False Choice; All or Nothing
A reading for Thursday, May 29, 2014: Matthew 28:16-20.
All or nothing... Black and white... In or out... Belief or unbelief...
These are the ways many seem to see faith and life. There are two extremes, each at opposite ends of an idea, and we are told we have to choose one end or the other. It's clear. It's easy. It's about the will to make the right choice. Have you made your choice?
If you aren't living right, then make a choice for Jesus. If you don't have time for church, well then your priorities are just out of balance. If you just believed enough, well then life would be easy. Right?
Truth is this is a false dichotomy. These are straw men that are easily pointed at with no authority. This isn't the way life and faith work. It's far more subtle.
When Jesus was with his disciples at the very end, the book of Matthew tells us that while many worshipped Jesus, some also doubted. Some doubted? How could they doubt we wonder? Are these eleven just not faithful enough? Didn't they make the right choice? It's pretty black and white right? That's what we are thinking.
How does Jesus respond? Well, Jesus grants even those that doubted the authority to go into the world to make disciples. Seems like doubt is just as valid a response to the resurrection of Christ as faithfulness. There is no all or nothing. There is no in or out. All the disciples are granted the authority to go and make disciples. There is no false choice. Jesus chooses all of them.
Truth is faith and life happens in real time, in the messiness of life. We can never get it all right first, before we then venture out to tell others what we know. It doesn't work that way. It's not that clear. Perhaps this is the reason more of us don't share our faith. We still think we don't have it right enough. We are still living with a false choice.
Truth is you will never get it all right. Sorry...
The message of Matthew 28 is go! Go anyway... Even in the midst of your doubt. Go even though you still don't know what to do and how to live. Jesus promises to be with you no matter what. Jesus has chosen you in spite of your doubt. You are the one, even though you don't have it all right.
So just go... Go, and figure it out with Jesus along the way. Go!
Are you still here? Go!
All or nothing... Black and white... In or out... Belief or unbelief...
These are the ways many seem to see faith and life. There are two extremes, each at opposite ends of an idea, and we are told we have to choose one end or the other. It's clear. It's easy. It's about the will to make the right choice. Have you made your choice?
If you aren't living right, then make a choice for Jesus. If you don't have time for church, well then your priorities are just out of balance. If you just believed enough, well then life would be easy. Right?
Truth is this is a false dichotomy. These are straw men that are easily pointed at with no authority. This isn't the way life and faith work. It's far more subtle.
When Jesus was with his disciples at the very end, the book of Matthew tells us that while many worshipped Jesus, some also doubted. Some doubted? How could they doubt we wonder? Are these eleven just not faithful enough? Didn't they make the right choice? It's pretty black and white right? That's what we are thinking.
How does Jesus respond? Well, Jesus grants even those that doubted the authority to go into the world to make disciples. Seems like doubt is just as valid a response to the resurrection of Christ as faithfulness. There is no all or nothing. There is no in or out. All the disciples are granted the authority to go and make disciples. There is no false choice. Jesus chooses all of them.
Truth is faith and life happens in real time, in the messiness of life. We can never get it all right first, before we then venture out to tell others what we know. It doesn't work that way. It's not that clear. Perhaps this is the reason more of us don't share our faith. We still think we don't have it right enough. We are still living with a false choice.
Truth is you will never get it all right. Sorry...
The message of Matthew 28 is go! Go anyway... Even in the midst of your doubt. Go even though you still don't know what to do and how to live. Jesus promises to be with you no matter what. Jesus has chosen you in spite of your doubt. You are the one, even though you don't have it all right.
So just go... Go, and figure it out with Jesus along the way. Go!
Are you still here? Go!
Comments
Post a Comment