course is the context for the parable that Jesus tells. Many people can get caught up in certain political or religious institutions that seem to turn inward toward very narrow and exclusive beliefs and practices. In Jesus’ story, who would stand up and seek to break the cycle of self-interest? As journalist Carl Marziali commented (in his reporting of these studies): “In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus warned religious listeners against what today would be called ‘ingroup prejudice’: the tendency to think less of outsiders, especially those of another race”.

3. Revolutionary Story

It would be quite probable that on many occasions a community member would be mugged and robbed on this dangerous road leading from Jerusalem to Jericho. So this scenario would make total sense to the lawyer as he listened to Jesus’ story unfold. We would have the expectation that when any passer-by came across such a person lying beaten and bloody that they would lend a hand. And you would think that a Jewish lawyer would have the expectation that a priest of the Israelite religion would take the time to lend a hand to one of their own citizens.

So there is a sense of shock and dismay as the priest ignores this scene and travels on. We can’t say that this priest wasn’t aware of the need, because we hear that he actually crossed to the other side to try to block the scene from his consciousness and thereby avoid responsibility. Maybe though, the priest had excuses; like, the robbers might still be around, or, maybe this guy is a decoy so that I can be robbed, or, maybe there’s a chance he was a Gentile – so it’s not my problem, or, there may be a chance this bloke is already dead and thus he wouldn’t want to risk being deemed ritually unclean for touching a dead man. But I believe the way Jesus tells this story provides no ‘get out clause’ for this priest. He was negligent in his human response, and certainly no neighbour to the beaten man.

It’s interesting that the second man on the scene was a ‘Levite’, who was a sort of underling or junior associate of a ‘priest’. Some argue very persuasively, that the reason why this Levite passed by so similarly to the priest before him, is that either he had seen what the priest had done ahead of him and just followed his example or he had been so influenced by the (inadequate) teaching of this priest that he just acted as he had been taught. This brings a significant challenge about the legacy we offer to those we teach through both our words and deeds. What those with influence teach often becomes the model of behaviour that then follows in others. This can then become imbedded in culture … like looking after number one or the survival of the fittest for instance. The “priest” didn’t have an attitude of compassion, so neither did the “Levite” – why would he! This also challenges us about the nature of the whole Christian witness to an apathetic and perhaps unbelieving world! What do we stand for? What should the modern prophets say?

Now if this wasn’t all disappointing enough, now for a real shock! The animosity and hatred between Jews and Samaritans went way back – it was deep and mutual. The Samaritans were the result of inter-marriage with non-Israelite peoples eight centuries previous; and there were strong disputes between these groups about where God should be worshipped. It would be shocking to hear for this Jewish lawyer, following the inactivity and negligence of a respected “priest” and “Levite”, that it was a “Samaritan” who not only lent a hand, but lavished help and support upon this poor beaten Jewish man. The lawyer might have coped better with this story if it was a Jew who was helping a Samaritan, but the Samaritan being the one being drawn upon as the positive example was outrageous. That a “Samaritan” could be viewed in this way was such revolutionary thinking – it certainly begs the question as to how we view some of our neighbours, and then how we treat them.

The “Samaritan” was “moved with pity”. This was the heart attitude of Jesus when he was confronted by needy and sick people – Jesus was moved to the very depths of his being by what he confronted – Jesus was ‘gutted’ by what he saw; and now we see this same heart attitude in a hated “Samaritan”. And this “Samaritan” didn’t just do the minimum on behalf of the beaten man, he:
· took what ever time was necessary to resolve the situation
· likely tore up parts of his own clothing to create bandaging
· used his own expensive resources to treat the man’s pain and wounds
· took a detour to the local inn, walked all the way beside his own donkey, stayed over a night, paid for the man’s accommodation, and committed himself to returning and picking up the cost of any further care provided.

Jesus turned the lawyer’s question from an intellectual enquiry seeking limits to the definition of the word “neighbour”, into an inescapable lesson of neighbourly behaviour across cultural and religious boundaries. The intelligent lawyer had no choice but to answer that the Samaritan had been the ‘neighbour’, but he couldn’t even get those words out, and had to say, “… the one who showed mercy”. He was no doubt in turmoil as Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise”. Jesus’ use of the “Samaritan” effectively breaks down any limits put on the identity of our neighbour … breaking through geography, race, culture, religion and status.

[We could also read Jesus’ response in another way. Who is my neighbour? Ask the beaten man now lying in a bed in the local motel (paid for by someone else). My neighbour was not my fellow countryman, but the one that had been viewed by all as my enemy. And as this neighbour helps me, maybe I’m obliged to return the good deed. This brings great mutuality and solidarity in neighbourly relationships. When I am strong and resourceful I will respond to the needs that present. Then, when it is that I am the one beaten and in trouble, there may well be support available (and sometimes from surprising quarters). We may indeed reap what we sow.]

4. Widows, orphans and aliens

The Bible talks a lot about our relationship with the most vulnerable in this world. As just one example, Deuteronomy 27:19 reads:

“Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice. All the people shall say, ‘Amen’!”

As the prophet Amos pointed out (in chapter 5:21-24), God cannot abide hypocrisy, and will not accept the worship of those who allow injustice to continue; Amos writes:

“Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream”.

Another Hebrew prophet Micah considers the ethics of everyday life and conveys that what God requires is, “… to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (6:8).

The most vulnerable in our communities and this world are our challenge, and God is looking for how we respond. They are our neighbours. As Jesus tells it – in them, and in their faces, and in their need for food and water, and for welcome and hospitality, we actually experience Jesus himself (Matthew 25:31-46). We read in verse 40 of this text:

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me”.

The whole area of refugees and asylum seekers is a very complex issue (and I don’t plan to try to solve it here). But such teaching as this parable, gives us insights and challenges that we shouldn’t ignore. We can easily just follow various political agendas without actually attending to what the gospel teaching is. We can also let our human fear get in the way of what God’s Spirit is seeking to show us.

There are displaced people, loved by God, seeking a new home. Many have experienced trauma more terrible that we can ever imagine. Many are put into detention centres where their mental and spiritual health will be diminished even further. And while we take up arms in foreign lands, we need to stand ready to address the fall-out. I would suggest that we must find ways of seeing our compassionate response to displaced people and those fleeing from war-torn countries, as a separate issue from the detection and elimination of people-smugglers.

Some would have us believe that the biggest issue facing Australia is a threat to our Christian heritage – whatever that might mean! But this should not be our big ticket item – this tends towards putting up a defensive wall, and often leads to negative thinking about certain people groups. If we take the defensive route, we will find our gospel priorities being compromised. The greatest commandment is proactive and positive – wholly loving God and practically loving our neighbour. If we want to make a contribution to promoting Christianity, then we can only do so through proving our love for God in our love for our neighbour. And it will often be those whom our communities tend to hate and reject, that we will need to reach out to in the name of Jesus.

The “Levite” in Jesus’ story follows the poor example of the “priest” who went before him. He knew no better because he had not been shown anything better! Our role in society is to stand against racism and apathy and self-interest and fear, and be examples for the Jesus way, and become well known for doing so. The “Samaritan” had every reason to pass by on the other side – why should he help a foreigner – but instead he set the shining example … a shining example of cross-cultural, sacrificial, whole-hearted caring ministry.

Revealing God - an incident in the life of Gideon (Judges 7:1-8)

1. Introduction

This passage has always fascinated me. I don’t much like the military violence that follows, but there is something about God’s call of Gideon and the events that happened at this time, that seems to want to tell us something that remains important. I’m going to invite you to answer a why question! Look at the passage (Judges 7:1-8) and consider why God reduced Gideon’s army from a very strong 32,000 to an unremarkable and vulnerable 300. This in the face of significant danger! Why? 32,000 in to 10,000, then in to 300 … how does this make sense? Surely the greatest strength would have been found in the greater number! What could be gained by this?

2. Background (Judges 6 – 8)

This was another of those times when the people of God were under severe oppression, this time at the hands of “the Midianites”, which severely affected their food supply and greatly impoverished them. We see Gideon threshing wheat in a secluded place lest the Midianites came and stole his meagre harvest (6:11). Even though some of the fault for this oppression was laid at the feet of these Israelite people themselves (as they had again rebelled from God), God would still seek to bail them out! So much so did God want to be in relationship with this community, that when the people cried out to him, God put the people’s misguided behaviour behind him, and sought their welfare. God would never give up on his people despite plenty of good reasons to do so.

So God would seek to raise up yet another effective leader of people to try to rid them of this unbearable oppression. The person of God’s choosing was Gideon, who may on the surface have appeared to lack confidence and surety, but ultimately would be able to meet the challenge and deal with the demands placed upon him. God knew this – Gideon began to understand this – and God was able to bring all the necessary reassurances that would seal the deal. There was in Gideon enough commitment to step up to the plate, and finding that he didn’t fall at the first hurdle, he became utterly convinced about his role. Gideon was not even greatly perturbed by the huge decrease in his army numbers. As far as the way he utilised his resources and got the Midianites to flee, Gideon succeeded magnificently.

We can deduce from the way the story unfolds that the biblical writers saw that Gideon’s military campaign was righteous and successful. It’s interesting though that when the violence and revenge escalated God seemed to be absent, both from the narrative and quite possibly from the mind of Gideon. So often when we find ourselves in better more comfortable places, we forget God and go back to some of our former attitudes. As Arthur Cundall commented: “Perhaps it is easier to honour God in some courageous action in the limelight of a time of national emergency than it is to honour [God] consistently in the ordinary, everyday life, which requires a different kind of courage”; and then added: “Yahweh might well be the God for a time of crisis, but the fertility gods appeared to offer more for the everyday life”.

These were very harsh times, and retribution was the order of the day, and God had very difficult human cultural extremes to interact with. Yet we have the benefit of the New Testament and a clear knowledge of Jesus, through which to run a critical eye over some of these ancient happenings. And with such eyes we might consider that once very valid concern for the downtrodden turned toward a desire for revenge … things went downhill. Towards the end of chapter eight we see that Gideon’s fame may have got the better of him, as he sets himself up as one to be idolised and seeks a legacy all about his own greatness. At an earlier point of the Gideon story, he courageously tore down an altar that his father kept for Baal, and built an altar to God in its place, which facilitated a very significant community response (6:27ff … fodder for another sermon). Yet later he allows himself to be self-indulgent and put himself in the position of being publicly acclaimed and worshipped (8:24ff).

This can be such a subtle snare; and not just for the person themselves, but also for those under their influence. Gideon losing the plot towards the end provides further background into the message of today’s text. He was only human after all, subject to the possibility of gross failure, therefore not one in himself to ever be worshipped! Worship is only to be offered to God. Any good that Gideon did was short-lived, as at the moment he died, we read that, “the Israelites relapsed and prostituted themselves with the Baals” (8:33), so any hope of a proper and lasting legacy was lost. We see this in politicians quite a bit – so interested in their own legacy that they lose sight of everything else, and thereby tarnish their legacy anyway.

3. Text (7:1-8)

So making preparations for his attack on the Midianites, we find Gideon and his army camped beside a spring. Normally there would be doubts raised as to whether there were enough troops to carry out the planned mission, but in this case quite the opposite – amazingly the discussion was about having too many men. There is then given a reason behind such a notion. When such a large army had success then it would be easy for the troops and their leader to claim victory in their own strength.

Now this would be right in the face of the people’s prior rebellion and disobedience to God which led to the perilous state they were in, and God’s own benevolent activity in raising a leader up through which this nation might gain hope. So the army taking all the credit for themselves would be unthinkable, and also in the longer term, as they began to think of themselves as independent and secure, it would also be self-destructive.

But surely this still would not be good military strategy! On the other hand, perhaps an army like this can actually be too big, with too many under-trained or less motivated troops getting in the way, becoming a burden, or pulling the better ones down. In this case we read that there were 22,000 clearly fearful troops. And fear is listed as a reason for exemption from military service in Deuteronomy 20. Whilst such fear in the face of mortal combat would be understandable, we have to see with theological eyes that fear is the most debilitating adversary of faith.

So at this point we may concede that 10,000 prime and ready troops would be sufficient for the task at hand, and maybe even better placed than the original 32,000 for success. But now incredibly that number is trimmed to just 300. While some commentators suggest that the lappers demonstrate more active alertness than those who knelt down, this just seems to a random selection based on simple personal drinking behaviour – lapping up water like my dog Monty versus the more civilised cupping of the hands and pouring gently into the mouth. God chose the lower number of troops – the 300 lappers as against the 9,700 pairs of cupped hands.

What are we to deduce from this??

We could say that quality is more important than quantity – however while that would seem to be a reasonable deduction from the first sifting (due to the prevalent fear), it doesn’t fit well with the second sifting where there doesn’t seem to be much of a qualitative test applied.

Better to see all this in terms of the need for us to truly appreciate the role of God in the world and in our lives, and that all real effectiveness in tackling life depends upon our relationship, reliance, trust and faith in God. This is in line with the second part of verse 2 (the major interpretative clue we have here), where we read that Israel would have taken credit for any success themselves based on the ease of their victory. But if 300 troops defeated thousands of their opponents it surely would have been God that brought this about!

If we lose this particular insight, that our true effectiveness relies on God alone, no matter how successful we believe we have been, we will eventually hit a wall. After all, Gideon understood a lot of this it seems, but still in the end hit a wall anyway (when he started to believe his own publicity). We put ourselves in peril by trying to put or keep ourselves in the spotlight. From this God seeks to protect us and show us another way.

If, like Israel, we are tempted to start taking credit for things that were only really possible through God, and start to want to draw attention to ourselves – then what are we actually drawing attention to? Even the most renewed, mature and together of us … is still a fallible, limited human being with a propensity to make mistakes each and every day. So if we are putting ourselves under any sort of spotlight there will undoubtedly be a downside to this. What we need to be doing is pointing beyond ourselves to the one who sustains and guides and empowers us – God!

What the community around us need to see is not just a person who functions quite well because they’ve got some good support systems in place, but more so a person who creatively deals with the challenges of life because they have God working in and through them! If we are promoting ourselves, eventually we will disappoint. If we are promoting God, and not trying to be who we are not, then we can be forgiven for our errors in judgement as they occur.

Now just off on an aside for a moment – before we start thinking about trimming off anyone we see as ineffective from our community organisations or churches, we should remember the significant contribution everyone has to make, and that God is completely inclusive in his love and grace. So better to see it round the other way – that small numbers of people, rightly committed and wholly focussed can overcome mighty adversaries and meet huge challenges. And this will continue to happen as they give honour and credit to God.

Sometimes we might be tempted to wait for bigger numbers on our side before we take on what seems to be a difficult task, yet it might just be that God is saying to just launch out simply with the numbers currently available and watch for how God will be revealed.

4. Application

God is a bit like a wrapped up present. God is there (indeed God is everywhere), but until he is unwrapped by us and this present [God] is fully revealed for everything he is – then the world is missing out. As we learn more about Jesus, and apply good biblical principles in our lives, and thus effectively live out the Jesus-following life we can introduce people to God. Every interaction, communication and relationship should be seen as potential opportunities to reveal God to another. God was always hopeful that Israel would give the credit for their many instances of liberation to God, so that the nations of the earth would know the one true living God.

There are ways for us to move forward in this cause of revealing God to all those around us who are unsure about God or trying to survive life without any sense of God. God can be revealed in our smile to a stranger, our word of thanks to someone serving us in a shop, or in a word of encouragement to someone struggling with a task.

This will take a fair degree of seriousness on our part both individually and collectively. But if the 300 were enough troops when 32,000 were preferred against a very strong adversary, then we are strong enough to get the job done. Certainly God will be revealed as we prayerfully and courageously take on significant ministry and mission challenges in this community and pull them off in God’s name. When the right youth worker comes along to join us in our mission, this will help us further to reveal God as alive, active, loving and concerned.

As already mentioned, we should seeing ever interaction as significant and possibly God given. In this way, when one of those real God moments comes along, when someone comes across our path that really needs a word of encouragement or a helping hand, we won’t be caught out under-prepared or un-practiced. We should seek to be welcoming to newcomers into our lives – new neighbours, new people at church, unknown people at community functions. Not all these people will become part of our lives or our friends (some may even cause us grief); but a basic and natural welcoming attitude prepares us to reveal God when it will really count.

Aligned with this welcoming attitude is a degree of positivity about other people and the level of ability they have and the contribution they can make. This will open all sorts of pathways in a culture which so often is filled with negatives, put-downs, and isolationism – a big fence and security system mentality. Raelene and I really feel for our next door neighbours who have found it so hard to find acceptance and friendship with their two teenage autistic sons – who appear on the surface to be difficult and intimidating, yet form part of what is a lovely family. Obviously we have gone to some effort to offer support and friendship in their very challenging situation, but would also have to say that we have gained as much friendship as we have given. Have we revealed God – I think so, but time will tell! Maybe though they have revealed more of God than we have!?!

In a way we want to be seen as everyday normal people, and not ‘super-spiritual nutcases’, but in another way this can sell God short, but God doesn’t just want people to know about him, but of course wants to form relationships with people. So in another way we need to wear our salvation, our sense of having been rescued and forgiven, and our commitment to discipleship on our sleeve for all to see and remark upon. This is called living with ‘redemptive intent’ – meaning we give priority to witnessing to what God has done in our lives and his availability to do the same for others.

God sought to reveal himself through the activity of Gideon in support of a downtrodden people. It was necessary for the people to understand who was behind the compassionate and liberating actions done on their behalf. The same applies now – may God be revealed in this community – may God’s will be done on earth as it is already done in heaven. Amen!

"Jesus brings Spiritual Health" - a reflection on John 5:1-18

I recently read this passage and it really impacted me afresh. I was convicted by verse 14 and its strong implications for each one of us, indeed for all people. There is a choice to be made in life, and how our life goes depends hugely on that choice. What will do about the reality of sin in our life? These are those attitudes and behaviours that are so destructive within our daily environments and also to our personal spirits. Yet I was also encouraged by how Jesus interacted with the man in this narrative, and how Jesus kept finding him where he was and bringing the possibility of such wonderful transformation so close to him.

You might think as we delve into this text that, as you have already accepted Jesus, this message does not hold much interest or relevance to you. But I think it is actually very helpful in understanding the process by which others might be struggling with making a decision, and how Jesus may be working in their lives. Also I think the gospel writer is making some side-by-side comments about the societal context in which this incident takes place that remain quite challenging. But quite apart from anything else, this passage simply allows me to talk about my favourite subject … Jesus.

We have a scene here of many very sick and disabled people hoping to find their way into the waters of this public pool in Jerusalem, where people believed that if the waters were stirred there was the possibility of getting some healing. We hear of one particular man who had been had been sick for 38 years, and had also been waiting at this pool to get in for a “long time”. Something must have prevented him from entering the water, and we hear later that he had lacked both the help and the opportunity to make it into the pool. We should not doubt his desire or willingness, and neither did Jesus after he received the reply he did in verse 7. This man was seeking something better.

Some people do not have the same access to medical care as others – we know this within our own society. Those with more resources, or we might say those with the power to make discretionary decisions over such resources, have a better chance to get the medical assistance they need. And of course there are vast differences between the availability and quality of medical care across different countries. In this man’s case, in this passage in John’s gospel, Jesus will cut through the limitations and injustices of Jerusalem’s medical arrangements to offer this needy man the healing he needs to live out a dignified life. In one bold action Jesus challenges all who have prevented this man receiving the level of help available to other members of God’s community (whether that be institutional or individual culpability). After all, those with influence were only worried about whether someone carried a bedroll on the Sabbath or not!

‘Why shouldn’t this man be enabled to live his life as God created him too’ … “STAND UP, TAKE YOUR MAT AND WALK” says Jesus (verse 8)! And the result was effective, dramatic and instantaneous. But you wonder what this man was previously expecting when Jesus had said to him, “Do you want to be made well” (verse 6)? It is clear from later in the text that this man didn’t know who it was that was talking to him and asking him such a question. This could have been just an ordinary man in the crowd who was willing to make a special effort to drag him over and into the pool (and stir up the water for him).

Yet there was no need for the water – amazingly only his word was needed. Did this symbolise the power for even greater work? All of the miracles recorded in John’s gospel are there as ‘signs’ of who Jesus is; that Jesus is God and has the power to do God’s work. So should this man now be even expecting more than this from Jesus? No doubt, as he started to stand up, and pick up his mat and walk, he knew that something special (something out of the ordinary) had happened to him. Jesus had summed this guy up perfectly, for his attitude to Jesus’ charge to ‘stand up and get moving’ was so hopeful and open to new possibilities (and positive). What would happen next? This man was certainly ‘up’ for it.

What did happen next was that this man was being drawn into a controversy over Jesus healing on the Sabbath and also instructing someone to do forbidden work on the Sabbath … that is, carrying a mat. This aggressive opposition to Jesus was both a defence of the status quo and those who held powerful positions within it, as well as a resistance to the notion that God could do anything new (God being boxed up by these people into a neat and controllable bundle).

We might look for ways to translate this opposition to Jesus into modern terms. Could we argue that resistance to a more equitable distribution of resources at home and abroad is in opposition to the sort of equality that Jesus promoted? Could we argue that neglecting our responsibility toward foreign aid, or being unconcerned about the ‘widow’, ‘orphan’ and ‘alien’, suggests that we don’t really believe everyone is equal under God? In his healing of people on the margins of society, Jesus leads our thinking and our behaviour toward a different ‘kingdom’ with different priorities. Some won’t like this, and you’ll remember that this cost Jesus his life.

Now, Jesus’ business with this formerly ill man was only half finished. There was great hope because this man, having been given a very special opportunity, had wholeheartedly responded. What was there left?? This man still needed to discover who this man Jesus was, and to further respond in terms of his spiritual well-being. Left like this, I would imagine it likely that he would easily slip back into ill-health, as only his physical needs had been dealt with. We, all human beings, have spiritual needs and spiritual capacities that need to be addressed and filled before we really get anywhere satisfying in life, and can truly feel whole or complete.

This formerly ill man hadn’t gone that far away from the initial pool encounter, in fact Jesus found him in the temple – he could have been making the customary religious sacrifice for having received healing – or he could have been seeking what the next step in his recovery to life might be. Jesus now wanted to know what this man was going to do with this very beneficial encounter with that he had had with him. Jesus, having acknowledged the fact of his physical healing, says to the man … “DO NOT SIN ANY MORE, SO THAT NOTHING WORSE HAPPENS TO YOU” (verse 14).

This is the key verse for us to grapple with – what does this verse 14 indicate or suggest?? It indicates that such a powerful and significant encounter with Jesus should lead to a change of one’s direction in life. There should be a commitment to not repeat one’s past mistakes, to learn from them, and to go in a totally different direction from where they were taking that person. This verse suggests that a way has to be found where one finds boundaries in which to live that eliminate any habitual sin and any destructive behaviour. This may involve a complete transformation and re-creative experience. I just said that a ‘way’ had to be found – later in this gospel, Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (14:6). This formerly ill man had met the ‘way’ … in person.

Now you would think for a man who had been ill for 38 years, and had experienced the indignity of being so close to what he thought was a cure but couldn’t get into the water, things could not get much worse than that. However, Jesus suggested here (v.14) that they could – something worse could indeed happen. What would that be?? That would be spiritual death! Never having one’s spiritual void or capacity filled by Jesus and taking that into eternity! Or, having sin so compound on you that all hope dies … just like Judas! Things can be so much better than this!! Later in this chapter five we read, “Very truly I tell you [says Jesus] anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgement, but has passed from death to life” (verse 24).

Twice Jesus comes to this ‘unwell’ man with a gift of God’s grace – the first time he got the man’s attention, but the second time he called him to repentance and eternal life. Jesus continues to find ways to get our attention. If we have our eyes and ears open, we will stand up and take notice, and concern ourselves with what comes next. Those little emerging inklings of faith need to be solidified in an active response to Jesus – receiving his forgiveness, dealing with our guilt and shame, knowing the love of God that is available to us, and following Jesus through the rest of our lives. We thus find completeness!

This formerly ‘unwell’ man had seen first hand, in the Jewish leadership’s opposition to the Jesus who had came with a gentle healing spirit, how ‘law’, especially a such rigidly applied and badly interpreted ‘law’, would never save anyone, and how adhering oneself to any religious system would never in itself be enough to fill the spiritual void within us. What is required is a personal relationship. When the Jewish leaders criticised the man for carrying his mat on the Sabbath, he was no longer going to listen to those who had not provided any level of help or healing to him, but rather he would defer to the one with the runs on the board.

We can know all about Jesus, and recite the stories in the Bible, but the question remains about whether we know Jesus himself! The question remains as to whether we have allowed Jesus to impact every part of our being! And will our various positive encounters with Jesus lead to the sort of willingness to change that would in turn make such a real difference in our own lives, and also the life that happens around us?

There is a choice to be made. For some it may be time to set aside your reservations and misgivings and let Jesus in; letting the possibilities of true belief run free. For some it may be time to look beyond past hurts and disappointments and let Jesus in. There are many such things that paralyse us; whereas Jesus lifts us first from our mat and then sets us on a new and purposeful journey.