Lookin' good

This morning I'm thinking about Jesus. Not a bad place to start. Jesus is such a paradox. Fully God, yet he laid it all down. Our natural tendency is to constantly strive and work, trying to grow, to increase, to get more, have more, be more. Jesus had it all, and He laid it all down. That constantly challenges me.

Apparently it challenged Luke as well. Luke was a doctor, well-educated and presumably in the upper class of his time. Somehow Luke's attention got arrested by Jesus. Whatever plans Luke had for himself evaporated like steam from the tea kettle. Our own strivings are like that- lots of heat and energy, insides boiling, making lots of noise and demanding attention from others. But it all just evaporates as soon as it's out the door. No lasting results, nothing of value produced.

Luke records a dinner conversation Jesus had with some up and comers (Luke 11), Pharisees and experts in the law. These were good people to know. They were like Senate staffers today- maybe not the people making the speech, but the people writing the speech. Some of these people will be making the speech soon. Important people. People you would want to impress.

Jesus did make an impression on them. His words have made an impression on me. He scolded them and corrected them. These people loved to give it out, but it stung them to be on the sharp end of the stick. Jesus pointed out that they majored on things other people notice but left their own hearts untouched. They gave a tenth of their herb gardens to God but, Jesus said, neglected justice and love.

Here's what gets me: "You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone." Imagine this- you're riding in the front seat, your friend is driving. Suddenly you notice that your friend is no longer checking the road but has her nose glued to the dash board, completely focused on the speedometer. What are you doing?? "I don't want to go over the speed limit." Jesus was saying, "Hey guys, you're only watching the speedometer but you're about to drive into a bridge!"

"Keeping the rules" is fine and necessary, absolutely ought to get done. But it is the result, the by-product of a heart on fire. These guys were doing it because it was required to advance, because it would hurt their cause to be seen as not doing it. They were practicing only those things that others would notice. Jesus challenged them give their heart and attention, their full energies - to practice - something much deeper.

All too easy to focus only on those things that make us look good. Esse quam videre.