Invitations

Invitations

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” (John 3:14)

Whether realized or not, the above verse is an invitation. One that God has been making for us ever since the Garden. One of the reasons that Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel fresco retains such a powerful attraction is due to the truth of its central image. God, in all of His glory and power, surrounded by Heaven and angels, is reaching, arm outstretched, down toward man. Man reclining, unconcerned, and lackadaisical offers a half-hearted attempt to meet Him. There were variations on this theme present in the episode of The Chosen we watched this week. Jesus offers everything, it’s our fixation on whatever small portion of the world that we are capable of seeing that distracts us from the enormity of that gift. But in essence there are only two options in response. Acceptance or rejection.

Nicodemus was finally granted an audience with Jesus, meeting in secret upon a dimly lit rooftop. The dramatic cloak and dagger act served to underscore Nicodemus’ priorities. Jesus attracted crowds and attention precisely because He made no effort to hide His words and deeds. Nicodemus could have approached Jesus at any of these public gatherings and been part of the listening crowd. His position of influence and lifestyle were encumbrances and obstacles that forced him to greet Jesus “off the books” and in hiding. Although Nicodemus understood who Jesus is and the importance of His mission, those same obstacles kept him from wholeheartedly accepting the invitation. What from your life acts as a hindrance to following Jesus or keeps you from wholehearted acceptance?

Matthew is another example from our episode this week, but with a different perspective. Matthew had, from the outside, an envious position. His work made him very wealthy and very connected. He was given protection by the local government and allowed a degree of autonomy in how to conduct his business. Young, wealthy and connected is a very appealing place to be. But he was, like Nicodemus, conflicted by what he had witnessed. His mind could not derive a “rational” sense from what his eyes had clearly seen. He knew that there was more to this man Jesus than met the eye. And placed before him was the same invitation extended to Nicodemus, but met with a completely different response. Matthew saw Jesus pass from within his tax collector’s protective cage and was amazed when He turned around and addressed him personally. At merely a word of invitation, Matthew abandoned his post, left all he had and followed. One last note about these two experiences. Nicodemus had the respect and admiration of his peers, Matthew was loathed by even his own family. “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God.” (John 12:42-43) It wasn’t merely the material that denoted the difference between these two responses, but the personal. It is easier to leave behind things than people, but as ever, it revolves around who is at the center. What in your life makes you excited to approach Him and glad to be part of His Kingdom?

Charlie Munger died this week. And while likely not a name readily familiar, there is a connection to our topic of discussion. Charles Munger was instrumental in building Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate headed by Warren Buffett, into what it has become. He was incredibly wealthy, widely respected, and philanthropic in his endeavors. And now he’s dead. His position, if occupied at all, will be filled by someone else. His power erased and prestige left to crumble into the dust of history. His billions now dispersed. It. All. Fades. Away. Why make any decision based on what you can see? It won’t last, it’s promised not to. Even those things we herald as permanent. Natural or manmade, all will be purged. The Great Pyramids of Giza, Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, all will be devoured as this old earth makes way for the new one prepared for us. Matthew saw something in Jesus that he understood to be beyond human understanding and wanted to know it better. Nicodemus had the same realization, but hesitated from reaching the same conclusion. But realize that the invitation was extended to them both, the same one that is extended also to you.

An invitation is not a demand, but an offering. Too many view Christianity as nothing more than a rigorous series of strict rules designed merely to keep us from having “fun.” Knowing many Christians, it’s easy to see why this mistaken view is promulgated. But mistaken it still is, regardless of its popularity. Morgen offered a phenomenal perspective on the scene depicting the sit down between Nicodemus and Jesus. She described it as the Old Testament meeting the New Testament. And in so very many ways it is. Nicodemus was initially concerned primarily with appearance and position. He didn’t linger there, but his approach came from that direction. He also was quite literal. “Born again” was viewed strictly as a literal statement, even the discussion of a Kingdom brought to mind only Roman oppression. One could easily imagine Nicodemus asking Jesus to point out on a map where this Kingdom would be found and what would mark its boundaries. It was a mindset still yearning for the Promised Land and a physical manifestation of God’s Kingdom on this present earth. He looked forward to the fulfillment of prophecy only for it to take them back to the past. Jesus endeavored to point out, in fact His very presence literally proved, that everything was changed now. There was an oppressor enslaving God’s people. There was a conqueror that would lead them to destruction. We do need a Savior to save us from the yoke of this unsurvivable burden and a Redeemer to lift us up to live free again. But the oppressor is not a political entity. It’s sin. 

Jesus knew that as surely Rome rose it would fall, as had Persia and Babylon before it, as would the Aztec, the Spanish, the British and if it continues on its present course America afterwards. (**Sidenote Tangent** Ernest Hemingway stated there were two ways to go bankrupt, “gradually then suddenly” and make no mistake, present day America is intellectually, morally, spiritually, and literally financially approaching bankruptcy.**) God’s people don’t require any saving from a political foe, all such foes are by definition transitory because they are earthly. No system, institution, or person has ever had the power to even come close to touching God’s Authority over the eternal soul. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) If all of this is true, why do we so assiduously ignore it? 

There is always a gap between the theoretical and the practical. Our discussion touched a great deal on it. We understand at some level that Jesus came to save all people, but we struggle to understand it when we get into specifics. Sure, He came to save the world, but surely not him. I understand that the invitation is extended to all but certainly not her. For God so loved the world of course, but He couldn’t mean them. Sometimes we even believe it is ourselves that are somehow beyond Salvation. That our own misdeeds and transgressions are so great that Jesus couldn’t have possibly given His life to cover over them. Do not diminish His sacrifice. Recognize it for the fathomless gift that it is and be grateful the only thing that separates you from it is an invitation. An easy gate to open, that. But a narrow one.

But that narrow gate is the doorway to so much. The known vs the unknown, or what our limited mind can conceive vs what God can create. The strength to stop our present anxieties from robbing us of our hope for tomorrow. The ability to jettison the seen in favor of the unseen. The secret of the relationship between faith and reason. (Notice it’s not vs.) It’s tempting to view logic and reason as an assurance of some order based on a planned or predictable system. And consequently to view faith as a blind belief in happenstance or coincidence. But that is not the God we worship. “Reason” defined as such is merely faith misplaced. Placed in our limited observational skills and our minute ability to understand. Faith allows us access to God’s grander plan. There is order, there is structure, ordained and created by God alone. Just because we cannot see it doesn’t not mean it does not exist, belief otherwise is the height of arrogance. To declare something non-existent merely because it rests outside our understanding is childish. To examine one’s prevalence for reason or faith is to ask another question, ‘Who is on your throne?’ And it is this question that determines your response to the invitation.

When the Israelites were in the desert they reached a point in their journey where, “they spoke against God and against Moses” (Numbers 21:5a) They complained about God, about His chosen instrument, Moses, and even about the manna that God had given them from Heaven. It was then that God sent amongst them what the King James Version refers to as “fiery serpents” that killed and maimed indiscriminately. Such suffering turned them back to God to beseech peace once again. (We never appreciate how good we have it until it’s taken away.) God gave Moses instructions that had to be bewildering at the time. God told Moses to make a snake “and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” (Numbers 21:8b) God’s chosen are still suffering from the deadly bites of a fiery serpent. What is required for our salvation is to look upon the sacrifice lifted up on the pole and believe. We are not tasked with understanding but believing. We are not asked to bridge the gap, but walk the path already made. We are invited, not castigated, condemned, or cast aside. For all of our excuses, reasons, or perspectives there are only two answers we can give. How will you respond? 

Jordan Williamson