When disciples don’t get it (Part 1)

Reflecting on Luke 9:43-50

"For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest." (Luke 9:48)

These verses show how the disciples themselves did not get Jesus.
They did not understand His teaching about the cross (vv.43-45).
They did not understand His teaching about humility and being a servant (vv.46-48).
And they did not understand His gracious welcome and openness (vv.49-50).
Each of these show their failure to comprehend God’s way of greatness.
The disciples wanted to be the first ones, the only ones close to Jesus.
They did not want to share greatness with each other, or with strangers.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Modern christianity has twisted this into the way to get into heaven.
Say the prayer, submit to the church, and be assured of forgiveness and of the hope of heaven.
As long as you stay in the church’s good books, you’ll be safe.
The focus is on following the bible, and the church’s view of it.
If you believe and behave, you can belong; otherwise, you’re not one of us.

I see Jesus as the True Way to Live, the way we were made to live.
We follow Jesus not just by saying a prayer, but focusing on how He lived.
We follow Jesus not by obeying the bible, but by obeying Jesus.
Jesus suffered and died because He lived by God’s Law of Love.
His obedience restored Adam’s throne, and reclaimed God’s kingdom.
He now invites us to join Him in living according to the Law of Love.
Through humility and grace, not through position, power and control.
The Jesus Way of living is the Adam Way, which is the God Way.
We image and reflect God when we humble ourselves and serve others.

My rejection of the christian religion is not my rejection of Jesus.
What I am rejecting is a churchianity that rejects the Jesus Way of living.
Instead of a call to humility, we are urged to assert ourselves.
To organize, politicize, overcome others so that we can win.
Bypass the weak and small, exclude those who don’t think like us.
Strive for leadership in society, and push down those who oppose us.
This is what I sense from the evangelical machine at work all around us.
Thankfully it is not what I sense from all Jesus followers.
Many Jesus followers sense this is a problem too, and are humble and gracious.

I was raised to identity certain things as marks of a true church (Belgic 29):
* it engages in the pure preaching of the gospel
* it makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments
* it practices church discipline for correcting faults
Nothing here about humility or grace or serving like Jesus.
Nothing here about love, the way Jesus says we will be known.

Love, humility and grace require me to welcome all other Jesus followers.
Including the ones who do not understand, or who do not act like Jesus.
There is one Church, the community of those who trust and follow Jesus.
Not only the ones who belong to my group (denomination or tradition).
Anyone who claims to be for Jesus is my brother and sister.
My job is not to correct and control others; my focus is self-control.
I need to make myself the lesser, the servant, beneath the others.
Including the ones I do not agree with, or who do not believe as I do.

I no longer belong to institutional religion.
I’ve shredded my denominational identity cards, rejected the christian religion.
But this is not a rejection of Jesus or the people, for we are united by Jesus.
Jesus is warning us against separating ourselves from people not with or like us.
All Jesus followers, whatever tradition they belong to, are my brothers and sisters.
I do not belong to anyone but Jesus, but I am called to serve everyone!

“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

This is the Jesus Way, the Gospel Way.
This is the Way we are saved, and the Way we are saved to live.
This way comforts me, because like the disciples, I still do not get it.
I do not live and love and lead like Jesus.
Seeing the Jesus Way convicts me, how humble and gracious and welcoming He is.
The Jesus Way, which goes against what our flesh desires, compels me.
I sense its rightness and goodness, and also its necessity.
The Church Way (as I sense it) is not making this world a better place.
It is elevating self, and pushing down or out others.
It is boastful (we have the pure gospel, we have the pure church), not humble.

I thank Jesus for freeing me from institutional religion, denominational bondage.
But He is also calling me to join Him in serving those within those walls.
To be like a child, to become the least, to follow Christ’s Law of Love.
Preaching it is not enough, I need to pursue it and practice it.
This is the Jesus Way, the True Way to Live, the good news of the kingdom.

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, show me where I am still failing to understand Your humble gracious Way. Take me by the hand as a little child, and lead me on Your path. I am slow, I am reluctant and scared. But Your Way of living is the right Way, the only Way. I want to folow You!