Darkness Has a Plan for You ...

We talk extensively about what plans Jesus has in mind for you.  They begin with your liberation.  Your freedom from slavery to self-love, and the sin you embrace.  The plans of Jesus for you, start by breaking your chains to pain and death, and in their place granting you a new life, a real life, something way more than mere existence.  In short, what Jesus has in mind for you (and only you), is unique to you, and offers a purpose without end, an infinite place in His Kingdom that will never expire – and they begin in the here and now, as soon as you allow them to begin.  But unfortunately, these are not the only plans that exist where you are concerned.  Your life is a not a simple choice of what you want, and what Jesus wants.  That is not the two-way choice you face.  If it is not the light you choose to embrace - that will form a shield around you; the darkness is all that is left to you.  The darkness tells you, that “you” are strong and in charge of your fate.  Submission is an act of weakness, you need not submit to Jesus (though the reality is that through submission, you replace your weakness, with His strength).

The goal of the darkness is to first deceive you into believing that there is no darkness at all.  Once you accept this premise, darkness will have full sway over you, and you without the slightest recognition, that events, circumstances, and results are not “just” because of what you choose, and why you choose them; but because you are under attack by a darkness so black its malevolence cannot be fully measured.  Yet so many, even within the church, come to believe the darkness is not real, something of bed time stories, and tools to control the masses through fear.  But fear, is not a tool to escape sin, it is a reason for sin, and a symptom of sin.  Jesus does not want your fear, He wants your trust, and ultimately He hopes you will make a choice to love Him.  The devil is slick in projecting the negative aspects of who he is on to God, accusing God of the things he (the devil) is most guilty of himself.  Obfuscate, hide the idea of darkness at all, and convince you that your life is a matter of luck, and God’s punishment, that darkness plays no role in it at all.

But what happens when you begin to deviate from “normal” behavior.  What happens when you entertain thoughts of the abnormal, of the unacceptable to social norms, and find them attractive, appealing, and ultimately ideas you wish to follow and embrace?  What is perverse, becomes a part of who you are, and who you have chosen to become.  And perversity need not have only to do with sexual expression, it can exist in a number of plains.  The kleptomaniac steals, like you and I take a breath.  We look at these people and refer to their condition as a sickness, as a form of mental disorder.  But that is not how they see themselves.  What is aberrant and perverse to us, is fully normal to them; even if normal is different, just a different idea of normality.  The drug addict, and addicts of every variety, understand logically the danger of their behavior but choose it anyway to get the fix.  The child who entertains the ideas of torturing small animals, and works his way up to humans, becoming a serial killer and a sociopath – chooses not to see himself as a “problem” but as a “solution” to our society.  The perverse expanding its reach across our populous more insidious than any virus, and more effective in its spread.  Until every man looks in the mirror and determines that they are good person, despite whatever differences there might be in how they behave.

But facts remain.  The timeline for darkness is finite.  It will one day come to an end.  John wrote in revelation about the very end of evil, when Satan himself will finally be consumed in the lake of fire.  And once that is done, death itself will be consumed.  The ultimate death of evil.  The ultimate death of death.  No eternal minions to propagate the existence of evil, or torture, or dying.  Instead the absolute end of it, in thought, in motive, in deed, and in instruments of its expression.  This means Satan is on a clock.  Where once he existed from his creation, in a life not intended for an ending, now he is destined to one day be finally consumed in fire, never to exist again.  That clock ticks loudly in his ears.  Every day is a day closer to his final end.  He cannot avoid it (though he will try).  He cannot overcome it.  He is bound to his fate.  So as evil does, it looks for a way, to plot revenge.  Forgiveness does not exist in the mind of evil, any more than mercy does.  And to strike with revenge, he must strike at what God loves the most, namely at you.

So darkness formulates plans for your life, just as firmly as what Jesus does.  The darkness can hurt God, by hurting you.  They can make the pain of God greater, by having you blame God for the pain that comes your way (when in secret it was never Him).  They can make the pain of God better, when they get you to hurt yourself.  They can make this pain better when they can deceive you into believing that a “new normal” is just as good as any old normal, even if that includes being a serial killer, or an addict, or someone who thinks forced sex is better than consensual sex especially as it relates to children.  In morphing what you do, the evil spreads, and impacts itself on other children of God further increasing the pain.  And do you then have value in the dark kingdom … no.  You are nothing to them, merely a tool to spread pain, and a victim to have pain inflicted on.   Lest you believe any differently, or think it could never happen to you, or think you are too innocent (or your baby) is too innocent, to ever be caught up in this – lets take a look at a story Matthew recorded in his gospel in chapter seventeen.

Matthew picks up in verse 14 saying … “And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, [verse 15] Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.”  First note, that the victim is not the man himself, a father, and someone who believes in the power of Jesus Christ.  The victim is the son, a child, presumably an innocent child.  But his state or age in life, did not prevent his possession, by a demon of the darkness.  And what does this demon force the victim to do, to fall into fires to burn, or into waters to drown.  The darkness plagues this boy, to send pain to his father, his parents, his family.  The darkness tortures this boy to rebuke the church (whether old or new).  And the boy, or what happens to the boy is of no consequence.

Matthew continues in verse 16 saying … “And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.”  Yikes!  This father, brought the boy to the disciples of Jesus.  You know, the ones with the keys to the kingdom, who are able to bind things on earth (figuratively) and have them reflected or heard in heaven.  James the future leader of the church in Jerusalem, Peter the future evangelist to the world, and John the chief prophet of the Christian faith, as well as all the others and none could cure him.  Now everyone of us, looks at Judas and says in our hearts – figures.  But then Judas had the same gifts of demon repulsion as did any other disciple, and was no less a leader in the church, and in the faith as Peter, or as you, or as me.  So the failure of Judas was no more or less the same failure as Peter.  It was not about what Judas would ultimately do, that causes him to fail.  For Judas could have been forgiven of that future sin, just as Peter was forgiven for ones he would commit in the heat of those events.  The problem of this father, and his boy, were in the here and now, and in the here and now – not one of the disciples could overcome the darkness nestled in this boy.

Matthew continues in verse 17 saying … “Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. [verse 18] And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.”  First note, that the child is healed immediately.  There is no delay on the part of Jesus.  The misery the darkness brings to this child’s life is over for now.  But the words of Jesus look none too happy.  “O faithless” generation.  Is Jesus speaking to the dad, seems very unlikely as the dad believes, and tried the disciples of Jesus, before coming to Him personally.  And the boy may or may not even be present, and is infected with a demon, so unlikely Jesus is challenging his faith.  There will be no blaming of the victim here.

But the church?  Is Jesus challenging his own disciples?  Is He challenging the Pharisees and Sanhedrin?  Or is He challenging you and I?  Perhaps all of the above.  But it is not just our faithlessness that warrants the attention of Jesus, it is also our perversion.  Have we adopted the aberrant as normal, perhaps just a different kind of normal, but one far outside of harmony with the laws and character of a God of love?  Do we see ourselves in the mirror, and see nothing wrong.  Have we perverted the Word itself.  Have we used the Word to justify our traditions, our ideas, and our notions of separation with the brotherhood of Christ – each group claiming purity, while ostracizing any other “less informed” groups of believers.  Our perversion need not just be in our sexual expression, it can also be founded in how we read the Word, and what we do with what we find, using it as a weapon against other sinners, instead of a hospital field manual of how to love others back to the feet of Jesus, ever pointing them there for the relief they so desperately need. 

How long shall I be with you?  And more poignantly; how long shall I suffer you?  These questions of Christ imply a seeming limit to His patience.  But I believe it is more a statement of His absolute frustration with us.  He offers total healing.  He offers a path to perfection, and a life beyond our wildest dreams.  And we sit around delaying that choice, avoiding it, postponing it.  As if the pain and death we now embrace is somehow better than what He offers.  Our blindness, our stupidity, so amplified against what the alternative is.  This is the plans of darkness for you, unfolding in your real life.  To keep you from submission to Jesus.  Making up all kinds of excuses why you should ever avoid that choice.  Not yet, you need to make more money first.  Not yet, you need to have unbridled sex with as many as you can first.  Not yet … the list goes on and on … each choice a hidden pathway to pain and death and misery along the way.  The words of Jesus reflect a coming finality to making that choice for something better.  There is a clock, and it is ticking – whether for Satan, or for you with him.  This is not about fear, it is about a choice for something so much better, that could be made now, right now.

Matthew concludes this snippet picking up in verse 19 saying … “Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? [verse 20] And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. [verse 21] Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”  We have our answer.  Jesus tells the disciples, that it is “their” unbelief that caused their failure.  That was not a slight against Judas alone.  It was an assessment across all of them, even the ones who will one day take a more leadership role in the faith.  And perhaps a continued assessment of you and I.  Faith as small as a grain of mustard seed is a tiny thing, and yet none of us seem to wield it.

We accept the cancer we encounter as “a fact of life”, never once considering it might be a direct result of the darkness.  We accept the need and the poor, as just another “fact of life”, again ignoring the influence and direct plans of the darkness on the lives of those impacted.  And none of us wield our grain of mustard seed to provide the fix – not a relief to suffering, only an accompaniment through it – instead of a true miraculous fix.  We just let the pain linger.  Afraid to test our mountain to be moved.  Afraid to be shown publicly, we lack the faith to even make it rumble a little.  And the plans of darkness triumph at the expense of the weak wielding of our mustard seeds of faith.  What is more, Jesus offers that this particular demon requires prayer and fasting to get it to leave.  As we try to pray with our tiny faith, perhaps our faith would be better augmented if we were willing to fast quietly, pray incessantly, and then look again to see if our mountains have been moved, and the demons of darkness vanquished against the bright light of Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray.

Your life will come down to only two paths.  It will not be a choice between good and evil.  That is too easy.  It will be a choice between submission to Jesus, and a liberation and freedom that leads to real life as it was meant to be enjoyed.  Or it will be consumed with the plans of darkness who care no more for you than does a tyrant stepping on an ant as he moves from one place to the other.  There is no middle ground.  There is no happy median.  There is life abundantly.  Or there is misery even more abundantly.  Everything else is deception.  Everything else is fear.  There really is only one way out, and His name is Jesus Christ.  And Jesus had more yet to say …

 

Lions of our Arrogance ...

The passage of time is a tricky thing.  We read a story in a book, and we naturally focus on the events described in the moment.  The victories or the losses seem to happen in our minds in brief periods of time for the hero or heroine of the story.  But the reality of life is that to chronicle a story, is to condense large periods of time into short revelations, to keep interest alive.  Nobody wants to read a day-by-day account of the hero’s life from one interesting point until the next one.  When the plain-ness or dull-ness of life abounds, writers just abridge these time periods for good reason – if they didn’t they would lose their audience.  So then another interesting phenomenon occurs, we assume the time that passes is time where everything in the life of the hero is “normal”, uninteresting, and not difficult.  It is not just that our hero moves from one event to another, it is that the time between events is not something that might be “hard”.  Instead it is uneventful, therefore just another “day in the life”.  Because “our” days are not usually murder from one day to the next, we reason the lives of our heroes in the stories must likely be the same.  But where history is concerned, they weren’t.

Matthew writes in his gospel to the Hebrews of an incident of faith involving a Canaanite woman.  His audience would immediately associate Canaanite with Gentile of the first order.  Canaanite’s were traditionally pagan.  They were traditionally responsible for much of the misery in Israel.  They worshipped false gods, but did it using practices of wild sex, that would inevitably appeal to Israelites until they were sucked in and fully engaging in these rites and practices, almost without conscience or remorse.  But these practices of wild orgy worship came at a horrific cost.  There was no birth control, so the babies that resulted in the temple prostitutes who helped facilitate these rituals were divided into two camps.  The male babies sacrificed on the altars of Molech, or half-a-dozen other pagan deities who demanded human blood for their favor.  The female babies simply grew to become the next generation of temple prostitutes to expand the practices (often at unthinkably young ages).  Israelites knew better than to allow this, let alone be responsible for it, but the lure of “free sex” was just too strong.  What inevitably must follow was an invasion of Israel by a foreign power, enough to shake Israel out of its spiritual lethargy and back towards obedience again.

This was the history most often associated with Canaanites.  So to even include the mention of a Canaanite woman in a gospel intended for a Hebrew audience was to invite criticism.  But Matthew remembered the lessons Jesus taught His disciples and Matthew thought they bore repeating in print for future generations to remember – praise God that he did.  Matthew picks up the story in verse 21 of his gospel saying … “Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.”  And here is where our minds just easily blank out the intervening time.  Last we knew, Jesus had just landed on the far side of the Sea of Galilee, and was passing through an entire region, healing all the sick with nothing more than the touch of the hem of His garment.  And our minds begin to just think, everything was just fine.  But we forget, the areas Jesus traveled were in rocky deserts.  The paths were not smoothed out by concrete, or black tops, they were small paths worn to sand by the feet of previous travelers, horses, donkeys, or camels.

Even so, rocks abounded.  If you were not careful where you stepped, you could easily twist an ankle, or worse, fall and break a bone of any kind.  Having an accident did not afford you the responses of 911 first responders, you just got to scream in pain, until you made it to help with the aid of friends, or perhaps help came your way randomly traveling to a location on the same path you trode.  But let’s assume no accidents befell you, the other real danger was not the wildlife (though the random mountain lion, or desert lion, or wolf, or snake or spider were still present) – no the other real danger was human, that is, human criminals.  Thieves staked out places in the steep mountain paths where it would be easy to rob travelers who would fear for their lives, more than their possessions.  Again, no local police to end it.  So the only mercy shown would come from the heart of the theif, if there was any to be offered.

The heat was unbearable by day.  No easy access to water.  And if you happened to be unlucky enough to encounter Romans, your fate was anything but secure.  You could be enslaved, just because the Roman commander felt like it.  Very often the roads of Israel were “decorated” with a sea of Roman crosses stretched out for miles.  The people of Israel that resisted in any way, were hung on these crosses, left to die over many days of agony, until strength finally failed and they suffocated to death.  Their families were allowed, in fact, encouraged to come to see them die slowly.  From time-to-time the Romans would allow a family member to provide water, or food, to a victim on the cross, in order to stretch out and prolong the agony of their inevitable death.  Israel was not the happy place our minds might conjure up between the events in the life of Jesus.  It was a place of absolute misery.  It was a place where the evil of men abounded almost without restraint.  And it was a barren, dry, rocky, landscape with steep cliffs, winding mountain paths, and dangers around every curve.

And in all of this, braving all of this, was Jesus traveling by foot from one place to the next.  Carrying no food, and giving away any money donated to the poor wherever they encountered them.  Jesus travels all the way to the north of Israel into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, no easy journey.  Matthew continues the story in verse 22 saying … “And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.”  As hard as it would be for a group of 13 men (plus potential other entourage) to travel these distances, in this weather, with limited resources; for a woman alone it was a near suicide risk.  A woman would face the indignity of rape by Romans, or criminals, or desperate men – in addition to all the other dangers outlined already.  But this woman does it, no easy trip.  And the motivation behind seeking out Jesus was that her daughter was possessed with a demon.

Oh yes, did we forget to mention that, demons seemed in out of proportion density throughout the land of Israel and its neighbors.  Once the demon took possession of you, it seemed as if no one could do anything about it.  Imagine the movie “the Exorcist” happening in your home, with your child, or sibling.  And imagine that not being a rare occurrence but a relatively common one.  Now for an Israelite this was particularly humiliating, what, with the whole we serve the right God thing.  But for a Canaanite pagan, the attitude of Israel was … “they earned it”.  After all Canaanites historically worshipped false pagan gods, so possession seems highly likely – they had no defense.  Hookers were thought to carry demons, Mary Magdalene had them removed multiple times as I recall.  And Canaanite women were not known for their fidelity (keep in mind the rituals of sex that permeated their religions).  None the less, the woman finds Jesus and looks to Him for healing.

Then things go from bad to worse.  Matthew continues in verse 23 saying … “But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.”  After all the horror in this poor mother’s life, after all the danger she braved to get here, Jesus is completely silent in response to her.  She does not stop asking.  She probably has broken down to tears at this point.  Her only hope left on planet earth for her daughter can hear her, but is saying nothing.  She cannot just reach out and touch the hem of His garment, because she is not the one who needs the healing.  Her daughter does.  Through her tears, she continues to call out.  But Jesus is testing … [wait for it] … His people. 

Often, we read this encounter as Jesus testing the faith of this woman, but with everything she has done and said, her faith is already well known to anyone paying attention.  This test of Jesus was not for her.  It was for us.  What is breaking the heart of Jesus though none can see it, is the lack of love from the men and women who call themselves His disciples for this pagan … both then and now.  We treat those whose sins are self-evident and well documented, as somehow less, as people we must avoid, lest we find ourselves taking part in their sins as well.  We shame them.  We want them to just leave, to just go somewhere else, away from us, and our churches.  It is OK to find Jesus, but find Him somewhere away from our sight.  The disciples grow tired of her pleas, and actually ask Jesus to send her away from their presence.  Tell her to go.  Get this crying woman out of here.  Pagans have no place at the feet of Jesus.  Sinners who deserve it, should reap what they sow, somewhere else.  And arrogance raises its ugly head.

Jesus steals His heart with supernatural strength in order to continue the test.  Matthew continues the story with the answer of Jesus again in verse 24 saying … “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. [verse 25] Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.”  Jesus reminds her that the mission of the Messiah is to begin with house of Israel.  This is why He does not appear in Egypt or Norway or China.  The legacy of Abraham dating back to a promise to Adam, has found its fulfillment here in Israel.  This is where the prophets foretold.  But Israel has dropped the ball.  Israel was supposed to be a nation of priests, not literally, but figuratively.  Each Israelite was supposed to have a testimony about God, they would have passion to share with any who would listen.  Each Israelite was supposed to long to ease the pain of people like this Canaanite, from the burden of demons and false gods.  Each Israelite was supposed to point people like this women to the Truth who alone could set her free.

The disciples most of all should know this (them and us).  They, more than any other, should have burned with a desire to help this woman.  They should have interceded on her behalf, made a case for her, taken her into their hearts.  It does not matter that she is a public sinner, like a prostitute, or a homosexual, or a criminal.  At the side of Jesus, at His feet, is where all that past life does not matter.  The sole function of the gospel is to get people like this to arrive here with Jesus, and instead the disciples are still ready to send her away.  No one intercedes.  No one makes her case, or defends her, or welcomes her to their bosom.  And it is as if we were there.  It is as if we collectively can step right into their shoes, with how we treat those who do not see things “our way”.  We go so far as to treat other Christians this way, because they do not carry the denominational banner we do.  The disciples are silent during this encounter.  The woman only deepens her resolve and falls at the feet of Jesus weeping all the louder and crying out “Lord, help me”.

The heart of Jesus is near exploding.  This test is harder on Him than on her, or His disciples, or us.  His heart breaks at how callous we are to His child so desperate in need.  He will continue this test only once more as Matthew records picking up in verse 26 saying … “  But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.”  Jesus has reached in to the hearts of His disciples.  He has found just the right word summarizing how they think of her.  They are all calling her a dog, a bitch, a pig, some abomination not worth the time or words of Jesus.  He tests this woman knowing what her outcome will be, but the real test is for His disciples to see within themselves, how hard they remain towards His precious daughter of another heritage, another faith, another history.  Here is the final time He will allow the pain of this woman to persist, in order that His church can finally pick up the banner of love it is supposed to have, and ease the suffering of this woman.  But alas, no disciple passes the test.

The woman gives an answer that should strangle our hearts until they break.  Matthew records in verse 27 saying … “And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. [verse 28] Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”  The woman begins her answer, but not by disagreeing with the assessment of Jesus, but by embracing it.  Jesus has just called her a dog, and she agrees saying “truth, Lord”.  I am a dog, a pig, an abomination unworthy of your love, or time, or attention.  But I will settle for the crumbs that fall from your table, for any scraps you are willing to part with.  The woman loves Jesus so much, no insult will deter her, no truth will unsettle her.  And Jesus can take it no longer, He grabs His daughter, holding her close to Him, softly crying in her ears, as He tells her how great her faith is, and that her daughter is whole from this very moment.

Matthew may not have understood it then.  But when he writes his gospel, he understands it very well.  The lions on the mountainsides, and in the Roman coliseums are not the only dangerous ones in our lives.  The lions of our arrogance and pride are swifter to kill us than any other on earth.  Ancient Rome is gone.  Our highways are well paved, and we travel them in big steal vehicles.  But the lions of our arrogance and pride still remain.  How the disciples reacted to one so clearly in need of love, and of help, was based on the fundamental idea that they were better than her.  This idea sprang from a multitude of reasons.  But it was so firm in them, they were ready to send away a crying mother, because her tears offended them.  They made no intercession for her.  They made no defense for her.  They cast her away in their minds and hearts so quickly it nearly broke the heart of Jesus who tested them.

It was not just in Gethsemane where Jesus tested His people three times, this was the first round of tests.  Being tested is never fun, never easy.  This woman endured anything to secure Jesus.  It looked like she was not going to see her daughter healed by how Jesus responded multiple times.  And the disciples, that is, the church of Jesus, made no effort to help her despite her need.  This only happens because His church has yet to learn how to love.  That lesson is one of transformation.  To take whatever heart you have in you now, and transform it, to a heart nearly explodes in sympathy with this woman – to do anything you can do, give anything you have – to see her pain abated.  But instead we refuse to submit who we are, falling victim not to the lions of the Roman circus, but to the more dangerous lions of our arrogance and pride, all-consuming beasts who have no mercy for others, or for us.  Let us through submission, find the passion for others, for anyone not like us, to love them, not like dogs and pigs, but like treasured daughters as Jesus would and did.

 

Ghosts in the Night ...

Little children fear the dark.  It is not the blackness so much as the unknown, what cannot be easily seen.  A stuffed animal in the light of day is a cuddly toy, but in the dark, is a silhouette of undetermined malice.  And let’s not even get started on clowns.  That makeup hides who-knows-what behind it.  But as unsettling as finding a clown in your room in the daytime might be, discovering one there at night might have you wondering where the next pair of clean underwear is waiting.  Perhaps the business truisms of transparency and visibility that offer benefit because they de-mystify and make things clear or easy-to-understand have an echo in life.  In life, a good dose of light seems to drive any monsters away (or at least the monsters that may still reside in our imagination).  Real monsters follow suit.  Thieves typically prefer the dark for their deeds.  So do those among us who would harm us; molesters, rapists, and killers.  In the light they may be caught.  If their victims shine a light on what they did, and who they are, they will surely get caught.  So for evil to prosper, it prefers the dark, to the light of day.

It would seem the supernatural bent on scaring us follows suit as well.  Witches practice rites at night.  Ghosts, or demonic manifestations of those known to be long dead, love to emerge at night.  Perhaps these traditions are handed down because the night makes it easier to scare us – whereas the full illumination of daylight would reveal trickery and raise the comfort level of those encountering these phenomena.  True supernatural manifestations do not actually require nighttime.  The devil is just as comfortable attempting to deceive in daylight as he is at night.  But the night does add an atmosphere of fear to it, that daylight somehow seems to miss.  When King Saul sought the witch to bring him a manifestation of the dead prophet Samuel, he went to her at night.  The demonic representation of Samuel, perhaps one of the earliest Biblical ghosts, appeared in the fire of that night, to bring Saul a message of his own doom.  Not exactly a happy ending.  And a story every Jewish believer would have become familiar with over the years.

Ironically perhaps one of the only events of “after death” that Pharisees and Sadducees could agree upon was - that ghost was not Samuel.  Both would agree it was a demonic manifestation attempting to impersonate Samuel, as neither side would believe God would allow His prophet to be called forth by any witch.  And demons were scattered all through Israel in the time of Christ.  The Sanhedrin should have been the religious leadership body capable of casting demons out; and keeping Israel fairly clean of them.  But this was not the case.  The Sanhedrin seemed unable to stop the plague of demon possession.  So it would be nearly impossible for a believing Jew to throw out the idea of ghosts, and still know that demons were scattered all through the lands of Israel despite an ultra-conservative Sanhedrin leadership.  And when night time arrived, anything supernatural is going to be immediately assumed to be part of team evil.  Even the angels who came to sing of Jesus’ birth had to say fear not, before they could praise the Lord in front the shepherds (watching their fields by night).

So Matthew begins to record his own tale of ghosts that scared him nearly half to death.  It begins after an incredible day of miracles, from healing, to feeding a crowd of 5000 men, plus women and children.  Matthew picks up in his gospel in chapter fourteen picking up in verse 22 saying … “And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. [verse 23] And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.”  This would not be a tale of willing participants.  Matthew uses the word “constrained” as he remembers how insistent Jesus was on the disciples getting in to this boat and heading to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  It made no sense, again.  The Sea of Galilee is not exactly a small lake you can throw a stone across.  It is rather large.  Sailing across it takes a while with a good tail wind.  And it is much easier to sail than to try to hike around the edge of the Sea on foot.  How was Jesus going to catch up with them?  Was He saying goodbye?  Was this it?

Apart from just loving to be around Jesus (who wouldn’t), Matthew and his colleagues had real concerns for the safety of Jesus in this crowd, in this region, and his ability to rejoin them any time soon.  The disciples had no orders for what to do when they reached the other side.  What then?  Were they supposed to wait?  To minister?  To setup a fishing camp?  What?  This is why Jesus nearly had to force them to obey what He wanted.  Once they did, Jesus sent the multitude away, and went up a mountain to pray.  He was there alone.  Meanwhile Matthew records picking up in verse 24 saying … “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.”  Picture a microburst.  Picture a water spout.  Picture the terror of being on the middle of the Sea of Galilee with only a few accomplished fishermen, the rest were tradesmen of other crafts so pretty much useless in a Sea fairing crisis.  The storm that comes is fierce, perhaps fierce enough to interrupt the prayers of Jesus.  There was no Coast Guard, no rescue ships, nobody to save you.  If your boat filled up with water – you drowned.  This was not a casual bit of rain, it was a life and death struggle to survive, and it was being done at night, when it is far more difficult to see in highly reduced light (no moon, no stars, only thick clouds).

Matthew continues in verse 25 saying … “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. [verse 26] And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.”  First thing to remember is the disciples had NO idea this was Jesus heading their way.  All they saw was a human form, that was a source of light, which would really stand out in the darkness all around them.  It was moving at incredible speeds.  Jesus was not moving at a snail’s pace, or taking the time it would take a normal person to walk the distance the disciples had already sailed before the storm kicked up.  That would take hours.  This was happening in minutes.  This form was moving across the waters at a great speed, and for every step it took, the waves were smoothing out like butter in front of it.  Only a ghost could do this, or a demon, bent on possessing one or all of them in that boat.  And they were terrified to a man.  Every one of them began screaming like a cackle of little girls.  Again this all happening in seconds and minutes.

Matthew continues in verse 27 saying … “But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”  Now let’s take a second look at this from the perspective of Jesus.  He is alone atop a mountain in deep prayer with His Father.  This was not something new and unusual, this was a habit for Him.  It usually happened at night, because He did not want to deny His time with us during the day.  So when we were all tired and heading to bed, Jesus could not wait to get to talk to His Father.  He would climb the nearest hilltop to be as close as He could get, and begin His prayers.  So it was this night.  But something interrupts Him.  He can sense that the devil has begun a special attack on His crew out on the water, intending to kill them all while Jesus is busy in prayer.  The devil figures Jesus is too far away to help them, so they are doomed men.  But the devil is wrong.  Jesus stops praying and does something the devil does not count on.  He moves across land and sea as if on a hover board.  Each step He takes spans many feet in distance below Him.  And a journey that might have taken hours is now ending in only minutes, the storm losing strength as He nears the boat.

But Jesus finds His crew in terror, screaming at the top of their lungs at His approach.  He immediately slows His pace so that their fears do not rise any further.  He is close enough to speak out to them, but not close enough to enter their boat yet.  The storm persists at the boat.  And Jesus announces who He is.  He is lit up, so plainly visible to their eyes.  But all they see is a ghost they believe is a demon attempting to impersonate Him.  They need more proof it is really Him.  Matthew continues in verse 28 saying … “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. [verse 29] And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.”  Peter has an idea.  No demon or ghost will ever help them out, but Jesus would, so he asks to join Jesus on the water.

And it works.  Matthew continues in verse 30 saying … “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. [verse 31] And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”  Matthew is more generous than other gospels on this story.  Matthew attributes Peter’s doubt to the ferocity of the storm, but in truth there was more to it than that.  Other gospels record Peter turning around to look back at the others still in the boat, and immediately he sank.  Nonetheless Peter cries out to save him, as should we, ideally as do we – and the response of Jesus is, to immediately stretch out His hand, catch Peter, and save Him.  You will note, Jesus did not delay.  He did not chide Peter about being dumb, and tell Peter that he needs to do better, before Jesus is going to invest the time in saving him.  Peter does not need to complete the Lord’s prayer first.  Or read up first.  Or start attending Wednesday prayer meetings first.  There were no pre-requirements.  There was Peter crying out to be saved, and Jesus saving him without delay.  That is how it still works with us, no matter what your church, family, or friends might tell you.

How we respond to the love of God, as we learn to love Him, is a response to that incredible love.  It is not a pre-requisite to getting it.  Jesus simply reminds Peter that to focus on Him, would have kept that faith strong.  Asking Peter how he lost his faith, is a gentle way of showing Peter the error of looking away from Jesus, either to a storm, or to others.  The same holds true for us.  Looking at the crisis we face does nothing to make it better for us, but looking to Jesus will.  Looking to others in the church will do nothing to increase our faith, but looking to Jesus will.  Nature disappoints.  Humans disappoint.  But Jesus does not.  This lesson was not just meant for men who were still recovering from a deep terror they felt only moments before, it is for you and for me.

Matthew continues the epilogue in verse 32 saying … “And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. [verse 33] Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”  As if His identity could ever be in question again.  The disciples recognized Jesus as the Son of God.  But a few more subtleties for us to examine here.  First, as Jesus enters the boat, the entire storm is dissipated to nothing.  Game over Satan.  Satan, demons, and “ghosts” may be literally out to kill you; they were trying to kill Jesus’ first followers.  But Jesus wins those battles every time; we need only look to Him.  Nature obeys the will of Jesus, Jesus is not captivated by the will of Nature.  In addition, time and physics also bend to the will of Jesus.  His movement across and land and sea to reach His disciples did not end there.  Upon entering the boat, other gospels stated, the boat was “immediately” at the destination they were originally sailing for.  The hover effect continued, or time and space were folded, either way distance is no object for Jesus, then or now.

The disciples perhaps once feared the night, but no more.  They learned, as should we, that dark is not something Jesus cannot see through.  He can rescue us from the dark we embrace, save us the moment we call out to Him, and be with us when time and physics say it is impossible to reach the destinations He may have in mind.  From this moment on, I would bet the disciples longed to see a human form lit up at night, not fearing any ghost or demon, but instead hoping it would be Jesus once again.  When fear disappears, faith and hope can emerge.  No more shrieks of terror, instead shouts of joy and hosanna to fill that night air.  Were it me, I believe I would have collapsed at the feet of Jesus unable to move, like a two-year-old content to curl up under daddy’s chair.  I have great respect for the disciple’s ability to continue on in their journey with Jesus.  And continue on they did; the miracles were about to reveal even greater truth to them only moments away …

 

Castaway's ...

Are we so dull we just don’t see it anymore?  Perhaps so over-exposed that our senses just do not even detect the warnings anymore?  For many in the world, the Bible is just anecdotes and fairytales.  For those folks, the central characters in the Bible are no more real than Mickey Mouse or the Easter Bunny.  And that is the level of comparison that is often made … something harmless compared to the Bible.  But if good comprises the descriptions of God, then evil comprises the description of His enemy.  Satan is not Mickey Mouse, nothing like what Mickey represents.  Satan earned a name change, after destroying the Lucifer he was, and becoming the evil incarnate he chose to embrace and now is powerless to be changed from.  Satan does not want a change.  Satan wants to hurt, destroy, cause death, and control everything he touches before he kills it.  Satan and his now demonic hoard were not cast out of heaven because of a few parking infractions.  They invented war there.  They invented pain there.  They invented lies there.  These castaways were forced out of perfection, away from the love of God, because their evil would have killed every living thing in proximity if it were allowed to remain.

And most modern Christians are content to ascribe red skin, a forked tail, hooves, and a pitch fork to how they consider what Satan is … this, while intently watching episodes of Lucifer on Fox.  And this is hardly a rant against a single show.  Our media is full of the fantastic, all rooted in stories of good and evil, where evil spans a gamut of things intended to scare us, or entertain us, or make us somewhat sympathetic to it.  The word castaways itself is hardly something that strikes fear into the hearts of readers, it is innocuous enough, subtle enough, but it represents a horror that is unrivaled, and a danger we have become so blunted to, that we invite it into our lives and make it dinner, as if it were just an estranged friend with a harmless agenda.  It’s not.  And demon possession is not just something that makes up good horror stories in the movies, with awesome special effects applied.  It is something intended to ruin your life, estrange those you love, disintegrate your family, and indulge lusts within you that would turn you from mild-mannered-you, into the mindset of a serial killer with no remorse or regret; not instantly, but slowly and imperceptibly over time, where there is little defense made, or request for defense.

Modern Christians hardly look for defense against it.  It is easier to comprehend why those who lack a real faith in the Bible, would pick up a Ouija board and dabble.  They are looking to experiment with the supernatural and see if something more truly exists.  Interesting to me, they do not try prayer to the God who represents love and good.  Instead they pick up the tool of evil and invite it to interact with them.  Seems like the answers of a God who loves them deeply would be better for them, than the answers of an entity who would wish to destroy them from within.  Yet Ouija boards are not burned today, they are manufactured today.  The castaways that answer are not harmless, they represent a picture of evil your mind has yet to imagine.  And instead of running from it, too often, it is opened up in the living room and treated as if it were no different than the game of Monopoly or Chess.  It is different.  It has consequence, whether you perceive it or not.  For in this method, as well as a host of others, we take down the “not welcome” signs, and invite demonic castaways to find their homes in our homes, and our hearts.  Even if the special effects we envision never actually materialize in front of us.

I imagine everyone misses those they have lost.  I imagine the idea of continuing to communicate with a dear departed one, who surely exists in heaven (no one we know ever goes to hell in our minds, that is unthinkable); would be great to talk to just one more time.  So because the devil convinces us of the immortality of the soul, that we cannot be truly killed, as he told Eve way back in the Garden of Eden.  We buy his lie.  We begin to believe we are never truly killed, that we simply pass on to the next dimension.  Hell for those other enemies we have.  Heaven for literally everyone we know (and love).  Since their disembodied souls live there, why is it so hard to believe that they may wish to travel back to earth, in some ghostly or spirit-y form to talk to us, perhaps give us advice.  King Saul of Old Testament times believed this, and consulted a witch to get his answers.  But it was not Samuel he raised, only a demon that resembled Samuel.

The departed love one you seek to converse with, may come, but in truth you are now only conversing with a demon who knew your lost one, as well as you do.  They can imitate expressions, gestures, sayings, and looks.  They understand how to mimic us down to the DNA level (why would we think we are the only ones to begin to understand DNA).  So the show is spectacular.  That is if you like watching a horror movie in 4D, that is bent on destroying you, while it portrays the villain as the hero.  And because Christians, let alone atheists, do not believe in the “sleep” of death.  They invite this horror movie into their lives, and do not even ask for a defense.  But this idea is not new.  I imagine two men of long ago, tried this same thing around the campfire.  I imagine at first it was a great experience, getting lots of advice from the long departed they admired, even perhaps loved.  But then something went sideways.  Instead of just talking to them, the demons entered them, and refused to leave.  This would make the men slaves to the will and strength of demons, that up to that point, they did nothing to deter.  And voila, demon possession of the type in the time of Christ.  While it may be more subtle in our day, it is no less effective, brought about by the same ideology, and methods.

Matthew records the story of what had happened to two men who had invited castaways to find a home within themselves, and now were powerless against that earlier decision.  Picking up in chapter eight, and verse 28 he begins … “And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.”  Jesus had moved locations from Capernaum (Peters house) across the lake.  The devil had already brought out a great storm on the sea intending to kill the entourage before it could make the far shoreline.  But Jesus simply quieted it with a word, and distance was negated.  Getting out of the boats however, they had landed in demon territory.  These two men, possessed of many many demons, were so fierce, and so superhumanly strong, that no one tried to pass by this way.  Interesting that they lived in a graveyard, a foretelling of what was to become of them, and a perfect metaphor of those who stand without Christ, and in the arms of His enemy.  But what is the strength of mortal men against the fury of thousands of demons?  The word castaways now hardly does the terror justice.  Fear rules this land.  And none of the Rabbi’s or Sanhedrin rulers have any kind of solution.  It would appear the organized religion of God stood powerless against the might of the Satanic kingdom established in these two men.

Matthew continues in verse 29 saying … “And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?”  The demons make the argument that they did nothing to seek out Christ.  They remained in their home territory.  So why was Jesus here?  Being next to the Son of God, the source of all love and life, now reminds them of the beings they once were, and the proximity they once held near the throne of the Father.  Their former lives and existence are now pure torture to remember.  They cannot bear to be so close.  They must get away.  They must get away from the presence of Jesus.  They ask if Jesus is here to torment them with memories of what it is to love so purely, or stand so close to love, or to be who they once were?  It is torment to them.  It is anguish to them.  There are no fires present, except the fire of love.  But the torment remains.

Matthew continues in verse 30 saying … “And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. [verse 31] So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.”  The devils, the demons, had planned to kill their hosts over time.  The hosts of this hoard would not benefit in any way.  They would be slaves, until they would be killed.  The methods are no different today, even if the fury is less evident.  Entering your home and sowing discord and fury between husband and wife, or parent and child, is no less effective at destroying relationships, and the love that would normally accompany them.  After all we invite them in.  They come through our habits, our choice of what we focus upon, our sins that we indulge over and over and over again without abandon, or remorse.  And somehow we are surprised that the enemy of the Lord still exists?  The demons knew they were to be cast away, they only wished to move from one target to another.  Have we presented them with a current one?

Matthew continues in verse 32 saying … “And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.”  What the demonic legion had in mind for their original hosts, was now accelerated in the herd of swine.  Destruction, death, frenzy.  Note, that the demons would not be destroyed in this action, only the hosts.  The demons were free to find a new host, in a new time, perhaps in every time.  Only the hosts suffer, are enslaved, and eventually die.  The demon is free to move on.  They hate the love of Christ, but crave the destruction of mankind.  The math is easy.  Since they cannot hurt God directly, they hurt what God loves, and in so doing, they torture the God of love and life.  They will do this as much as they can, until the appointed time comes, and they can do it no more.

Matthew continues in verse 33 saying … “And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told everything, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. [verse 34] And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.”  Here is where the story goes sideways.  You would think that the town’s people would want a savior to cast away every demon in that area, to free them from the fear of it.  You would think the liberation would be welcomed, even if at the loss of the material possessions of the pigs.  What is the price of a herd of swine to have every demon cast away from this region?  But whether they feared an even greater loss of wealth, or whether they feared they were meeting the boss of all demons, or whether they just refused to believe the Son of God would ever come to see them because they did not deserve it.  The results were all the same, they asked Jesus to leave their region.  How do you ask the one who would liberate you to leave you alone?  How do you choose to be a castaway, or make God one?

Perhaps the same way we do it today.  Perhaps we choose to cling to our habits, our entertainment, our sins of the flesh; until we would rather have Jesus give us some space, than see these attributes about our lives change into something else.  You see only Jesus can drive away the demons of our lives, and out of our homes, and away from us.  But then, Jesus does exactly that.  When we invite Jesus into our homes, the sins we treasure tend to leave.  So the struggle in the human mind begins.  Do I really want change, or do I like my slavery to self?  Do I enjoy the sins I commit, thinking them to be the fun in my life, the spice of my life, believing self-less-love to be boring or too demanding?  And too many of us, like the people of that region, would rather have Jesus a little distant from our real lives, a little ways outside of our hearts.  We will claim to be His followers, but in real life, we only follow a little.  And the demons we entertain instead will allow us to feel as though we are doing “ a good job”.  Demons love us to think we are “good people”.  After all, none of the folks we know and love ever go to hell when they die, always only to heaven, right?  God’s mercy, and all that.  But while we live, we entertain that which would destroy us, even if we do not perceive it.

It is an old saying that “the greatest trick the devil ever pulled off, was making us think he does not exist”.  There is truth to that.  Modern Christians have seemed to have all but forgotten it.  None of us even consider we face the same demonic hoards, those two men succumbed to so long ago.  None of us even consider that tinkering with Ouija board might actually have permanent consequences.  How could watching the show Lucifer ever present any real kind of problem, it is only a show right?  And for that matter, how could watching any show that presents the ideas of good vs evil, as something man gets to choose, present a risk.  It is only entertainment right?  Nobody believes it is real.  Nobody believes that what we focus on might actually change how we think, or what we believe.  Nobody that is, except a huge group of castaways that intend to dominate our lives, imperceptibly, so that we never even know they are there.  Jesus acts just like demon repellent.  But then, do you have Jesus?  Have you made Jesus a permanent part of your home, or is He just a periodic guest, from time to time, when it is “convenient”? 

Man cannot defeat these castaways.  Jesus can.  The math is simple.  What will you do about it?

 

Opportunity Knocks ...

In our modern age, door-to-door sales teams have all but disappeared.  Gone are the days of milk man deliveries and vacuum cleaner salesmen.  What remains are the occasional missionaries, and student laborers attempting to “earn money for their schools” and themselves.  It always was a difficult job, and with so many families requiring the income from 2 wage earners just to survive, there are few people at home even able to take in a sales call, let alone willing to listen.  In the age of social media, we prefer less physical contact, and more electronic.  Mobility allows us to communicate at our leisure, no longer tethered to long spiraling phone cords attached to handsets of touch tone phones.  We are free to interact with significantly more people, across significantly higher distances, for significantly less time.  Personal relationships now occur mostly at home with our families, and at work where physical proximity is still something that cannot be escaped.  So in this climate, how does Christ appear at the door of our hearts and knock?  How do we introduce to others what we have learned, as His disciples were commissioned to do so long ago?

Like any good sales pitch, it all begins in what it is you are trying to sell.  What is it you have to offer?  Would you buy what you’re selling?  Why?  A product based on distant fears, avoiding some future calamity that no one can prove is even real seems like it would have a very low target audience.  Likewise, a product based on the promise of some utopian rewards that no one has ever seen, or can ever prove even exists seems like yet another slim market share to seek out.  Yet this is how traditional evangelism has presented the gospel … but wait … there’s more.   In addition to either an insurance policy against tragedy, or a swamp land deal for the Brooklyn Bridge; you cannot have either UNLESS you are willing to follow the fine print of a specific denomination of Christians doing the presentation.  Even the slightest deviation, from the presenter’s specific set of rules (i.e. doctrines) will result in complete forfeiture of the rewards offered, and immediate adoption of all punishments listed.  AND now that you have taken the time to listen to this sales pitch, you have formally been educated on the “truth”, therefore any rejection or delay in accepting this limited time offer will afford you no excuses when it is time to experience the punishment you will get for not having accepted the offer when you had the chance.  Welcome to the gospel.  Not.

Our ideas of evangelism and ministry have degenerated a long way from the original model Christ Himself set up.  If we are ever to see real success in ourselves, and in our ministry, perhaps we should return and examine what we have lost.  Peter took the time to discuss “the first church”, as he recalled the plans of Jesus for John Mark to record.  Mark recorded these ideas and plans in his gospel in chapter six beginning in verse 7 saying … “And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;”  In this initial description is buried a whole host of truths that have traditionally escaped our grasp.  First, consider who was chosen to begin to share in the ministry of Christ, the twelve earliest followers.  This event is happening VERY early in the ministry of Christ.  It is NOT happening AFTER the ascension, or even the crucifixion.  At this point in His ministry (and we are only 6 chapters into the book), the disciples have only ONE doctrine they are fairly certain about … the identity of Jesus Christ.

Think about it.  These first 12 followers are decidedly NOT scriptural scholars, and in point of fact, are not being called to go out and read scripture to those who would listen.  There are not a set of standard doctrines to go share, not even about the mission of the Messiah, as nearly ALL of the disciples are still WRONG about what they think that mission is.  These men are NOT perfect.  They are still sinners, not freed from every wrong doing as yet.  These events are occurring before the day of Pentecost, and language may still be a barrier.  In point of fact, if this is the first great commission for mission into the fields, a formal set of doctrines seems to be completely absent … as is a solid scriptural explanation and interpretation for what they are doing.  The only thing they are fairly certain about is the identity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

Second, consider that despite their deep spiritual misunderstandings of the true mission of the Messiah, and their continued interest (greed), in being the “number two” in His Kingdom, they are STILL given power by Jesus Christ over “unclean spirits”.  The enemy of souls, the true enemy of redemption and salvation for the children of God, are NOT the Children themselves, they are the devil and his compatriots.  The power granted to the 12, is not the power to condemn mankind, but to free mankind from the influence of its true enemy.  Mankind is the target audience.  Mankind’s redemption through Jesus Christ the only Son of God is the product.  You cannot condemn the audience of this message, and expect it to see the wisdom and love in salvation.  The power over unclean spirits, was meant to free the bondage of mankind to demonic influences and addiction to sin.  Our enemy was and remains Satan.  Our enemy was and remains self.  The first power offered in the ministry and service of Christ, was to free mankind from the undue influence of the supernatural.

Third, consider the method in which the 12 were to be sent out to the surrounding world.  To cover the broadest area and reach the most people possible, they should have been sent out alone in 12 different directions.  Instead, Christ cuts down the opportunity by half, in order to pair disciples 2-by-2 and send them out.  Why?.  Could it be, that our picture of the identity of Christ is incomplete when we view Him only through our own eyes?  Could it be, that to truly present a better truth about Jesus, we need more than our own opinion, we need to see Him through the eyes of another?  Perhaps the only way to avoid the temptation of ego, even when serving Christ, is to have a partner with whom we must share the credit.  Perhaps the only way to make an enlightened decision of where to go next, and what to do next, is to value the opinions and prayers of someone other than ourselves.  When 2 form a consensus, and in unity reach out, miracles occur.  When we attempt to go solo … we often fail.  Protection from non-believers was not the primary consideration for pairing disciples, for God alone can take care of our security and other needs, as Peter was about to recall.

John Mark continues transcribing in verse 8 saying … “And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: [verse 9] But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.”  This “command” is a departure from everything we know.  It lacks all common sense, and reveals a complete lack of sensible preparation.  The disciples were to carry literally nothing with them that could help their efforts except the single set of clothes that they were wearing, a pair of sandals, and a staff.  They could not even take an extra coat in case it got cold.  No money at all.  No sack lunch or canteen.  Why on earth, would Jesus effectively disarm the disciples to the point where it is impossible to sustain themselves and then ask them to go out and do ministry works?  Parents, even today, insure their children have lunch in school before they send them out the door.  We put coats on our children if we suspect rain or snow is coming.  And when going on a trip ourselves, we “pack” everything we think we are going to need, or want, in order to enjoy where we are going.  Not so, with Jesus, and the first church.  They were to take nothing … but the power Christ had put within them, and the knowledge of His true identity.

Sending disciples into a hostile world with nothing that could help them sustain themselves … has the direct impact of focusing your need.  It brings into acute focus that you MUST depend upon God in order to be sustained, because you have no other choice.  The biggest danger within the gospel ministry is the idea that we can somehow sustain ourselves.  The biggest danger to our redemption and reclamation is the idea that we can somehow take care of ourselves and our sins.  The cancer-of-thought that allows us to believe we bring something of our own of value into the ministry, is the corrosive corruption of self entering into the gospel, and disabling it.  We bring nothing of value.  We have nothing of value to offer except the power Christ imparts, and our certainty about His identity.  The Disciples of Christ will by necessity demonstrate a dependence on God that none around them have to do.  The people they will encounter are workers, providing for themselves and their families.  Those people think they are sustaining themselves, but the living example of the disciples runs counter to that notion.  The disciples have nothing but their faith in the identity of Jesus Christ, and His assurance He will take care of them, because He loves them.  They need nothing else.

So many Adventists, and Christians of other faiths, believe they must prepare for the end of the world, by purchasing homes in the country, and burying food in the caves.  These believers have mistaken the ideas of preparedness (like an intimate proximity to Christ), with instead a hoarder philosophy to empty the supermarket.  In short, they deny God the opportunity to provide for their needs, presuming they can take care of these needs themselves.  They further presume they can predict where they will be when the end comes, and will have access to the food, shelter, and supplies they have prepared for just this occasion.  What they omit, is that the mission of ministry is to save that which is lost, not to run and hide from it.  A deep abiding love for others, such as Christ has, does not forsake that which is in need, in order to preserve self.  Instead self is sacrificed in order to spread love to those who need it most.  Our efforts to prepare and hoard, do not testify of our dependence upon God, they blaspheme it.

The admonition from Christ continues in verse 10 saying … “And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.”  The disciples were to be humble above all things.  The disciples would have to swallow all notions of pride and accept the charity of anyone willing to house them, and feed them during their time of ministry, wherever they found themselves.  This would accomplish two goals.  It would serve to constantly remind the disciples of their dependence upon God, while at the same time, showing them (and us) that the love of God is reflected in our world through the love of one family to another.  Manna did not descend from heaven to feed the disciples, instead the charity of working families filled that role.  The love of God for His servants was to be found in those who barely knew His name.  The family who provided this charity, would in turn find the blessings of our God upon them.  It is in giving we come to know God.  It is in providing for those in need that we begin to see who Jesus Christ truly is.  This charity was not demanded of the audience, it was an opportunity to be blessed by those who offered it.

But in the world of sin, where Satan is bent on our destruction, there is not always a family willing to listen and love.  Sometimes, no matter the power over unclean spirits, the hearts of man remain stone, and refuse to even want to be something different.  Christ offers council on what to do if that occurs as John Mark continues His admonitions in verse 11 saying … “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”  You will notice the disciples are not to curse those who will not listen, or in fact, say ANYTHING that would be insulting, condemning, or judgmental.  The issue is not one of proving you are right.  The issue is not one of being empowered to condemn and seal the fate of those who would refuse to listen.  The issue is one to make a statement in the silent actions of shaking the dust off of your feet.  The disciples were to symbolically distance themselves from those who “refuse to hear”.

This symbolic action was NOT reserved for those with different doctrines.  It was not meant as a gesture between one Christian and another over disputes over matters of faith.  It was meant for those who will not accept the identity of Jesus Christ.  NONE of the disciples had their doctrines straight yet anyway, it would be pointless to argue them with each other.  They were unified in only the matter of the identity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.  Even the symbolic gesture of distancing one’s self from those who refuse to accept the identity of Jesus was meant to be a “warning” against them, not a final declaration that they had no hope.  If they repented, or if they changed their mind, they could still find the same redemption you and I do.  But we should be equally on guard.  It is a warning to us, that other religions that espouse “spiritualty” and “good works for others” but do so absent Jesus Christ, are a danger to us as well.  It is not the doctrines of Christianity that are absolute, or all supreme, it is the savior found in Jesus Christ that is.  There is only one Son of God, not many.  There is only one path to God, not many.  The warning functions in two ways.

Finally, John Mark records what the results of listening to Jesus Christ were in these first evangelistic efforts beginning in verse 12 saying … “And they went out, and preached that men should repent. [verse 13] And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.”  The disciples went out preaching a message of repentance.  They asked their listeners to repent of self-styled salvation, and have faith in the name of Jesus Christ to save them.  In the name and power of Jesus Christ, they anointed the sick and healed them, just like their Savior.  This was not an extension of the temple services.  This was not the Jewish faith experiencing some sort of Renaissance and revival, where general Rabbi’s started performing miraculous works based on their deep understanding of scriptures and the Torah.  It was instead, 12 simple laborers, who through espousing the name of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, were performing the same acts of love that Christ did.

12 imperfect followers, who did not understand scriptures well, and did not have doctrinal perfection, preached only repentance, humility, and belief in Jesus Christ as the Messiah … and that was more than enough for success.  They could not provide for themselves, because Christ specifically commanded that they should not even attempt to do so.  They were wholly reliant on the charity of others.  They were not professional speakers, or teachers.  They were simple men.  They had only one sure fact, the identity of the Savior of our world.  But fully dependent on God, they were successful in emulating the deeds of their Lord and Master through His Name and His power.  If we are to experience the opportunity Christ offers to share in His ministry, perhaps we should rethink entirely what our message is, and how we should deliver it.  Perhaps we should rethink where our sustenance comes from, and how wholly dependent we truly are, rather than falsely assume it comes from our own efforts.  Perhaps we should engage in ministry in partnerships with another person, in order to better present the picture of Christ, the world is in need to see.  Could that person be our spouse, or our children, or our co-worker?

Opportunity can knock again at the door of the world, in the hearts of those who have not heard, or do not understand.  But the sales team, needs to re-examine how it will attempt to present these ideas, and focus on the singular most important one … the identity of Jesus Christ as the only Son of God.  We are not in need of human intercessors, Papal Pontiffs, or a reliance on the clergy for spiritual enlightenment.  We are simply in need of repentance, humility, dependence, and charity.  If we can offer these things to the world, perhaps we can find a new era of opportunity that can penetrate social media boundaries, overcome electronic distances, and enter straight into the hearts of those who need it the most.