Some People Test the Jesus in Me

I saw a shirt this summer that said: Some People Test the Jesus in Me. I thought it was hilarious and showed it to Kathy and her response was something like-you can't wear that. I thought to myself that not only could I wear it but I could wear it at church and there was a good sermon message in that statement. So Kathy made me the shirt and I preached about that statement a couple of weeks ago. Here are some thoughts from that message.

Some people irritate each of us in certain ways. Some people who are punctual get frustrated when others don't respect other peoples time. People who are hard workers get frustrated with those who do the bare minimum just to get by. Others get frustrated when someone spends 1/3 of the time on a seminary paper and gets a better grade. All of these examples apply to me from time to time. We all have that person who tests are patience and gets on our nerves more than others. That person who does things differently that makes us shake our head, roll our eyes, grit our teeth, or clench our fists. When people frustrate me it tests my ability to be nice.

Well what if someone tested Jesus? How would He respond? There's a story in Matthew 15:21-28 where Jesus is tested:

From there Jesus went to the regions of Tyre and Sidon. A canaanite woman from those territories came out and shouted, "Show we mercy, Son of David. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession." But he didn't respond to her at all. His disciples came and urged him, "Send her away; she keeps shouting out after us." Jesus replied, "I've been sent only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel. But she knelt before him and said, "Lord, help me." He replied, "It is not good to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord. But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall off their masters' table. Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith. It will be just as you wish." And right then her daughter was healed.

Jesus does not seem to respond in a way I typically view Jesus. First, he ignores her cries for help. Second, he says his message is only for the Lost sheep of Israel. Third, he uses a metaphor and tells her that food for the children should not be thrown to the dogs. The women is marginalized and Jesus doesn't seem to have time for her, is dismissive, and insults her. So what do I do with this? At first glance Jesus' response is troubling and brings up troubling questions. Was Jesus having a bad day? Was Jesus being rude? Was Jesus simply in a hurry to get to where he was planning on going? Or was Jesus testing the woman's faith?

But further thinking, study, and discussion allows this text to help my understanding of Jesus and strengthen my faith. First, it shows me the humanity of Jesus. I think if someone was shouting at me I would at first ignore them and then probably try and walk away as fast as I could without even hearing them. I would probably respond in a similar way to how Jesus responds here. Second, this text helps me because Jesus responds in a way that I would not expect and today Jesus does not always come through in the way that we expect. Honest reflection and questions help to strengthen us as disciples of Christ. Perhaps this was a reminder in Jesus' ministry about the gospel message being for everyone. Maybe a reminder to the disciples (who wanted to send the woman away). Or maybe a reminder to Jesus himself about his own gospel.

We all have people who test us and who try our patience. It's going to happen. It's not important that others test us but it is important how we ultimately respond. Ultimately, Jesus responded with grace, mercy, and compassion. How will you respond when people "test" you?

Grace & Peace
Kevin

Jesus Took Naps. Be Like Jesus!!

I saw a shirt online that said: Jesus Takes Naps. Be Like Jesus. I thought to myself: Wow, I want to be like Jesus and I like to take naps too. What are the odds? I often take naps on Sunday afternoons after preaching simply to refresh my body. But what exactly does napping have to do with Jesus? I would venture to say that when we are asked what we can do to be like Jesus that very few people would say that the way to be like Jesus is to take naps. We know about Jesus retreating to places for solitude and talking about the importance of Sabbath but specifically about Jesus napping? Well naturally I had to research this idea. At the bottom of the shirt I saw there was a bible verse-Mark 4:38

But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, "Teacher, don't you care that we're drowning?"

This verse is in the middle of the story where Jesus calms the storm. But why is Jesus napping? Shouldn't Jesus be more concerned with what is going on? It's helpful to look at the context of what is going on here. Jesus has spent the day explaining that parables are about God's kingdom. Among the parables he has shared are the parable about the lamp (about everything that is hidden must be revealed), the parable of the sower (scattering seeds so that some will take root), and the parable of the mustard seed (the smallest seed becomes the biggest plant). So to this point Jesus has had a long day. And now, him and the disciples are going to get into a boat and head to the other side of the lake where Jesus will speak to the Gentiles. So I think it is safe to say that Jesus has earned a nap not only for what he has done but also for what he will do later in the day.

So we get to the point where Jesus is in the boat napping while a storm rages. And you have the disciples wake him up asking if he "cares that we're drowning?" So Jesus gets up and says:

"Silence! Be Still!" The wind settled down and there was great calm. Jesus asked them, "Why are you frightened? Don't you have faith yet?"

Hmmm. The disciples are anxious and are worried about "drowning" and Jesus simply calms the storm. Then he asks about their faith. Perhaps this drowning is not only about drowning in the boat but also about the disciples drowning spiritually. They are "drowning" because they don't have the necessary faith...yet. Often we have storms in our lives, in our communities, in our nation, and in our world. As humans I believe there is a tendency to become anxious much like the disciples. But we must have faith. A faith that allow us to be calm in the midst of life's storms. Something that is sometimes quite difficult today with everything going on around us. Just this last weekend we had another mass shooting, this time in a small church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. And then two days later TCU was on lockdown due to an armed person on campus. Both of these events gave me anxiety because I serve two small churches in Texas and I attend TCU. But even in times like these, faithful discipleship requires us to be like Jesus. Jesus calming the storm reminds me that we should strive to be calm in stressful and anxious situations. The fears and anxieties we have need not consume us. They need not paralyze us. There are things to be fearful and anxious about. We can very easily exist in a state of constant anxiety or we can have faith and be aware that Jesus is with us in that boat. We can remember that Jesus is able to calm the storm and if we put our faith in Jesus we can  have peace in anxious situations because Jesus gives us that peace. So we can be like Jesus by being calm.

When anxiety and fear come your way how will you respond? Will you respond with anxiety like the disciples? Or will you respond with the calm of Jesus?

Grace & Peace
Kevin