echoes of redemption

It was the biggest catch of their entire career.

Three fishermen told to cast their nets by a rabbi working his way through town – and when they do they catch more fish than they are able to haul in. And when you’re a fisherman, fish = cash.

Then the rabbi says, follow me.

It would have been easy to stay. In retrospect, it actually would have been exponentially easier to stay. But they would have missed out on everything they were created to do.

So when this unknown rabbi called them, they took a massive risk.

They turned their back on the blessing in order to follow the blesser.

Of course, that particular rabbi became know as Jesus the Christ. And the three fishermen – Peter, James and John – became the key catalysts of his movement on earth.

It so easy to become slaves to the tangible blessings in our lives. Stuck where we are. Holding on to what we have. Paralyzed in fear that we could lose it all if we move forward.

Easy to think that the blessing is better than following the blesser.

But that’s exactly what keeps people from living great lives. (Take the rich man, for example.)

So maybe the point of the blessing isn’t actually the blessing. Maybe it’s more about revealing a little more about the heart of the blesser – and what it’s like to live as a follower of Jesus.

In contemporary American Christianity, it’s not unusual to see people demanding the benefits of resurrection before they make the sacrifice of crucifixion.

It’s spirituality that leads to comfort, convenience and success. A mentality that ultimately demands things here on earth that Jesus himself didn’t have.

Scripture teaches that those who follow Christ are fully paid for by his blood – that the eternal price for sin has been paid – and that payment is not based on our own action.

But there also seems to be a thread that runs through all of Scripture challenging followers of God to push past the destructive and oppressive lives sin can cause and live free and holy lives. (Look here and here for a good first step into this theme.)

The problem of course comes when we realize that sin runs far deeper than actions. (The foundation of legalism is sin = action. Which is why micromanaging someone’s actions = success.) Sin is actually woven into the fabric of who I am. I am greedy. I am lustful. I am angry.

So the idea of Jesus as our model really comes home when we read a verse that says, die to yourself. Because, just as Jesus laid down his life for me, I now must lay down my life for him. If greed, lust and anger are woven into the fabric of who I am, some of me will have to die that he may live in me.

Of course, when I really read resurrection for what it is in Scripture, it becomes apparent that we partially taste resurrection on earth (through the freedom that comes with knowing Jesus), but the full benefits of resurrection aren’t unleashed until we enter heaven.

So maybe spirituality that demands the blessings of the resurrection is the equivalent of the prodigal son’s demands of his father – give me the benefits of your life and death now, before the proper time has come. Maybe spirituality that revolves around comfort, convenience and success is presumptuous, arrogant and toxic.

And maybe, if I began giving my life up each and every day I would discover I had deep connection with Jesus, rich relationships with people and an experiential understanding of both the resurrection and the crucifixion of Christ.

Everyone expected Messiah to make things better now. To change now.

And for Jews in Jesus’ day, there was a lot that needed to be fixed. But Jesus didn’t do life the way they expected. He didn’t conquer, slaughter, oppress or destroy anything. He shunned fame and fortune. He refused to engage politically.

So a lot of people were disappointed in Jesus.

He came with a message about how the Kingdom of God works. About how we could all live in ways that would change the world we live in.

In a way, it was a message that would change now. But it takes time. And a lot of work.

Of course today it’s more common to hear Jesus’ message distorted into a message of later. Do you know where you’ll go when you die? (Because living in judgmental ways and ignoring injustice so we can all go to heaven later was clearly Jesus’ message.)

Jesus seemed to be consumed with bringing pieces of heaven to earth – through people.

Which is part of why his life is so powerful and echoes through the ages like it does. He is the example that we can follow to live more deeply than we knew possible. The model of how God intended the world to operate. And he is the key to the freedom that we so deeply desire – and know has to be the way God designed us to live.

So the question is, how am I living now? Am I an agent of restoration? A man of peace? Am I bringing the culture of heaven to earth? Do I fight injustice? Am I a voice for people who have no voice?

Because Jesus message seemed to be more about now than most people thought. And the way that message engages with now is through those that follow the way of Jesus.