July 25, 1999
Sunday: ST James the Elder, Apostle
Scripture: Mark 10:35-45; Acts 11:27-12:3
LIVING THE PARADOX
"Teacher, we want you to do for us..." (Mark 10:25)
Every Sunday morning, without exception, one of the greatest temptations that I regularly face as a Christian arrives at my front door. More than anything, this weekly arrival symbolizes a ongoing temptation that, I believe, we all face to one degree or another - the arrival is the Sunday newspaper!
I don't know what percentage of the newspaper is devoted to advertising, but it looks to me like at least 50%. But no matter what the percentage, it is a lot! And, as I look through it, most of it appeals not to my needs, not to the things I need to sustain my life, but most of it appeals to my wants; most of it entices my passions and my desires.
In fact, the strategy of the advertising industry is to stimulate not my needs, but to stimulate my wants/my passions/my desires in such a way to get me to thinking and to believing that what I want is what I truly need - to see the two as being synonymous! And when that is accomplished they have won me over - and I, and my wallet, are putty in their hands.
For example: Now, I certainly NEED a car. I cannot function effectively without reliable, personal transportation. But, I probably don't need a Chrysler 300M or a Dodge RAM 2500 with an extended cab, long bed and a shell which are what I secretly desire (what I want) in my heart of hearts.
I'm sure you know how this works!
You go to a fast food restaurant and after you place your order you're immediately asked if you want to "up-size" to Biggie fries or a Jumbo drink or Biggie burger or whatever! What's going on? Well, what's going on is the line between what I need and what I want are being intentionally blurred so that I might surrender to my desires, and consume many more calories and much more fat than is healthy for my body. If I succumb, the fast food restaurant has more of my money, and I have a larger waistline.
Now, there is some hopeful good news. When I'm tempted to confuse my wants with my needs through whatever form (medium) that temptation comes, very frequently I literally hear the very tender and beautiful voice of God speaking to me, helping me discern the difference between my wants and my needs. And it's a audible voice! It's not a voice I only hear, figuratively speaking, in my head or my heart, but I literally hear God's voice audibly with my ears - and what's amazing is, at those moments of weakness, God's voice bears a striking resemblance to the kind and gracious voice of my beloved wife, Marcia! And that's good, that is so very good and I mean it, for without that tender, dear, kind, gracious voice I would be a lost soul on this particular matter of confusing my needs with my wants!
You see, I believe that Christians are called to take this issue very seriously, because Jesus took it seriously. I believe that Christians must wrestle(contend) with this, for every day, and every hour, we are bombarded with the message that proclaims that the way to fulfillment, the way to real happiness, the way to meaning and fullest satisfaction is to advance the agenda of our wants and our desires - whatever they may be! And, it is so easy to be deceived into believing it is the ultimate truth!
Now, this is not a new thing folks! This is not new at all! Take James and John. James and John came to Jesus with an astounding and even presumptuous request! And if we use our imaginations a little we get a glimpse of how enormously and graciously patient Jesus often had to be with these guys - and then I'm reminded how enormously and graciously patient Jesus often has to be with me, and perhaps also with you!
"Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you!"
You can almost see Jesus' eyebrows raise a bit; perhaps a contrived look of surprise comes over his face, "Oh you do, do you? And just what is it that you want me to do for you?" And then with straight and serious faces, with bold confidence, as if they thought he would be impressed with their request, they say, "Why, to sit at your right hand and your left when you come into your glory." James and John saw Jesus as merely a glorious opportunity to advance the cause of their wants, desires and passions. And what was it that they so passionately desired? "to sit at his right and left hand" - decoded it means they desired POWER and SECURITY. You see, they're really not so different from you and me. For at the core of it, when we peel away all the layers of camouflage we put up, these are also the things that we desire (want), POWER and SECURITY.
POWER defined as: the ability to control people and circumstances in such a way as so my agenda is advanced.
I've council a lot of troubled couples in my 23 years of ministry, and the core issues most frequently are issues of power and control), or the church family (The power struggles manifest there are some of the worst because it's all done in the name of God), or the office, or the school, or the social group, or the neighborhood, or the community -- the ability to control people and circumstance in such a way as my agenda is advanced - that's how we define POWER! - and James and John wanted/desired/and had a passion for that kind of power, and so do you and I. Oh, we may not be as crass and straightforward as James and John, we are very apt to be more subtle about it.
And then security: SECURITY defined as: feeling protected from vulnerability and insulated from all that we fear. Most of us don't like to cross over that boundary of unnecessary risk. If we do, it is usually carefully calculated and cautiously measured and the risks minimized. Like James and John we desire to feel safe and insulated from that which may harm us, from that which we fear.
You would have thought they would have know better than to make such a request, after all, by this time James and John they had been with Jesus for perhaps two or even three years. According to Mark this occurred not long before he entered Jerusalem for the last time. They had followed him, heard him preach, and teach; had seen him cast out demons, embrace the lepers, admonish the religiously arrogant, feed the 5000, heal the sick, and raise the dead! They were a part of his inner circle. How many nights had they sat around the fire talking heart to heart about the matters of the Kingdom of God? And now after all of that time and all of that talk, and all of that mentoring the most significant thing that Jesus represented to James and John was an opportunity to advance their own agenda - to relate to Jesus in such a way as to get what they wanted - POWER and SECURITY!
It's amazing Jesus didn't lose his cool and blast the two of them like he had blasted
Peter not long before if you remember, when Peter tried to block Jesus' road to the cross.
And Jesus got right "up-close" in Peter's face, looked him in the eye and said, GET
BEHIND ME SATAN!" (You are an obstacle to the agenda of God) But this
time he didn't do that. He went easier on James and John, for somehow I believe Jesus knew
that sooner or later these two were going to get with the program and understand! "The
cup that I drink, you will drink..." he told them! And, of course, he
was referring to the cup of the cross!
There's a story, a parable really, about a man who loved antiques.
One day in an antique shop he was intrigued to discover what appeared to be a large
full-length mirror, but he couldn't tell for sure because it was covered with a sheet with
a note pinned on it saying, "Do Not Remove!"
He was curious and asked the store-keeper about it and the store-keeper said, "You wouldn't believe me if I did tell you!"
"Tell me anyway," he demanded as he was a man used to getting his own way.
Somewhat intimidated the owner said, "Alright! Under the sheet is a mirror. The story is that this mirror will only reflect that part of you that is ALIVE IN GOD. I keep it covered because it's proven to be bad for business. People look in the mirror and don't see what they expect and they run out the door! It's been bad for business!"
"I demand to look into the mirror," bellowed the man, and he continued demanding and wouldn't take no for an answer!
So finally the store owner relented, and he peeled away the sheet covering the mirror.
But before the man stepped in front of the mirror he made a mental note trying to recall if his church pledge was up-to-date. Remembering that it was, he then stepped confidently in front of the mirror.
"I don't understand!" said the man. "I don't see a thing!" He looked up and down the mirror, and then way down at the very bottom of the mirror he saw something, just one tiny part of his left shoe - right by his left big toe.
"That's all there is?" he asked.
"I guess that's all for now!" replied the store-keeper.
"You mean it can change?" asked the man.
"Yes, some say so!" said the owner.
"Name your price for the mirror!" said the man.
The shop-keeper at first didn't want to sell it, but the man insisted and finally the shop-keeper saw an opportunity to get rid of this mirror that had been bad for business. So they negotiated a price and the man took the mirror home.
Many times each day the man stood in front of the mirror, but nothing ever changed - only a portion of the big toe of his left foot was visible.
He tried everything to change the reflection in the mirror.
HE STOOD IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR:
- in a $2000 tailored suit. - Nothing!
- with all of his bank and stock broker statements. - No change!
- with his recognition plaque for achievement at work. - Nothing!
- with his award from the service club for his help on special community project. -Still the same!
- with a certificate of dismissal from a highly respected psychotherapist.
- after having gone to church twice a week for three consecutive months.
He tried everything he could think of, but nothing! Zero! All he could see was his big toe - and it seemed as if even that now was fading! And he was worried! Upset!
As a last resort, he liquidated all of his assets and he gave away 3/4 of all his wealth to charity, and then he stood in front of the mirror - NOTHING had changed - just the sliver of his left big toe!
Finally there was nothing left for him to do. He had no ideas; nothing more to offer the mirror. He was emotionally, physically, spiritually exhausted! As he stood there in front of the mirror that reflected now nothing but a barely visible speck of left toe, in his exhaustion he became overwhelmed with despair and broke down in front of the mirror and he wept. He collapsed to his knees and he wept for his weakness and his emptiness. He literally shook as he wept out of grief and frustration and despair. He wept for reasons he didn't even understand. And, as he lay in front of the mirror a broken and defeated man, something happened! He began let go! He let go of his need to be in control of everything all of the time. He let go of his need to feel secure and comfortable. He let go of his insistence of trying to impress the mirror - and then he began to open his heart to how the Mystery of the Mirror desired to be known. Finally, emptied of all pretense and devoid of any personal agenda he lay prostrate and silent before the mirror.
He remained in front of that mirror for a long, long time on his
knees with his head in his hands feeling like a defeated man. Finally he began to raise
his head, and as he raised his head he gazed into the mirror, and for the first time he
beheld the image of himself; a new and a different self - on his knees, with his tears and
red eyes - but there he was - all of him from head to toe - all of him for the first time
alive in God - all of him now ready to listen to God's agenda for he could hear it for the
first time, because his own agenda was silent - and he finally understood!
My dear friends, as long as the center of life is the advancement of the agenda of our wants and desires, even subtly manipulating our faith to accomplish that agenda - well, the mirror will not grant its reflection!
When we try to use Jesus to reinforce our desire to control others and feel safe - well, the mirror will not grant its reflection!
If we come before the Lord, all filled-up and over-stuffed with our wants and desires, expecting God to bless our schemes for power and security - there's no way we can ever be alive in God!, and ever be able to hear and comprehend the agenda of God!
You see, we Christians are called to believe and to participate in the greatest greatest PARADOX in the universe:
IT'S WHEN WE EMPTY OURSELVES, THAT WE ARE FILLED!
That's the mystery and PARADOX of the cross! That's why the cross stands as the central symbol of the truth of our faith.
Jesus told James, "The cup I drink you will drink!" - prophetic words indeed, for the Book of Acts, chapter 12 reveals that James in the end paid the ultimate price for his faith when Herod had him executed.
Like the man before the mirror, somewhere between Mark 10 and Acts 12 James came to know something he didn't know before. James finally let go of his quest for power and security, he emptied himself, and he stood humbly before God, silent and empty, and in that empty place God filed him, ad James took up a cross - the cross of his Lord Jesus Christ.
What he had come to know was that all the power and all the security in the world did not have the ability to really fill him; to bring him authentic joy, a lasting peace, and a divine purpose. The quest for power and security only left him more empty, more defensive, more fearful, and more alone than ever before!
I believe James finally trusted the PARADOX, and he lived the paradox, and he died in the paradox.
- that is he took up a cross in a world that so easily picks up a sword.
- he offered unconditional love to a world that lives by a million conditions.
- the only power he finally claimed was the power of suffering love in a world that only knows the power of coercion and manipulation.
- he chose the position of last in a world that is obsessed with being first.
- he became a servant in a world that wishes to master and to rule.
- James ultimately trusted the words of Jesus when he said, "Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it."
Perhaps a good question for each of us today is, "Which James do I most resemble? Which James do you most resemble? - the self-serving James of Mark 10? Or the self-giving James of Acts 12?"
If were honest we probably see shades and shadows of both all mixed together sort of fighting and tussling with one another; pulling us in different directions. But, I believe that's good. If you feel that struggle within in your life, I believe that's good, that's very good! That's good, because it means that the Lord is alive and active in your life and working within you to win his victories - to implant the PARADOX!
Like the man in the Parable of the Mirror, loosen the grip of your desires for power and security. Stand before the Lord empty, bringing nothing; in so emptying you will be filled with his good stuff - it's the Paradox of the cross!
Amen.
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