10/3/2019 0 Comments Of Planks and courage Imagine being the disciples after Jesus death. It must have been scary, right? First, the disciples literally saw Jesus taken away from them by an angry mob, they watched him (the pinnacle of an innocent man) accused of crimes and then convicted, then they saw Jesus (the Messiah, God Himself) nailed to a cross and killed. I can only imagine that nothing would make sense after that. How do you make sense of all of the miracles? How do you make sense of your own religious leaders putting God to death? Combine this with the fact that the disciples were really young (all teenagers except for Peter) and is it any wonder that they went into hiding?
The disciples had a completely rational, a completely human reaction to Jesus' death. They were afraid and everything that they thought was true, was suddenly turned on its head. The disciples (and Jewish people in general) had an archetype for what the Messiah was supposed to look like and what he was supposed to do; being publicly humiliated and crucified did not fit that description. What's more is that at the time just having associated with a criminal (especially to the degree that the disciples did) meant that you were likely to be accused of their crimes and suffer in a similar manner. (It's part of the reason none of the 12 went to claim Jesus' body from the cross- if you did that, it was highly likely that you'd be accused of the same crimes.) They were afraid of being persecuted, of being convicted of crimes they hadn't committed, and they were confused; so they did what humans do when they are afraid; they hid. They tucked themselves into a room and only went out occasionally when they needed things to survive. The good news is that Jesus visited them there and he visited the disciples on the road to Emmaus to bring them back to Jerusalem. He told them that He had risen from the dead and He was going to make a place for them in heaven. Still, the disciples hid. They were still afraid, still wondering what would come next. It makes sense, then, that the only thing that could change their reaction would be God. When Jesus came to the disciples on Pentecost, he "breathed" on them and gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit. (As an interesting side note, the same word for breath, "Ruach" is the word used for Holy Spirit in Scripture.) Suddenly, the disciples who had spend so much time afraid and hiding in the dark were changed people. They went out and they preached the Gospel message; they bravely told of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection and willing went to prison, were willingly beaten and falsely accused, and went willingly to their own death in the name of Jesus. The only thing that changed these people from the fearful to brave in an instant is the Holy Spirit. But what does this have to do with us? In terms of time and distance, we are fairly far removed from that cross on Calvary 2000 years ago and we have the advantage of our history which helps us avoid the confusion the disciples had; we know that Jesus won in the end and we know that he gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. And while we certainly face persecution in a way, the fears we have of persecution aren't the same as the fears that the disciples would have faced. Nonetheless, the Holy Spirit wants to move and work in us in the same ways. The Holy Spirit's desire is to move in us in the same way he moved in the disciples. He desires to transform the world around us by first transforming us. The Holy Spirit gives us all of the strength and courage that we need to be able to face the world and go out sharing the good news. The challenges that we face today might not be the same as the challenges that the disciples faced (although, at their core, they may not be so different either) but the Holy Spirit wants to help us navigate them in the same way. 2Timothy 1:7 says it this way, "For the Lord did not give you a Spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self control." The disciples at Pentecost are given the same gift that we are given in Baptism and in Confirmation; the gift that enables us to act in the world as Jesus would. The Holy Spirit desires to radically change our hearts and lives from the inside out and given half a chance, he'll do exactly that. I think it's easy to look around our world today and see all of the ways that it is broken and flawed. It's easy to say the world needs more peace, more love, better politicians, more kindness, more care for the environment, and a thousand other things (and you'd be right). But what I think is harder it to look at ourselves and see the ways that we are broken and flawed; it is harder to see the things that we need to help us grow and be better. I think this is what is at the heart of what Jesus says in Matthew 7:5 when he says "You hypocrite. First remove the plank from your own eye, then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's." He isn't saying that we are so much worse than our brother (because if everyone applies this to themselves, then everyone has a plank in their own eye) but he is saying that the thing blocking our own vision is the bigger problem. The only way we can become self aware enough to recognize the plank in our own eye and have the strength to remove it is through the Holy Spirit. So, in the same way that the disciples began working, it is only in changing ourselves that we can go into a world so desperately in need of change; it is only in changing our own heart and vision that we are not seen as hypocrites as we try to right the wrongs around us. This week, I challenge you to ask the Holy Spirit to show you the ways he wants to clear your vision and change your heart and I invite you to open yourself up to his cleansing, empowering love. Peace, Michaela
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