students of jesus

I received an email a few days ago from a student unfortunate enough to take a college class from me last spring. My young friend has apparently had a difficult summer and wrote to me looking for some direction. Here’s the letter:

Hey Ray,

I've been struggling with something lately and I was wondering if maybe you could help (I need some insight).

I've definitely noticed this summer how in this life, money is everything (so says the world). If you don’t have it, you aren't worth anything and you can’t do very much without it. I think this has got me down, I am kinda questioning my worth as a person. 

I know there’s a verse that says to 'store up riches in heaven'. But I don’t know what these riches are and how to 'store them up.’ I know that I my soul is worth the price of Christ dying on the cross but I don't feel worth anything.

I just don’t know what things are of actual worth in life (heavenly worth).

Here’s my response (even now, as I read it a few days later, I realize there is so much more to be said):
I trust your summer hasn’t been a total struggle, but I definitely hear you when you say that money really runs the show these days. It can be depressing. I took a day to think about how to answer you. Here’s my first try. If you have any questions or thoughts, please write back and let me know.

When Jesus said “store up riches in heaven” he was contrasting temporary things with permanent things. Yes, he was talking about heaven-after-you-die, but he was also trying to reveal that the permanent things are all around us here and now. The kingdom of God places great value on these permanent things. They are the kind of things that do not wear out and cannot be stolen from you. You can begin to “invest” in them now, and your investment goes with you wherever to go.

So what are these permanent things, and how do we store up these treasures? Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount by talking about the kind of people who are fortunate in God’s eyes. That is, the kingdom of God values the poor, the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers. If you want to store up treasures in heaven, you can find them among the poor. You can find them by showing mercy to others. You can become rich in God’s kingdom by becoming the kind of person who makes peace. Every act of mercy and kindness (especially to those who cannot “repay” you) is like making a deposit in the kingdom of God. Remember: Jesus told us that the kingdom is breaking into the here and now--it’s not just about heaven after you die.

Another way to store up these kingdom treasures is to see who you really are--a child of God! Worldly people draw their identity from their stuff: the label on their clothes, the cars they drive, the houses they build. Did you know that in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus uses the phrase ‘your Father in heaven” more than a dozen times? People who do not know their Father work hard to develop their own image. Children of God receive the family likeness that comes from God. It’s not about about working to become godly, it’s more like growing up and realizing that your Father is capable of providing everything you need: love, security, identity, food, clothing, and a home. I’m sure you’ve seen people who crave love and security: they’ll do anything to feel accepted--spend money, offer their bodies, pretend to be someone who they are not. Part of storing up treasures in heaven is to embrace the family identity, because you will receive the family inheritance.

Finally, investing in God’s kingdom is like any other kind of investing. In the everyday world we invest in things with our time, energy or money. It may not sound spiritual, but we invest in the Kingdom of God the same way: with our time, energy, and money. Do we give ourselves to the Kingdom of God? Jesus said it is the best investment: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

There are a thousand practical applications to this stuff. Each life lived before God can fulfill the charge “store up treasures in heaven” and still look like a unique life. God doesn’t make cookie cutter children. I encourage you to take some quiet time and think through what your life could look like in the kingdom of God.

Finally, I’m happy talk more, if this note spurs any questions or ideas.

Grace to you, and peace,

R
How would you have responded? What would you tell someone about “storing up treasure in heaven?” I look forward to your comments.

Thirteen times: “Grace and peace to you.” Each one of Paul’s letters open with these words. Whether Paul was writing to the people of a church, to his “true son in the faith,” or even writing to discuss the difference between slavery and brotherhood, his blessing is grace and peace.

Here’s a meditation for the week: Why would this man of God greet everyone in this manner? What is so important about grace and peace that Paul feels the need to speak the words immediately? A simple blog post will not do--who could exhaust the possibilities of these two words? Neither will theological definitions do--the academy has been lulled into the trap of believing that if we can define a word we somehow possess the quality.

Perhaps we could start here: Paul greeted everyone with “grace and peace” because he understood our on-going need for both of them. He was writing to believers, yet he wished for them more grace and more peace.

How many of us have made the mistake of thinking God’s grace operates only at the new birth? Part of the good news is there is more grace, grace for today, and grace for tomorrow. Grace for more than forgiveness--God wants to provide grace in the everyday, grace for growth, and grace to sustain. Have I asked for grace beyond forgiveness?

God’s peace is also our constant need. The resurrected Jesus greeted his friends with the word “Peace.” Peace is the first message of the risen Lord. Paul, a Jewish rabbi, understood “peace” to represent the well-being that comes from God, the wholeness that flows from a relationship with the author of life. How many of us--even if we have walked with God for decades--need more of the Shalom of God?

Finally, grace and peace represent more than our need. They are the need of everyone we meet. Do we wish grace and peace on others? Do we have it to give?

This week, my friends, here is my blessing: grace to you, and peace.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28: 16 - 20

These are familiar verses to Evangelicals. We have even given this passage a name, “The Great Commission.” Most people who point to these verses begin at verse 18, when Jesus begins to speak, but the proper context begins at verse 16--and what a difference those two verses make!

Verse 16 - The disciples obeyed. Jesus gave them instructions to return to Galilee. Apart from carrying out those instructions, they would have missed an encounter with the resurrected Lord. It’s a simple meditation, but challenging: obedience puts us in a position to hear God. Do my actions make it easier or harder for me to hear his voice?

Verse 17 - Some of them doubted. These words first hit me like a thunderbolt--some of those who had seen the resurrected Jesus, those who had “proof” of his glory, still doubted! Imagine the scene around Jesus: his best friends giving him worship in a private setting, yet in some minds and hearts there was still doubt. Here’s the good news: their doubt did not disqualify them. He still received them, and he gave the “Great Commission” even to those who doubted.

These two are worth turning over in our hearts today: disobedience may keep me from hearing his voice, but doubt will not. In my opinion everyone ought to re-think the Great Commission in light of verses 16 and 17.

From the very earliest moments of his ministry Jesus called men to follow him. It was the call of the Kingdom. It was his invitation into the school of ministry. Training for ministry involved one central idea: following him.

In our modern era--an age that values accreditation and authorization--the church itself looks skeptically on those who would attempt to “do ministry” apart from specialized training or recognition conferred from institutions. But institutions are notoriously hard to follow. Somewhere along the way we have lost sight of the wise and simple pattern laid down by the Master: come and follow.

Jesus selected tradesmen and villagers to follow him. In the act of following they became fit to do his work and to train others to do his work. They learned his ways not through formal education but by being with him and imitating him. When Mark’s gospel presents a list of the disciples it states simply that Jesus chose them “that they might be with him and he might send them out . . .” (Mark 3: 14). The pre-eminent qualification for ministry was that they were with him. Even their detractors observed by their actions that these men “had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13)

These men traveled with Jesus, camped with Jesus, and ate with Jesus. They shared life with him. If he was invited to a wedding, they went with him. If he taught the masses, they were with him. If he stayed up most of the night healing the sick, they were with him. It was their constant exposure to his presence and activity that became their school of ministry. Jesus did not assign readings or lecture extensively. If they had questions about what he said publicly, they asked him about it privately. If Jesus had a concern about their behavior he asked them about it (for example, “what were you discussing just now?” Mark 8:17).

It is worth noting that with respect to preparation for ministry, neither Jesus nor any of his original twelve disciples would be considered qualified to teach in a university or seminary today. Our educational biases tilt strongly toward knowing about Jesus or about the scriptures as opposed to knowing him or being with him. Objective knowledge is certainly easier to quantify, but Jesus cared far more about relationship than formal education. Clearly he and his disciples valued the scriptures--and all of them demonstrated knowledge of them, but these abilities were secondary to relationship with Jesus.

One gospel account in particular presents a challenge to our understanding of Jesus and his value system: after sending 70 of his followers out for their first ministry experience, he rejoiced before the Father with these words: “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. “ (Luke 10:21)  What kind of person is delighted when the wise and learned are clueless?

Here’s part of our problem: for many of us “Come follow me” is too simple. Jesus is no longer here, how can we follow? Jesus lived in another place and time, how does his life serve as an example for ours today? Or perhaps the greatest challenge: Jesus is the sinless Son of God, isn’t it impossible to follow him?

Perhaps the very fact that we stumble at the invitation demonstrates why individual Christians (and the church as a whole) have difficulty impacting our society. We are good at study. We are big at planning and organizing. We are very good at structure and control. But we are not very good at following. Those who cannot grasp “Come follow me” underscore the problems we face.

I suspect that we are limited in our effectiveness because we have placed understanding above obedience. We have prized our intellectual capacities above the kind of love that causes us to become imitators of the Beloved. In a natural family children learn first by imitating their parents. Only later do they understand. In the family of God we are at risk of being the kind of people who James, the brother of Jesus, cautioned: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” His warning reminds us that if we separate actions from what we learned we are setting ourselves up for deception.

Part of the solution is to look for his presence. It is that simple. He has promised it to us. Even as Jesus prepared to return to the Father, he made a startling assertion: “I am with you always.” (Matthew 28: 20) Through the agency of his Holy Spirit Jesus remains alive and present among us. We can train ourselves to recognize his presence. He did not lie to us; he is here for us today. Becoming a follower of Jesus is to refuse to settle for anything less than his presence. This is a challenge to a society (the church!) which has prized education over relationship. We have substituted learning about him for being with him.

If this first step sounds too mystical, too subjective, it may underscore the extent of our need. The plain promise of Jesus is that, through the agency of His Spirit, Jesus remains available for us today: to lead, to guide, in short--for us to follow. Our “studies” in his School of Ministry begin with the refusal to accept anything less than his presence.

At Students of Jesus Mondays are about meditation. We can set the course for our hearts all week long by choosing a theme to hold before God day by day. Mediation should be a normative part of Christian life, but many North American Christians are familiar only with study.

Richard Foster, a man who has given himself to training in spiritual formation,  says simply, “Christian meditation is the ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word.” Hearing his voice need not be the same thing as reading the Bible.

We give ourselves to definitions, memorization and organization, but our hearts remain unmoved. For example, when the Magi asked the religious experts of King Herod’s court, “where is the Messiah to be born?” the Scribes were capable of giving a correct answer, but not one of them was moved to go with the Magi and worship at the feet of the Child Christ. God save us from that kind of knowledge. The paths to mediation are many, but I’d like to suggest a few starting points for those who have never considered the difference between book-learning and meditation:

• Chew the cud: Don’t be in a hurry. When we ruminate on the scripture for a week, a month, or even a year we give the Holy Spirit opportunity to suggest what He meant when he inspired the text. I know of one married couple who read all the verses of Proverbs 3 every night for a year. Each night they talked about what the words could mean--that’s chewing the cud!
• Look for Jesus’ words in his actions. For example, if you are intrigued by Jesus’ mysterious statement, “Don’t cast your pearls before swine,” why not read all four gospels looking for evidence of how Jesus walked out that very statement? I guarantee--you’ll be surprised.
• Set aside the Bible, and listen. Of course the Bible is a good thing, but the Bible itself suggests other avenues to hear God’s voice: the operation of nature, the moon and the stars, lives of other believers, even our own hearts can convey the voice of God to us. The very fact that we have the Bible as a safety net should give us confidence to open our ears to other avenues of His expression.

Do you need somewhere to start? Try this on for a week:

Your word, O LORD, is eternal; 

       it stands firm in the heavens.

Your faithfulness continues through all generations; 


       you established the earth, and it endures.

Your laws endure to this day,

 
       for all things serve you.

If your law had not been my delight,

 
       I would have perished in my affliction.

I will never forget your precepts,

 
       for by them you have preserved my life.

 Save me, for I am yours;

 
       I have sought out your precepts.

 The wicked are waiting to destroy me,

 
       but I will ponder your statutes.

 To all perfection I see a limit;

 
       but your commands are boundless.

                         ~ Psalm 118: 89-96