Get Spiritually Woke, Church!

It’s time to get spiritually woke, church.

For those of you who don’t frequent social media or work with young people, telling people to “get woke” or “stay woke” is a new slang for being aware of what’s really going on in your community and in the world.  As “woke” grammatically is what you become after the act of waking up, it’s a state of being awake and fully engaged.   It is usually used in connection with social justice issues.  Today, we are going to appropriate it to being aware of what’s really going on spiritually.  It’s a challenge that Jesus gave us in Matthew 25.  It’s has been a long-standing challenge to the church through various periods of war, hatred, and the worst moments of humanity but also in the lulling comfort of financial security of “First World Problems.”  

In short, it’s time to be active, to really see what’s going on around us, and to be actively pursuing our Savior as even now He prepares the final chapters of human history.  It’s time to become active characters in the story that God is telling in our chapter of history.  

Matthew 25 has Jesus sharing two stories--one about 10 virgins with lamps and various amounts of oil and another about some apparently rich dude who leaves to go on a journey and gives his talents (also known as money) to 3 servants in varying degrees based on ability.

Now, most people in this day and age that read these passages have no idea what we are talking about.  Virgins with lamps and oil and some dudes with bags of talents.  It’s enough to make a hipster scratch his beard in confusion.

I’ll let a Google search or a chat with your local theologian fill you in on all of the details of why virgins needed lamps and oil, or what the heck talents are.  The point in both stories, however, is clear.  It speaks of being spiritually “woke.”  In the first story, 5 of the 10 virgins were ready for the bridegroom by having already prepared the oil for the lamps, and 5 were not despite all 10 knowing that the bridegroom could return at any time.  In the talents story, 2 of the 3 servants doubled the amount of talents in preparation for the master’s return.  One just buried it and waited in fear for the master’s return.   In all cases, they knew who the master/bridegroom was, and that he was returning.  That part was not a shock for any of them.  Some of them prepared for that and worked actively toward his eventual return and some did not.

As you are not likely to be in a gaggle of virgins lighting lamps or in a fellowship of servants  burying gold in your backyard, you might be wondering what this has to do with you.  Let Jesus break it down:

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”  (Matthew 25:13)

This speaks to awareness that our time here is limited and that Jesus could return at any moment.  

It goes beyond just watching the clock though and standing ready for Jesus to return.  If you were playing in the Superbowl and you knew that the clock was running out and you still needed to score a winning touchdown, you wouldn’t just stand there watching the clock run out.  Spiritual awareness is good, but it needs to be paired with action.  

If you finish Matthew 25, you see that this is the famous passage where Jesus talks about separating goats from sheep and tells a bunch of folks that they left Him starving, homeless, and without any clothing.  Of course, this came as a shock to many of them.  Questioning when exactly it was that Jesus came to their doors, they are confronted with this powerful truth:

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me...Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Matthew 25:40,45)

Many Christians are aware of what the Bible says, what their salvation hinges on, and many of the

core Biblical truths of the Bible.  That’s not the full definition of being spiritually “woke” though according to Jesus.  Jesus wants followers who aren’t just looking for the reward at the end.  Jesus isn’t looking for hands waiting to receive, He’s looking for hands ready to give out of His abundance.  The Christian life isn’t about you.  Not even a little bit.  You are redeemed for a purpose.  And that purpose isn’t just something to make your ego feel better.  God redeemed you to empower you to help redeem and serve others.  You are now part of God’s big story and there are no extra characters.  Each redeemed life is written for a purpose to advance God’s story here on earth in this chapter of history.

Following Jesus also means seeing others the way that God sees them.  Jesus walked that out for us in his time on earth.  He loved the unlovable, the forgotten, and the outcasted.  He broke social barriers and challenged the status quo.  He made every moment of His earthly life about serving God and serving others.  He didn’t have a fancy home, a great car and a cool online social media presence.  That stuff didn’t matter to Him.

The lesson of the virgins and the servants with the talents is clear--God wants you to live out your faith and to continue in the work He has for you to complete.  And the call to action is bigger than just avoiding getting caught slacking when Jesus returns.  Jesus’ call to action is about what your apathy does to you and to the others your apathy leaves naked, starving, and afraid in a world of darkness.  If your faith consists of just attending church you are doing it wrong.  Faith demands action.  The Bible is very clear that faith without works is dead.  It’s not a call to legalism or works based salvation.  It’s a call to a faith that permeates every aspect of your life and to being “woke” to the call on your life and the very specific part in that work that God redeemed you for.  

Finally, look to Peter’s example.  Peter is famous for two main things--walking on water and denying Christ 3 times right before the cross.  When Jesus returns and meets with Peter, though, it’s about restoration.  Jesus asks him 3 times if he loves him and each time he answers in the affirmative. Jesus then links it to others: “Then feed my sheep.”  The 3 times of affirmation are certainly a bookend to the previous 3 denials and as such, they bring wholeness and restoration back to Peter.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Jesus very clearly links Peter’s restoration and declaration of love for Christ to serving others.  If you love Me, you will serve others.  That’s what it means to be spiritually woke.

The servants in the story were rewarded because they took what the master left them and they doubled it.  God wants to double the redemption and grace at work in your life to spill into those surrounding you.  Don’t miss what God has for you and for those you are meant to serve.

Get spiritually woke, church!

Peter: Dissing Jesus One Minute & Loving Him The Next

"Feed Me!"  

You have to love Peter.  Or maybe you don't.  I don't know you so I won't presume to tell you what to do.

Anyway, Peter is a man of high highs and low lows.  Dude jumped out of the boat when he saw Jesus walking on the water toward them when everyone else was messing themselves and shaking like a leaf.

Then he sank into the water because his fear and lack of faith got the best of him.

He was also eager to build tents for Elijah and Moses when they networked socially with Jesus during the Mount of Transfiguration experience.  They weren't planning on hanging out long enough to need the digs, so he never got to build them.

Then during the Last Supper when Judas was all-Satan-ed up, Peter dramatically declared that he would never betray or leave Jesus only to have Jesus rebuke him by predicting his betrayal as a prologue to the exciting event of a rooster crowing.  Me thinks the burly fisherman doth protest too much.

You get the sense when you read John's Gospel that there was a friendly rivalry between these two.  John-boy was the "beloved disciple" and often subtly refers to himself as such when writing his Gospel narrative.  I guess it's a way to try to remain humble about the honor.

To read his account, you see that when Jesus was arrested and Peter was warming up for his betrayal performance of a lifetime, John was also there:

"And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.  But Peter stood at the door outside. Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in."  JOHN 18:15-16

Now, it's true that the account doesn't specifically say it was John, but among the 10 possibilities (let's go ahead and rule out Judas) for this mysterious other disciple, only John is recorded at being at the cross during Jesus' crucifixion.  John and Peter are almost ALWAYS referred to as being together.  Pretty much any major narrative involving one of them involves the other.  Symbolically their partnership serves as a glimpse of the collaborative relationship between FAITH & DEVOTION (John) and ACTION (Peter).   Additionally, John ALWAYS refers to himself in third person, but typically names the other disciples. 

If it is indeed John (and since I'm the author of this blog, I'm declaring that it is) it is interesting that the only disciple to see Jesus through to the cross and the one who bore such a deep and abiding love for Jesus was probably a first-hand witness to at least one of Peter's denials.  According to the text, Disciple X (see also John) was allowed into the courtyard but the salty rough and tumble Peter was not.  Physically, John-boy was probably not nearly as menacing as Petey and yet he doesn't deny Jesus for fear of peer pressure the way Mr. "Rock" does.  Anyway, John used his street cred with the door-lady and "brought Peter in."  Then the very next verse says, "Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, 'You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?' He said, 'I am not.'"  

So, John went to get Peter, vouched for Peter and then "brought Peter in" and in that very same instant, Peter was questioned by this door-lady and denied Jesus.  Ouch.  

That my friends is a literary contrast.  And this English teacher likes it.

So, after Peter denied Jesus and runs from the courtyard weeping, John stays and watches his Savior die for the sins of the world.

The two then also face off in racing to the empty tomb.

And then there is Peter's restoration.  Peter was previously described as a "rock" by Jesus and then he had that epic rooster-crow-inducing FAIL of denial.

So when Jesus appears to the disciples after His resurrection, it should be no surprise that He makes a special point to restore Peter's rock-ness. And just as John gave Peter access to the courtyard that night, it's again John that confirms to Peter that it is Jesus speaking to them from the shore in John 21:6-7:

"And He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.' So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!' Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea."

After Peter gets to the shore, Jesus engages him in a little game of "Do You Love Me" where He asks Peter THREE times whether he loves Him or not.  Peter basically answers that he likes him a lot.  And each time Jesus commands him to feed and tend His sheep.  This is to restore Peter to his rightful position as a rock of the faith that will help lay the foundation of the early church.  Jesus knew that Peter had the tenacity and the ACTION to get it done, but here He's restoring Peter's love and devotion (see also relationship) with Him after the nasty denial episode.

Again, interestingly enough, Peter will now get his wish to follow Christ even to death as Jesus predicts that Peter will also die via crucifixion.  Jesus is allowing Peter to truly go where He has gone even after Peter dropped the ball and cajoled a rooster into breaking the serene morning hours with his obnoxious wake-inducing melody.

And even still Peter is comparing himself to John.  He wants to know about John's type of death.  Perhaps because he now feels like he's in the inner circle of relationship again and wants to confirm that all folks in the "in crowd" will suffer and die like that.  Jesus' answer is to again turn the wayward eye of Peter back to Him and not on others.

(Side note:  It's always troubled me that Jesus seems to suggest that John would live to see the end times and the typical "Jesus was just redirecting Peter's attention" explanation never quite cut it.  Thankfully this time reading through the Holy Spirit reminded me that John did in fact see the end times when he wrote the book of Revelation.  Mystery solved.)

John and Peter represent the need for faith and action to work together.  Peter may have had shortcomings and failures but Jesus demonstrated through his story that He is all about restoring broken people by giving them opportunities to learn from their failures and grow closer to Him as a result.

As parents and world-changers in the lives of children, we need to understand that our kids are the same way.  We need to build up both a deep and abiding love of Jesus AND the boldness to act and rock this world to the foundation.  There's a lot to learn from the lives of Peter and John.  

And there are a lot of the Master's sheep to tend and feed.  And if we truly LOVE HIM we will do just that!