Praying when you are inside of "it"

PRAYING WHEN YOU ARE INSIDE OF “IT”

The text today is rather rapid fire…we read about some women who are with Jesus…then we are in the middle of a parable that he thankfully explains…we have that bit about a lamp which we can seem to understand…and then we come into his saying about family…before we know it we are in a boat and in a storm.

In short order we find ourselves being tossed about. But that is how it happens. Even if we can see the storm coming, when we are in the thick of it, it is all we can think of.

So what do you do? Well I imagine a priest will tell you to pray. But how, how do you pray when you are in the middle of it? Consider the story below. They wake Jesus. Think about it for a moment. They wake up God! And you know what, if you read the Psalms you will notice they do it to. If you believe in a Living God, then some holy boldness is not a bad thing.

Jesus both answers their request and ruefully inquires as to what came over them, “Where was there faith?” Well it must have been partially there, after all they woke him. But it must not have been completely there, or they would have not panicked. I do not think he is mad at them, rather he is getting them to learn a bit about what to do in a storm.

And there is another person in the middle of another storm…the demon-possessed man. Notice how the two joined stories, while radically different in nature, are really about being in the middle of a storm.

If you have not read the text, then take a moment to do so, and then I have a few more thoughts.

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, ² and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, ³ and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

The Parable of the Sower

⁴ And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, ⁵ “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. ⁶ And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. ⁸ And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

⁹ And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, ¹⁰ he said,“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ ¹¹ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ¹² The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³ And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. ¹⁵ As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

A Lamp Under a Jar

¹⁶ “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸ Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

¹⁹ Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. ²⁰ And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” ²¹ But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

Jesus Calms a Storm

²² One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, ²³ and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. ²⁴ And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. ²⁵ He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon

²⁶ Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” ²⁹ For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) ³⁰ Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. ³¹ And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. ³² Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. ³³ Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵ Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. ³⁶ And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. ³⁷ Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. ³⁸ The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

We easily turn away from the stories of demon-possession. C.S. Lewis writes that people make one of two mistakes with demons…either they dismiss them as non-existent, or they see them at every turn.

If we pause for a moment. People who believe in Jesus, believe in a spiritual world. A world we cannot see. People who believe in Jesus note there is evil in this world. The Scriptures are firm about the spiritual reality that a battle is afoot…and that yes Jesus has won that war, but there continue to be these battles as we move towards the fullness of God’s time.

So the point? There will be storms, there will be legions, there will be spiritual battles…how will you pray when you are in the middle of it…call out to God…and over time learn to not panic…but remember to pray.

WHEN YOU ARE NOT SURE

I might have seemed a little melancholy on yesterday’s post. There were a few reasons for that. One is that many people I talk with are struggling with things in their lives, they are trying either to be faithful or to begin to believe…and sometimes the stories in the Bible seem to work out…while they feel their life is not working out…where is their Good News. I have found a number of things NOT helpful to say in such situations. It is not helpful to point out how good they have it. It is not helpful to point out that Jesus was nailed to a Cross…but that the Cross was not the end. It is not helpful to point out that God may be preparing them. It is not helpful…well you get the idea.

Sometimes life is hard…and people need to be allowed to ask God some questions.

John the Baptist does; consider his situation. He is the faithful one. He is the one whose father serves in the Temple. He could no doubt similarly serve in the Temple (the priesthood was a function of family lineage). Instead he goes out into the wilderness and has a hard life…all for God…and now he is in jail…he has a question.

Then there is the woman described simply as a “sinner.” I will spare you all the speculative angles. I would simply ask you to try and imagine two things. What in her life might have motivated her to do something so publically, well, scandalous? Second what she is feeling. I imagine she is scared, ashamed, excited…is she hopeful, is she wondering halfway through that she should have never come, is she…? She cannot like John the Baptist claim she has given up everything for God…and yet she now is giving up everything to be with God…and she does not even utter a question.

Those are our two scenes today, if you have not read the text go ahead and do so now:

Messengers from John the Baptist

 

¹⁸ The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John,¹⁹ calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” ²⁰ And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” ²¹ In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.²² And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. ²³ And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

²⁴ When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵ What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts. ²⁶ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is he of whom it is written,

“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
    who will prepare your way before you.’

²⁸ I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” ²⁹ (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, ³⁰ but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)

³¹ “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
    we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’

³³ For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

 

³⁶ One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,³⁸ and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” ⁴⁰ And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

⁴¹ “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” ⁴³ Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” ⁴⁴ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷ Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸ And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹ Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Sometimes life is hard…and people need to be allowed to ask God some questions…and our job is to simply be with them as they do.

John the Baptist gets his questioned answered. Then “Jesus turns to the crowd” and talks about how you are “dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t.” Really, re-read it. He notes that John was very straight-laced and he was given a hard time by the so-called religious of the day. Jesus is not as austere as John, and yet he gets the same gruff…But Jesus says, “Don’t worry, wisdom is justified by her children”…Enter a “child” in the form of a woman with a jar.

What we are reading here is the Kingdom of God breaking in. We saw it yesterday with Jesus healing power. But not everyone was (and is) sure…not even JB…yet a nameless woman is…and the Kingdom breaks into her world…simply because she offered herself at the feet of Him who brings Good News. 

GOOD NEWS INDEED

We have just a short bit to read and think about today. It is a nice change. On Saturday we read all of chapter 6, in part to help you get the sweep of what was going on as the religious of the day began mounting their campaign against Jesus. Their determination will continue, but I pray you will keep the issues of Sabbath, Community, and Law in front of you.

Today we have two stories of healing…powerful stories…powerful for the faith shown by a Centurion….powerful because Jesus’ healing power is displayed first by his healing with a physical distance between he and the person sick…and then his healing power is displayed over a greater difference…as he reaches across the abyss of life and death, returning a once dead son to his mother.

If you have not read through the portion of chapter 7 we are pondering today, take some time to do so now, and then consider some of my thoughts which are after the text.

Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant

7 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. ² Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. ³ When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, ⁵ for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” ⁶ And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.⁷ Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. ⁸ For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”⁹ When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” ¹⁰ And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

Jesus Raises a Widow's Son

¹¹ Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. ¹² As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. ¹³ And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴ Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” ¹⁵ And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. ¹⁶ Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” ¹⁷ And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

Remarkable stories…the Centurion’s faith is always impressive…even after reading this many times…but Jesus is more so. In the text we can see the people making the request know they are breaking cultural norms…asking a Jew to assist a Roman. Remarkably for them, Jesus does not bat an eye, he simply and powerfully heals.

Then of course there is a dead corpse begin carried for burial. The scene is no doubt chaotic. Try and picture the scenes we see on TV from the Middle East when a young man has died suddenly (all too often from violence…we do not know how this young man died)…the scene is usually a crowed street with a coffin on shoulders. People are wailing, yelling…people are being pushed and shoved…the pain in visible…this is the scene Jesus enters. What next, well he reaches up and touches the brier (the frame the coffin is carried on)…and when he does I am imagining that everything…all the noise…all the wailing…all the commotion stops!

The young man is brought back to this world…Jesus hands the young man to his mother…I imagine a large smile…and then in an instant the scene erupts…erupts in joy.

These stories have “happy endings.” Not all stories do…but Jesus a few chapters ago announced he was here to bring Good News…we will learn more about that in the coming chapters, but he seems to be starting with the us in a very obvious way…for in Capernaum and Nain that day…even the biggest skeptic…even the coldest heart…must have paused and thought…Good News indeed.

Where are you with this Jesus? Sometimes we don’t have enough happy endings. Sometimes we struggle with situations in our lives, and the lives of those around us. Life can be tough. Following Jesus does not turn our lives into a movie, the ending of which is “they all lived happily ever after” (at least not in this world). So I wonder where you are as you read this entry. If you are in one of those tough places, I’m sorry about that. But if you are, then I would ask you allow the joy of others into your heart—picture the mothers face as Jesus hands down her son alive into her arms. It won’t replace your hurt or questions, but it will allow your heart to feel a bit of what maybe it has been missing. Experiencing joy for others amid our troubles takes a bit of effort, we even shy away from it because we fear it will heighten our pain, but in the end, letting it in to your heart can be a good.