The 20-minute version of Jesus' ministry...

I've read the gospel accounts of Jesus' life over and over and it only barely occurred to me that though the accounts are exciting and meaningful they don't tell it all. John even said so in his gospel..."And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written." (21:25) So, I have to say I've known that, but maybe it didn't click with me until recently when I was preparing a sermon on Mark 1:14-20.

I got to thinking about the pageants children do at Christmas time to commemorate the birth of Jesus. In 20-minutes they have angels appearing to shepherds, Mary and Joseph looking for lodging and getting offered the stable, the baby's birth, the shepherds visit, AND the wise men. The whole story is condensed into 20 minutes, with a few Christmas carols sung by the congregation, so afterward we can go home and open presents or eat a scrumptous meal with the extended family.

That is how the writers of the gospels wrote about Jesus' life. Granted it takes longer than 20 minutes to read each gospel, but they are condensed versions of his life with special emphasis on his ministry years. While reading Mark 1:14-20 for that sermon, it was impressed upon me that I could imagine that this incident took place in a context of time. Just as any other aspect of the gospel, it didn't happen in 20 minutes real time. (Don't ask me why I picked 20 minutes...I just did, that's all.)

Jesus had moved to Capernaum from Nazareth. Capernaum was now home to Jesus. It was also home to Andrew and Simon. A nearby fishing village, Bethsaida, was home to James and John. It was nearby, but farther than 20 minutes on foot. When I use my imagination and when I read other gospel accounts of Jesus calling the disciples, I can imagine that all this was over a period of time. He maybe already knew these guys by the time he was talking with them in Mark's gospel. They maybe knew who he was and now he said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." Mark wrote, "Immediately they left their nets and followed Him." I've always had it in my mind that they literally left everything then and there and never went back to it. Now they were on the road with Jesus. They left their families, left their jobs and that was that...the 20 minute version.

When I think about it, though, I realize there were three years of ministry time and these gospels don't have three years worth of information in them. There is a lot left out. They couldn't write it all. My 20 minute version needs some revising. So, I began to think that when Jesus said, "Follow Me," to these guys it was something else than what I have pictured all these years. Now I picture them being with Jesus when he taught, healed, cast out demons, etc. They took some trips together. They asked him to teach them to pray. He sent out a bunch of his followers at one point (70) and told them to do what he'd shown them. And, they came back afterward almost not believing what had been accomplished through them!

The key thought there is THEY CAME BACK. Jesus' call to follow was a call to learn from him, be with him, be like him and for the most part in their day-to-day lives. The Bible doesn't say but I can imagine that they worked at their jobs most of the time during those three years. We see Peter going back to fishing after the resurrection for sure. They had access to their boats because they used them when crossing the lake for preaching missions. I can imagine that they stayed with their families most of the time during those three years. Their trips to other towns and to Jerusalem didn't take up all the time...that would be the 20-minute version. I can imagine that there were a lot of days when they where in Capernaum and Bethsaida, etc. living their day-to-day lives.

My point in all this is that this makes us not so different from those first followers of Jesus. We have jobs and family and lives that we live. Jesus calls us to be disciples and disciplers too, but we don't think we qualify because we didn't leave our nets and our father in the boat. Or, we don't think we qualify because those guys were super Christians to follow Jesus and we are not super Christians. Some people are called and go a long way from home and leave family, but most of us are called right where we are in our day-to-day lives to follow Jesus.

To follow Jesus is to be a disciple. To be a disciple of Jesus is to be a learner of is way, his will. We do this in the context of our every day (work/school/whatever) lives. It might mean a few mountain top experiences and it might mean some persecution and suffering. It might involve some travel to distant places and it might be a trip across the street. It certainly doesn't mean 20-minutes worth of commitment. It is a life of being immersed in Jesus...and, that goes with us wherever we are.

It does a disciple good...

It does a disciple good to be drawn apart from the crowd, the noise, the activity of the day for awhile. Turn off the TV, radio, Ipod, cell phone, palm pilot...whatever distractions we hold dear. Be quiet, be still and know the world will continue while we are quietly "being." When we are "drawn" it means someone else has acted first. In this case, the Holy Spirit has acted in some way to communicate He wants to spend some quality time with us. When we allow ourselves to be "drawn" it means we have acted in loving, joyful response. Then when it is time to go back to the crowd, the noise, the activity of the day...go with the Holy Spirit who never leaves us and never gives up on us...and know that with him, it is always quality time.