The temptation at church is always to do more:
We give food to about 30 families each month through the food pantry. When the town asks for help giving Christmas presents to many of the same families, what should we do?
We work hard to have a fun, safe, and engaging children’s ministry program on Sunday mornings. This summer we did not do a VBS program. How much should we beat ourselves up about that?
The temptation for me as a pastor is always to do more:
It’s Friday; I’m really behind on my sermon, and the funeral home calls, asking if I can meet with a bereaved family—strangers—and conduct a funeral service on Sunday afternoon. What should I do?
My in-laws are in town, and a family calls with a crisis that will take all day and all night to handle. What should I do?
The temptation for you, personally, is always to do more:
You go to church, sometimes, and you try to read your Bible, but you sense something is wrong. You think you should knuckle down harder, maybe go to a Bible study. What should you do?
You go to church, Bible studies, women’s groups, service projects, Casco Inn, etc., etc., etc. You feel burnt out, used, unappreciated, and cynical. What should you do?
What could Jesus possibly have to say about this?
Commentary
This story also appears in Luke 4:42-44. The contexts are very similar, but we can pick up some details from each account.
The action takes place right outside of Capernaum. The day before Jesus had exorcised a demon from a man in the synagogue (v21-28), healed Peter’s mother-in-law (v29-31), and spent the evening healing the sick and exorcising demons (v32-34). What do you do as an encore after a day like that?
v35 The "solitary place" is a desert or wilderness, far removed from the town and the action of the day before. Where else does a desert, wilderness, solitary place figure into stories about Jesus? (Hint: get a concordance or an online Bible and see where Jesus+solitary appear in the same verse.)
v36 Luke indicates a somewhat bigger mob of people went out to look for Jesus.
v37 What would be the motivation of the townsfolk to look for Jesus? What do you think they intended to do? (Hint: Luke 4:42 gives more details here; figure out what you think the mob wanted to do, and then check with Luke.)
v38 "Let us go somewhere else ..." This goes against every human inclination; when something good happens for us, we want to milk it for all it’s worth. A good response to a sermon? Preach it again! A good response to a Beth Moore Bible study? Do more Beth Moore!
"That is why I have come." During this phase of his ministry, Jesus has a very narrow focus: preach, heal, and exorcise in as many Galilean towns as possible.
v39 This summary verse summarizes exactly what he did the day before in Capernaum and it reveals exactly what Jesus saw as this phase of his ministry.
Application
Refreshment Needed
As a pastor, frequently great temptations come immediately after great successes. I might feel successful helping someone one day, and get criticized for not helping somebody else the next!
Pride & fatigue tend to be the extremes at work here, threatening the Spirit-led life.
I see this in the life of Jesus. Often he goes off by himself to pray in the desert after what most of us would have called a great success. I imagine Jesus is praying in order to protect himself, keep his focus, and find out what comes next.
What happens in this story if pride or fatigue get the better of Jesus?
"Let us go somewhere else ..." Jesus says. Let’s consider, for a moment, what Jesus does not stick around to do:
He does not stay to teach. (The townsfolk might well be looking to recruit him to be their new rabbi.)
He does not stay to disciple and commission others. (How many townsfolk wanted to be disciples?)
He does not stay for fellowship. (Insert your favorite mother-in-law joke here.)
He does not stay to make sure that all the people he helped are OK.
Strangely, the man calling himself the Good Shepherd begins his ministry by being—on the surface—a lousy shepherd. I realize that this is a provocative thing to say, but seriously, what would you think of an evangelist or a pastor who acted this way? Certainly Jesus must have known that it would be nice to do all these things—he certainly does them all at other times with other people—so why not be nice?
What else doesn’t Jesus stick around do?
He does not stay to be thanked.
He does not stay to be worshipped. (He even silences demons calling him "Son of God," Luke 4:41)
In v38, Jesus tells the disciples, in effect, "That is NOT why I have come." Jesus does not stay in Capernaum, because his call at this point is to go through all of Galilee (v39).
At best, to stay in Capernaum is to get slowed up, distracted.
At worst, to stay in Capernaum is to disobey his call.
The proverb, "A camel is a horse designed by committee," reveals a truth: groups frequently make so many demands upon an object that it can no longer perform its original purpose well. What might a rabbi designed by committee look like? The townsfolk would probably like him to continue to heal the sick and exorcise the demons. They’d probably like him to continue to preach with authority. They’d probably like him to teach, train others, come over for dinner, and care for them. In return, they’d extol his virtues as the best rabbi they’d ever had.
Without thinking, the townsfolk would be trying to take this wild phase of Jesus’ ministry (and face it, miraculous healings & exorcisms are wild stuff) and attempt to domesticate it. But there is a problem: If they had dissuaded him from his call, how long would he have retained the power and authority to do anything? Jesus’ ministry was to prepare the way; in three years or so, after the resurrection and Pentecost, when the apostles began to fan out from Jerusalem, how many in Capernaum would then receive discipleship, fellowship, etc.—and the Spirit—in God’s good timing?
Whatever they’d like him to do, whatever a rabbi designed by committee might look like, Jesus fiercely resists the pressure to conform. He knows the purpose of his ministry at this time, the purpose given to him by his Father, and he will doggedly pursue it.
Points to Ponder
Where are you a Christian designed by committee? Put aside the many things you are doing for God. What is God calling you to do? (All the rest is nice, but don’t allow it to dissuade you from your calling.)
Earlier, I gave two examples, "You go to church ... but you sense something is wrong. You think you should knuckle down harder," or, "You go to church, Bible studies ... etc., etc., etc. You feel burnt out, used, unappreciated, and cynical." Can it ever be the case that doing more of what you’re not called to be doing at this time is right? Could it be that you are missing God’s call—that you are off-purpose?
Would you rather have a pastor designed by committee, or a pastor following God’s calling?
Would you rather have a church designed by committee, or a church following God’s calling?
What if the God’s call is to do a new thing? (Psalm 33:3, Isaiah 43:18-19, 2 Cor. 5:17, Gal. 6:15)
End Notes:
1 - The sermon title comes from the Thomas Hardy book of the same name, which in turn comes from the Thomas Gray poem Elegy Written in a Graveyard, which says:
Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife
Their sober wishes never learn'd to stray
In Hardy’s book, the main character is a shepherd who strives to win the love of a woman who goes through several tragic relationships before marrying him. It sounds our relationship with the Good Shepherd!
3 comments:
When reading this blog,several things came to me(they may be relavant or not, but a voice came to me) a few years ago, I came to casco, after about 6 weeks my mother inlaw past away, we asked the funeral director for a pastor, we met pastor nanfelt,I didn't have a full time job at the time, and my relations with my family were rocky, well he(pastor) came over, talked with us, and didn't give up, a friend told me why not go to church its only an hour a week for god? So we did, that started something we didn't expect, then pastor said to me, why don't you try substituting, you love kids, I put my name in at the school dept, and 45 minutes later I got a call that I had a job, I ended up working there full time, without even appying for full time 7a.m till 2p.m, I started volunteering for the town, raiseing money, etc... For 2 years I did this, and built up 40 plus kids to play hockey, the town approached me and asked me if I wanted a part time job taking care of the redreational facilities, Wow, everything was wonderful, I was doing bible studys every Friday evening, lunches every Thursday, going to mens retreats, really learning a lot about god my life was so filled with joy, learning a lot about the lord, having a great job around town, and especially working at the school and being around my 2 sons, and coaching football, baseball, and hockey... The town job really took a toll on me, having some bad health problems, and just falling apart, (BURNT OUT) I was asked to step aside from doing these jobs because I was doing to much harm to my body, we gradually started falling away from church, church was on our minds, but we just couldn't get out on Sunday mornings..so gradually as my health was going bad, I lost my job at school because of a disease I had, and I physically was unable to do the work at the town that I so loved so much (and still do, and a hard time seeing someone else working there doing my old job)that I realized I was over worked, then I thought, when I was following god so much with church, bible studys,youth group, mens retreats, crown ministries, etc...and stopped doing all of these faithfully, that my life turned for the worse, health wise, and now I wonder, what his plans are for me, he gave me everything I talked about, and then took away everything when I stopped following him like I was before..
Yes I was burnt out, but I still read my daily bread, prayed, listened to ministries on television, but now wonder where he is leading me...I have a chance to see again, as my family and I have recently started going back to church, and son back in youth group, all this without being asked, just doing it... So what is he doing??? I can't wait to see... I am sorry that this memo is not puncuated correctly,I just started typing... After reading the blog, these voices started telling me to write down my thoughts...
God is good! To whom I love, and thank for all he is doing and has done....god is good! -Keith
Basically,what i see is he gives you what you can handle (ask and he provides)and takes away what you can not handle, or folow him, and your life will be full of joy, but he will start taking back if you don't follow through? this is where I am still learning his teaching, even as a born again christian since May 2000, my Family Baptised 8-25-01, i have ALOT to learn, or clouded by the enemy....-Keith
Thanks for the comments, Keith. A lot here that somebody might want to respond to. Let me just say something about God not giving us more than we can handle. The verse is 1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
We have three sentences in this one verse, but everyone pretty much only remembers the middle one. (And even then, sometimes we forget that Paul is talking about temptation, not just any old problem.) If we look at these three verses collectively, they're saying something like:
Our struggles are pretty common (it's not like any of us is a weirdo and has a problem unlike anyone else) and God is quite familiar with the struggles we have. He doesn't want you to fail, and he give always give you a way out (an escape hatch, if you will) but it's up to you to use it.
It's kinda like the old story about the man in a flood. His house was surrounded with water; a boat came by and offered to take him away, but the man said, "God will provide." The water rose, and the man had to go up to his attic; a second boat came by and offered to take him away, but the man said, "God will provide." The water rose higher, and the man was sitting on the peak of his roof; a helicopter came by and offered to take him away, but the man said, "God will provide." The water rose higher ... and the man drowned. When he got to heaven he asked God, "Why didn't you save me?" God answered, "Save you? I sent you two boats and a helicopter!" Likewise, when we are tempted, God provides a way out, but we have to take it.
We know it's possible for Christians to be tempted and fall. The evidence is all around us. The verse right before, 1 Cor. 10:12 indicates as much as well. In that verse Paul says, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" That's an odd warning to make ... unless it's still possible to fail!
I don't think you stopped going to church and God took stuff away from you to get even. However, it's probable that when you stopped going to church, Bible studies, etc. that you were less likely to take advantage of blessings (or opportunities, or escape hatches) that God had for you. We all need constant reminders, constant encouragement, to keep on track spiritually. Our spiritual lives work much better when it's a team effort and we help each other out. Part of it is just as simple as needing others around: to remind us of God's promises, to encourage us to do what's right, to listen to us, and to help us work through problems. I think maybe lots of times the way out that God provides for us is fellowship with other Christians. There are people at church who are really good to talk through problems with!
You say your life sorta got on track when you started at church and went off track when you wandered from church. Could it be as simple as you everyone (in little ways and big ways) helped keep you on track? I definitely believe that God often works like that through other Christians to help us.
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