March 2010

Authentic v's Inauthentic Story

I came across this interesting statement in an article here. It comes from a speech given by Barry Lopez, an author and story teller from Oregon (USA), who was in Perth recently giving a series of talks.

...The distinction in prose between fiction and nonfiction, though logical and even useful, is not as important as the distinction between an authentic and an inauthentic story. An authentic story is about us. An inauthentic story is about the story teller, only the story teller.

The problem I have with this is that when you engage with the Story of God, you discover that it is simultaneously about the author and us. However, it got me thinking about the motive behind why we tell stories... and in particular God's Story.

Compassion In Action

I have been reflecting recently on Matthew 9:35-38.  What I notice about Jesus is that his compassion for the people came as a result of what he saw.  The result of his compassion, led him to act.  So it would seem that compassion is both an attitude and an action?  It is interesting to note that the Greek word from which the word compassion comes, literally means intestine.  In other words, compassion is an emotional response attached to the stomach. To use an Australian-ism…a gut feeling.  But what was it exactly that Jesus saw? What situation were these people in that caused Jesus to have such a strong emotional response? Verse 36 tells us:

...because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  

The word harassed … sometimes translated distressed… comes from a word that literally means to skin an animal.  In Jesus’ day, it was used to describe people who were bewildered or confused… people who were unable to make sense of what was happening to them, or what life was all about.  Think for a moment about the society in which Jesus lived.  The majority of the people were poor and somewhat socially disadvantaged.  They were living in a culture where there was a great deal of manipulation by the religious leaders.  They were politically insignificant, in many ways a people without a voice.  From a global perspective, the Palestine of Jesus’ day was nothing more than a backwater on the outer fringes of the mighty Roman Empire. 

But more than that, the people are described in verse 36 as helpless .  A better translation would be dispirited… which means thrown down or crushed. These were a people who were discouraged and without support… which might sound strange when you stop to think that we are talking about a culture that valued community and extended family networks. So how could it be, that in a society where social and family networks were so important, that the people still felt discouraged and without support? 

When Jesus looked at these people, he saw past their physical needs, deep into their hearts.  He saw people who were broken and hurting, not able to find the answers to the questions about what life was about.  He saw people who felt all alone in the world with no one to help them. These were a people who longed for a better way of life… yet could see no clear path up and out of their situation.   

Ultimately, what Jesus saw, was a people who had no shepherd… no one to lead them through life with direction and purpose, no one who would defend them or stand up for them, no one who would comfort them and give them hope for the future.  And in his gut... he had compassion for them.  But that’s not all he saw.  Verse 37 tells us that he also a plentiful harvest . 

Jesus was not overwhelmed by the sense of need… he was moved by it...  But he didn’t say, “This problem is too great, what can I do?”  He didn’t say, “This problem is not my problem.”  He didn’t say, “ I don’t really know these people.”  Instead, he said the harvest is plentiful.  Why did he say that?  What did he see that caused him to make such a statement?  What he saw was the need that these people had for a saviour… someone who would lift them out of their confusion and hopelessness… and deliver them into a new and better way of life. 

What Jesus saw was the very reason why he had come in the first place. 

Declaration of Autonomy

Been thinking about Genesis again lately, and have been reminded about two important realities…The first is that God made us with the intention of having a relationship with us. The second is that God gave us the ability to choose to love Him. In other words, He made us with the intention of having a relationship with us and He gave us the ability and the freedom to choose to love Him. This ability to choose love also means that we have the ability to choose obedience…

When (Eve) saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 2:6

The fact is, they chose to eat… but why?

Because they were deceived into believing that equality with God would be far better than a relationship with Him… and when they were presented with the choice of being like God or being with God… they chose to be like God… and that was never God’s intention for mankind. God’s intention was for mankind to live on the earth that He had created… to enjoy it… to rule over it… to manage it. God’s intention for mankind was that they would multiply… have children and grand children and great grandchildren… and live in relationship with God and with each other… and now that relationship was damaged.

And Adam and Eve knew it… so they tried to hide from God to cover up the bad choice they had made. From that point on, things started to go down hill. From blaming others to lying… to hatred.. to murder… to outright disobedience and total moral decay. By the time we get to chapter 6 in Genesis, we find these words…

The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

When mankind chose to disobey God’s one command, it started us on a journey of spiritual separation from the God who created us… a journey that would ultimately lead to death. But there were two trees in the garden. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. The tree of life which was there all along. The tree of life which man was cut off from. The one tree who’s fruit would lead to eternal life.

From the very beginning… right there in the garden… God had made provision for the restoration of the relationship between Himself and us.

Freely you have received, freely give

What does Jesus mean by that? Quite simply, that the gift of salvation cost you nothing, so don’t go about making a profit by selling the Gospel message.

The following verses make it quite clear that Jesus expects that the disciples will be supported by those who they are ministering to… or more precisely, that God will take care of His workers who were working in His harvest field. But the gospel is not for sale. What Jesus is getting at is this… If God heals someone, that is for their benefit not yours. If someone is brought back to life, that is for God’s glory not yours. If someone is set free from an evil spirit, that is God at work in their lives. So don’t profiteer from it.

We read these words and think to ourselves, ‘who would do such a thing anyway?’ But it happens. There are some in the Christian church who make money… perhaps even empires… out of God working in peoples lives.

I got to thinking, do I perform ministry in order to profit for myself? It’s a challenging question to ask oneself, because profit doesn’t always mean money. Ask yourself these questions: Am I involved in ministry to make myself feel good? Am I involved in ministry to meet my own needs? Do I place expectations on the people that I share the Gospel with… expectations that they would attend my church… expectations that they would conform to my way of thinking… expectations that they would be eternally thankful that I led them to Christ?

I pray not.

higher-road subscription

Greetings friends. Just a quick post to let you know that it is now even easier to subscribe to the higher-road blog. In fact, you can now have posts from this blog delivered directly to your email inbox. Just click on the link below and follow the simple steps to sign up.

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moving house

Well not quite. But I have moved this blog to a new location. After weeks of frustratin with my previous blogging software, I have made the switch to Word Press. I think it will better meet my needs and be more more interactive for you. I will leave this blog up for a few months, although there will be no new content after this post. The link on my webpage will direct you to the new blog, so if you have bookmarked this location, you will need to visit the new blog and bookmark that address.

Thanks for your interest in higher-road.com and I hope you continue to enjoy...

Matt