Today's Scripture Reading (December 28, 2023): Mark 5
When we
become Christians, Jesus calls us, and we hear his call. And there is a deep
desire for us to want to go with him. Follow me means to do just that. And it
is the immediate response of the demon-possessed man that Jesus has just healed:
Jesus, I will go with you. But often, our greatest temptation in that moment is
that we decide to seclude with Jesus. As a result, we get into Bible study
groups and prayer groups. We spend more time at church. We lose contact with
secular friends because we don't have time for them anymore, not if we are
going to be with Jesus.
There is
nothing wrong with this; we need Christian friends and community. It is precisely
what Jesus did. Jesus got away. He spent time with his Father. Jesus secluded.
But he didn't stay there. Mark tells this story.
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark,
Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he
prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they
found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere
else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have
come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their
synagogues and driving out demons (Mark 1:35-39).
Mark is often referred to as the action
Gospel. Jesus is always going somewhere. And it starts early in Mark's story.
Jesus is a rabbi on the move. He goes off by himself, but then the disciples in
town find him, and they tell him that the people in town are looking for him.
But Jesus has to keep moving; Jesus has no desire to stop and seclude in a good
place. He gets away to be with his Father and then moves on to the next place.
It seems to be the theme of several TV
shows I watched in my youth. I didn't realize that shows like The Fugitive, The
Incredible Hulk, and even The Littlest Hobo, about a dog that just keeps moving
on, were kind of based on the life of Christ. This is the way Jesus lived his
life. He came to a place, made friends, and changed lives in an area, then
moved on to the next location. The theme from "The Littlest Hobo" describes
this concept;
So maybe tomorrow, I'll want to settle down.
Until tomorrow, I'll just
keep moving on (Theme from "The Littlest Hobo").
In each of these shows, there was a
tension between settling down, building a home, and moving on. The invitation
was presented, but the hero had to move on. But what he left behind was a
people who were changed in some way, people who would remember the stranger
that walked into their lives.
Jesus had a plan. He would be the one
to move on, and the people he met along the way would become missionaries to
their homes and neighborhoods. Jesus had no intention of building a Jesus
community where everyone hunkered down with him. His idea was to spread the
good news to the world around them. And that meant the people needed to be sent
out, away from the concept of seclusion with him.
The man Jesus has just healed wants to
go with Jesus, travel, and seclude with him. But instead, Jesus sends him home
as a missionary. He is told to go and make a difference. It is the central
portion of our faith: the concept that we will be the difference makers.
Tomorrow's Scripture
Reading: Matthew 9
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