Perspective: The Bad Shepherd

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.
Comments are always welcomed.
If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

The Bad Shepherd

I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  When the hired hand sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away.  That's because he isn't the shepherd; the sheep aren't really his.  So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them.  He's only a hired hand and the sheep don't matter to him.

John 10:11-13 (CEB)

Arm me with watchful care
As in Thy sight to live
And now Thy servant, Lord, prepare
A strict account to give!

From "A Charge to Keep I Have" by Charles Wesley

Today is the Fourth Sunday in Eastertide, a day sometimes called Good Shepherd Sunday.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."  He goes on to say, "I am the good shepherd.  I know my own sheep and they know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.  I give up my life for the sheep."¹  On this day, we remember who Jesus is as humanity's Good Shepherd.  Among other things we remember that Jesus laid down His life, as a good shepherd does, to liberate humanity from the power of sin and death when He endured crucifixion.

The twenty-third psalm is attributed to Jesus' ancestor David, who shepherded his family's sheep before he was anointed to become his people's next king.  In this beloved psalm, a shepherd imagines himself as a sheep, and he imagines that God is his shepherd.  The psalmist proclaims that God, his shepherd, provides everything he needs.  He proclaims that, as shepherd, God leads him to "grassy meadows" and "restful waters."  He proclaims that, when he must "walk through the darkest valley," he is not afraid, because God, his shepherd, is there to protect him.²  In the same way that sheep are totally dependent on their shepherd, we are totally dependent on God.

This psalm, which describes God's care for humanity, has something to teach us about human beings, who bear God's image.  It teaches us that, when we find ourselves in any place of authority, not unlike a shepherd, we are called to lead, provide, or protect in accordance with the authority entrusted to us.

Perhaps, on Good Shepherd Sunday, we would do well to remember that not all shepherds are good.

The prophet Ezekiel was among the people deported to Babylon the first time the Babylonian Empire attacked the Kingdom of Judah.  Occasionally he was called to speak out against the people in authority among those who remained in Judah.  On one occasion, God commanded Ezekiel to "prophesy against Israel's shepherds."³  God told Ezekiel to say to them,

The Lord God proclaims to the shepherds: Doom to Israel's shepherds who tended themselves!  Shouldn't shepherds tend the flock?  You drink the milk, you wear the wool, and you slaughter the fat animals, but you don't tend the flock.  You don't strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the injured, bring back the strays, or seek out the lost; but instead you use force to rule them with injustice.⁴

In other words, the people in charge used their positions of authority not for the benefit of the people who depended on them but rather for their own benefit.

When people in positions of authority fail to do the jobs entrusted to them, bad things happen to the people who depend on them.  God told Ezekiel to say to the "shepherds" who failed to care for God's people,

Without a shepherd, my flock was scattered; and when it was scattered, it became food for all the wild animals.  My flock strayed on all the mountains and on every high hill throughout all the earth.  My flock was scattered, and there was no one to look for them or find them.  So now shepherds, hear the Lord's word!  This is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, without a shepherd, my flock became prey.  My flock became food for all the wild animals.  My shepherds didn't seek out my flock.  They tended themselves, but they didn't tend my flock.⁵

When shepherds fail to lead, provide, and protect, their flock essentially becomes a buffet for predators.  When the kings of Israel and Judah failed to lead their people well, their kingdoms were attacked by larger empires, and their subjects were taken into captivity.

According to Jesus, "the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."  By contrast, the bad shepherd neglects the lives of his sheep as he seeks to enrich and glorify himself.  As we remember what Jesus, our Good Shepherd, did for us, His sheep, may we remember that not all people who seek positions of authority truly have other people's best interests at heart.  May we who are in positions of authority faithfully do what we have been trusted to do by leading, providing, and protecting to the best of our ability as our positions require.


Notes:

1. John 10:11, 14-15 (CEB)
2. Psalm 23:1-4 (CEB)
3. Ezekiel 34:1-2 (CEB)
4. Ezekiel 34:2-4 (CEB)
5. Ezekiel 34:5-8 (CEB)

The photograph of the flock of sheep was provided by the Agricultural Research Service and is public domain.

Easter Perspective: Al----le-lu-ia!

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.
Comments are always welcomed.
If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

Al----le-lu-ia!

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won't perish but will have eternal life.  God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:16-17 (CEB)

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!

From "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" by Charles Wesley

On Sunday mornings, I typically attend the early, "more contemporary" worship service at my church.¹  Both of the Sunday worship services at my church are mostly the same, but the things that make the service I attend "more contemporary" are that there is a band instead of a choir and that the pastors tend to dress more casually.  Last week, on Easter Sunday, the contemporary service I attended had something in common with a traditional Methodist Easter service: the service began with the singing of the Easter hymn commonly titled "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today."

This beloved Easter hymn was written in 1739 by Charles Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement.  That same year, it was published in the Wesley Brothers' hymnal Hymns and Sacred Poems with the simple title "Hymn for Easter Day."  At some point, a refrain of "Alleluia" was added after each line of the hymn so that it could be sung to a tune commonly associated with Easter.²

Previously I pointed out that, in the early Methodist movement, hymns were used to teach theology and doctrine.  Since I wrote about the theology reflected in Charles Wesley's famous Christmas carol "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" around Christmas, I thought that, since it is now Eastertide, I would also write about the theology reflected in Wesley's Easter hymn.


The hymn begins with a call for all of creation to praise the resurrected Christ with shouts of Alleluia!

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!³

The theological meat of the hymn begins with the second verse, in which Jesus' resurrection is compared to a victory in battle.

Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!
Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

According to Wesley, through the Crucifixion and Resurrection, Christ won a decisive battle and completed "love's redeeming work."  To "redeem" something is to buy it back or to save it.  One definition of the word redeem is "to liberate by payment of a ransom."⁴

In the Letter to the Hebrews, one early Christian theologian compares Christ to an empathetic High Priest for all of humanity.  Referring to the Incarnation, Christ's becoming human like the other children of God, the writer states,

Since the children share in flesh and blood, [Christ] also shared the same things in the same way.  He did this to destroy the one who holds the power over death - the devil - by dying.  He set free those who were held in slavery their entire lives by their fear of death.⁵

By becoming human, dying, and rising from the dead, the Son of God defeated death and liberated humanity from the fear of death.

The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus show us that the worst thing that could happen to a person is not the end of the person's story.  As some Methodist pastors like to say, "The worst thing is never the last thing."⁶


As we sing the third verse of the hymn, we not only continue to celebrate Christ's victory but also begin to brazenly mock death.

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!

In case such mockery makes you feel a bit squeamish, I would like to point out that the Church has a rich tradition of taking jabs at death.

In the First Letter to the Corinthians, as St. Paul explains the implications of the Resurrection of Christ, he mocks death by quoting two of the Hebrew prophets.⁷  He writes,

And when the rotting body has been clothed in what can't decay, and the dying body has been clothed in what can't die, then this statement in scripture will happen:

Death has been swallowed up by a victory.
Where is your victory, Death?
Where is your sting, Death?

... Thanks be to God, who gives us this victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!⁸

A few hundred years later, St. John Chrysostom echoes Paul's words in his famous Easter Sermon.  He proclaims,

O death, where is thy sting?
O Hell, where is thy victory?
Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!⁹

Even now, Christians regularly mock death without even realizing what they are doing.  Crucifixion was the most inhumane form of execution employed by the Roman Empire, so the cross was originally something that struck fear into people.  Nowadays, Christians brandish crosses throughout their churches and wear crosses on their person as jewelry, as if the cross is a symbol of life and hope as opposed to a symbol of fear and death.


The fourth verse of the hymn reminds us that, as the Body of Christ, we follow Jesus, our Head, on the path of death and resurrection.

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Following Christ in this way can be understood both literally and metaphorically.

In a literal sense, the resurrection of Christ gives us the hope that someday we too will be resurrected after we die.  St. Paul writes, in his First Letter to the Corinthians, that Christ is "the first crop of the harvest of those who have died."¹⁰  In other words, the resurrection of Christ will be just the first of many resurrections.  Paul continues, "Since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came through one too.  In the same way that everyone dies in Adam, so also everyone will be given life in Christ."¹¹

Death and resurrection are also a metaphor for sanctification, which is what Charles Wesley's brother John called "going on to perfection."  In the Letter to the Colossians, we read,

You were buried with [Christ] through baptism and raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.  When you were dead because of the things you had done wrong... God made you alive with Christ and forgave all the things you had done wrong.¹²

In the words of theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die."¹³  Following Christ, we are crucified and buried as the people we have been, and we are resurrected as the people we are becoming.


The fifth verse reminds us of certain truths about Jesus.

Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

The Letter to the Philippians includes what is thought to be an early Christian hymn about the incarnation of Christ.  The first half of this hymn, which is commonly called the Christ Hymn, tells us that the Son of God divested Himself the power and glory of divinity to take on frail human flesh.  He lived His life as a servant and died the death of a criminal.¹⁴  The second half of the hymn reads,

Therefore, God highly honored him
and gave him a name above all names,
so that at the name of Jesus everyone
in heaven, on earth, and under the earth might bow
and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.¹⁵

Christ descended from heaven, to servanthood, to a criminal's death, and then God resurrected Him from the dead, raised Him back up to heaven, and gave Him a seat of authority at God's right-hand side.

This verse ends with a reminder of something Jesus says about Himself in the Gospel of John.  Before He raises His friend Lazarus from the dead, He says to Lazarus's grieving sister Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die.  Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die."¹⁶


The sixth verse reminds us of the abundant, eternal life available to us.

King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!

In the Gospel of John, we read that, on the evening before Jesus is arrested, He prays a high priestly prayer on behalf of His current disciples and all disciples who will come after them.  He begins His prayer,

Father, the time has come.  Glorify your Son, so that the Son can glorify you.  You gave him authority over everyone so that he could give eternal life to everyone you gave him.  This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent.¹⁷

The abundant life Christ offers us is eternal in not only duration but also depth, and integral to this abundant life is knowing the God who loves us and knowing Christ whom God sent to save us.


Eastertide is a roughly fifty-day season that begins with Easter Sunday.  If you observe Easter, dear reader, may you take some time in these fifty days to contemplate what the Resurrection of Jesus Christ means to you personally at this time in your life.

Notes:

1. https://www.trmethodist.net/sundays
2. Wikipedia: "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today"
3. Lyrics from "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" are presented in this perspective as they appear in The United Methodist Hymnal, published in 1989 by The United Methodist Publishing House.
4. Wiktionary: "Redeem"
5. Hebrews 2:14-15 (CEB)
6. This saying was made popular by United Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton, who adapted it from the words of writer Frederick Buechner.
7. See Isaiah 25:8 and Hosea 13:14.
8. 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, 57 (CEB)
9. https://anglicansonline.org/special/Easter/chrysostom_easter.html
10. 1 Corinthians 15:20 (CEB)
11. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (CEB)
12. Colossians 2:12-13 (CEB)
13. Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  The Cost of Discipleship (translated by R.H. Fuller and Irmgard Booth).  ch. 4
14. Philippians 2:6-8
15. Philippians 2:9-11 (CEB)
16. John 11:25-26 (CEB)
17. John 17:1-3 (CEB)

The photograph of the stained glass window at Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church in Columbus, Ohio was taken by Wikimedia Commons user Nheyob and is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.  The photographer is in no way affiliated with this blog.

Introspection: Won't You Be My Mirror?

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.
Comments are always welcomed.
If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

Won't You Be My Mirror?

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their hard work.  If either should fall, one can pick up the other.  But how miserable are those who fall and don't have a companion to help them up!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (CEB)

You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
And You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don't belong, oh, You say I am Yours

From "You Say" by Lauren Daigle

In early 2021, I read The Authenticity Project by Claire Pooley.  In this novel, a series of people find themselves in possession of a notebook which is also titled The Authenticity Project.  Each person who finds this notebook is invited to read what other people have written about themselves, to write something authentic about herself or himself, and then to leave the notebook in a public place for someone else to find.¹

What becomes clear over the course of this novel is that the people who attempt to write authentically about themselves in the notebook do not see themselves the same way that other people see them.  Usually they are too fixated on their pain or their flaws to see themselves clearly.

This novel helped me to realize is that people cannot truly speak authentically about themselves without having other people to act as a mirror, because people simply cannot see themselves clearly.  If one does not have such a mirror, then one's self-image will be incomplete at best and inaccurate at worst.  There are people in this world who act as if they think they are gods among mortals, while there are other people who act as if they think they are the scum of the earth.  Both of these kinds of people could benefit from someone who would act as a mirror.

Not long ago, I watched an episode of the television drama Numb3rs, in which Don Eppes, one of the show's main characters, tells his younger brother Charlie, another main character, that he sometimes finds him intimidating.²  What is ironic about this revelation is that Don is an FBI agent, while Charlie is a mathematics professor.  One would not expect a tough FBI agent to find a geeky mathematician intimidating.

I remembered that, years ago, a friend of mine described me as "intense."  I did not know what she meant at the time, but I've started to wonder if she was politely trying to tell me that I was intimidating.  If you've ever seen me in person, then you know that I'm not intimidating physically.  Of course, there are other ways to be intimidating.  When I was in school, I flaunted my intelligence every time I had an opportunity.  I had to be noticed for something, after all.  I've also started to wonder if maybe I subconsciously give off intimidating or intense vibes because I often feel inadequate.

Maybe, in some sick way, I'm just flattering myself by thinking that other people might think I'm intimidating.  If I had to choose between being perceived as intimidating and being perceived as pathetic, I would choose the former, though I know that neither is a good thing.  The truth is that I have no idea how other people see me, since I cannot see myself through other people's eyes.  Most of the time, I'm not even sure I really want to know how other people see me.  Furthermore, my self-image is likely inaccurate, since I tend to be overly critical of myself.

As I noted last week, my Sunday school class discusses current events.  A couple of months ago, we discussed an article on Christian influencers, people who share their faith through social media.  At one point in our discussion, I mentioned that, though I've never wanted to share my faith in the way I was taught at the fundamentalist Christian school I attended, I've struggled to figure out how to effectively share my faith.  Most of my ministry takes place within the walls of a church, and, though I share my faith on this blog, a majority of the people who read it are, as far as I can tell, people I know through church.

A friend of mine in the class told me that I wasn't giving myself enough credit.  He said that, in settings like our Sunday school class, I equip other people to better share their faith.  He said that he personally has learned things from me that have helped him to share his faith.  What my friend reflected back to me that Sunday morning helped me to see that I'm doing more than merely preaching to the proverbial choir.

There is an African philosophy known as Ubuntu.  It can be summarized, "A person is a person through people," or it can be summarized, "I am because we are."³  As humans, we are a lot more dependent on one another than we often want to admit.

We cannot see ourselves, so we need people who will act as a mirror for us.  We need to be somewhat selective regarding whom we allow to reflect ourselves back to us, since people don't always have each other's best interests at heart.  We need trustworthy people who will show us the good in ourselves when we become our own worst critics and will kindly bring us back to reality when we become too big for our britches.  We need to be part of a loving community.


Notes:

1. Claire Pooley.  The Authenticity Project.  2020, Penguin Books.
2. "Frienemies."  Numb3rs, created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, season 5, episode 10, Scott Free Productions, 2008.
3. Wikipedia: "Ubuntu philosophy"

The photograph featured in this introspection was taken by Anna Shvets, and it is used courtesy of Pexels.com.  The photographer is in no way affiliated with this blog.

Perspective: A Religion for the Oppressed

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.
Comments are always welcomed.
If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

A Religion for the Oppressed

Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been raised.  On the Sabbath he went to the synagogue as he normally did and stood up to read.  The synagogue assistant gave him the scroll from the prophet Isaiah.  He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to liberate the oppressed,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the synagogue assistant, and sat down.  Every eye in the synagogue was fixed on him.  He began to explain to them, "Today, this scripture has been fulfilled just as you heard it."

Luke 4:16-21 (CEB)

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
Step out of line, the man come and take you away

From "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield

The Sunday school class I help lead at my church discusses current events in light of the Christian faith.  Not too long ago the class read and discussed a news story that mentioned a vibrant and growing underground church in a nation where Christianity is essentially illegal.  We considered the question of why the Christian faith seems to thrive in such places.  I do not have a definitive answer to this question, but I do have a theory.

I suspect that, in a nation where people do not have the freedom of religion, people probably do not have much freedom in general.  In other words, people in such nations are oppressed.  I believe that Christianity thrives when it serves the oppressed.  Furthermore, I believe that Christianity was always meant to be a religion for the oppressed.

Consider the Gospel story.  Over two thousand years ago, Jesus of Nazareth was born into an oppressed group of people, namely the Jewish people.  He ministered to His own people and to people of other nations, teaching them to love their neighbors, giving them hope, and healing those in need of healing.  One day, Jesus was brutally and wrongfully executed by His people's oppressors, namely the Roman Empire.  A couple of days later, He was resurrected from the dead.  He was then raised up to Heaven and revealed to be both the Son of God and the true Lord of this world.

The Gospel story would naturally be compelling to people suffering with a proverbial boot on their necks.  It offers them the hope that their oppressors are not truly in control and the hope that the worst thing that their oppressors could do to them would not truly be their end.  It might even inspire them to boldly take a stand against their oppressors.

The Gospel story has the power to save people.

Everything good in this world has the potential to become corrupted, and sadly the religion inspired by the crucified and risen Jesus is no exception.  Ever since the days of the Roman emperor Constantine, the Christian church has made compromises with the powers that be, trading its prophetic power for political influence.¹  The religion for the oppressed becomes a tool of oppression.  The story with the power to liberate people from their fear is twisted into a message intended to control people with fear.  "Believe what I tell you to believe and live how I tell you to live, or else you will suffer forever and ever," people hear.

The separation of church and state is necessary for maintaining the integrity of the church.  A religion that partners with an oppressive government will inevitably become a tool of oppression.  The church will never reform the state with such a partnership, but the state will most certainly hijack the church.

The Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus offers a way of life for people who follow Him,² begins with a series of blessings for certain people.  Jesus blesses "the poor in spirit" and "those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake," promising that the Kingdom of God is for them.  He also blesses "those who mourn," promising that comfort is on the way.³  Jesus is blessing people who are oppressed either by circumstance, by loss, or by other people, perhaps their government.  Jesus also blesses the gentle, the just, the merciful, the pure-hearted, and the peaceable.⁴  Jesus blesses the kind of people who would minister to the oppressed.

If Christ blesses people who are oppressed and people who would minister to the oppressed, then the religion that bears His name must be a religion for the oppressed and not a religion for their oppressors.  A religion for the oppressed offers people hope amid their oppression.  A religion for oppressors has nothing good to offer anyone.  It can only give people the false assurance that, if they support their oppressive leaders, they are in the right and numb their consciences to the suffering of their neighbors.

If you fear that Christianity is in decline where you live, consider how the religion is currently functioning in your society.  Is it serving the oppressed, or is it serving their oppressors?  Is it liberating people from their fears, or is it instilling fear into people?


Notes:

1. Wikipedia: "Constantinian shift"
2. Matthew 5-7
3. Matthew 5:3-4, 10 (NRSV)
4. Matthew 5:5-9

The Sermon on the Mount was painted by Carl Heinrich Bloch in 1877.

Perspective: An Unacceptable Loss

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.
Comments are always welcomed.
If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

An Unacceptable Loss

You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.  But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven.  He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous.

Matthew 5:43-45 (CEB)

Hello, it's Me
I couldn't sleep
I was just counting sheep
And I'm missing you

From "Bring You Back" by Paul Alan

In the Gospels, Jesus tells a story about a shepherd who has one hundred sheep in his care.  At one point, the shepherd realizes that one of the sheep is missing, so he leaves the ninety-nine others where they are and searches for the lost sheep.  When he finds the missing sheep, he rejoices as if the sheep he just found means more to him than the ninety-nine sheep that did not go astray.¹

The Parable of the Lost Sheep is found in both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke.  Perhaps the most significant difference between the two versions of the parable is the context in which Jesus tells it.

In the Gospel of Luke, we read that one day Jesus overhears some religious leaders criticizing Him for associating with so-called "sinners."  He tells them the Parable of the Lost Sheep, along with two other parables, to help them to understand why he fellowships with the people they ostracize.²  Jesus concludes the Parable of the Lost Sheep, saying, "In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes both heart and life than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to change their hearts and lives."³

Jesus associates with so-called "sinners" because, unlike the religious leaders, He is unwilling to write them off as "lost."

In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that one day, when the Disciples ask Jesus "who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven," He calls a child to sit with them and tells them that, if they want to enter the kingdom of heaven, then they need to become like the child.⁴  Next, using some very strong language, Jesus warns the Disciples to take care that they do not do anything that might lead a child of God down a destructive path.⁵  Then, He tells them the Parable of the Lost Sheep to highlight how important all of God’s children are to God.  He concludes the parable, saying, "In the same way, my Father who is in heaven doesn’t want to lose one of these little ones."⁶

In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus follows up the Parable of the Lost Sheep by giving the Disciples some instructions for reconciling with someone in their faith community who has wronged them.⁷  Though we typically think that these instructions are for confronting wrongdoers in a faith community, I would like to suggest, given their placement in the Gospel, that their purpose is ultimately to repair fractured relationships between followers of Jesus.

Jesus does not want His followers to "lose" anyone through either their actions or their inaction.

In either context, one lesson we can glean from the Parable of the Lost Sheep is that, in the same way that the shepherd in the parable is not willing to write off any one of his sheep as lost, we must never write off a fellow child of God as lost.  We must not write off a person as lost if they fail to live up to our standards, and we must not write off a person as lost if they have personally offended us.  A wayward child of God is still a beloved child of God.


Notes:

1. Matthew 18:12-13; Luke 15:4-6
2. Luke 15:1-32
3. Luke 15:7 (CEB)
4. Matthew 18:1-3 (CEB)
5. Matthew 18:6-7
6. Matthew 18:14 (CEB)
7. Matthew 18:15-17

Le Bon Pasteur was painted by James Tissot in the late 1800s.

Introspection: Do Something!

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.
Comments are always welcomed.
If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

Do Something!

I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9 (NRSV)

I don't know what's right and what's real anymore
And I don't know how I'm meant to feel anymore
And when do you think it will all become clear?
'Cause I'm being taken over by the fear

From "The Fear" by Lily Allen

I would like to share more introspective writing this year, but, as I noted previously, I don't really feel like I have anything especially good to share about my life at this time.  Furthermore, as I also noted previously, if I have grown weary of the disappointment, bitterness, and self-pity that tends to infect my personal writing, then I cannot help but think that you would not want to read it either.

All that said, lately I've started to wonder if those of you who have been reading my introspective posts for a while want to ask me, "If there's so much you don't like about your life, then why don't you just freakin' do something about it?"

It's a good question.  So why don't I just freakin' do something?

There's a simple answer: fear.

If I don't like my job as a computer programmer, then why don't I quit my job, go back to school, and become a teacher, which is what I think I really want to be?

The truth is that I'm afraid of making a big mistake.  Though I don't love my job, I don't hate it either - at least I don't hate it every day.  Even on the days I do hate my job, I still take pride in the fact that, because I work at a local technical college, I am using my programming skills to make a positive contribution to my community.  Also, I have a lot of benefits beyond a monthly paycheck, including health insurance, a lot of vacation time, and the possibility of retiring with a pension.  I fell into a pretty sweet deal, and I'm afraid of giving it all up for something I don't even know I'll find more fulfilling.

I'm also afraid of getting in over my head.  I didn't especially enjoy writing papers when I was in college, and I have no idea how I would ever write a master's thesis, much less a doctoral dissertation.  Also, though I've taught some ten-hour classes for my church district, I have no idea how I would ever plan and teach a semester-long class.

If I'm lonely, then why don't I reactivate my dating profile and start swiping right?

The truth is that I'm afraid of rejection.  I'm afraid that, if I start swiping right, no one will swipe right on me.  I'm afraid that, if someone, for some reason, does actually swipe right on me, she will inevitably get to know me too well and realize she can do a lot better.  Maybe, deep down, I'm also afraid of change.  Maybe I'm afraid that I really will meet someone who loves me and accepts me, that we'll actually hit it off, and that I'll eventually find myself in a life that is nothing like the crappy yet comfortably predictable life I've always known.

There is a lot I don't like about my life, but I'm hesitant to do anything about it because I'm afraid.  Unfortunately, there is no figurative silver bullet that kills fear.  The only way to defeat this monster is to confront it head-on and to overcome it.

There is an old nursery rhyme about some children who are "going on a bear hunt."  As the young hunters look for bears, they encounter a series of obstacles in their path, including tall grass, a river, and finally a dark bear cave.  Whenever they meet an obstacle, they realize that they "can't go over it," that they "can't go under it," that they "can't go around it," but that they "got to go through it."¹  All these things are especially true about the obstacle of fear.

I have a personality that makes me a lot more adept at longing for the things I think I want in life than actually working for them.  If I want a better life, then I will have to take action, and, to take action, I will have to overcome my fear.  I can't go over it.  I can't go under it.  I can't go around it.  I can't shoot it from a distance with a magic bullet.  I will have to go through it.


Notes:

1. https://allnurseryrhymes.com/going-on-a-bear-hunt/

The photograph of the animal cave is used courtesy of PickPic.com and is understood to be public domain.  The photographer is in no way affiliated with this blog.

Perspective: Faith Is...

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.
Comments are always welcomed.
If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

Faith Is...
(a Reflection on Hebrews 11:1-12:2)

So then, with endurance, let's also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.  Let's throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith's pioneer and perfecter.

Hebrews 12:1-2a (CEB)

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do

From "What Faith Can Do" by Kutless

Faith is, in the words of one thinker, "the reality of what we hope for" and "the proof of what we don't see."¹

Faith is trusting that there are realities beyond our perception.

Faith is living in such a way that our lives continue to speak long after we die.

Faith is trusting that what we do actually matters.

Faith is going against the grain of the world around us.

Faith is taking a journey into the unknown.

Faith is working for something greater than ourselves, something that might not be completed in our lifetimes.

Faith is considering that more is possible that what we have been led to believe.

Faith is not being content with the world as it is but daring to dream of a better world.

Faith is trusting that God will provide a way for us when what is required of us seems impossible.

Faith is believing that there is a bright future.

Faith is doing what is right even when it is not legal.

Faith is choosing a more difficult life, perhaps one lived in solidarity with the suffering.

Faith is refusing to be enslaved to the anger of other people.

Faith is listening for God's call and acting upon it.

Faith is trusting God to provide a way for us where there is none.

Faith is showing up where God has called us and trusting God to help us succeed.

Faith is refusing to conform to the surrounding culture.

Faith is doing things we once thought were impossible.

Faith is never giving up.

Faith is costly at times.

Faith is taking the baton handed to us and running in a race that started long before we were born and will continue long after we're gone.

Notes:

1. Hebrews 11:1 (CEB)

The photograph featured in this perspective is used courtesy of FreeImages.com.  The photographer is in no way affiliated with this blog.

Perspective: The Place at the Top

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.
Comments are always welcomed.
If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

The Place at the Top

So which one is greater, the one who is seated at the table or the one who serves at the table?  Isn't it the one who is seated at the table?  But I am among you as one who serves.

Luke 22:27 (CEB)

Lean on me
When you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

From "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers

Esau has just prepared a special meal for his father Isaac.¹  Earlier that day, Isaac, who has become nearsighted, called for his son Esau and asked him to go out on a hunt and to prepare him a meal from what he killed.  Isaac, unsure of how much time he has left in this world, promised to give Esau a special blessing after he finishes eating.  Esau approaches his father and says, "Let my father sit up and eat from his son's game so that you may bless me."

Isaac turns toward his son and asks, "Who are you?"

Esau replies, "I'm your son, your oldest son, Esau."

Isaac begins trembling and says, "Who was the hunter just here with game?  He brought me food, and I ate all of it before you came.  I blessed him, and he will stay blessed!"

Esau begins weeping.  He cries to Isaac, "Bless me!  Me too, my father!"

Realizing what has happened, Isaac says to Esau, "Your brother has already come deceitfully and has taken your blessing."  While Esau was still on his hunt, his twin brother Jacob conspired with their mother Rebekah, disguised himself as Esau, served his father a meal Rebekah prepared, and then received the special blessing meant for Esau.

When Isaac unknowingly blessed Jacob, he said to him,

May God give you
showers from the sky,
olive oil from the earth,
plenty of grain and new wine.
May the nations serve you,
may peoples bow down to you.
Be the most powerful man among your brothers,
and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Those who curse you will be cursed,
and those who bless you will be blessed.

This blessing is evidently irretractable and unrepeatable, and it essentially secures the blessed son's place at the top of a hierarchy.

As the oldest son, Esau should have been guaranteed the place at the top, according the customs of his culture.  Esau's twin brother Jacob reportedly came out of the womb immediately after Esau because he was clutching Esau's heel.²  Evidently Jacob has been trying to wrestle the place at the top away from his older brother ever since they were born!

Devastated, Esau asks his father, "Haven't you saved a blessing for me?"

Isaac replies, "I've already made him more powerful than you, and I've made all of his brothers his servants.  I've made him strong with grain and wine.  What can I do for you, my son?"

Isaac cannot simply give both of his sons the same blessing.

Then Jacob and Esau would have to be servants to each other.

Imagine that.

In the Gospels, we read that one day Jesus' disciples start grappling for the places at the top.  Believing that Jesus will soon be crowned king, His disciples James and John ask Him if He would make them His second and third in command.³  When the other disciples become angry, Jesus says,

You know that the ones who are considered the rulers by the Gentiles show off their authority over them and their high-ranking officials order them around.  But that's not the way it will be with you.  Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant.  Whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all, for the Human One didn't come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.⁴

The Disciples want places of power, but Jesus urges them to seek places of servanthood, pointing out that He has acted as a servant among them.

In the Gospel of John, we read that, on the evening before Jesus is arrested, He models humble service for the Disciples in a very vivid way.  He takes off His robe, ties a towel around His waist, fills a basin with water, and washes the Disciples' feet.⁵  When Jesus finishes washing the Disciples' feet, He puts on His robe and says to the Disciples,

Do you know what I've done for you?  You call me "Teacher" and "Lord," and you speak correctly, because I am.  If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other's feet.  I have given you an example: Just as I have done, you also must do.  I assure you, servants aren't greater than their master, nor are those who are sent greater than the one who sent them.  Since you know these things, you will be happy if you do them.⁶

If the Son of God is not too important to serve people, then neither is anyone else.

It seems like so many people in this world are trying to make it to the top of a proverbial ladder.  To get ahead, they have to pull down the people above them, and, to keep themselves from being pulled down, they have to kick the people below them.  As usual, Jesus calls us to be countercultural.  He urges us to get off the ladder entirely and encourages us to seek ways to serve each other.

There can only be one person at the top, but we will find the people who are truly blessed in the places of servanthood.


Notes:

1. Much of this perspective is based on Genesis 27:1-40.  Quotations are taken from the Common English Bible.
2. Genesis 25:24-26
3. Mark 10:35-37
4. Mark 10:41-45 (CEB)
5. John 13:4-5
6. John 13:12-16 (CEB)

Isaac Blessing Jacob was painted by Govert Flinck in 1638.

Perspective: A Name, a Song, and a Message

I share these thoughts hoping they are of help to someone else.
Comments are always welcomed.
If you find these thoughts helpful, please share.

A Name, a Song, and a Message

The angel said, "Don't be afraid, Mary.  God is honoring you.  Look! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.  He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father.  He will rule over Jacob's house forever, and there will be no end to his kingdom."

Luke 1:30-33 (CEB)

You came from heaven to earth
To show the way
From the earth to the cross
My debt to pay
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the sky
Lord, I lift Your name on high

From "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High" by Rick Founds

In the Nativity stories we read in the Gospels, both Mary and Joseph are instructed to name their child Jesus.¹  The Greek name Iēsous, from which we get the name Jesus, is equivalent to the Hebrew name Yeshua, which is similar to a Hebrew verb meaning "to rescue" or "to deliver."²  In the Gospel of Matthew, a heavenly messenger says to Joseph, "Joseph son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."³

Jesus was given His name because it is associated with salvation.

The Letter to the Philippians contains what is thought to be an early Christian hymn.  This hymn, which is commonly called the Christ Hymn, tells of the descent and ascent of the Son of God.  It begins,

Though he was in the form of God,
he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.
But he emptied himself
by taking the form of a slave
and by becoming like human beings.
When he found himself in the form of a human,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.⁴

Christ descended from Heaven to walk among us on Earth.

He descended from divine power to join us in human frailty.

He descended from equality with God to live His life on Earth as a servant.

He descended from divine glory to suffer a painful and degrading death by crucifixion.

The Christ Hymn continues,

Therefore, God highly honored him
and gave him a name above all names,
so that at the name of Jesus everyone
in heaven, on earth, and under the earth might bow
and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.⁵

Christ ascended from the grave when He was resurrected.

He ascended from Earth to Heaven to receive a seat of authority at the Father's right hand side.

He ascended from servanthood to sovereignty as the true Lord of this world.

When Christ entered this world, He was given the name Jesus because it is associated with salvation.  Because of who Jesus is and what He did, His name is also associated with sovereignty.  In the days of the Roman Empire, when people were expected to say that Caesar is lord, the early Christians boldly proclaimed that Jesus Christ is Lord.

It has been said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."⁶  Only someone who demonstrated ultimate humility, as Christ did when He left behind the power and glory of divinity to become human, and is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, as Christ was when He gave His life on the Cross for the sake of humanity, can be trusted with ultimate authority, as Christ was when He was raised to Heaven and given a place of authority at the right hand of the Father.

The Gospel message can be summarized in five words: "The Risen Christ is Lord."  Because Jesus is the true Lord of this world, the evils we fear are not truly in control, and, because Jesus defeated death, the worst thing they could possibly do to us would not be the end of the story.  This message has the power to save.


Notes:

1. Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38
2. Wikipedia: "Yeshua"
3. Matthew 1:20-21 (CEB)
4. Philippians 2:6-8 (CEB)
5. Philippians 2:9-11 (CEB)
6. This quote is attributed to John Dalberg-Acton.

The Annunciation was painted by Domenico Beccafumi in the 1500s.