A cure for the stubborn
Mark 1:14-15
As Jesus began his ministry, his cousin, John, languished in prison. He had run afoul of the ecclesiastical authorities, been hounded by the political powers, and wound up in jail as an insurrectionist. If Jesus had any sense, one could suppose, Jesus would never have followed John's path.
But Jesus steps boldly into the vacancy left by John's arrest, even preaching the same sermon.
Was Jesus not paying attention? Is there a dysfunctional quirk running through this family? Are they obtuse? Are they stubborn to a fault? Are they revolutionaries? So might run the questions posed by the original witnesses to Jesus' ministry in its early days. The Temple authorities surely threw up their hands in disbelief--"We just got rid of one problem and now we have another!"
What is going on here?
In the words of Linus Van Pelt when confronted by his sister on his stubbornness, "I tenaciously hold to the view that I am tenacious!" She punched him in the next panel.
God is stubborn. God will not relent in God's work of redemption. God will not be satisfied until every person realizes the great love that God holds for every person. God will not stop working for the salvation of all creation. Thus, it should come as no surprise that during his lifetime, Jesus, as the Christ, also displayed a tenacity that defied all reason.
And the world punched him, too.
We do not do well with stubborn people. They get under our skin. They drive us nuts. Lucy felt completely justified in belting her little brother. In fact, as he lay in a rumpled heap, Linus himself confessed, "Maybe I am a little mule-headed!" We want the bull in the room to ease up. We want them to let go.
But God will not let go. Jesus did not let go.
Thanks be to God.
With God, we are not dealing with an annoying little brother, but with our life's meaning, purpose, and intent. God created us to be the embodiment of God's love on earth, yet we stubbornly refuse to bend to God's yoke, preferring to be who we want to be, as we want to be, how we want to be, beholden to no one. We do so stubbornly refusing to admit our stubborn refusal of God.
But God doesn't punch us in the next panel.
Instead, God waits for us.
My favorite line in the Parable of the Lost Sons (aka; the Prodigal Son [but both sons are equally lost]), is--
"But when he came to his senses..."
(Lk. 15:17a)
At some point, we need to come to our senses, seeing the reality of our stubbornness, feeling the fullness of the consequences of being in stubborn opposition to God, and deciding to let go.
God waits for us to do so. God gives all the time and space we need to let go of our stubbornness. God lets us come to realization and recognition of who and what we actually are.
This is a good thing.
It is our hope.
Hear and believe this good news.
As Jesus began his ministry, his cousin, John, languished in prison. He had run afoul of the ecclesiastical authorities, been hounded by the political powers, and wound up in jail as an insurrectionist. If Jesus had any sense, one could suppose, Jesus would never have followed John's path.
But Jesus steps boldly into the vacancy left by John's arrest, even preaching the same sermon.
Was Jesus not paying attention? Is there a dysfunctional quirk running through this family? Are they obtuse? Are they stubborn to a fault? Are they revolutionaries? So might run the questions posed by the original witnesses to Jesus' ministry in its early days. The Temple authorities surely threw up their hands in disbelief--"We just got rid of one problem and now we have another!"
What is going on here?
In the words of Linus Van Pelt when confronted by his sister on his stubbornness, "I tenaciously hold to the view that I am tenacious!" She punched him in the next panel.
God is stubborn. God will not relent in God's work of redemption. God will not be satisfied until every person realizes the great love that God holds for every person. God will not stop working for the salvation of all creation. Thus, it should come as no surprise that during his lifetime, Jesus, as the Christ, also displayed a tenacity that defied all reason.
And the world punched him, too.
We do not do well with stubborn people. They get under our skin. They drive us nuts. Lucy felt completely justified in belting her little brother. In fact, as he lay in a rumpled heap, Linus himself confessed, "Maybe I am a little mule-headed!" We want the bull in the room to ease up. We want them to let go.
But God will not let go. Jesus did not let go.
Thanks be to God.
With God, we are not dealing with an annoying little brother, but with our life's meaning, purpose, and intent. God created us to be the embodiment of God's love on earth, yet we stubbornly refuse to bend to God's yoke, preferring to be who we want to be, as we want to be, how we want to be, beholden to no one. We do so stubbornly refusing to admit our stubborn refusal of God.
But God doesn't punch us in the next panel.
Instead, God waits for us.
My favorite line in the Parable of the Lost Sons (aka; the Prodigal Son [but both sons are equally lost]), is--
"But when he came to his senses..."
(Lk. 15:17a)
At some point, we need to come to our senses, seeing the reality of our stubbornness, feeling the fullness of the consequences of being in stubborn opposition to God, and deciding to let go.
God waits for us to do so. God gives all the time and space we need to let go of our stubbornness. God lets us come to realization and recognition of who and what we actually are.
This is a good thing.
It is our hope.
Hear and believe this good news.
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