Hometown
Pt. 3 - Playing Keep Away
Introduction
Apathy. It is the target of our attack. It is the epidemic of our day. We are swamped with the "I don't cares!" We don't want to be bothered or interrupted with concern. We walk through life avoiding involvement by using every excuse/loophole we can execute because excuses have become easier and easier to excuse. Apathy . . . "without feeling" or "without passion"! We cannot live up to the standards of our name without wrestling apathy to the ground and killing it. This is done by action! Words don't destroy apathy. Proclamation doesn't destroy apathy. We only destroy apathy by rolling up our sleeves and dismantling it with elbow grease and effort! We have begun the process. The challenge now is to finalize the uproot and to stay on constant guard to keep it from seeping back in. We must learn a lifestyle of action and compassion.
Jesus made His purpose for arriving on planet earth very clear to His followers. In Mark 2:17, Jesus states that He is here because it is the sick that need a doctor and that He didn't come for the righteous but rather for the sinner. Yet, from that day forward it is apparent that not only did those listening to Jesus' purpose statement dismiss or disregard it but we too continue to make Jesus' mission comply to our comfort zone.
Jesus' disciples, crowds and religious leaders of the day were often committed to playing keep away. I could take you all over the Gospels to show you this but I think perhaps the greatest examples can be found all in one day Jesus' life. One chapter in Mark reveals the depth of apathy alive in the hearts of the people around Jesus.
Text: Mark 10:13-16, 35-41, 46-48
The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: “Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.
James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came up to him. “Teacher, we have something we want you to do for us.” “What is it? I’ll see what I can do.” “Arrange it,” they said, “so that we will be awarded the highest places of honor in your glory—one of us at your right, the other at your left.” When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.”
Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus which means “son of Timaeus”, was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Apathy on full display and at its worst. Jesus' followers play keep away with Jesus. They try to keep children away from Jesus and then they try to keep a blind man blind. They have knowledge and experience that Jesus can heal blindness but choose to try to silence and sequester a man who's only hope is Jesus. Then the unchecked apathy produces its ultimate fruit which is arrogance and selfishness. So after holding people at arms length and ignoring Jesus' purpose and the people's needs the disciples try to get special favors and treatment. It is the same pattern we continue to perpetuate if we are not careful.
a. Once touched we tend to make Jesus untouchable.
How many of you would testify that encountering Jesus was transformational and the best thing that ever happened to you? Yet, we horde His healing. We fence Him in either in fear that if others get to Him our needs won't be met or in hopes that if we can get His undivided attention our blessings will be more blessed.
Our prayers become about us. Our requests are reserved for those within our circle. Our lack of true understanding of His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence causes our desire for more to also mandate that He give less to those around us so that we won't miss out! Knowing from experience that He can change lives, heal hearts, rescue relationships and yet unwilling to share Him with those who haven't experienced Him. We must be very careful that once we are touched we don't try to make Jesus untouchable.
b. Jesus is the door but we are the doorkeeper!
We, like the followers of Jesus' day, decide who can get to Jesus or not. And if we are honest, we often obstruct people from approaching. We play keep away with Jesus. We become an obstacle rather than avenue. We keep people away from Jesus and how we do this goes deeper than action it is rooted in attitude.
We do this in church. Our approach to church hinders their approach to Jesus. We come to church for what we can get out of it. Haven't we already been touched? We have access yet, we make it hard for people to get to Jesus. We demand that they look like us, clean up like us before they are allowed access to Him. We take the choice parking spots even if we have no issue walking the extra distance. We approach service as if we are the only ones here. What if my actions in service cause someone to miss Him? My untimely exit distracts just long enough for them to miss Him. My lack of a warm greeting because I am tired turns them away thinking no one really cares. My choice to walk past the sick to get to the well with whom I am comfortable leaves them at arms length and isolated in hopelessness. My apathetic response to truth, because I have already learned that, convinces the needy to dismiss it as useless. Our lethargy towards God's presence preaches to the seeker that this isn't worth their serious consideration. If it doesn't move us why should or would it move them? Our lack of passion in praise leads the lost to believe this was a performance or a mere prelim rather than a lifeline to desperately grab on to.
Our apathy is revealed in our choice to consistently come to church to get power to live and yet fail to come to church to get power to love. Listen if this is really important, if this really matters, if we understand that this really is life or death then our focus, our attitude, our involvement, our pursuit will change! We will passionately pursue Him and we will swing wide the door to make room for others!
We do this in life. We are carriers of His power and yet by our attitudes and actions people are kept from approaching Jesus. The way we behave when our needs/expectations are unmet become an obstruction or a deterrent from approaching the One who could help. Our lack of diligence at work wards off inquiry about the One we represent! Our anger alienates. Our bitterness is allowed to become a blockade. Away from church we allow our attitude to get away from us and it keeps Jesus away from those around us. We say we would never tell someone they can't get to Jesus but our attitudes and actions tell the truth.
We are told that the harvest is plentiful. What does that mean? It means that people are longing/looking for Jesus! But we are also told the laborers are few. Are they few because of lack of numbers or lack of care? Could it be the laborers are available but apathetic? Here is the painful question . . . How many people do we come into contact with that want to get to Jesus that can't because of us? Jesus had to overrule His own followers to open the door.
There is an account in the Old Testament that we have referenced in the past that speaks to how we handle Jesus. It is the story of the woman who Elijah asked to make him a cake during the drought. Remember her response? I have just enough oil to make me and my son a meal and then we will die. This woman is presented with an opportunity to use what she had to sustain the saving word for her entire nation. Yet, she was going to ignore, horde and use what she had been blessed with on herself. That is the picture of the American church. That is the picture of the Oklahoma church. If we are not diligent, then it will be the picture of Passion Church. We must decisively and deliberately tear down every obstacle at church and in life that would keep Jesus away from those who so desperately need a touch from Him! We cannot stand in the way but rather walk in the way and share the way!
