“Very
truly I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and
go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your
hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do
not wish to go.” John 21:18 NRSV
This
is part of a conversation the Risen Christ is having with St.
Peter. Some have suggested it is the moment of Peter’s restoration to
grace after having denied Jesus when He was facing His worst, but I think that
may be reading a little too much into what is actually written. After
all, why would Jesus “favor” Peter and the others with an assurance of
persecution? This is what Jesus is talking about. To serve The Lord
does not mean life will always favor us. To serve The Lord fully in a
world that does not know Him and seems to have no desire to know Him means we
will face the world’s wrath when we choose to live on The Lord’s terms rather
than on our own terms. And when we fully devote ourselves to obedience to
The Lord, even HE will send us to places we may not wish to go!
I
think of this county clerk in KY who served a brief jail sentence for defying a
court order. Many (including some politicians) are trying to make her a
martyr. Maybe she is. However, a closer look might suggest she is
not so concerned about living her beliefs as she is enforcing her
beliefs (big difference) – while continuing to draw a paycheck! – in a world
that is hostile to her beliefs. We Christians should be prepared to hold
one another accountable to discipleship, but we should not expect the world to
be so willing to be held accountable – especially when so many in the CHURCH
refuse to be held accountable!
Jesus
has told Peter and the others (even apostles and faithful disciples to this
day!) there was once a time when we could do as we wished when it pleased us –
BUT – following Jesus faithfully is not going to be
very well received in the world at large. Yet even among all who need
to hear the Gospel, there are some who have been waiting their entire lives to
hear some Good News for a change! It is not, however, about getting them
to go to church – it is entirely about the Church going to them! The
Great Commission we know well from Matthew’s Gospel is being affirmed in
John’s Gospel. We are also seeing this Commission begin to take on
an even more meaningful life. Rather than to only “go” and “teach” and
“baptize” (which can be construed as “imposing” or “enforcing”), the Church is
being commissioned to “feed” those who are starving for mercy and
justice. This means we are being commissioned to get up close and
personal!
I
encourage you to continue to lift up this lady in your prayers, but we must
keep our eyes on the Holy Ball. It is The Lord who must be lifted up and
glorified; not a county clerk! The teaching of doctrine is a tricky thing
even inside the “ekklesia”, so we should not be surprised nor get our noses out
of joint when the world at large does not care.
Our
challenge is to ask ourselves: what will it take to “feed” those “sheep” and
“lambs” to whom Jesus is referring? I think this question must be asked
and answered within the “ekklesia” before we venture out into a hostile
world. And let us not worry too much about how we can use federal
legislation to enforce or even protect our beliefs. The federal
government never has been and never will be concerned with the Gospel of The
Lord. This is the task, the Commission, of the Church, the
“ekklesia”. That, my friends, is you and me.
Blessings,
Michael
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