This past Sunday, during a sermon on Luke 19:1-10, my pastor claimed that Jesus was the most purposeful being in the universe and the most interruptable. What he meant by purposeful was that Jesus knew his mission and was focused on it all the way to the cross. In Luke 19, that mission is expressed by verse 10: "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." What he meant by interruptable was that Jesus took time for people. Ultimately, the lost are people. He noted that from chapter 13 through 19 the text mentions six times that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. Jesus' purpose was to die! But, he was "interrupted" by the Rich Young Ruler, by Bartimaeus crying out to the Son of David, by Zaccheus climbing up a tree to see him. I think my pastor used the term interruptable to emphasize that Jesus' mission was that people would believe in him and that one of Jesus' methods was to spend time with these people. My pastor made the point that Jesus' ministry was only three short years yet he had reputation of ministering to "sinners" that preceded him--Zaccheus was anticipating Jesus' arrival. Being purposeful and being interruptable are not polar opposites. Being interruptable was part of Jesus' purpose. In order to seek, he had to be interruptable.
The question is, are we too busy for lost people?
Don't be offended by the term lost! Jesus said it to describe something extremely valuable that must be found. Remember the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son in Luke 15! We use the term in derogatory ways--he's lost himself, you're a lost cause. But Jesus used the term in an endearing way--He desired to find that which was lost. He came to sick, not the the healthy, he came to save sinners, not the righteous. I think deep down we know that we need Jesus' healing and saving power. If you are a follower of Jesus, you know this for certain. If not, rejoice that God cares enough to seek for you!
Are we too busy to be interrupted? My pastor asked, what purposes do you have that are more important than Jesus' purpose? See how interruptable he was, are you willing to be interrupted. To have to move, take a different job, share with your neighbors, take the initiative to greet a new worker at the office, go out of your way for someone, ultimately, to have a desire to share the gospel with others this year???
A couple of months ago my friend posted this about academic integrity. I will repost his comment later with his permission. His comment should be read by every Christian student, or any Christian (it relates to work ethic--Col 3:23 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for me.") I want to add one thing, not in conflict with my friend.
Be interruptable! Don't get so caught up in work, or study, or play, that you cannot take five minutes to catch up with a friend. In 1999, I had the opportunity to go to Kenya for two months. A dear friend of mine from Kenya who was with me on the trip related to me how offended he was that someone walked passed him without a greeting. It struck my American senses. We do that all the time, but since then, I have tried, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, to greet people I know when I see them. How else are we going to be salt and light to lost people if we do not even appear to care for them. We are tempted to try to mentally persuade people of Christianity without loving them. Christianity is not just truths that we believe, but truths that we live, it is a way of life, a way of love. Having time for people is an exercise in love.
Samuel Mills, the father of American missions, one of the key factors in the Haystack Revival and one of the key influences that led to Adoniram Judson and Luther Rice being sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. He barely passed seminary. Perhaps he was a poor student, but his biographers point to his mission activity in the Brethren (a secret society preparing for missions) and his prayer life as things more important than his studies. After seminary, while Judson et al were on their way to India, Mills made two missions trips into the Western US preaching the gospel and delivering Bibles. He ended up in New Orleans giving Bibles to captured British troops and preaching the gospel. Could he have done all these things and at the same time aced his seminary training? Perhaps, but as one of my professors, Dr. John Hammett, says on the first day of all his classes that for some of you, it would be a sin to make an A, for others it would be a sin to make a C. I think I understand more what he means by that.
Take what Dougald says in his post seriously. But, do not forsake people over studies. (This does not mean being sophomoric, wasting time playing games watching TV, but ministering, sharing the gospel, greeting people).
5 comments:
http://dougaldmclaurin.blogspot.com/2006/10/few-suggestions-for-seminary-students.html
I am reposting Dougald's post for your convenience:
October 27, 2006
A Few Suggestions for Seminary Students and Their Institutions
Since I have been at SEBTS I have observed several things about students and institutions. The following are some suggestions to both, though these comments are directed more to students. So, if you are a trustee or in any way associated with a school you may be surprised at what you see on this post. So, take notes my young grasshoppers and maybe we may have the opportunity for growth in the academic area of the SBC.
1. Academics is something for all degrees and institutions. Let's get this straight--Academics is not anti-spirituality. Some have this erroneous position that anything written on the academic level is drivel. Any class on the academic level is not worth their time, they think. Let me say that this is usually (though not always) said by those who don't want to open a book or read four syllable words. Now, if you are getting a degree there should be a certain academic level that is to be expected. If you are in seminary and you think it is too academic then leave now! You obviously do not understand what the point of getting a degree is. It is not to merely get a degree, but it is to learn and better yourself.
2. The point of a class is to learn. Since I first arrived here at SEBTS I have seen many who have complained that a class is too hard. There is too much stuff in the class that they don't know and they see it as pointless. The point of any course should be to teach you WHAT YOU DO NOT ALREADY KNOW! If you only expect to learn the things that you already know then why would you get a degree? For the letters by your name? I find that people who hold to the previous two views I am against are here for that reason more than those who enjoy academics.
3. Academics is not just about book knowledge. The pendulum swings both ways gentlemen. Now, I'm loading this term academics with this suggestion, but I think it still applies. For Christians academics takes on a different value. Thus, to merely want book knowledge is just as bad a not wanting it. The saying at SEBTS is 'scholarship on fire.' This means our academic life should have the focus of God behind all of it. It should fuel our love for God. Our academic studies should change both our our thoughts and our actions so that they glorify God and not ourselves. In both #1 and #3 a spiritual pride can be found where people elevate themselves because they a) Do not succumb to such academic dialogue b) think they know more than everyone else. This means that both have not been spurred on towards God's glory. Which brings me to....
4) Beware of your own pride. I don't think I have to go on about this one because pride is a common friend to us all. But just to say that in relation to these things pride comes up quite a bit. For instance, if you say, "Ah, he doesn't know certain things," you are being pridefull. Did you always know such things? Or, if you say, "Ah, he is so academic that he misses the point of what it is to be a Christian." Let me say it a different way, "If he were only like me--sooooo spiritual." That is a spiritual pride and thus my friend--you have missed the point.
5) Seminaries-- do not cater to the lowest common denominator. If a program is too hard it is probably good for the student. If it challenges them then we should praise God. I've been in a class that gave me so much work that I made an F. But, I am proud of that F because I learned Greek better in that class than I have in any other Greek class (Thank you Dr. Black for that intermediate class). Seminaries don't trust your students to be honest with you about the class being too hard (especially college students). Most of them want more time in front of the tube or at the movies or with friends. I know, I watched students complain about not having time to read after they had spent all night watching the Star Wars trilogy. Yep, its a hard program alright! What has been the school's reaction. Pick apart programs to make them easier. That is a shame and should be rectified. Oh, I mean fixed.
6)Learn how to spell! In the age of spell checking let me give you Dougald's rule of writing--If you don't know how to spell a word look it up. Believe me I learned this early on when I misspelled a word so bad that the spell checker couldn't even figure it out! This will pay off when you have to write an essay by hand on an exam when there will be no computer to check your spelling!
7) Do not be satisfied with your vocabulary at its current state. If I use the word Pentateuch and you don't know what it means--look it up! (I don't use this one because I think it to be a particularly hard term, but I've had people accost me after I taught a Sunday School class because of this word.) Grab a dictionary. I had a friend who would use big words around me just to trip me up. What did I do? Did I say, "what an academic prude," or, "I'm so stupid"? No, I started carrying around my dictionary. And though he laughed at me when I looked words up, those instances of him laughing at me became less and less. Which leads me to....
8) Get busy! Don't just be satisfied with where you are academically--Tolle Lege. Some guy uses Latin in his book on several occassions--learn Latin. Some guy uses words you don't know--take the time to look them up. Your prof. references Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics--read it when you have the chance. Some lost person laughs at you because you don't understand formal and informal fallacies--learn them (hey, I have to work on this one myself!) You don't know Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek--learn them. Don't say, "We don't need this stuff." That is your lazy flesh talking. In short--if you are feeling poorly about yourself because you feel like you are an idiot, don't just remain in that state of self pity. Pick up and read (Tolle Lege)!!!!! Take it from someone who was ridiculed for carrying around a dictionary, who watched All Quiet on the Western Front in his high school English class rather than reading it (this was done for anything that was out on video by my teachers). Yeah, I'm not the smartest cookie, but I don't let that stop me. Gird up your loins and work hard.
9) Don't just be academic. There are other things in life (family, friends etc). Learn to balance them. Love God, show mercy, grace and love. Spend time with your family. Work hard for your church. Encourage your brethren to seek after Christ and finish the race.
Through Christ,
Dougald
Wes,
I think my point in #9 was the point you made in this post, though worded differently. I too was challenged by Pastor Davis's sermon in this area.
Also, I'll probably re-post this at my new blog after I finish with this paper.
Dougald
Dougald, your post was excellent, take my post as a explication of point number 9. We are in total agreement!
Wes
Wes,
I realize that you were going a different direction with this post. However, I have a question. You said of your pastor, "What he meant by interruptable was that Jesus took time for people".
I think the difference is that Jesus did not consider people to be an interruption. People were his mission, the reason he came.
You ask, "Are we too busy to be interrupted?" Sometimes I am. And, I think that demonstrates that my focus is on things and agendas, not people. If my focus is on people, then I will not consider people an interruption.
I hope that makes sense.
-Alan
Alan, thanks for the comment,
I think my pastor was trying to stretch the word interruptable a little bit, but his point came across well.
I was really convicted by his sermon. I will try to post a link to it as soon as my chuch has it up on the sermon site.
Sometimes scholars take the focus off of Jesus interaction with people and focus only on the cross and the fact that he sometimes appears to spend more time alone praying or that he only healed a few, rather than all, who came to him. While they may have some points, I am so encouraged that Jesus healed the centurions son, that he healed the syrophoneacian woman, that he dined with Martha and Mary and that, I could go on and on.
I love thinking about Jesus' humanity, don't get me wrong, his divinity gets me excited too, but the book of Hebrews, often and rightly considered to be a defense of Jesus divinity, is an excellent explanation of the significance of Jesus' humanity. We learn from the gospels that Jesus loved the lost and sought them, giving his own life for them, and we learn from Hebrews that He suffered for our sake. So that everyday we could be encouraged to overcome sin and persevere through hardship and injustice. Taken together, we don't have to feel pressured, socially speaking, to reach out, or evangelize, in a guilt trip type mentality. But we can be encouraged that Jesus loves us, loves the lost, suffered for us and died for the lost. Jesus is the one acting through us--"lo, I am with you always!"
If only I trusted Jesus more!
What a wretched sinner I am!
Wes
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