You’ve Got a Job to Do

"The Sending of the Twelve,"
Duccio DiBuoninsegnaca, 14th c.

After spending about a year with Jesus, the disciples are given a new challenge by their teacher. Jesus gathers his twelve disciples together and tells them to do the type of preaching, teaching and healing that they have seen him do. Now it is their turn. The most detailed record of this new phase in Jesus’ ministry is found in the Gospel of Matthew (10:1-11:1), with shorter versions in Mark (6:7-13) and Luke (9:1-6).

The context for this “internship training” for Jesus’ disciples is his sense that he’ll soon be going to Jerusalem for his final visit and he wants to prepare his followers for what is to come. This is the third tour of Galilee by Jesus. On his first foray into Galilee, Jesus traveled with the four fishermen who he called to follow him; on his second journey through Galilee, he was accompanied by all twelve disciples. This time Jesus will travel to Galilee by himself after he sends out his disciples two-by-two.

Jesus’ charge to them is simple and straight-forward: preach the Kingdom of God and heal the sick. Sending them out two-by-two is striking to me, since he leaves them and goes out on his own. Why two-by-two? We don’t know for sure, but I suspect that Jesus knew they would encounter stiff resistance or possibly hostile opposition, so having a partner would provide mutual support during this time of training. It may also have been to bolster their credibility by having the testimony of more than one witness, a key factor in the Jewish legal context.

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, most of the missionary activity that resulted in the expansion of Christianity worldwide in the Roman Empire took place with teams of apostles and disciples, rarely with one person on his own. This is an important insight for us to remember in our own lives as disciples of Jesus.

In Matthew’s Gospel, we find the only detailed record of what Jesus said to his disciples before he sent them out and there are some hard teachings that are difficult for us to understand. For example, Jesus tells them, “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (10:22). And similarly, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but the sword” (10:34).

How do we square these statements with the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus is the promised Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) and the New Testament birth announcement that he brings “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14). As we have argued since we started this Shalom blog, God’s gift of shalom to his people includes peace with God, peace with ourselves, peace with others and peace with the natural world. Jesus indeed came to bring peace between his followers and God and peace between all people, regardless of race, gender or social status, but he knew that Satan would resist his efforts and cause animosity to arise. It is a struggle between light and darkness and this struggle sometimes occurs even within a family. Jesus wants them to know what to expect. Satan will put up a battle, but God’s plan will not be defeated. Temporary setbacks, yes, but defeat, never!

So What?

• As you read through Jesus’ instructions to his disciples in Matthew’s Gospel, did you notice that Jesus warns them that they will meet resistance from those who prefer to keep living as if there is no God. I think it is so interesting that Jesus does not tell his disciples to argue with those who disagree with them. Their job is to be a witness – just tell their story of how God has come into their lives and made a difference. If people didn’t want to hear about this, they were to shake the dust off their feet and move on.

• Jesus’ instructions to his disciples are helpful for us as well. While we may not have the same special healing powers that the disciples were given in Galilee, we are charged with the task of being his witnesses. What is important for us to understand is that God has chosen to use us as his witnesses, but he is not willing to use force to get people to follow him. He doesn’t come to impose peace on earth by force. God gives men and women the freedom to chose to follow him or not. No one is forcibly brought into the Kingdom of God – it is a voluntary decision to receive God’s gifts of grace and salvation.

• The two-by-two partnerships are also helpful reminders that no one is a “lone ranger” in God’s Kingdom. Working with partners is God’s choice for us, a choice that offers needed accountability and encouragement, when we stumble.

Jesus and Two Very Different Women (Part II)

"The Raising of Jairus' Daughter"
Edwin Long, 1889.

In my last post (May 13, 2013), we were following Jesus on his way to the home of Jairus, whose daughter was dying. Jairus, the leader of the Capernaum synagogue, had fallen at Jesus’ feet when he returned from his trip to “the other side” of the Sea of Galilee, and pleaded with him to heal his only child.

Jesus and Two Very Different Women (Part I)

Byzantine Mosaic,
Ravenna, Italy, 6th century

One of the most dramatic stories in the Gospels is Jesus’ encounter with two desperate people who are out to find him and two women, one young and one old, who have their lives changed by him. This story can be found in Luke 8:40-56 and Mark 5:21-43.

Battling a Legion

"The Swine Driven into the Sea,"
James Tissot, c. 1886.

When following Jesus’ ministry during its early stages, it is important to see how certain events are linked together in the Gospels. Sometimes when we read stories in the Bible, we focus on a single event and miss the connection to what proceeds or follows a certain encounter. This is the key to the miracle I will look at in this post.

In my last post, “Crossing Enemy Lines” (April 15, 2013), we saw how Jesus calmed a vicious storm on the Sea of Galilee and demonstrated his power over nature to his frightened disciples, many who were competent fishermen and knew this sea very well. I agree with Biblical scholars who see this event as an attack by Satan on Jesus.

What happens when Jesus and his disciples approach the shore on “the other side” of the lake is directly linked to the struggle with Satan during the storm. While three Gospel writers (Matthew, Mark and Luke) describe what happens next, I would encourage you to take a few minutes to read the fullest account in the Gospel of Mark (5:1-20).

You might remember from the first part of this story that the disciples would never have gone to this region, called the Decapolis (Ten Cities), because the Gentiles who lived there were engaged in all the things that observant Jews hated – idol worship, sexual promiscuity, forbidden foods, etc. -- yet their rabbi tells them to come with him, so they do.

Think about the setting. They’re approaching the shore, it is getting dark and they hear screams and see a naked man who lives in a cemetery coming toward their boat. They have been taught never to enter this territory, never to look at a naked man, and never to be around tombs in order to stay ritually pure.

Both Luke and Mark make it clear that Jesus is the only one to get out of the boat – not the disciples. I think we can identify with their reluctance. What are they doing here? Why did they come? What is he going to do?

The naked man, possessed by demons, approaches Jesus and falls down in front of him, but not as an act of worship. The demons that control him recognize that they are in the presence of someone who has superior power. In fact, the demons speak through the man who screams out, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High?” Mark tells us the demons are making it clear that they know who Jesus is (1:24).

When Jesus asks them their name, they respond, “Legion - for we are many.” It is interesting to note that nearby are pigs or boars – obviously this is not Kosher territory. Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian who worked for Rome, records that this area was occupied by the Roman Tenth Legion and their mascot was a boar. It would be stretching the story too much to say that Jesus was taking a prophetic action with strong political overtones by sending the demons into the boars who then ran into the sea and drowned, but it does make me wonder. By the way, some historians are convinced that boars are good swimmers, so the fact that 2,000 of them drowned would then be rather remarkable.

What is amazing about this story is that Jesus completely rescues and restores this man. Now the disciples have seen him win two amazing battles against evil, the second lesson they could easily see even from the boat that they refuse to leave! Mark tells us that after the boars run into the sea and people come running to see what had happened, they are frightened by Jesus’ presence. They see this wild man who lived in the tombs and who could break chains, sitting there by Jesus in his right mind and fully dressed. Where did he get his clothes? None of the Gospel writers tell us, but I would sure like to know!

After he is rescued and restored, the man asks Jesus if he can go along with him and his disciples, to leave this place where he had been so isolated and feared. But Jesus has another plan. He tells him to go back to his own people and “report to them how much God has done for you” (5: 19). He has been healed and now he has a mission, a purpose, a task to be done.

What many of us fail to notice is that when Jesus returns to this region several months later, thousands of people come out to see him (Mark 7:31-37). This man has become the first missionary of the New Testament to the Gentiles!

So What?

• One powerful lesson from this story that I learned: We may have someone who we have been praying for who needs to be rescued and restored by Jesus, yet it seems like nothing is ever going to change in their life. As Doug Greenwold (Senior Teaching Fellow, Preserving Bible Times) reminds us, remember this man with a “legion” of demons and be encouraged. Jesus can bring healing, but in his own timing, so don’t despair.

• A humorous footnote: When I learned about Josephus’ record of the Roman Tenth Legion having a pig or boar for a mascot, I thought what a choice – until I remembered that my graduate school (The University of Maryland) has a turtle for its mascot. Who am I to laugh at the Romans!

• My former pastor, Dr. Craig Barnes, commented on this passage as follows: “It seems that the guiding principle for Jesus’ decision about who should leave and who should stay is that he always sends us to the place where we are most dependent on a Savior. If your demon is the fear of change, that means you will be hitting the road more than you want. Yet if you are tormented more by the thought of settling into a difficult place, it means you will be staying right where you are. In either case, your hope will come not from where you are, but from whom you find mercy.”

Crossing Enemy Lines

“Often when we read the Bible, we see what we know but don’t know what we see.” The sentence quoted above from an anonymous source, brought to my attention by Doug Greenwold, the Senior Teaching Fellow of Preserving Bible Times, came to mind as I studied this fascinating episode that I will share with you in this post.

"Christ in the Storm,"
Rembrandt, 1633.

Three Gospel writers record the story of Jesus and his disciples caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee and I would encourage you to read these accounts (Matthew 3:23-27; Mark 4: 35-41; Luke 8:22-25). The Gospel of Mark, for example, makes it clear that Jesus’ early ministry is meeting resistance from demonic forces and that everywhere he goes Jesus is confronted by people who are struggling with demons that try to disrupt him. He continually tells them to “Be muzzled” or, in my words, “Shut up.”

In the Gospels, two storms are recorded on the Sea of Galilee. The second one, described in Mark 6:45, is a strong wind that results in Jesus walking on the water to reach his exhausted disciples. The first one is a much different situation. First let’s set the context.

Jesus has been teaching in the area around the Sea of Galilee and his ministry has been very busy with crowds of people flocking to him and bringing their sick for his healing. As evening approaches, Jesus invites his disciples to join him in the boat from which he was teaching and tells them to head “to the other side” of the lake, perhaps to escape the crowd and get some rest.

The Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake, 13 miles long and 8 miles wide, and on a clear day you can see the other side. It is one of the lowest points on the earth, seven hundred feet below sea level, so frequent and sudden storms happen periodically when cool air from the Mediterranean Sea is drawn down through narrow mountain passes and clashes with hot, humid air from the dessert to the east. The fisherman in Jesus’ group of disciples knew this body of water very well – they made their living on this sea. Traveling with Jesus by boat was not the issue – but going “to the other side” was!

Observant Jews who lived in the northwest region of the Sea of Galilee, for example near Capernaum or Bethsaida, were very careful to eat only certain foods prescribed in Jewish dietary laws and to avoid ritual impurity of any kind. Jews from this region wanted nothing to do with the pagans who lived “on the other side” of the Sea of Galilee, the southeast side that was called the Decapolis.

This region had cities that were built by the Greeks and then the Romans to be showplaces of their culture and their authority. The cities had multiple temples with Greek and Roman idols, bathhouses, theatres and sports stadiums. The forbidden food, the idol worship and the sexual promiscuity of these cities made this region clearly “enemy territory” for religious Jews. What a shock it must have been for Jesus to invite them to join him as he travels to this forbidden area. What a test for his new disciples!

I agree with Michael Card‘s commentary that this storm, which Matthew described as a “shaking” and Mark calls a “great wind,” has all the markings of a demonic attack. A fierce windstorm strikes this small group of boats, yet Jesus is so exhausted – here’s his humanity that the Gospel writers are highlighting -- he is “sleeping on a cushion” (Mark 4:38).

When the frightened disciples awaken Jesus, because they see that their boat is about to be swamped by the waves, Jesus gets up and rebukes the storm with the words “Quiet! Be still!” The wind dies down immediately and it becomes “completely calm,” as noted in all three Gospel accounts.

For the disciples, who had serious doubts about going “to the other side” in the first place, this storm may have seemed to be God’s judgment on them, but then their rabbi rebukes the storm and Satan’s attack on them – not God’s judgment -- is blocked. Again all three Gospel writers highlight that the disciples are “amazed” at what happened and say to each other, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him” (Luke 8:25).

So What?

• This event is the first time in the Gospel of Luke that Jesus exercises his miraculous power over natural forces. It is a “nature miracle” in which Jesus applies his power over a non-living object, rather than a person. It is an important event in the life of his disciples (and for us) because it shows that Jesus has authority over storms and seas, just as God demonstrated in the Exodus. It is an amazing God that we worship! He has proven his divine power, while demonstrating he is also human.

• Some Biblical scholars think this episode in the life of Jesus and his disciples is a parable for the church that sometimes get “lost at sea” and feels helpless in the face of so many challenges and threats. In these difficult times, we need to be reminded of Jesus’ question to his disciples, “Where is your faith?” Jesus has promised not to abandon us, even though it feels that way sometimes. Has this been your experience? It certainly has been mine at different times in my life.

• Going into “enemy territory” is often missed by Christians in the West who are not aware of the context of this event. Jesus is showing his disciples in a dramatic way that God’s Kingdom is not restricted to certain geographical areas or ethnic groups. The message is clear: Satan is no match for Jesus!

• The event in Jesus’ ministry that immediately follows this calming of the storm is directly linked to this struggle against Satan and his demonic forces. My next post will discuss the second part of this challenge. Stay tuned!

Come Along, Tax Man!

"The Calling of St. Matthew,"
Hendrick ter Brugghen, 1621.

Shortly after he calls his first four disciples, and while his popularity is very high in Galilee, Jesus does a remarkable thing: he invites a hated tax collector to join him as one of his disciples. I would encourage you to take time to read the three short reports on this event that appear in the Gospels (Matthew 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32).

The context for this story is the growing popularity of Jesus, who makes Capernaum his home base and concentrates his early ministry in Galilee. According to Luke, Jesus heals a man with leprosy and then a paralytic and “everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, ‘We have seen remarkable things today’” (5:26).

As the word spreads about Jesus, the rabbi who brings healing to the sick, crowds begin to follow him and, like other rabbis of his day, he teaches his followers as he walks along. But the joy and excitement of his miracles are brought to a jolting halt when Jesus sees a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting in his tax booth near the Sea of Galilee. Jesus approaches Levi and says, “Follow me,” and to everyone’s surprise at both the invitation and the response, Levi “got up, left everything, and followed him” (Luke 5:27-28).

Levi, which is his given name, while Matthew is his apostolic name, is employed as a tax collector in Galilee under the authority of Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great and the governor of his region. He is not a “chief tax collector” like Zacchaeus, who Jesus will meet later, nor is it said that he is wealthy like Zacchaeus, but his position still makes him a hated man by those who do business near his toll booth. Tax collectors were viewed as agents of the repressive Roman regime and they were despised by the Jews as traitors and extortionists.

Levi’s toll booth was probably located on the road from Damascus to the Mediterranean coast that runs through Capernaum. I wonder if he knew the Jewish fishermen who were later to become fellow disciples, because their fishing businesses probably did some commerce on this important trading route.

We do not know why Levi responded to Jesus’ invitation. Had he heard Jesus teach the crowds that followed him and had he witnessed his miracles? Was he so desperate and lonely that Jesus’ offer was too hard to pass up. There was much at stake for Levi. Fishermen like Andrew, Peter, James and John could easily go back to fishing, if things did not work out with Jesus – and in fact they did after Jesus’ crucifixion -- but there was no possibility for Levi to return to his position once he renounced it by walking away.

The calling of Levi precipitates the second incident in a series of five encounters with religious leaders, as recorded in the Gospel of Mark. Following his invitation to Levi, Jesus attends a dinner at Levi’s home – a detail that Matthew leaves out of his Gospel when he tells the story of this event in his personal life. Levi may have viewed this as a farewell party, since he is leaving his home to travel with his new rabbi; or maybe he wants his friends to meet Jesus -- friends who might also want to make some changes in their lives.

Jesus loves banquets and parties – his ministry includes many dinners and celebrations. These were signs of his Kingdom. Banquets are joyful events and they hint at future Kingdom celebrations when God’s people from all over the world will attend banquets in heaven with Jesus as the host. By the way, did you notice that this party was not just for Jesus’ disciples, but also for “a large crowd of tax collectors and others [who] were eating with them” (Luke 5:29)?

You will see when you read the Gospel records of this party that this makes the Jewish religious leaders very unhappy; but instead of confronting Jesus directly, they complain to his disciples and ask why the disciples are eating with “tax collectors and sinners.” When this message is relayed to Jesus, he makes a profound statement: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32; Matthew 9:13). Jesus is not implying that the Pharisees are “righteous” and therefore don’t need his message, but rather that the gospel of grace and forgiveness is for everyone, and repentance is needed before salvation can be received. Levi had decided to change his ways, but the Pharisees who are critical of him have not. Joy and repentance are linked together in this wonderful story!

So What? 

• There may be some readers who have wandered through life on their own, searching for meaning and significance, but only becoming more lost and confused. Perhaps this was the case with Levi. But when he accepted Jesus’ invitation, his life was changed and he threw a party to celebrate his exciting new life with Jesus. Levi, who is better known as the Apostle Matthew, went on to experience an amazing life with Jesus and in fact wrote one of the most important records of Jesus’ life in his Gospel. Is it time for you to make a similar decision to follow Jesus? 

• Some of us have made bad decisions in our lives and we are convinced that these mistakes can never be forgiven. That’s what Satan wants us to think. But Jesus offers forgiveness to those who are willing to repent of their wrongful choices and the harmful things they have done to others, as well as themselves. That’s one of the powerful “take-aways” from this story of Levi.

The First Big Catch

"The Calling of Peter and Andrew,"
Duccio di Buoninsegna, c. 1308.

After an early excursion to Jerusalem at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, which is only described in the Gospel of John, Jesus focuses his efforts in Galilee where he uses Capernaum as his home base. Here’s some context.

The province of Galilee, located in the northern part of 1st Century Palestine, is approximately 50 miles long and 25 miles wide. The eastern border of Galilee is marked by the Sea of Galilee, which is 14 miles long and 6 miles wide and is almost 700 feet below sea level. If you have ever been there, you know it is a beautiful lake and you can see the entire lake anywhere you stand on its shores.

Historians note that Galilee was one of the most densely populated provinces in the Middle East during Jesus’ time with a population of approximately 15,000. It was a strategic place for Jesus to begin his ministry.

Mark tells us in his Gospel (1:15) that Jesus’ first words were, ‘The time has come” – that’s when he announced the beginning of his Kingdom message. He has been baptized, he has faced the temptation in the wilderness, and now he is beginning his healing and preaching ministry. Jesus begins his preaching in Galilee before choosing his disciples, but it isn’t long before he starts recruiting his companions. John tells us of an early meeting between Jesus and some young men who would later become disciples, but that is just a “get-acquainted visit.”* In an area as small of Galilee, these young men (Andrew, Simon, Philip and Nathaniel) surely heard reports about Jesus and how the people are flocking to him, so he is known to them.

Both Matthew (4:18-22) and Mark (1:16-20) tell us about Jesus’ calling of his first four disciples. It is hard for us to understand this history-making event, because the concept of discipleship in our day bears little relationship to discipleship in 1st Century Galilee or Judea. The Gospel writers don’t tell us much. They record that Jesus is walking along the Sea of Galilee, sees Simon and Andrew fishing and says to them, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” They agree and follow him. Then Jesus walks further along the coastline, sees John and James mending their nets and calls them and they also agree and follow him. This is quite a “catch” – four apparently successful fishermen-recruits without any offer of a long-term contract, health care benefits or a retirement plan! What’s going on here?

In the 1st Century, young Jewish males could apply to a rabbi and request that the rabbi choose them as one of his disciples. It’s very serious business during this period of Jewish history because these disciples would only be accepted if they gave up everything and totally surrendered to the authority of their rabbi. In fact, for young disciples during this time, their goal was to emulate their rabbi and even copy his mannerisms and prejudices.

But Jesus chooses another way of gathering his disciples – he chooses them, they don’t choose him. He issues a call to four fisherman and later adds eight more, but they don’t apply to him – no entrance exams, no submission of CVs. It is a calling and these men know what it involves. They see something they want in Jesus - he is the leader they are desperately looking for.

The Gospel of Luke (5:1-11) adds more details to this event and I love his portrayal of what takes place. Luke tells us that crowds are pressing around Jesus “to hear God’s word” and Jesus sees Simon’s two boats, climbs into one of these boats and asks Simon to push the boat out into the water so he can sit down and teach the people without being pressured. Now Simon and Andrew see Jesus in action, they see Jesus announcing the good news of the Kingdom of God and the need for the people to repent. What a great move to use a boat for his pulpit, before asking these fishermen to join him!

Then, when the sermon is over, Jesus says to Simon and Andrew, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon quickly responds that they had been fishing all night and had caught nothing, but then he adds, “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they let their nets down, their boats almost capsized because of the huge catch of fish – in fact, other fishermen have to come out and help them bring in their catch.

This miraculous event so impacted Simon, Andrew, James and John that all four of them “pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything and followed him.” How do you impress fishermen? Help them make a big catch! While they are amazed and frightened by what they just witnessed, Jesus tells them, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men” (Luke 5:10-11). By the way, this is one of the many times Jesus tells his disciples, “Don’t be afraid” – they are just beginning an amazing three-year companionship with the Prince of Peace.

This is the first of two miraculous catches of fish recorded in the Gospels, the second one is in the last chapter of John. In this one, Jesus casts the net and catches four men who will become his closest friends and key leaders in the early church. His request to them is a call, one that they can accept or reject. The same is true of us.

So What?

• It is so hard for us to imagine what it meant to become a disciple of a rabbi in the 1st Century – it involved total submission to your teacher; in fact many rabbis were considered more important to their students than their biological fathers. The question we have to answer is whether or not we are willing to also submit to Jesus as our Lord.
• Jesus’ statement, “Don’t be afraid” – a statement his followers heard many times -- should be a warning to us that following Jesus may also put us in situations where we will be frightened. Has this happened to you? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

NOTE: For my reflections on this earlier encounter with Jesus and some of these fishermen, see my post of January 21, 2013, “ Getting Acquainted with Jesus.”