Tell It To Jesus

Another Family Dispute

Holy Communion

August 2, 1998

Colossians 3; Luke 12

This wasn't the first time for this sort of thing. For the second time in just a little while Jesus was asked to step into a family disagreement. First it was Martha and Mary. Now it was a brother against his brother over settling an inheritance. People have a way of wanting to use Jesus to put their relatives in line.

There certainly isn't anything wrong with telling Jesus when you have a problem with someone. Particularly someone close. In fact that is what we always ought to do first. It is not wrong to hate injustice. It is human to have feelings hurt. It doesn't mean you're not holy enough yet. Anyone that says he never feels slighted about anything has a real problem.

The only thing is when we tell Jesus about someone else, Jesus looks deep inside of us and knows what is really troubling us. He may or may not go to work in answer to prayer to straighten out the other person or persons involved. We have to leave that up to him. But you can be sure that he hears us, that he loves us, and his answer will begin with the one who is troubled.

As you certainly remember, Martha was upset because she thought Mary ought to be helping her in the kitchen. Jesus told Martha she didn't need to be troubled. He spoke to her about good, better, and best. This brother was upset because he thought he was being cheated. "Lord, make my brother divide the inheritance with me!" He probably had a legitimate problem. Somehow Jesus saw that he had a deeper problem than being cheated. He was in danger of corroding his own soul in hatred and greed. So instead of a "ruling" or a judgment," Jesus told him a story. We call the story the parable of the rich fool.'

Maybe we can focus too much on the details of the story itself. We think it is about rich people. Bill Gates. PowerBall winners. But the man in Jesus' parable wasn't a fool because he was rich. He was a fool because he forgot what was really important. He was a fool because he decided for himself what was really important. He was a fool because he thought and acted as if there were no God but himself. "I've done all this! I will pull down these warehouses, and build bigger!" [ There is a bumper sticker that reads, "The one who dies with the most toys WINS!" Jesus might have had a bumper sticker: "The one who dies with the most toys DIES!"] There is no sadder name for a person than fool. Jesus ended the story by saying: "So is everyone who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Martha got a word about focus. This wounded brother got a word about perspective.

Colossians chapter 3 has an interesting idea about perspective. It says as Christians we are raised up with Christ. We are so to identify with our Lord that we can find and accept HIS way of looking at life. We know that he died for us, and we die with him in baptism. We know he rose again from the dead, and we are alive in him to God and the things of the Spirit. But that is not all that this means:

"If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

We are raised to God with Christ! God's own way of seeing things! What is important to God becomes important to God's people! In Ephesians 2 it is even clearer; there we read: "Even when we were dead in our transgressions (God) made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus."

Life in Christ is really all about finding the proper perspective.

Some ways of looking at life will corrode and destroy instead of strengthen. Self-centered living at any level is corrosive. There are attitudes that will destroy us spiritually. Even when we are in the right as far as the dispute is concerned. It goes without saying there are some attitudes that are always sinful, some actions that are simply wrong: "Put to death," the Bible says, "sexual immorality, uncleanness, sinful passion, evil desire, and greed." But there are also some legitimate, humanly understandable feelings that need to be dealt with and put aside as well, feelings that come when injustice is done, especially when the injustice is done to you or yours. The Bible puts it this way: "Put these aside also: anger, wrath, malice, slander and abusive speech from your mouth."

It isn't easy or natural to have God's perspective on life. God loves. God loves you. God loves your sister, your brother. God loves your enemy. When we identify with Jesus Christ we have been chosen to "put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Instead of a life-view that will destroy us spiritually, we have the view from the Throne! It sounds impossible. It is impossible, apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit!

It isn't easy or natural to have God's perspective on life. We are born into earth-bound circles, and have earth-sensitive sense receptors. We see and hear things from where we happen to be.

When all the world around us is celebrating self-worship, Jesus' call to follow Him and take up a cross sounds stupid. When money and youth and power are what count, and people are valued because they can make their own rules it seems backwards to value the poor, and care about the helpless.

[Rudyard Kipling was addressing a graduating class once and said "You will go out from here and very likely you'll make a lot of money, and one day you'll meet someone for whom that means very little. Then you will know how poor you are." - Leadership 1995]

Fools act as if there is no God. They build and tear down on their own advice. They make plans that don't take God into the equation at all. Self is the center and circumference of living.

God's life within and His love come with God's enabling gifts: the peace of God, the Word of God, and the name of Jesus. It goes beyond both the time restraints and the parameters of the epistle lesson to develop fully these gifts to us that give us the divine perspective. But in this same third chapter of Colossians we read:

Let the peace of God rule in your hearts. When we come to God humbly to receive life in him our sins are forgiven, and we have peace with God. As we walk with Him increasingly we know the peace of God. Whatever disturbs that peace we need to take seriously. Check out everything that disturbs your conscience. Don't let me or anyone else condemn you but let the peace of God rule.

Let the Word of God dwell in your richly as you worship privately and together with fellow Christians. The Word of God is our living guide for living. No one becomes a strong mature Christian who does not spend time with the Word until the Word becomes at home' in every part of living.

(Finally) Let the name of Jesus dominate everything you do! If you can't do it in the company of Jesus, don't do it! Jesus' name is more than just an ending for our prayers. It is the signature at the bottom of God's checking account for all you need to do His holy will. But it is also our family name,' that we uphold with honor everywhere we go.

What would happen if every time we had a disagreement in our families we brought our grievances to Jesus? As a matter of fact that is exactly what we need to do! Tell Jesus how angry we are! Tell Him exactly how we feel!

But then, let's wait and listen as Jesus talks to us about US! We can pray until we have rolled the burden over on Jesus but Jesus won't let us get away just feeling sorry for ourselves . . .

Let's remember his gifts: his peace, his Word, his Name! And by God's help let's remember where we really are: Seated with Jesus in the heavenlies! "Keep looking down!"

Prayer