Who Do You Want?

“Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 

Pilate shouts to the gathered crowd in Matthew 27:17.

For a moment the crowd looks up and sees three men.

They are offered to make a decision as to who lives and who dies. They can pick by calling a name. Whichever name they choose, walks off the stage and into their midst. Their sentence revoked, their crimes forgiven, presumably their fellowship is restored to their people. The other must receive their sentence, pay for their crimes, and be forever cut-off from their people. For this moment, all three men stand there waiting.

I look at this picture for what it says to us as men. Pilate, Barrabbas, and Jesus were once mortal men, but I believe that they represent three options in our desire to live as men in this world.

Lets start with Pilate. There is little known about Pontius Pilate. Within this story, he was a soldier who became the Roman governor over Judea. 

He had the wishes of every man. Pilate was successful. He became a soldier. He worked hard, got lucky, and rose through the ranks. At this moment Pilate had power and security. He was backed the most powerful army in the known world. He could pretty much do as he liked as long as it did not annoy, shame, or threaten Tiberius Caesar. To his left stood man clearly on the other side of fortune, Barrabas.

He was a prisoner accused of rebellion and murder. He was a zealot who believed in the coming Messiah and tried to bring about the freedom of Judea from Roman oppression. He joined the rebellion, worked hard, and was caught. He became imprisoned, poor, regularly disrespected and maltreated. He was sentenced to be crucified. If Pilate is every man's dream, Barrabas is every man's nightmare. Standing all the way to his right...

Jesus was accused by the priests and scribes. He has no resources, no comforts, no freedom, and is danger of being crucified. He was a carpenter who gave up the business to because he was called to be an itinerant rabbi. He refused to escape or deny those who would arrest him, because he was called to be arrested. Here he could have free himself in a few words regained all of his comforts, his resources, and secured his life by speaking a few words to Pilate or to God. He did not because he was called. 

If Pilate's life is a dream that every man wants to live and Barrabbas', a nightmare that every man wants to avoid, then the life of Jesus is a mystery. He willingly rushes towards the joblessness, insecurity, ignominy, and death that every man in every age would want to avoid. 

Why? 

What on earth could be more important than fruitful work and a good life?

Which man do we want? Which one do we want to be like? The crowd chose Barabbas and Pilate. They chose Barabbas to be in their company and Pilate to be their ruler. They cried out for Jesus to die.

We know why Pilate chose to do as he did. We know what drove Barabbas to become the man he became. It is not until we understand why Jesus did what he did, that we can choose him. Jesus valued his relationship with God over all else. It is hard to remember to do that everyday. Each day there are new and pressing needs to believe that hard work, power, prestige, resources, and comforts are worthy aims. 

Yet, the Holy Spirit and Scripture continually points us to the Man and invite us to become like the mystery.

Musing on Christian art and Christian story

I love to experience Christian art. Perelandra by CS Lewis, Rehab by Lecrae Moore, or the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt are all beautiful pieces of art that render the invisible things of God and His world true. I enjoy and am encouraged by these pieces of art. Not just as its audience, also as a fellow work of art. These pieces of art remind me that my very life and being point to an invisible truth. Yet, there is some Christian art I struggle to resonate with.

These pieces of art seek to portray spiritual realities directly. Every song that seeks to bind the devil, every sermon that skips the story of Scripture to declare its truths as a slogan, I still hear and celebrate the truths of a living God. I enjoy the medium a little less.

Sometimes, I straightforward approach is necessary.

I am in awe of God through His choice of medium. He has revealed himself in the words, stories, songs, poetry, laws, and structure of Scripture. I experience Him clearest when His people reunite His mediums and His truths. God uses stories that have the knowledge of Him as their moral and are filled with very human people, all their glory and ruins included. Whether it is terrible and fearful Edmund from, “The Lion, the Witch, and Wardrobe” or a young, honest, wild and self-centered Lecrae in of APB, the truth of the depth of God’s redemption portrayed through Aslan’s relationship with Edmund and the transforming power of the gospel seen through Lecrae’s lyrical, before-and after snapshots of himself remind me anew of the stories of the Old and New Testaments. They remind me that I am living a story. That story is a continuation of the great story: story of how God saves the world.

I need the encouragement and reminders for as long as life gets me down. That happens more often than I care to remember. I look forward to more Ted Dekkers, Courtney Peebles, Janett..iks, and mosaic makers (see the cover of Befriending the Stranger by Jean Vanier). Most of all, I look forward to day when I will experience God in utter clarity, also known as, the beginning of forever.

Waiting for a Phone call

I fell asleep last night waiting for the phone to ring. I woke up this morning, early in the same state. I lay in bed wondering. I got up, washed, starched and iron my clothes, just in case for the call to come. I knew where their office was. It was 30 minutes away and I was prepared to drive there. I did not want to do anything else. I wanted this job.

I walked around with my phone and my being fully charged, waiting.

Finally, I left. I went to the library. I lost myself in books and webinars on Motivational Interviewing. I wrote two other blog posts. All the while, I watched my phone, waiting for that company to call.

I expected them to call by ten. They did not call.

I called and left a message making sure that they had the correct phone numbers at which to reach me. I waited and waited as I prepared. I studied their company. I got to know what they did. By twelve, I was in full swing writing, listening, reading…waiting. The last time they had called me was yesterday around three. Maybe there had been a gap in their schedule. Maybe there would be another gap today.

By four o’clock, I was crushed.

I went home. By five, I had lost hope and was bitterly angry with the world. Nothing was going right. No one was on my side. Earth was a cold dead place.

I texted two friends one simple word, “Nothing.” It was customary to my spare style of communicating when I am passionate. One of them texted back, “Galatians 6:9;” he was just as brief. I looked it up and found all that I needed.

“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the on who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household o f the faith.” (Galatians 6:8-10 NASB)

My friend was encouraging to not give up hope and to keep working towards working. His encouragement, however, reached further than that. The verse calls me to invest in my life with the Spirit, even if it seems like I am not gaining all that much. Even if it seems like praying for what I need and for His will to be done doesn’t seem to yield what I need or much of His will being worked out in my own soul. Both he and Paul encouraged me to not lose heart and to keep hoping. Paul encourages the brethren of Galatia that hoping in life with the Spirit does not lead to utter selfishness and navel gazing. Rather that hoping will lead me to doing good to others as a way of investing in my life with the Spirit. (That’s good to know and hard to swallow.)

Most of all, that text was short. It took a little of his time, attention, thought, and effort. I was reminded that I am not alone. Therefore, for me, at the very least

Earth is not a cold dead place.