Humbly Follow the Teacher

 

~~~ Genesis 18:16-33 ~~~ Psalm 103 ~~~ Matthew 8:18-22 ~~~

 

Yesterday we heard Luke's account of the same message we read today.

The scripture reference to follow Jesus.

 

Jesus crosses to the other side of the lake...

what do you think may be the significance is about the other side of the lake?

The crowd was growing larger...perhaps he was in fear for his safety.

Perhaps he thought it would be easier for the crowd

to see him better from the other side.

 

It is a scribe who addresses Jesus as 'teacher'.

This scribe wants to commit to follow Jesus.

 He is an unlikely candidate to be following Jesus.

 

In Biblical times the scribes were the teachers.

They were the ones who were the most educated.

They were often seen as being elevated above others.

They could write, which also made them command respect.

 

The scribes were THE teachers because

they were among the few would could read and write.

The people looked to the scribes to teach them about the laws of Moses.

Because he could write, the scribes preformed a useful function

within the community.

If you needed something to be written,

a scribe could do it for you.

 

A scribe approached and said to him,
“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

 

This proclamation, coming from a scribe, was huge.

He was placing Jesus higher than himself.

This was his own choice.

 

How many times do we want to place ourselves

 higher than those around us?

How many times do we judge ourselves to be the better person?

 

 

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.

 

Following Jesus gives you countless reasons

to Bless the Lord.

How can we begin to thank him for all he has done for us?

The best we can give back to our Lord

is to respond be spreading his love and mercy to those

we meet along the path.

 

If a scribe can decide to follow Jesus then so can you.

Blessings come through sending his love forward.

Come Before the Lord

~~~ Job 9:1-12, 14-16 ~~~ Psalm 88 ~~~Luke 9: 57-62 ~~~

We have wonderfully rich readings today.

 

Psalm 88 speaks of the simplicity and complexity of prayer.

 

Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

 

Beginning with the sunrise our prayers are sent up to God.

Often when we pray we are doing so with no immediate feedback.

We may wonder if there is a God who is listening.

But we keep praying...the key is to remain faithful.

 

"...Are your wonders made known in the darkness..."

 

This is my favorite verse.

When we are in the midst of trials and heartaches,

as Job certainly was;

we do question the presence of God.

It is part of our human experience...

to doubt.

In my experience, not only does God

work wonders within our darkness;

it seems he may even prefer this state.

 

Job had no where else to turn except to God.

 

God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;
who has withstood him and remained unscathed?

Job acknowledges the numerous wonders wrought by God...

moves mountains...shakes the earth...commands the sun...

the stars...crests of the sea...

 

God does more marvelous things than we could ever imagine.

No matter what we could pray for God has done greater things.

 

Job is completely humbled by the mighty deeds of God.

 

"...If I appealed to him and he answered my call,
I could not believe that he would hearken to my words."

Job is in a state of total surrender to God.

What does he have left to lose?

 

In order to give oneself to God completely requires total trust.

Which brings us to the Luke's gospel.

Jesus was walking through a town as he proceeded on his journey.

He was not preaching a sermon.

He was not teaching on the mountain top.

He was not sharing in a meal with his disciples.

 

He was walking along the dusty streets.

Perhaps he was exchanging cordial pleasantries with the people

passing by or he may have been walking in silence.

Whatever the case someone came up unannounced and professed...

 

"I will follow you wherever you go."

 

This sounds like the perfect retreat theme.

Because most of us would not be able to speak those words.

Most of us would struggle with such an open ended promise. 

As the next person we meet in the gospel,

 we too have our excuses.

 

 

How many times have we been quick to give God excuses

for not following him?

We shy away from a total commitment to God.

We hold back too often.

We weigh our options.

We decide just how far we are willing to go.

 

We rarely take up our cross to blindly follow him.

We are resistant to following God unconditionally.

We conjure up hundreds of questions.

Maybe you are thinking this level of commitment

is reserved for the saints;

but today, I invite you to reconsider.

What really keeps you from following God wherever he leads you?

When are you most hestitant and reluctant?