Are you sitting down?

"Have the people sit down." John 6:10

Have you ever been lost?  If you have, you know how it feels.  You know where you want to be, but you don't know how to get there.  Which direction to go.  Which signs to follow.  You feel confused and disoriented.  Your mind tries to put the puzzle-pieces together to bridge the gap between where you are and where you need to be.  But it's not easy.  It's slow-going.  It's a trial and error process.  Take this street--no that's not right.  Oh, great.  Where am I?  This doesn't look like a good neighborhood.  Yes, it might even be scary, leaving you feeling panicked and making quick decisions that make it worse, not better.  Being lost is a place none of us want to be.

Besides finding ourselves lost in a physical locality sense, we also may feel this way about life.  We may wonder what we are supposed to be doing.  How to make money and how to spend it.  What to make a priority and what to let go.  Who to spend time with.  Who to follow.  How to find happiness, peace, fulfillment, and purpose.  And, just like when we're lost in an unfamiliar area, we have similar feelings of confusion, frustration, and maybe even panic.  The puzzle-pieces aren't fitting together right.  We're not where we want to be, and no matter which way we turn, we can't seem to get there.  Even seemingly good solutions, tested and tried by others, don't work for us.  We may go about life, acting as if we know exactly where we are and where we're going, maybe even believing it ourselves, and yet in reality, we're lost.  Like sheep without a shepherd, Jesus would say.  Or in more modern-day terms, like athletes without a coach; workers without a boss; students without a teacher.

Jesus said this about the people living in Israel during the time of His public ministry, and their aimless wandering had been going on for quite some time.  That's one of the reasons why He came.  He came to lead the people, His people, on the right path.  The path of truth, love, and peace.  And He did this in various ways.  He taught them by using the ancient Scriptures;  He taught them by proclaiming the "good news"; He taught them by telling stories (parables); And He taught them by example.  He spoke about the love of God, and He showed them that same compassion.  He spoke about God's ways, and He lived by them.  He pointed out the wrongful thinking of the religious elite, and He did it differently.  He claimed to be the Son of God, and He proved it by the things He said, the miracles He performed, and His victory over sin and death.

I was reading about one of these miracles this week, and I "heard" something that I hadn't taken much notice of before.  In John 6, Jesus and His disciples cross the Sea of Galilee to a remote place and hike up a mountainside.  A large crowd follows them, and Jesus asks one of His disciples, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"  Philip doesn't think such a thing is even possible, claiming it would cost way too much money to feed them, even something cheap like bread.  Andrew has a little more optimism, seeing a boy with some bread and fish in his picnic basket, but hardly enough to go around.

Jesus, of course, has a plan.  He knows what He is capable of and that He is not limited by natural means.  If you know this story, you know what He does.  He takes the small amount of food and miraculously multiples it to feed everyone and have plenty of leftovers.  Through this story we draw out truths about Jesus and His miraculous power, and we also see that He simply cares about these people.  He doesn't want them to go hungry.  He knows their need, and He is willing to meet it.

But beyond their physical need for food, He also gives them something else.  A need for rest.  They have traveled a long way.  Some may have come to be healed of their diseases, as they saw or heard He had done for others.  Some may have followed Him out of curiosity to see what else He could do.  And some may have made the journey just to hear what He had to say.  To hear more about this Good News He was proclaiming.  Perhaps they were feeling lost and wanted to hear what He might have to say about their lives.  What they were doing right, what they were doing wrong, how they could find favor with God, how to receive this thing He was talking about called "eternal life".

"Have the people sit down," he says.  Seems like a logical thing to say since He knew they were going to be eating in a few minutes.  But I think Jesus' words here are very profound for a couple of reasons. One is because it was customary for people to stand in the presence of a rabbi, a teacher in Jewish culture.  So the fact that Jesus is inviting them to sit at all says something about His character.  He wanted the people to be relaxed in His presence.  They didn't need to stand at attention and show proper respect like many of the teachers of the day expected.  He didn't want to be honored, He wanted to be listened to.  And He didn't want to just teach the people about God's provision and His role and their loving Father, He wanted to show them the reality of it.  "Come to me, and I will give you rest," He said on another occasion, and He meant it.

Another thing I discovered is that the word for "sit" here is not the ordinary word for sit as we commonly think of it.  He didn't just invite them to sit, but to "recline".  To lay back.  To take a load off.  To relax.  To rest and be nourished, like sheep with a shepherd.  A good shepherd.  A loving caregiver who knew what they needed.  They had no other choice in this remote place.  And they took the opportunity to sit down and have their fill and experience God's abundance.

As Christians we are often challenged and expected to do more.  To be busy doing God's work.  To not waste precious time and make the most of our days.  And while we are called to meet the needs of others, teach, serve, and use our gifts, we are also called to rest.  Why?  Because we need it.  We're human.  We are like sheep, and we need a shepherd.  We get lost easily.  We get busy and think we're on the Holiness Express, only to look around one day and discover we're completely lost.  Confused, disoriented, and scared.  We're trying to make it on our own.  We're trying to save everyone else, and Jesus gently reminds us, 'Hey, you still need Me.  You need to trust Me.  You need to rest.  You need to follow Me, not chart your own course.  Come and rest.  Sit down.  Relax.  Take a load off.  Find rest for your soul.  (And your body too.)  "For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

Do you need to accept Jesus' invitation to sit down and rest?  Do you need to experience some peace? Do you need to be fed?  Are you short on some spiritual nourishment?  Are you confused?  Are you living in a state of fear, worry, guilt, defeat, or burden?  This is not what Jesus desires for you.  He desires for you to be at rest in His presence.  He desires for your heart to be filled with love, joy, and peace.

Is it?

'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.'  Psalm 23

The Empty Places

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water (from the well where Jesus was sitting), Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews did not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her. “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask Me, and I would give you living water...Whoever drinks this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst. It will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

“Please sir,” the woman said, “give me some of that water so I will never thirst again and I won’t have to come here to draw water.”

“Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.

“I have no husband,” she said.

“You’re right. You don’t have a husband--for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t married to the man you are living with now.” (John 4:7-10, 13-18)

Excuse me, um...cough, cough...That’s being direct, Jesus.

At this point in the story, I can imagine this woman reacting in several ways to His words. She may have simply turned away, taking the water she had drawn and given Him a look that said, ‘You can get your own water, mister.’

Or, she may have turned defensive, trying to make excuses for her lifestyle. At this point her question about why a Jewish man was talking to a Samaritan woman would have come in handy, but she had already asked that, although Jesus hadn’t given her a straight answer, so she could have repeated herself. ‘Um, exactly who are you, and what right do you have to speak to me that way?’

Or, she may have asked what her marital status had to do with receiving this living water He was offering her; but she seemed to have caught on that Jesus was not an ordinary man, and she was intrigued enough to respond accordingly.

“Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

Jesus declared. “Believe me, woman, and time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem...true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”

It’s an interesting conversation, to say the least. And while the woman may have been speaking “off the cuff”, expressing whatever came into her head, I doubt that Jesus was. For Him this wasn’t a random encounter. He didn’t treat it casually. He didn’t just exchange pleasantries and then go on His way. He had some things to say that He knew she needed to hear. His words may seem random, and even offensive, but they’re not. He had a point, and this woman heard Him loud and clear.

Once their conversation ends, she rushes off to tell the whole town about it, and ‘many of the Samaritan’s from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony’; Jesus also stayed with them for two days, and those who may not have listened to the woman initially heard and saw enough for themselves to know He was the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Someone who knew all about them and had something to offer that they were desperate for.

But what was it that Jesus said that was so convincing? Why did this woman believe? How did she figure out how to get this living water that He talked about? I’m not sure I know the answer to that because I wasn’t there, and it wasn’t me. Have you ever had an encounter with Jesus where you knew He was saying something specific to you, and you “got it”, like a light bulb going on? Maybe even in such a way that changed your entire perspective on something, and yet when you tried to explain it to someone else, putting it into words that make sense to them was difficult?

Jesus likes to get personal with us, doesn’t He? He’s a personal God, and we see this very clearly in this story with the woman at the well. First of all, Jesus was associating with someone that a lot of His own people wouldn’t have, but even more than that, He knew her very personally, and He treated her that way. He wants to do the same with me and you.

Getting back to the words that Jesus speaks to her about going to get her husband, however, I wonder why Jesus would have asked her to do something that He knew very well she couldn’t do. “Go and get your husband,” he says, and she is forced to respond, “I have no husband.”

Why did He do that? To humiliate or condemn her? No. He was making a point about her need for this living water. Something that would satisfy her empty, thirsty soul. His love and acceptance. The value and worth she had in His eyes. He was giving her an opportunity for true worship: to believe in His sufficiency.

If Jesus were to do the same thing with you, if He wanted to bring to the surface an empty place in your heart that He could fill, what would it be? What would He tell you to go get, where your only response would be, ‘I have no_________.

Think about that seriously. You may have more than one thing to fill in the blank. Some of them may be the result of how others have failed you, some may be shortcomings you see in yourself, and others may be related to your current circumstances. (I have no husband, no special talents, no job, no security, no peace, etc.) The list of our missing-pieces can go on and on. Say them all, or better yet, write them down; and then let Jesus say to you, ‘Let Me fill that empty place, and that one, and that one.’

Find your satisfaction and completeness in Him. He is enough.

Amazing Grace?

Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith." (Mark 6:4-6)

Have you ever thought about what Jesus finds amazing? We often talk about being amazed by God. The amazing ways He provides. The amazing miracles He does. His "Amazing Grace"; How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. And while He certainly is amazing, should we truly be amazed at what He does? Isn't that who He says He is? He is love. He is mercy. He is all-powerful. Should we really be amazed when He provides, heals, forgives, and does the "impossible". Is there such a thing as impossible when God is involved?

A few years ago I witnessed several "miracles" take place one after the other. Some were in regards to physical or emotional healing, some were related to relationships, some were great displays of God's provision, and some were ministry-related. At first I was very much amazed by what I saw taking place, but after awhile I began to take a less awe-struck point of view. I think God was trying to prove a point at a time in my life when I really needed to believe in His presence and love, and it worked. There was no way for me to deny His faithfulness because so much was going on that I couldn't explain any other way. And yet in spite of all I saw happening, I often still have seasons of doubt in all that He is and all He wants to do for me and those I pray for.

Getting back to my original question about what amazes Jesus, we can find the answers in Mark 6, Mark 14, and Luke 7. In one case His amazement is a positive response to someone's faith, but in the other two, He is shocked by a lack of faith among those He is closest to. In Mark 6, we find Him returning to His hometown after taking His message of Good News all over the region. While His message was well received from place to place, it was not so welcome back home. People doubted His credibility, and therefore their faith was lacking. Those who did believe were healed, those who didn't were not. And the believing ones were very few.

I can imagine Him being heartbroken over this. And I'm sure He was, but even more so He "marvelled at their unbelief." (KJV) This word for 'marvelled' is translated as 'amazed' in other versions, but not in a positive sense. He was shocked, saddened, and left powerless. Did you know that we have the ability to render the Almighty God powerless with our unbelief? Sobering thought, isn't it?

A similar word is used in Mark 14 where we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He is with His disciples on the night before His death, and "he began to be deeply distressed and troubled." In the KJV, the words "sorely amazed" are used, meaning "to astonish utterly". Some words for this we use more commonly today are: flabbergasted, overwhelmed, shocked, and taken aback. And not just somewhat, but absolutely and completely. In short, Jesus is floored. By what? That His time was drawing near? No, He was expecting that. What surprises Him is how quickly the faith of His friends is failing. They were losing confidence in Him. They were losing hope fast. And He says to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." Just as when He had gone home only to find a profound amount of unbelief among His family and friends, He is heartbroken once again. Those He had invested so much time in were ready to bolt, and He knew it. I don't think He was fearing so much what was coming, but what already was. He wanted them to see the glory of what He was about to do, but He knew they were going to completely miss it and feel devastated, abandoned, and fear for their own lives.

In sharp contrast to these two accounts of the faithless, we find a story in Luke 7 about a Roman centurion who asks Jesus to heal his servant who is near death. This particular centurion has great faith in Jesus' ability to heal him, even from a distance. He doesn't want to take up Jesus' precious time, and Jesus is amazed by his faith. "I tell you," he says to the crowd, "I have yet to come across this kind of simple trust anywhere in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know about God and how He works. " (The Message)

I think that pretty much sums it up. Jesus was amazed that this man, a foreigner in Israel, had more faith than many of His own people who were supposed to "Commend Your works to another generation and tell of Your mighty acts. Speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty and meditate on Your wonderful works. Tell of the power of Your awesome works, and proclaim Your great deeds. Celebrate Your abundant goodness, and joyfully sing of Your righteousness." They were supposed to know that "The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love...is good to all and has compassion on all He has made...gives them food at the proper time and opens His hand to satisfy the desires of every living thing...is near to all who call on Him...fulfills the desire of those who fear Him...hears their cry and saves them...and watches over all who love Him." (Psalm 145: 4-20)

I fear that I am often far too amazed when I witness the glory of God, as if I am surprised, shocked, and flabbergasted that He actually cares enough to protect me, provide for the needs of my family, bring healing to those who need it, and delight me in unexpected ways. Instead of saying, "Wow, that's amazing! I can't believe He did that!" My response to His wonder and majesty should be, "Oh yeah. That's My God!"