love in action

I was talking with my roommate last night as we went for a walk after they gym. I was telling her that I've been frustrated recently to see people in my life NOT making the decisions they should. And specifically not seeing people grow in their faith, in my timing nor in the way I see fit. I am very much a verbal processor and in the midst of telling her that I answered myself and said, I know that Old Testament prophets, New Testament parables (like the parable of the sower), great men and women of faith, and even Jesus saw more rejection of the Gospel or seeds that didn't bring forth abundant fruit. I told Chery that somehow in my western mind, I think if I just do a good enough job explaining the Gospel, love them well enough, show Christ to them through my life, then they'll see, it'll make sense and of course they'll come running to Christ. The Gospel has power in and of itself. That is true. But the problem isn't in how we explain things nor how we live things out (although we could obviously grow in that individually and as the church as a whole). The problem is that our eyes and hearts are UNABLE to see. Our problem isn't purely understanding from an information standpoint, it's understanding from even being able to hear.

And while I hate the parable of the sower & soils, bc I wish all people would come to Christ as their Lord & Savior and be saved, it's also freeing to remember that it's God's work not mine. Yes, the Lord commands us to GO and invest in others. But He is the one who brings forth fruit, not me. And if Jesus spoke and people rejected Him, or just didn't get it, how can I expect anything different. I say that not in a "throw in the towel" way, but in a pfuuu, freeing way.

So... the chapter from Jerram Barrs' book, "Learning Evangelism From Jesus," that Chery suggested I read was AMAZING. It's a great, great book. The content of what Jerram writes is stuff we could use to hear and hear again a million times. Here are some bits and pieces from Chapter 6, "An Unusual Dinner Invitation," which addresses Luke 19:1-10, Jesus inviting himself to have dinner with Zacchaeus, a tax collector (who was seen as one of the most immoral people of society back in the day):

To understand the attitude of the crowd to Zacchaeus, we should try to imagine the very worst of these modern day examples (corrupt politicians & business people), while at the same time imagining that person collaborating with whoever we hate most passionately (in this case the Romans, who were the occupying army of the Jews' oppressors), such as someone working with a terrorist organization responsible for the deaths of many innocent people...

The reason for the crowd's complaints and criticisms is that Jesus' actions are totally unacceptable, even outrageous... Jesus is breaking not only the social customs, but also the religious and moral laws of his time, by becoming a guest and eating in the home of a sinner, a man with an unclean profession. Jesus is making himself socially, ritually, morally, and religiously unclean by going to Zacchaeus's home. He is polluting himself...

Jesus sets all this custom and law aside - for it is not God's law... Jesus sets them aside as... rules created by the leaders of God's people, rather than by God... these laws also prevent God's people from being obedient to their Lord's command to practice hospitality to strangers, to be merciful and gracious to the alien, and to be kind to the sinful, the needy, and the poor... these laws about socially acceptable behavior are a moral offense to God, who calls his people to precisely the opposite way of life: to be people characterized by the mercy, compassion, and grace that he ahs shown them.

...Jesus did not come into the world to keep himself apart from sinners, nor to demonstrate that his life was socially acceptable. Rather he came in fulfillment of the promise of the Lord made in Ezekial 34:11-16

For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.... I will seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them.... I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed.

...Jesus does not keep his distance from sinners, like the Pharisees and teachers of the law, nor does he preach condemning sermons at sinners, like the Pharisees and teachers of the law. If Jesus had conformed to their practice of devotion to God, moral purity, and separation, they would not have been outraged by his behavior. What is so shocking and unacceptable to them is that Jesus desires to have intimate fellowship with sinners. He visits with them. He sits down and eats with them. He invites them to the homes of his friends and disciples... He goes gladly to their homes... He welcomes them joyfully, and in return, they welcome him joyfully... Eating together, being at home together: these imply love and personal fellowship. It is because of this that Jesus' behavior is considered scandalous. Such a commitment - to have intimate fellowship with sinners - is still considered scandalous by many Christian believers today.

Jesus treats Zacchaeus with wonderful grace in going to his home. It is, of course, this lovely grace, this mercy and respect, this honor and love that lead Zacchaeus to repentance... Zacchaeus makes his amazing statement about giving half of his goods to the poor and paying back those he had defrauded four times as much... The point is simply this: Zacchaeus is so deeply moved by the grace of Jesus that he chose to regard his defrauding as the very worst kind of theft. This deep sense of sin and desire for full repentance is what takes place in the heart when a person meets the Lord and sees him as his is in his moral perfection and marvelous grace. When a person sees the Lord as he truly is, then that person also sees himself or herself with a clear vision of the seriousness of his or her sin. When we meet the Lord in his glory, we see our sin in all its ugliness, rather than minimizing it.

This is what happens to Zacchaeus. His clear sight of his sin leads to a passionate desire to make amends and to do what is right and pleasing in the eyes o the Lord... He is overwhelmed by the grace and love of CHrist, and so generosity flows from his hearts... Indeed, in the kingdom of God, such a response ought not to surprise us. What the Lord has done for us is inexpressibly generous and kind...

Learning from Jesus...
...We learn from Jesus how important it is to seek for ways to dignify those who are despised and who may despise themselves...

...we are to seek to honor those who are dishonest, corrupt, and wicket... "If he not only merits no good, but has provoked you by injury and mischief, still this is no good reason why you should not embrace him in love, and visit him with love. He has deserved very differently from me, you will say. But what has the Lord deserved? ...In this way only we attain to what is not to say difficult but altogether against nature, to love those that hate us, render good for evil, and blessing for cursing, remembering that we are not to reflect on the wickedness of men, but look to the image of God in them, an image which, covering and obliterating their faults, should by its beauty and dignity allure us to love and embrace them." (Calvin's Institutes III, vii, 6)

Calvin makes two points here: the first is that we are to see the image of God in a person, no matter how covered over with sin it may be; the second is that we are to remember that Christ is willing to have all this person's sins counted against himself. Our sin becomes Christ's; His righteousness becomes ours. This is the gospel, and we are to remember its power and extraordinary grace even with those who make themselves our enemies...

Honestly, you should buy and read the book. It's good, really good. I wish I could read it all to you. It's good, challenging, but oh so good.