Do you know Jesus’ family once thought He was nuts? They came to talk sense into Him, only to find Him drawing a line in the sand: “those who obey my Father are my mother and brothers” – ouch! He set up a boundary, and let it be known that He had no intentions of being drawn away from His objective. (Matt 12:46-50, Mark 3:20-21 & 31-35) The trouble, for those who knew and loved Him, was that His plan looked backwards from anything people on Earth were familiar with.
Even His cousin John, the Baptist, who lived in the desert on locusts and honey, who declared Him “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”, was not beyond double-checking. Matt 11:1-6 records John’s query from prison – is it You? was I wrong? are You He, or should we watch for someone else? Jesus’ answer was to repeat the prophetic scriptures…the blind are seeing, the lame are walking…blessed are those who believe.
This wasn’t a new thing in Jesus’ life, He was accustomed to the conflict of interest between human & heavenly priorities. Luke 2:41-52 tells that when He was 12, ‘of age’ according to Jewish tradition, He made the decision to stay at the temple and discuss scriptures with the elders. His family started the long journey home, then went frantic looking for Him for three days. “I must be about my Father’s business…” was His answer, but then He went home with them and we hear nothing more for another 18 years.
In John 7:1-13, a conversation is recorded between Jesus and His (half) brothers. (They were sons of Joseph and Mary, whereas neither of them had anything to do with Jesus’ conception, God did that.) Anyway, the brothers, well aware of how the world of humans works, encouraged Him to be more public with His miracles, set up a show of sorts to gather crowds and introduce Himself, thereby winning followers. Frankly, it was a taunt from younger family members who didn’t believe in Him. Jesus’ way was not to get all flashy with miracles, but rather to invest in teaching those who would listen what they needed to know before He left. He knew full well that those He raised from the dead would at some point die again, as would those who spent the later years of their lives upright, or walking, or seeing. The important work was freeing them from devils and from devil-infused ideas of God and how to be in right relationship with Him.
Years go by, it’s almost time for the ultimate victory, coming out of the biggest apparent defeat, and He tries again to let His closest followers in on the secret. I have to die, guys, which is why I have to be arrested… “Never!” declares Peter, the one with the most brash though somewhat fragile faith… “Get behind me, Satan!” declares Jesus, refusing to even consider that another option may exist. (Matt 16:13-23) He can’t be dissuaded, not now, not when there’s a whole world of souls on the line. He has to do what He came to do, and He can’t let even the sincerest misguided love get in the way.
He stands up to all of these – friends, family, experts, those who truly believe in Him – and He has one more conversation…this one between His own humanity and the Father who sent Him…is there, could there be, a different way? The strain of struggle in prayer is so heavy that tiny blood vessels burst, releasing their contents along with the perspiration that came in the agony of that night. Three times in search of a different answer, or in search of verification, while His closest friends who committed their very lives to Him can’t quite keep their eyes open. Alone – He has been on this trek, essentially alone, frequently misunderstood, for over 30 years… and alone He must stare down the enemy one last time. He will win, claiming victory for all those who trust in Him, in Him alone, but first He must conquer Himself.
Jesus is, of course, a special case…but He came on purpose, as a human, to be an example of what a human in constant touch with the Spirit of God can (should) be. He set aside every advantage, except the one that we have, His relationship with and reliance on God the Father. To prove this, He encouraged His disciples, ordinary humans, to go heal the sick and evict demons, and then declared that any who put their full trust in Him can, through Him, do greater things. He also cautioned that boasting should be reserved for the fact that we have a place secured by Him in Heaven. We are to emulate Him in all things, in absolute faith and obedience to the One who knows our design, His plan, and how each person and event influences others.
Paul, formerly Saul, finally understood this, and found himself standing against those who would lovingly turn him off course. Acts 20:22-24 and 21:10-15 are discussions where Paul is convinced of the Holy Spirit’s leading, though it means danger and death. God had told him that he would preach before kings – what better way than to be arrested and dragged from court to court, the government being responsible for shelter, food, and transportation. A preacher outcast from the official temples would not have access to such an audience, but a prisoner they could not figure out was irresistible. His friends knew what prison life was like, and wanted no such life for this man they loved and wished to learn from, but in his bonds, he was free to write so that generations later we too could have access to his teachings and insights.
Before him, a shepherd boy had the youthful audacity to confront a giant, with no armor and a mere slingshot for a weapon. The king’s armor was not a good fit for him, his brothers chided him for leaving his home & responsibilities (though they had seen him be anointed as the next king), and a whole army joined its champion in laughing at this kid who stepped forward in the name of the God of Israel. Still, he had experienced the wonder of his Lord and His strong protection in times of need…He was in an intimate relationship with the creator of the universe, so what was there to be afraid of?
Before him, an exiled murderer returned to the Egyptian palace where he grew up and the kingdom he ran away from 40 years prior, insisting that the enthroned Pharoah release millions of free laborers who were diligently building his empire. He did this on the basis of a conversation with a burning bush, or rather, a conversation with the God who does unusual things to get the attention of people He loves.
Whether something is upside down or right side up is a matter of perspective. Those with Heaven’s perspective see the things of Earth as off-kilter…conversely, those with Earth’s perspective think we’re nuts. Let’s be gracious here – it’s tough to maintain a long-distance perspective when surrounded by local conditions. Right here, right now, people are in need, or untrustworthy, or downright criminal. Jesus didn’t avoid or ignore this fact, but neither did He let it steer the course of His life. (This occasionally meant setting boundaries.) Day by day, He addressed both sets of issues, both perspectives, the immediate, albeit temporal, and the more critical eternal. In His sample prayer, He included the priority of the kingdom of God, as well as the mundane but necessary daily bread. In His famed ‘Sermon on the Mount’, He promised that if we put the weight of priority on God’s kingdom and righteousness, the daily necessities would get taken care of. Blessed are those who believe.