Of Biblical Proportions

“It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,

And whoever would be first among you must be your slave,

Even the Son of Man came not be served but to serve

And to give His life as a ransom for many.” 

Matthew 20:26-28

This has been a hard week for people who live along or near the Gulf Coast of Texas. There are going to be many, many hard days ahead.  Hurricane Harvey has meandered along the coast leaving destruction and flooding that defies the imagination.  I cannot even picture what 40 inches of rain is like.  There are so many left homeless, so many homes and businesses and schools destroyed.  Our hearts all go out to the people of the Houston area, and our prayers for them go up to the throne of God.  Many times this week I have heard reporters and others describe this as a disaster of “biblical proportions.”

I think I understand what they mean by that phrase.  It’s a way of putting this event in the category of Noah and the flood, or of judgment day, or other Biblical events that defy our imagination.  It’s a way of saying this is a huge catastrophe.  Make no mistake -  it is!  However, I am not sure that our Lord or the Holy Scriptures would measure “biblical proportions” in the same way the news media does. 

Think of the text for this devotion.  The mother of James and John has just come to Jesus requesting special honor and rank for her two sons.  Jesus responds that greatness is not measured that way in His kingdom and among His people. “It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,  And whoever would be first among you must be your slave. Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”    In other words “biblical proportions” are measured differently within God’s family.  Within God’s family, Jesus is the measure.  Remember what He said to the disciples after he washed their feet?  “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right for so I am.  If I then, Your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.”  He offers an entirely different way of measuring biblical proportions, one that we would do well to learn and follow.  Just He made Himself nothing, took the form of a servant and died on the cross to save us… so we “should do nothing from rivalry or conceit but in humility consider others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others.”  (Philippians 2)

As I have watched the news reports from Hurricane Harvey, have read many online posts from people living through this horrible week – I have seen many examples of people doing just what Jesus calls us to do – to serve.  I have watched reports for people spending hours in little motor boats to go out again and again to rescue stranded strangers.  I have read Facebook posts by pastors stranded in their own homes trying to find out what’s happening to the members they serve, trying to get their congregations ready to care for those who are hurting.  I’ve talked to a counselor friend who is already thinking four months down the road and what kind of care these pastors are going to need. Friends and neighbors are opening their homes to each other.  I know of churches opening their doors to those who have had to evacuate homes… People are donating, sending supplies, coming in the 1000s to help.  Many like myself, have felt frustrated because there is nothing we could do except pray.  Yet to bring these needs to our Father in heaven is no small thing   Just as was the case with Katrina, I am sure that for years after the news media has forgotten, people will be coming to Houston to help people clean up and rebuild.

So often we, along with the news media, sensationalize the size of the storm or the depth of the flood.  And it is horrible. Yet we fail to recognize the breadth, the length and height and depth of God’s love that is being expressed in simple ordinary people reaching out to neighbors and strangers to help one another.  Such small actions are, I believe, what make this an event of “truly biblical proportions.”  For such small acts of humble service reflect for us Jesus who gave His life as our ransom.  Amen. 

Are You an Eclipse or a Reflection?

“You will be My witnesses…”

Acts 1:8

Well I wasn’t there but if you have been paying any attention this past week, everybody in America has been talking about the eclipse.  There were instructions everywhere on how to view the Eclipse… where it would be seen across America, the dangers of looking at the Sun during an eclipse and so forth.  I have seen all sorts of great pictures posted by friends, videos of people watching the Eclipse and so forth.  It was a big event.  I wish I could have been there to see it.

For those of you who might not know – an eclipse is what happens when the moon passes between us and the Sun.  During that moment, the moon instead of reflecting the light of the sun, partially or completely blocks it from our view. When the moon is a reflection, it lights up the darkness of our nights.  That’s a good thing.  But when there is an eclipse, the moon becomes dangerous.  Looking at the light surround a moon during an eclipse can actually do great harm. 

That got me to thinking about the words of our Lord, “You shall be My witnesses…”  As Pastor I hear a lot of people say, that they can’t be witness.  They are afraid to give witness.  But the truth is, like it or not, as believers we are always witnesses to Jesus.  In our witness, we are like the moon. Our witness gives either a clear reflection of Jesus or we are an eclipse.    Of course, as with the moon, when we reflect Jesus – that’s a good thing.  He is the Savior.  Knowing and believing in Him is the essence of eternal life.  On the other hand, as with the moon, when we eclipse Him that does great harm.

Hence the question I think you and I should reflect on before saying something to someone or taking some action. Will this make me a better reflection of Jesus or an eclipse?  Too often, because we are always sinners, we are both a partial eclipse and a partial reflection. 

How do we change that?  What do we do to stop being eclipse?  We move out of the way. We repent – that is turn away from our sin and turn back to God for forgiveness.  That however is at times easier said than done.  Let me illustrate. When I was a kid, I would often position myself between my sister and whatever she was watching on TV.  Sometimes it was an accident and at other times I did it on purpose.  Almost always my sister would say to me, “Wayne, move. You make a better door than a window.”  Now the easiest thing for me to do was to move to the side.  But sometimes – because I just wanted to be a bratty little brother, or because I was angry with her – I would just stand there… see if I could make her mad.   In the same way, you and I sometimes get stubborn in our sin, refuse to see or admit our wrong… stand there and insist on being an eclipse. 

That ultimately is why Jesus came isn’t it?  We make poor reflections.  He had to come so that we and others could really know who God is, that He is gracious and loving.  John said it in His Gospel, “No one has ever seen God, but God the one and only who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.”  Last week, to actually see the eclipse in all its beauty, people had to wear special glasses.  Jesus is the only lens through which you or I or anyone can see the beautify of God’s love and grace!  In His life on our behalf, His death for our sins and His victory over death – we see God clearly.  So when you find yourself being more eclipse than reflection, repent… put on your Jesus glasses… be reminded of how much God loves you.  Then get out of the way so that others can see Him too… through you.  Amen.