Cheap Faith

“Is it not written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer for all nations?’ But you have made it “a den of robbers.'” Mark 11:17

For me, this is one of the most compelling moments in Jesus’ ministry. His words, and more significantly, his actions in this moment lead us to draw a variety of conclusions. This event occurs in all four gospels, though it is believed John’s account is a cleansing that occurred early in Jesus’ ministry. Quite frankly, I think this moment leaves us with more questions than answers.

What I like most about this moment is it forces us to come face to face with a messy image of Jesus, unlike the one where he is standing in austere holiness with two fingers raised in a crook-wristed sign of blessing. This is passionate Jesus, whip in hand, sweat dripping from his brow, his hair a mess, dust around his nostrils from the absolute shambles he’s made of the outer temple court and the stampeding animals. This is Jesus, real and raw, far from the sterilization of time and cultural cleansing.

We make a big deal of how Jesus was 100% God and 100% man, mostly to explain some of the more unexplainable nuances of his identity… and we tend to fixate on the 100% God part of the equation. This is the other side of the coin. This was the human Jesus. A picture of righteous indignation that would not be popular in today’s world… no more popular than he was in his own. For a moment, we get to see the human side of our Savior, as he loses his cool and lashes out at something that strikes him as so personally offensive.

But what bothered Jesus so much about that moment? Believe me, I’ve thought about this one a lot. As I was working on this quote in my head, I thought about making the title “Jesus the Terrorist” and focusing on what he did and how “out of character” it seems to be from most people’s concept of who Jesus was. But then, my thoughts turned to the “why” instead of the “how.”

Jesus’ choice of words indicate that he thought the actions in the marketplace were stealing something… making it a place where robbers lived and breathed. Quite a few people feel as though his anger had to do with the commercial practices of the priests in that they would cheat people out of money by charging exhorbinant prices for animals and a ridiculous exchange rate for foreign currency. But I wonder… would Jesus have really been that upset about money? Would he really have been so offended by the unethical practices of a religious establishment he knew inside and out, just because of money? What could the religious order have been “stealing” that would have so passionately angered Jesus?

Sacrifice is defined as “An act of offering [to a deity] something precious…” In God’s economy, the sacrifices brought were meant to signify the first and best fruits of your labor, whether animal or harvest. Sacrifice was supposed to be personal. Sacrifice was supposed to cost you something other than a little green from your wallet. How “precious” was an animal you just purchased moments before the animal was then offered up to God? The religious establishment was stealing the value of the sacrifice… they were propagating cheap, easy faith. Faith that could walk in, write a check, and walk out with a sated conscious.

Considering the price HE would pay, Jesus was infuriated by the possibility of a faith that cost nothing precious.

I’ve often marveled at the consumer nature of the church in America. Have we cultivated a faith that calls us to sacrifice that which is most precious to us? Or have we built our churches like the popular fast-food chains, offering a value menu that only requires our least valuable resources to be offered in order to feel as though we have satisfied our obligations? Have we fattened ourselves on the empty calories of cheap faith while others have made sacrifices of the precious, so much so that we have turned our heads and muttered about their lack of sanity?

It’s no longer about the animals… It’s about something else we value far above everything else. It’s about giving up our most precious right: our right to ourselves.

Are we willing to make that sacrifice? Or are we willing to live with cheap faith?

Preparing a place…

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” John 14:2 (ESV)

Of the many exceptional qualities of Jesus, two stand out for me. First, Jesus was amazing at initiating and nurturing meaningful, life-altering relationships. Secondly, Jesus was a brilliant communicator who sculpted words in such a way as to make the most complex ideas understandable to the common person.

For me, this verse is an intersection of the two.

In the perspective of relationship, Jesus’ words here seal his connection with these men and all the rest of humanity as he goes before us. Here we are, nearing the end of Jesus’ ministry and he has been clearly explaining to the disciples, these men who have lived and worked side by side with him over the past three years, that the end of his time is near. We are literally hours from mission completion. In the last few moments: Jesus has washed the feet of eleven of the disciples (I don’t believe Jesus washed Judas’ feet), and sealed his spiritual authority over them; he has talked about his betrayal at the hands of one of their own; he has shared that God’s glory is about to be revealed and reflected in the son; and explained that he is going away… going somewhere they can’t follow him now… later, but not now. Any portion of the experience I just outlined is filled with heady, mind-blowing stuff (that I’m sure we’ll talk about sometime). Then he plays the ultimate relationship card with “Trust me” in 14:1. Trust is the premium currency of relationships, and Jesus exchanges in it with the assurance of an outcome each of those men desired: there’s room for you where I’m going, I just have to get things ready.

Did these men understand? I don’t think so. But their relationship with Jesus was enough to propel them forward unknowing of what the ultimate outcome might be. Jesus said there’s room for us, and he’s getting things ready. Tell us more… tell us more… He didn’t, and they still went with him to the garden. They still followed him to Golgotha. They still put him in the tomb and waited to see what would happen next, even after every conceivable possibility of Jesus’ triumph had been erased and their hope hung on the inconceivable. Their relationship with him held them in anticipation.

As a communicator, Jesus had the arduous task of taking the unknown and the unseen and making it known and seeable, if only in the mind’s eye of the listener. More often than not, Jesus found himself talking about the kingdom of God, attempting to relate the things with which his audience was familiar to the principles and concepts involved in God’s economy.

So, when I look at this verse, I once again see Jesus taking something familiar- a home, a room, a place to dwell- and relating it to something they could not fathom- where Jesus was headed… where we’re all headed… once we leave this life.

Now, if you’re a concrete thinker and you have yourself believing that Jesus was talking about an actual, many-roomed mansion on one of the streets of gold, next to the crystal sea, in heaven’s zip code, you might want to think again. Jesus used this imagery, not because heaven has actual streets paved with actual gold, but because he wanted to communicate the rich abundance of the experiences that God has waiting for us beyond this life. To do this, he used the items of great value present in the world of those to whom he was speaking.

In Jesus’ day, the typical family home was about 1500 sq. ft. and several generations of a family would occupy that space, sometime in excess of 100 relatives. It may have been crowded, hot, or noisy, but home was alway the place you belonged, the place you were welcomed. In God’s house, there are many rooms. Many families, many people, and an abundance of space for all to be included. Jesus capitalizes on an experience we all have, the family dwelling place, and uses it to explain the vast, inclusive, dwelling place of God, where all are welcomed.

Communication, within the context of relationship, creates meaning based on common experiences and influences. As Jesus spoke in those relationships then, and in his relationships now, he gathers his listeners close in anticipation of what he might say and how what he says will change their lives.

Our relationship with him holds us in anticipation of where he’s taking us, both IN this life and in what comes after it.

File BANKRUPTCY

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” Matthew 5:3 (NLT)

People who don’t know they have a problem, will never search for a solution.

Bankruptcy is the solution to a problem… It isn’t a desirable outcome of unpleasant financial circumstances, but it brings solvency to the crushing weight of insurmountable debt. There are a ton of emotional markers to the experience, and those who must file in order to bring relief experience guilt, shame, and frustration before ultimately feeling any peace.

Some years ago, I left a lucrative position in the service industry to return to the classroom as a teacher. While the position I held was financially fulfilling, it was nothing like the experiences I have being involved in making a difference in the lives of young people. In the transition back to doing what I loved to do, we took a significant pay cut and found ourselves in dire straights, financially.

One creditor in particular was unrelenting. We made our circumstances known and attempted to make arrangements on our obligations, but they were unwilling to work with us. Within a few months, they had filed suit against us and were calling us into court to demand repayment of the few thousand dollars we owed them.

A court’s decision in our creditor’s favor would have given them the ability to take 50% of my monthly income in order to satisfy the debt we owed. This would have crushed us financially in our efforts to support our family. I still had children to feed, and losing half of my income for several months, not to mention the cost of legal representation and traveling back and forth for court appearances would have been unbearable.

We had a problem… so we searched for a solution. Being willing to file bankruptcy put us at the court’s mercy to dissolve significant portions of our debt load. It wasn’t easy. There were a flood of negative feelings that came from being in that position. But that choice saved my family from certain ruin.

We have a need that is so great, so significant… and there is so much more at stake than our financial future and solvency…

We NEED God.

But so many of us rationalize this need away to nothing and are never willing to acknowledge it or search for the solution. It’s like thinking that living with undiagnosed cancer makes you healthy.

We have an unrelenting debtor who wants to exact the ultimate price from us, and as long as we go unwilling to recognize our need for relief from this debt, we will never seek God or the solution he offers. In HIS court, our debt is dissolved and we find ultimate freedom and peace. But there are emotional markers of arrogance and disdain that come long before we find that humility and obedience. Coming to God and surrendering ourselves to him goes against everything we think we know. But surrender brings relief and purpose.

God blesses those who recognize their absolute and utter need for him. You face a debt you could never pay on your own. I KNOW how that feels… File bankruptcy, acknowledge your NEED, and find the blessings God has for you… His Kingdom, here and now.

 

WINNING to lose.

“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Mark 8:36

Interestingly enough, the very first time I heard this phrase, it was not attributed to Jesus. In my early twenties, I had an older friend who, at the time, I believed was a very wise and helpful individual. He always had some great stories for me about his own experiences in Hollywood, and would very commonly drop some names of some VERY significant stars from past generations that he claimed to know well. With all he appeared to have going for him, for some reason, he wasn’t willing to attribute this quote to the most significant person I would EVER come to know.

What Jesus is saying here is pretty clear, and I think any one of us could come up with multiple examples of individuals who seemed to have it all, but were losing out on the ONE THING that gives us true significance and success: a personal relationship with Jesus himself.

In the business marketplace, in the entertainment industry, even within the walls of church leadership, there are those who seem to have it all together and are striving for their dreams, but have allowed their pursuit of that dream get in the way off EVERYTHING else, at the COST of everything else. While taking those risks may result in their lives being broken, their financial accounts bankrupt, their families destroyed, and their legacy corrupt… How much worse is it for them to end up never truly finding Christ and experiencing his redemption at the cross in their own personal lives?

That is the greatest tragedy, to gain everything that can be gained in a life of prosperity and comfort, only to miss out on the one thing that could truly transform your life and the lives of those around you. Certainly there are many individuals with a strong personal faith and a prosperous life, and I’m not saying that the one excludes the possibility of the other… we just have to be sure that we have the one well in focus while we pursue the other.

So, to put into now infamous terms, are you “WINNING!!!”? …at what cost?

You CAN Take It With You

“I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matt. 28:18-19 (NLT)

Back when I worked in “part-time student ministry,” (my life is actually student ministry because I teach high school) I had a Bible software program that allowed me to look at the root meanings of every word within a verse in its original language. I loved to do this exercise with verses because by exploring original word meanings, I was able to unlock a depth of meaning far beyond what I was grasping at first reading.

When I explored the verses that make up “The Great Commission,” I was blown away by the simplicity of the verse and the fact that the emphasis of the verse was not at all on the verb “go” but on the verb “make.” In the verse, what we see culturally as an emphatic “GO” that drives the mission work of so many churches and organizations is actually a command to do something while you go or as you live your life.

I think many have used the cultural emphasis on “GO” as an “opt-out” for possessing a missional mindset. If we can’t afford to go on mission ventures or join mission organizations and surrender our lives for service, we find comfort in giving our money to such causes, then walking away with that item “checked off the list.”

If that’s you, you have failed the command given to EVERYONE who is a Christ-follower. Because Jesus command emphasizes our need to do this “disciple-making” (which obviously comes first) and this “baptizing” while we are going about the daily living of our lives. The emphasis is on “DO IT,” and not “GO.”

Now, obviously, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be involved in missions work or that missions work is unbiblical or whatever… But I am saying mission work and being missional involves YOU where you are right now. You might not ever get to Zambia or Guatemala, but you are standing in the line at Walmart and you strike up a conversation that leads to a relationship in which you share Christ (notice I said relationship before share) and the person with whom you’ve shared eventually makes a decision that they need to go someplace and carry the Gospel with them there. That’s how you actively participate in getting to “all nations,” not by simply writing a check and checking a box.

Go… while you are living your life right now; make disciples… share Jesus through your actions and your words so that other people can do it, too; baptize them… help bring them to a place where they want to identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ. This is active work for you… right now… wherever you are.

Jesus GPS

“Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house, doing my Father’s business?” Luke 2:49

It seemed appropriate to begin in the beginning, not with the first statement Jesus makes in the Gospels, but with his earliest recorded statement.

I’m not going to go through the whole circumstances here, you can read it for yourself, but the questions Jesus asked of his earthly mother and father, stir a question in me:

Where do you find Jesus?

Today, I pulled up Google Navigator on my phone, plugged in an address, and the application led me precisely to my desired destination. Now, the process wasn’t perfect, because at some point, the application froze and I had to restart it, realizing the necessity for a u-turn to get me back headed in the right direction.

I don’t have Jesus GPS, so finding Jesus in daily life is a lot like losing your kid in a busy marketplace and taking what seems like three days to figure out where the little rascal went. Well, maybe it’s not that difficult, but there’s a lot out there that LOOKS like Jesus, but isn’t. Many things are said and done in the name of Jesus that I think are complete misrepresentations of who he is at best, or downright hateful and mean at worst…

So where do you find Jesus?

Look for his Father’s business, being done in earnest passion, and that’s where I think you’ll find Jesus.

So, what’s his Father’s business? Well, it isn’t crusading violence or judgmental rhetoric… remember “loving God and loving people?”

Find where those two things are being authentically lived out, and there you will find Jesus.