Find Yourself By Finding Jesus

Find Yourself By Finding Jesus

NO 06/22/08 MW

Soul Searching Bible Passages

During the years of ministry as a young man, I would have really enjoyed preaching from this passage. It was a way to hammer folks over the head with the Bible and threaten them with eternal damnation. Today, however, the story for me has changed. There is no joy in hammering folks over the head and there is nothing but agony at the thought of anyone anywhere condemned to an eternity of some sort of punishment.

I agonized over these passages all week and yesterday driving home from the District Ministers’ Picnic there was this realization of how the main struggle was between the younger and older me. The delight once found in saying, “Thus says the Lord…” and proceeding to judge others by the standards that I had come to understand in the Bible no longer exists. Today, the same message of a few years back is nothing but agony because my eyes do not see the same words and my heart clearly gets in the way because I see and hear a different message.

The Condemned

My earlier ministry, recognized those who were going to be condemned. The largest group was people who were not Christian – people known as “Those people.” Next, there were categories of criminals: murders, robbers, scam artists, rapists, homosexuals, adulterers, people who called themselves Christian but didn’t participate in Sunday School and Church and others. You get the gist of those condemned.

Those early years were comprised of people wearing white hats and others wearing black hats and gray hats didn’t exist. Then the Lord set me on a path that changed all of this. A path that changed the near glee to a depth of agony that surprised even me. The years of hospital chaplaincy and leading group therapy on the adult psychiatric unit at Brookwood confronted my biblical understanding. Years of listening, study, praying and agonizing replaced my eyes with new eyes (right or wrong) and my heart with a new heart. Then our coming to New Oregon accelerated changes that were already in the works.

Basically, my vision changed from seeing “Those People” to seeing “Us!” Further, from seeing “Us” to seeing “Me!” It seems, after many years of wandering in the desert, like Hagar, my eyes spotted life giving water – the living Spirit was no longer a theory but life giving.

Who Can Measure Up?

Just look at our Gospel lesson for today and ask oneself, “Who Can Measure Up?” Hold that question in your heart as you listen to the words taken in through your eyes and ears.

Do Not Be Afraid of Them

Jesus is always telling his followers not to be afraid. He is telling his disciples not to be afraid. We hear these words, we accept them, and then we become afraid. Oh, we can talk about not being afraid of dying. We can talk about those who have volunteered to be in harms way and about their lack of fear. We can talk a really good game until someone talks about terrorists and then we get up in arms and we take over the work of God as though we think that killing is the only answer. Frequently, I’m told, “If we don’t kill them first, they will kill us!” That may be true but Jesus tells us not to be afraid. He even tells us not to fear those who can kill us.

Only One to Fear – God

He warns his original disciples that they may surely die at the hands of those who do not want to hear the Good News. So what? So what they kill you? Do not mind them because the only thing they can do is kill you and nothing more. “Fear,” he instructed them and us, “the One who can kill the soul and cast it into hell.”

And Here Is My Agony

Here is where I agonize for us. Jesus is speaking to those that he has just sent out to carry the Good News to others. They have been on his mission. In addition, his instructions continue to remind them that no matter how they are treated, even killed, their mission is to carry the Good News to the world. It is not their job to change people. It is not their job to judge other people. They have but one job and that is to carry the Good News to others.

Does that tell you something about what our job is? As men, women and children called by Jesus to follow him are we not to be about the very same thing as those who he originally called. I think we are! We are to go into the world and share the Good News – God’s Kingdom is here. God’s Kingdom is Here!

I’d Rather Die than Talk Religion with Anyone

Folks, when one looks at this passage it is clear that “Those People” are “Us!” We are not doing what Jesus wants us to be doing. We are not being the people that Jesus wants us to be. We are not fulfilling our calling no matter how much we study and not matter how much of the Bible we know and understanding. Our job is to fearlessly go into the world and tell the world that God’s Kingdom is Here!

It appears to me that our message in the church today is, “I’d rather die than go out there and talk religion to others – especially, those who do not what to hear what I have to say.” At least, that is our behavioral message even if we believe otherwise.

From this passage, it seems a reality that when we don’t carry the Kingdom message to others we are challenging God. We are telling God that we know more about life than our Creator, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We can see ourselves as good people because we are good people but we should not see ourselves as living the life Jesus called us to live.

The Grace in This Passage

Rather than condemnation, it is my practice to look for the grace along with any condemnation. This helps me be less judgmental toward others and more personally involved in what I’m reading. The agonizing portion of this passage is cradled between two important statements.

No Better than the Teacher

We are not expected to make the decisions that the teacher makes. We are not going to be better than Jesus is. It is enough to be like him. Being like Jesus, I believe, is a life-long process of becoming like the Rabbi.

To Know Oneself

There are about a jillion books written about knowing oneself. If there is a single god that I would say our culture worships it is the god of self-esteem and self-understanding. My years of ministry are steeped in this process. Most of my training has involved self-esteem and self-knowledge. Moreover, this is not a bad thing until it becomes our god. Somewhere along the way, we humans decided that if we can just get to know ourselves we could solve all problems in life.

Get to Know Me

Jesus, on the other hand has said, “Get to know me and you will get to know yourself.” “Find me and you find you.” But how? How are we going to find Jesus?

Conclusion

Well, we will conclude with that question and I’m going to tell you that you will have to work it out for yourself because I can’t work it out for you. In fact, I’ve not been able to work it out for myself. However, I will make a stab at the process and it is one that I’m involved with that apparently points to Jesus knowing what he talked about with his disciples.

Take the message, “God’s Kingdom is Here” to the world. Tell other people, people in your family, neighbors, people who are strangers. Tell them God’s Kingdom is here.

“Oh, Bro. Ben, I just don’t think I can do that.” Then, let me suggest you agonize with not being able to do it. Agonize until your agony drives you to do what you think you cannot do but that you know Jesus told you to do it. Agonize with your fear of what others will think about you. Know, that more than anything else, you want to know Jesus, and you want to do what he has called you to do.

For it is in being whom Jesus calls you to be that you truly know yourself and you agonizingly replace self-esteem with God-esteem. This process moves you from self-identity to God-identity. It moves you from self-esteem to God-esteem. You know yourself by knowing Jesus!