One of the critical characteristics of a follower of Jesus is almost completely non-existent in our society. Now I say “almost”, because there are still times when we see and celebrate it, but those times are largely times of extremes. The prevailing “wisdom” is completely in the opposite direction, and is an example of our ability to take something wrong and mainstream it and then even turn it into the goal of life.
I’m talking about the critical characteristic of selflessness. This is rooted in Jesus’ command/description in Luke 9: “23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?”
When was the last time you heard a message about how good self-denial is from our culture? On the contrary, all the messages from our culture are about self-indulgence: here is just one example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIgRFQv92dM
The great irony is that the “devil” already has this guy’s soul. Do you see the contrast between that and Jesus’ words, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it”? Pretty obvious. And even more, do you see the underlying assumption which is now the mainstream, goal of life – it is the false glorification of that type of life. The assumption in the commercial is that the kind of life depicted in the commercial – fast car, beautiful woman, fame, luxury – is the best kind of life. Jesus says, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?”.
This morning I want to take us to three stories from Scripture which demonstrate, in a rather potent way, this characteristic of selflessness, and we will see the end result of their selflessness. Each of these stories happens at a critical, pivotal moment in the Biblical story; and in each of them, the selflessness sets the stage for the next amazing thing God has for His people. They are the stories of three mothers.
Jochebed (Exodus 2):
The first story is of a woman named Jochebed, and the story comes from a time when the children of Abraham are slaves in Egypt, suffering horribly at the hands of their captors and crying out for God to come and rescue them. It is from Exodus 2:
About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. 4 The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him.
5 Soon Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her. 6 When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said.
7 Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked.
8 “Yes, do!” the princess replied. So the girl went and called the baby’s mother.
9 “Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him.
10 Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, “I lifted him out of the water.”
I’m not sure I can imagine the courage and pain it took for a mother to float a 3-month-old baby in a makeshift boat down a river. Can you imagine that? What did she feel as she waterproofed the basket? What kind of anguish was running through her heart as she walked to the river? How much courage and selflessness did it take for her to lay that basket in the weeds and walk away?
Jochebed knew that this was the only way the child had a chance to live – see, earlier in the story Pharaoh had commanded that all male Israelite babies be killed (ironically by commanding that they be thrown in the Nile river…). The selfish thing would have been to try and keep the baby hidden, keep him close to mom, or even try to run away with the child. That would have met her need to feel like she was still in control. It also would have meant death for the child when he was discovered. Instead, she floats the infant in the river and walks away.
But she leaves a spy, and God comes through. We know the story – the princess sees the baby and has compassion, the spying sister boldly steps up and offers to see if she can find a Hebrew woman to nurse the child (do you think she had someone in mind ?), and then Jochebed meets the princess, gets her son back, and even comes away with cash. Great story, great ending.
Except it isn’t the end. “Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son.” Think about this now – Jochebed had to give Moses away a second time. The first time would have been excruciatingly hard – would the child live? Would he die? No! – Wow! – God comes through, the child lives and gets discovered and protected by the princess herself!! And gets to go home with his mom to be nursed and cared for. But only for a while… Now she has to give him away a second time; this time permanently. No visitation rights. No cards and photos in the mail. No get-togethers for birthdays. She has to give him up for adoption.
The story of Moses’ life unfolds from there, and it is an incredible story. And that story begins and is founded on these 2 completely selfless act of his mother. Whatever the sacrifice of selflessness, which I find difficult to understand or relate to, here is the result: the entire nation of Israel is led out of slavery, God is revealed to His people through the giving of the law and the experience of God leading them out of Egypt and into the promised land, and history is forever changed. Selflessness was hard, no doubt and no minimization, but the result? Definitely worth it. I’m quite sure Jochebed would agree.
Hannah (1 Sam 1):
The next story is surprising similar. This comes at the end of the period of the judges, when the prophet Eli was getting older and his sons were not living Godly lives.
1 There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim. 2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.
3 Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of the Lord at that time were the two sons of Eli—Hophni and Phinehas. 4 On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children. 5 And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the Lord had given her no children. 6 So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children. 7 Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.
8 “Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?”
9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”
12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”
15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”
17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”
18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.
19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, 20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”
21 The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. 22 But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.”
23 “Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise.” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.
24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine. 25 After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. 26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. 27 I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. 28 Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they worshiped the Lord there.
It is a tender story. It begins with some bullying, a well-intentioned husband trying to meet a need he just can’t meet, an anguished prayer in front of a priest who quite frankly blows it (Eli would not have done too well in a seminary course on pastoral care ), and then the miracle birth of Samuel.
I find verse 21-23 interesting: “21 The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. 22 But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.” 23 “Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise.” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.” Is there a possible struggle here, a possible desire to hold on, for just a little more time, maybe even some second guessing of the vow she made in the moment of deep anguish? I don’t know, but Elkanah’s words, “may the Lord help you keep your promise” suggest a need for that help because perhaps Hannah was struggling to keep it.
But she does keep the promise, and she gives her child to the Lord, and leaves him at the tabernacle in the care of Eli. Once again, the selflessness is incredibly evident. This was the child she had agonized for, wept for, prayed in desperation for, which is finally given. She has held him close, like mothers do. She has nursed him, played with him, rocked him to sleep in her arms, wiped his nose and his scrapes and anything else that needed wiping. Her need for a child has been met, and now she gives him away.
This story is a little different from Jochebed’s, for we learn in the next chapter that “19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice. 20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.” 21 And the Lord gave Hannah three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.” They were able to enjoy an ongoing relationship, if only once per year, but the fact remains: Hannah is incredibly selfless.
And the result of her selflessness? Samuel grows into an incredibly important priest, who restores obedience to God, counsels king Solomon and anoints king David, and plays a critical role in a pivotal moment in God’s story.
Mary (Luke 2):
The last example is a very familiar one. I couldn’t do a sermon on mothers modeling selflessness without including Mary, mother of Jesus. There are several scenes I could include – the shame of pregnancy out of wedlock and being accused as an adulteress, the selflessness we see when the shepherds and kings appear and she simply “hides these things in her heart”, even scenes from later in Jesus’ life as she releases Jesus to ministry and even to death on the cross. But the one I’ve chosen is from Luke 2, when Mary and Joseph take baby Jesus to the temple to dedicate him:
25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
30 I have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared for all people.
32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel!”
33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
Those last words of Simeon are hard ones to hear for some parents rejoicing in their newborn baby. Especially that last line. Nowadays, in our culture, the ominous nature of that kind of statement would leave many people concluding, “that bad, eh? OK, not for me… That doesn’t sound like it is going to end well. Any chance we can float him in the river or leave him at the temple?” “A sword will pierce your very soul” are the words of prophecy. The selfish act would be to resist that, to try to run away, to try and keep that from coming true, to try and shelter Jesus from the pain and struggle that are ahead. No doubt Mary wondered how to do that, if it would be possible, how she could raise this child to avoid having a “sword pierce her very soul”. Does that sound like the selfish act to you? Or does that simply sound like what our society says every parent should do? It would have been selfish; it was not God’s way.
Instead, Mary hears this infant grow up and say, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?”
And again, as in the previous two stories, we see the cost and the result of selflessness. Radical, selfless obedience, which is costly, but which bears incredible fruit.
Conclusion:
As Christians, I believe we need a strong resurgence of radically counter-cultural selflessness. We need to live by Jesus’ question, “what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?”, and recognize that in the pursuit of all the things our world screams will make us happy and give us the “good life” we will actually lose and destroy ourselves. We need to learn from the 3 mothers we saw in Scripture, and probably many of the things we saw in our own mothers, that selflessness is a far better way to go, because it leads to a far more meaningful and significant life.
Let me close with one final story:
” Sadhu Sundar singh (1889-1929) was a great Christian missionary of India who spread the Word of God among the people of Tibet in the Himalayan mountain ranges.
One afternoon, as he was travelling on foot with a companion along a hilly path in Tibet, they were caught in a severe snow storm. During a brief lull, looking down from the edge of a steep slope, they saw the body of a traveller lying in the snow at the foot of the cliff, over thirty feet below the path. The stranger had obviously fallen from the path and needed urgent attention and assistance. As the Sadhu tried to climb down to rescue the man, his companion tried his best to dissuade him. He warned the Sadhu that if they lost time in the effort to save the stranger, all three of them would be frozen to death in the snow storm before reaching their shelter. The Sadhu was determined to save the helpless man and sought the cooperation of his companion. But he refused to help and walked away to save his own life.
The Sadhu climbed down the slope and reached the injured man. He was badly hurt and had broken his leg in the fall. The Sadhu carried the stranger on his shoulders, carefully covering him with his blanket and climbed up the steep and slippery path with the heavy load. After hours of tedious travel with the heavy load in the severe snow storm, they approached the nearest village when darkness was near. The Sadhu was drenched in sweat. Suddenly he stumbled over a human body half-buried in the ice-covered road. It was the frozen dead body of the companion who deserted the Sadhu and proceeded alone to save his own life. He was overcome by the cold and frozen to a tragic death.
The Sadhu carried the stranger to the safety and warmth of a shelter in the village and provided him with all necessary assistance. He remembered that by saving the stranger by sacrificing his comforts, he had actually saved himself. The exertion of carrying the heavy load, the perspiration and the intimate contact of their living bodies had heated them up and saved their lives. He remembered the words of Jesus, "For whoever wants to save his own life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it".
