IBC Jurbise

I have heard it said that the books we read tend to color our perception of the world around us.

If that is the case, then we should be careful of what we read as much as what we eat and drink.  Growing up in the beginning of the computer age, there was a  common phrase that I heard in the early 80’s–GIGO– which is garbage in garbage out.  Today, we have moved away from that phrase mostly because few of us are entering code anymore since our computers do not need them to work, but that does not invalidate the phrase.   The two books that I am reading at the moment are “The Jesus Driven Ministry” by Ajith Fernando, and “Don’t waste your Life” by John Piper.  Both of these books could have been written by the same person, they are that similar.  Fernando’s book spends a lot of time on living with a passion, and Piper talks about living with the cross of Christ as our passion.  When I read these words, I am inexorably drawn to the Word of God.  I like to hear what some of the great spiritual leaders have to say, but most of the time they are more like cotton candy on the tongue–tastes good but disappears quickly and leaves you wanting more.  It is at times like that, with my appetite wet, that I turn to the Bible to see what the Master has to say.

I like to read through the Sermon on the Mount once a month, or so  just so I can imagine what it would have been like to sit on that hill in the great cathedral of nature and hear the Master Preacher deliver one of the finest sermons ever recorded.  I find that all the important doctrines of the church are found in this sermon.  I look there to find a glimpse of the passion that both Fernando and Piper are talking about.  More importantly, I am looking for the path for my passion to take.  In my reading through this sermon, I sometimes breeze through the Beatitudes and lightly look at the next few verses, all of which are good, and at other times I drink them in as a thirsty man in a desert might.  For some reason though, I cannot stop there, it does not go deep enough for what I am looking for.  That “hunger and thirst…” has me in its grip at this point and I cannot settle for anything less than what I am looking for.  The bad part is that I am not really sure what I am searching for; (surely a hidden gem or a missed verse or something that I can hook my passion to) but what is it?  It is at this moment that I find “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)  It was as though the Master was pausing in His sermon to those on the hill in Judea and looking into the camera, right at me, and saying “Al, Seek My Kingdom first and My righteousness, and everything else will fall into place.”

At that moment, the hunger overtakes me, and I can feel my fingers moving of their own accord as I fly though the gospels to Mark 8:34 “And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me”. I find myself again with the feeling that Jesus is speaking directly into my soul.  I want to follow after Jesus.  If that is true, then He lays out what I have to do: deny myself, pick up my cross, and follow Him.  Still in the grip of the hunger, I am lead to John 6 where starting in verse 22, Jesus begins to speak in earnest to those cling-on folks that followed looking for something amazing, much like the paparazzi follow the famous today.  He tells the people that He is the bread of life, and that the bread that was given to the Israelites in the desert all those years ago was in all reality Himself.  Around verse 60, the disciples are struggling to digest the words that He gave them and felt that He was giving them a “…hard teaching”, and in fact He was.  Those that could not wrap their minds and hearts around what He had to say, in verse 66 turned back from following Him.  This “hard teaching” is what I am looking for.  I read and reread the discourse looking for insight.  It was then that the Lord turned again and faced me and said, “…You do not want to go away also, do you?” (verse 67).  I sat back and looked hard at that question and weighed it with what He said in Matthew about denying myself and taking the cross.  Jesus said in another passage that a wise man counts the cost before he builds the house, and I began to count the cost.  I looked back at all that I have given up and all that I have asked my wife and children to give up in my walk.  I began to see the sacrifice that must be made in order to truly follow Him.  He said once that in order to truly follow Him I must give up family, friends, career, money, prestige, prosperity, and even my own life.  I have preached these words many times, but it was not until this moment that I really began to see them, to experience them.  Coming back to John chapter 6, I read the words of Peter and it was as if my own heart where saying the same thing to Jesus;

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.

We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” (verse 68-69 emphasis added).  There you have it– where else can I go, to Whom else can I go to hear the words of eternal life?  Only Jesus has what I need to sustain me, so…

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)