Whole dedication
This week is a quick one on Mark 14:51-52:
When Jesus was captured, everyone kind of got weird. Peter tried hacking a guy's ear off. And this unnamed guy ran off naked. I guess you could file this story with the less popular stories from the new testament, the ones which were inexplicably rejected for the Jesus coloring book. They're both illustrations of what happens when men are afraid to stand for what they believe in, and also a good picture of how strong the preservation instinct can be. If only our instinct to follow Jesus was as strong as our desire to escape danger!
If you had taken the dude in the linen shirt, and interviewed him before all of this happened, I doubt he would have foreseen what he was going to do. If you said "Hey, I'll guarantee you immunity from persecution, if you'll just abandon Jesus and take off your clothes for me," I seriously doubt he would have signed any contracts. People don't make the same decisions in heat of the moment as they do when they're talking about them in the comfort of a place far removed from the actual decision. Everyone says they'll stand with Jesus, until they find themselves streaking away into the darkness.
Linen man feared for his life. When given the choice of giving up your earthly possessions or giving up your life, people will usually quickly choose their life. You can use your life to get another shirt. You can't use your shirt to get another life. If you asked those people in advance, whether they'd give up their stuff to someone holding them up, they'd probably say that they'd fight the robber instead, or that they'd proudly die before they gave up their guns, wallet, house, car, etc. Reality and theory just don't match up.
The running former linen-wearing guy is a great snapshot of our honest state of being. We don't know what we're going to do, oftentimes, until it happens. You don't think "Hey, someone is going to write about this, and people will read it for thousands of years. Should I stay and be remembered as a hero with my doomed savior, or should I get naked and head for the hills? On the one hand, I'll live a bit longer if I cut and run, but on the other I'll die eventually anyway, so why lose my shirt over this?" No, what usually passes through our mind is something more like "OMG! I'M GOING TO DIE! RUN! DO WHATEVER IT TAKES! JUST GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Our true priorities come out under stress.
What things, other than preserving your life and safety, could provoke you to instantly abandon everything in their pursuit? You may give up everything to flee a burning house, but would you do it just to switch jobs, or quit drugs, or make new friends? Not everyone would. Would you lose everything in order to help your neighbors? Would you give up what you've got, just to try to spread the gospel? Even fewer people are takers once it comes down to that.
The naked guy running from his linen garment isn't just a picture of cowardice. He's also a picture of what total dedication looks like. He was wholeheartedly, one hundred percent dedicated to protecting himself. He was willing to do anything it took, sacrificing his possessions, his luxuries, his relationships, and even his very last shred of dignity, just to get away from danger. Jesus did that for us. The naked guy did it for himself.
Before all of this happened, Jesus' followers were supposed to be praying to stay strong when he got persecuted. None of them did it. They slept instead. They already decided they were strong enough, without having been tested. Here's a tip for the new folks: If God tells you to pray for something, you're probably going to need it. You'd best pray. This lesson isn't a call to nakedness, but to really consider if you've got what it takes. Pray to be strong when difficult decisions come up. Usually you don't know about them until they're already upon you, and at that point, if you haven't prepared yourself, it's the adrenaline that's going to be calling the shots. Or the addiction. Or the fear.
When Jesus faced persecution, he was strong. He looked it in the eye. He didn't lash out, or run away, or say a bunch of stupid inflammatory crap. He knew what he was supposed to do, and he did it. He made the difficult decision. That's what a man of God looks like. That can be us. We just have to be dedicated and to want it enough to prepare ourselves for it. Maybe you've got to take each day as it comes, and to know what you can handle and what you can't.
Be thankful for Linen Man and his example. In his epic fail, he has taught us a powerful lesson we can use to build upon his experience. Pray more. Know ourselves. Listen to God's warnings about stuff that we need to be careful about. God wouldn't lead us into a situation we couldn't handle with his help. Dedicate yourself to him and be ready.
A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.
When Jesus was captured, everyone kind of got weird. Peter tried hacking a guy's ear off. And this unnamed guy ran off naked. I guess you could file this story with the less popular stories from the new testament, the ones which were inexplicably rejected for the Jesus coloring book. They're both illustrations of what happens when men are afraid to stand for what they believe in, and also a good picture of how strong the preservation instinct can be. If only our instinct to follow Jesus was as strong as our desire to escape danger!
If you had taken the dude in the linen shirt, and interviewed him before all of this happened, I doubt he would have foreseen what he was going to do. If you said "Hey, I'll guarantee you immunity from persecution, if you'll just abandon Jesus and take off your clothes for me," I seriously doubt he would have signed any contracts. People don't make the same decisions in heat of the moment as they do when they're talking about them in the comfort of a place far removed from the actual decision. Everyone says they'll stand with Jesus, until they find themselves streaking away into the darkness.
Linen man feared for his life. When given the choice of giving up your earthly possessions or giving up your life, people will usually quickly choose their life. You can use your life to get another shirt. You can't use your shirt to get another life. If you asked those people in advance, whether they'd give up their stuff to someone holding them up, they'd probably say that they'd fight the robber instead, or that they'd proudly die before they gave up their guns, wallet, house, car, etc. Reality and theory just don't match up.
The running former linen-wearing guy is a great snapshot of our honest state of being. We don't know what we're going to do, oftentimes, until it happens. You don't think "Hey, someone is going to write about this, and people will read it for thousands of years. Should I stay and be remembered as a hero with my doomed savior, or should I get naked and head for the hills? On the one hand, I'll live a bit longer if I cut and run, but on the other I'll die eventually anyway, so why lose my shirt over this?" No, what usually passes through our mind is something more like "OMG! I'M GOING TO DIE! RUN! DO WHATEVER IT TAKES! JUST GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Our true priorities come out under stress.
What things, other than preserving your life and safety, could provoke you to instantly abandon everything in their pursuit? You may give up everything to flee a burning house, but would you do it just to switch jobs, or quit drugs, or make new friends? Not everyone would. Would you lose everything in order to help your neighbors? Would you give up what you've got, just to try to spread the gospel? Even fewer people are takers once it comes down to that.
The naked guy running from his linen garment isn't just a picture of cowardice. He's also a picture of what total dedication looks like. He was wholeheartedly, one hundred percent dedicated to protecting himself. He was willing to do anything it took, sacrificing his possessions, his luxuries, his relationships, and even his very last shred of dignity, just to get away from danger. Jesus did that for us. The naked guy did it for himself.
Before all of this happened, Jesus' followers were supposed to be praying to stay strong when he got persecuted. None of them did it. They slept instead. They already decided they were strong enough, without having been tested. Here's a tip for the new folks: If God tells you to pray for something, you're probably going to need it. You'd best pray. This lesson isn't a call to nakedness, but to really consider if you've got what it takes. Pray to be strong when difficult decisions come up. Usually you don't know about them until they're already upon you, and at that point, if you haven't prepared yourself, it's the adrenaline that's going to be calling the shots. Or the addiction. Or the fear.
When Jesus faced persecution, he was strong. He looked it in the eye. He didn't lash out, or run away, or say a bunch of stupid inflammatory crap. He knew what he was supposed to do, and he did it. He made the difficult decision. That's what a man of God looks like. That can be us. We just have to be dedicated and to want it enough to prepare ourselves for it. Maybe you've got to take each day as it comes, and to know what you can handle and what you can't.
Be thankful for Linen Man and his example. In his epic fail, he has taught us a powerful lesson we can use to build upon his experience. Pray more. Know ourselves. Listen to God's warnings about stuff that we need to be careful about. God wouldn't lead us into a situation we couldn't handle with his help. Dedicate yourself to him and be ready.
Comments
Post a Comment