"Sympathy Pains"

Feeling the pain of others is a fatherly trait. The father who feels the pain of labor or even the burden of carrying a child is a good father. That stands in opposition to the idea that such a father is wimpy or less masculine. It does us good to remember that the one who bears the weight of another while running the race of life is stronger than those who run the race carrying only their own burdens.

When I cut my finger tip on a table saw, some of the students in our youth group would grimace at the thought of what I had done. As I watched their response, their grimaces showed they were feeling my disaster as though it were their own injury. Some would grimace and be forced by their "sympathy pains" to turn their heads and hold one of their own fingers in the palm of their other hand. As quickly as they turned away, they would turn back and ask me to unwrap the bandage so they could see the actual injury. Mysterious as it was to me I observed an inherent willingness to feel what I was feeling.

Paul the apostle was such a person. If there were a qualifying quality making him a spiritual father of so many, it was his willingness and ability to feel the "labor pains" of their spiritual growth. He says in Galatians 4:19 "My dear children, I am in pain for you. Once again I have pain like a woman giving birth. And my pain will continue until Christ makes you like himself." 


It is a wonderful trait that humans are able to feel the pain in someone else's birthing. But how much more wonderful that we might feel the pain of spiritual birth.


One cannot have such a quality unless there is an actual event of birth taking place. There is something wrong with us, something which requires the strain of birthing. That something wrong cannot be ignored if birth is to continue on its normal course. For Paul it was that we so quickly qualify faith and trust in Jesus alone with acts of faith or religion. It's as though Jesus' work for others is not sufficient for us. We quickly go AWOL from Jesus to a standard of  performance in order to obtain a right standing with God. 


We rebuild the structures which Jesus by his sacrifice destroyed and made of no avail. Even in light of their limited efficacy, we give ourselves over to them unaware that we are abandoning the one who is all-sufficient.


Is our own faith so clear, focused, and simple that to see others leave it behind gives us "labor pains"?

Enrapturing Stories of Disappearances Blamed for Thefts

            Lindseyticus Lohanicaus, a well-known actor and performer from an extremely wealthy Thessalonian family was arrested yesterday morning for shoplifting grain from vendors at Fleaticus Marketus, a store which has sold grains to passersby since the first synagogue opened in Thessalonica a few years ago.  

The Lohanicaus family had been missing for three days after venturing to the coastal region to buy a new variety of goat cheese. Unexpectedly, a fleet of Egyptian sailors harbored in Thessalonica and prevented citizens from returning home.

According to Lohanicaus, a group referred to as “The Way” had convinced her that her family had been taken by God and that she was left alone. Believing that her parents had been removed from the face of the earth, the young, well-known actress thought that she had been left to care for herself. Realizing that the storehouse at home was nearly empty, she believed that she should take some time to restock because her parents were not expected to return until their savior decided it was time to bring them back with him. She felt abandoned by both her parents and her Messiah, convinced that she had been left behind with no drachmas, she began pilfering food to store.

According to some teachers, which her family had believed, a man named Jesus was taken from the earth several years ago, after an unbelievable resurrection. When he ascended into heaven, he told his followers that he would come again.  Since those days, much has been said about his return to receive his followers and take them away. Ms. Lohanicus assumed she had been left behind and resorted, quickly, to survival for which she was untrained. The soldiers making the arrest found it difficult to believe the intensity with which Lohanicaus’ family believed those stories.

Ms. Lohahicaus’ mother was not her typically supportive self when confronted with her daughter’s brush with the law. Critically, she queried, “Es vos affectus per venenum iterum?”

One arresting officer, Detective Lennie Briscoticus, came quickly to Ms. Lohanicus’ defense saying that if she were his daughter, he would hope that she would have such survival skills. He’s just grateful someone didn’t snatch her up as a slave or prostitute. Fortunately, this same detective had been present during some previous uprisings around one of progenitors of “The Way”, Paul, an itinerate Roman Jew. He had become acquainted with Paul’s teaching in the synagogue. Becoming a convert to The Way the officer had become privy to some letters from this Paul who debunked this whole notion of this poor girl being left behind. Together, they read those letters. To the girl’s great comfort, she realized that her distress was caused by antagonists wishing to disrupt the faith of her family.

Upon interrogation, the arresting officer pledged to search out those teachers and give them “the ol’ what for” for disrupting this family the way they have. Unfortunately, charges remain pending against our young actress, Linseyticus Lohanicaus. 

Note from publisher: We encourage all our readers to submit human interest stories. We understand that Alexander Graham Bellicus is working on a new communication device made from two cylindrical metal devices joined by long chords. Until those devices are perfected you must continue to send your news contributions via one of your slaves. Remember to send with your story, a signed release form provided by this publisher. Otherwise we will refuse to print your story. 

"Jesus' Reputation in Your Neighborhood"

As your neighbors look at you they may think that their lives are better than yours. Their cars are newer, families more accomplished, bank accounts bigger, and friends are freer of suspicion. They may say, therefore, that your Jesus is not worth very much.

Paul lived in such an environment. Writing from Ephesus on his third missionary journey, he wrote his letter to the church at Corinth. Imagine witnessing the great events at Ephesus. On one occasion he saw diviners attempt to imitate the power displayed by Jesus' followers by driving out evil spirits. The possessed individuals turned and severely beat the impostors. Of course Paul was, in the middle of those miraculous events, mystified at the accusations circulated about him from Corinth. The intent of their criticism was that Paul might withdraw from the tasks that God had called him to do.

Corinth was a rich city. The might of the wisdom of men caused their distrust of Paul's ministry. It was that environment in which Paul wrote I Corinthians 4:1-5. His desire was to be known as a servant of Christ. Jesus is worthy of our obedience. Nothing in this life is more worthy than Jesus. Like a coxswain calling out orders to the under-oarsman, Jesus was directing Paul's life.

Why should Paul so openly refuse the judgment of others? His refusal was not that he thwarted sound advice or  that he was exempt from criticism. It was, rather, Christ, not current circumstances which bid Paul's obedience. Thus, he said, "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court." Paul was, in short, telling his critics that the end of time will tell the validity of his faithfulness. Meanwhile he would walk in faith, repentance, and obedience. Let the Joneses prosper; nothing would sway him.

Do not get the idea from this passage that we are stop judging ourselves and one another. What injustice we would do, not only to our faith, if we breezed through this life without evaluation! Only a few short passages later, Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for their pride in abiding with and bragging about a man who was having an open affair with his father's wife. I Peter 2:16 clearly tells us that our faith should not be a cover for our sinfulness, "Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves." And while in Ephesus Paul witnessed people passionately turning from their passion for evil to a passion for Jesus. Those once entrenched in evil burned valuable objects used in performing the evil of their previous lives. It would be the equivalent of Christians caught up in the vices of this age burning computers, VCRs, DVDs, satellite receivers and the like in order to leave their past lives behind and pursue their new lives in Jesus.

To your neighbors, what is Jesus' reputation. Do they perceive him as worthy to be followed? Do they witness you abiding in Christ when circumstances call you away from following him? It is not your guilt or innocence that raises Jesus' reputation. Rather your continued love of him through all of life's challenges.

Neighbor to Neighbor

During the season of Epiphany, I am pondering the means by which God the Holy Spirit brings people to the "Aha, I see Jesus!" moments. The Bible records Jesus as God in the flesh.

When people needed wine, we have no record that he sent them to the winery. When they wanted to know God, there is no record of Jesus sending them to someone else. So it is with our touching the world. As we come to know Jesus, we know to point others to that one and same Jesus. When they are thirsty, we know where the water is; hungry, we know where the bread is; lost, we know where to find the shepherd.

We know because, by God's grace, we've been there drinking, eating, and finding our way.

The Bible presents Jesus as the perfect, full presentation of God; the Creator and Sustainer of all Creation, the Word or complete expression of God, and more: God. Our aha moments are because God came to be with us.

There is much made of the idea that Christians are to "incarnate" Christ to the world. Yes, as followers of Jesus we are temples of the Holy Spirit and we are called to convey what God shows us. But there is only one incarnation. However fine the semantic line may be, there is a line nonetheless.

Finally, where would we be in relationship to Christ had we not been where others are? Paul loves to use phrases which refer to our former lives away from faith in Christ. Though our perseverance in faith depends only on God, our perseverance in this life depends on continuing to confront our need in the presence of Christ. Until our Savior enters, once again, our physical sphere, the growing, learning, and sharing will carry on.

We possess all we need to present Christ neighbor to neighbor.

"The Butt of Betrayal"

The soccer ball was stopped. "Here's my chance," I thought. "I can kick this sucker, score, and be the Phys. Ed. hero of the day." To see if anyone was going to block me, I looked up and around. Like the application of the defibrillator paddles, I almost yelled, "Clear!" Instead, I again looked down to kick the ball; my foot was already in full swing; I missed and I fell on my butt, the butt of betrayal.

As an assistant physical education director, I was fairly coordinated. The ball had stopped. But an earthquake caused the ball to roll three feet. That is a true story, other than the falling on my butt part.

We may experience betrayal in almost any situation. It is not, necessarily, sourced in broken human relationships, trickery, or tom-foolery. Betrayal does not require a source at all.

Circumstance can betray us just as convincingly as humans. I felt betrayed when my mother left our family of six kids. I felt betrayed when she lay in a coma, then in a coffin, having died at the age of 39. One situation required that someone exercise human volition; the other required none. Both times I felt equally betrayed.

Betrayal, then, has as much to do with our expectation or perception of what we deserve as it does with actions that hurt us. Perhaps that knowledge is what nurtured Jesus' response to Judas. To refer to Judas as a mere protagonist, however, reduces the record to nothing more than theater, an act, in which there would be little useful truth. Rather, what we have is a factual personification of betrayal for all eternity,

The Bible references Judas with words synonymous with Satan himself. There was a person; there was one whom Jesus knew would birth violence; he became the definition of betrayal. Jesus was able to see beyond the person who turned against him to the One in whose purpose Christ found His being. In a sense Jesus was not deceived at all. How might one be deceived if one has prior knowledge?

In this we find our example. Might we know that while we perceive betrayal, there is a principle beyond. "The Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed..." instituted the Lord's Supper. In the presence of his own enemies, he prepared a table clothed with the invitation to come, to believe, to trust, to ingest by faith. He was inviting both the deceiver and those who are deceived to comfort and hope.

Should  this not be our own response to deception? Is this not a pattern for all the elect to follow? "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Jesus knew, personally, the true deceiver; he also knew, personally, the True One. As we experience deception, we ought also to experience God's foreknowledge. We may, therefore, continue to respond with peace, invitation, love, and hope.