Nain

I don’t intend to claim a new observation to a passage in the gospel of luke tonight, only that this is how I read it on this particular occasion.

Jesus healed someone that never asked for it.

In Nain, the funeral procession was in progress and Jesus interupts the procession by telling the widow not to cry and then touches the coffin and the only son “wakes” up. The crowd was not asking, the mom was not asking and certainly the son was not asking. I don’t mean to say that this is the only time it happened, but I have never considered this before.

What does this say about God?

“13 When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. ”Don’t cry!” he said. Luke 7“

THE FACTS:

• the woman was a widow
• since there was a large crowd this would seem to indicate she was well known
• the boy was an only child
• this is the only recorded time Jesus was in nain.

Jesus performed a miracle out of compassion that favored those who didn’t even ask or imagine this would happen. It wasn’t the eleventh hour, it was after the end. The credits of the movie had shown. There was no time on the clock.

“20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3“

A few more than 48 Hours until a crazy new chapter unfolds. I have no idea how this will play out except that God can do INFINITELY more than we might ask or think. The widow recieved compassion because of WHO GOD IS. The same goes for us. He is working miracles for us because of who He is and not just in response to our asking.

—

God got me started in this. This being up to my neck with opportunity all the time, acting in belief with less than full information, presumption smashing as often as I make them, separation from rules while craving holiness. This calling out for Christ in the dark, candle lit, or sun shining full face with God’s creation stretching out before me, polishing silverware or greeting guests, in basements, second stories and walking on the street. In coffee shops never meeting a stranger always new people and faces. Leaps of faith with barely enough, more than enough. Exhaustion of senses, feelings, visions, and the kindling of all things new.

Father in Heaven, you will accomplish this work you began in me. I pray for these next 48 hours as you begin a new chapter in the lives of so many faithful I have met along the way.

Amen.

Jump

The Gospel, Sherlock Holmes, and Michaelangelo?

I have just completed moving andrewjump.com from typepad to wordpress and thus return to a regular habit of thinking out loud here.

|This is a whiteboard from my heart and mind to you|

Purity

One a Sabbath day when Jesus went to eat at the home of a leading Pharisee, the people were watching Jesus very closely.        Luke 14.1

If you are a leader you will be looked at very, very closely. When put under the microscope of the crowd the only way to pass is PURITY. Jesus was completely pure.

The farther I travel in this life of pursuing Christ I am noticing how he continually magnifies the details of my life. I also notice the danger of solely focusing on these details and losing sight of the whole picture

“It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important” – Sherlock Holmes

Anything great is comprised of the most intricate attention to detail. I believe that in this generation attention to detail is seen as an afterthought amidst the precious striving for the next, the future, the big idea. A great work of art done in photoshop may have 1000 layers, but we see just the one. We are quick at discerning quality and what truely is good, slow at paying the price to be real. Being real is attending to each and every detail while mainting the focus and vision of where you are headed. We are quick to applaud the powerful sermon, the “right on” devotion, yet slow to live the change.

Let’s return to 1512 and Michaelangelo painting the sistene chapel. He was literally on his back for four years painting this masterpiece. Every day, for four years he would paint in a 3 foot area and over the course of these years must have moved the scaffolding thousands of times. His work covered 12,000 squarefeet! IMAGINE IT.

It’s a masterpiece because of the detail. It would take years to realize every detail placed in this work. Every detail placed painstakingly with his brush. The genius was being able to focus on the whole painting AT THE SAME TIME as being 1 foot away from the current piece he was working on. Without the context the brilliance is lost. But he succeeded, being wholely dedicated to the final outcome.

You can’t paint a masterpiece with a roller. (You can’t live pure simply taking care of the big stuff)

You can’t paint a masterpiece or live pure without relating this detail to all details and not just deal with the detail on it’s own.

Jump