Today’s Scripture Reading (October
23, 2014): Matthew 28
There is an
old joke about a pastor who insisted on taking a day off every week. One of the
parishioners jokingly asked the pastor why he insisted on taking a day off,
after all, the devil never takes a day off. The pastor thought a moment and
then answered, I guess I take a day off because if I didn’t, then he would be
the devil.
The story
highlights our misunderstanding of God’s expectations of us – especially his
expectations of us at rest. I have met Christians that almost seem to exist in
a state of panic – they have a drive within them, a need to tell people about
Jesus and change their destinations from hell to heaven. They never want to
take a break – after all the time is short, and the Day of the Lord – the day
of the Second Coming of the Messiah - is
getting closer as each moment passes. The problem is that this state of panic
never seemed to be modeled to us by Jesus. Jesus made a practice of removing
himself from where the action was taking place in order to pray. He seemed to
practice the Sabbath, although admittedly he believed that the Sabbath was not
a day of empty ritual done so that we can somehow entertain God, but rather he
taught that the Sabbath was a day that God gave to the human race because
humans were designed to live and work with one day off to rest out of every six
– humans needed the Sabbath in order to remain healthy.
But Jesus
seemed to go even beyond the idea of an occasional day off. Most of the action
after the resurrection would seem to happen in Jerusalem. And at the ascension,
Jesus will tell his disciples to stay in Jerusalem until after the Holy Spirit
had met with them (which happened on the day of Pentecost). But Jesus
instructions at the resurrection is that he plans to meet his disciples in
Galilee. Galilee was a place away from the hustle and bustle and the busyness
of Jerusalem. Jesus and the disciples would meet among the peaceful hills in
Galilee. For the moment, they would be far removed from the turbulence and the
hatred that seemed to dominate Jerusalem.
But it was
not that they were going to stay there among the peaceful hills forever. Jesus
was allowing them a moment to gather as friends and come to terms with everything
that had happened. And then they would return to Jerusalem to accomplish all
that they needed to accomplish there. The peace of Galilee was preparatory for all
that would come later.
And the
model was set for us. Sometimes we simply need to get away and find our place
of peace – so that we can prepare for the job that is ahead. And that is the
model that Jesus set for us.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Mark 16
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