Whose Stuff Is It Anyway??

“The Teacher asks, ‘Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’”  Mark 14:14

Pretend it’s Thursday afternoon.  The doorbell rings, and a glance out the window confirms a delivery from UPS.  As you turn the knob to greet the guy in brown, two men step up behind him and politely say, “The mayor asks, ‘Where is my study where I may meet with the town council?’”  What’s your first reaction?  Surprise? Honor? Resentment? Most likely a mix of all three. Surprise that out of all the places he could pick, he chose yours. Honor that your home was considered a worthy venue for an important event.  And resentment that he so quickly presumed upon your hospitality and your possessions.  What was it the messenger had said?  “The mayor asks, ‘Where is MY study where I may meet…?’”  It’s not HIS study—it’s YOUR study. You might graciously agree to lend its use, but that room and all the rooms in the house belong to you. You might not say it, but you would think it—“Wasn’t he being just a bit presumptuous?”

But what if instead of the mayor, the one asking was the Master?  And what if you were the man that Passover Thursday who listened to two disciples of Jesus say, “The Teacher asks, ‘Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’”(Mk 14:14)?  Would you feel the same emotions?  For most of us (at least the honest ones), the answer would be, “Yes.”  We would be surprised that out of all the places Jesus could pick, He chose ours.  We would be honored that our home was considered a worthy spot for His special supper, yet, at the same time, we would slightly resent that He was claiming a room in our house to be His own.  We might not say it, but we would think it—“Wasn’t He being just a bit presumptuous?”

The mayor? Yes.  The Master? No.  It’s all His anyway.  Sometimes we forget that and start acting like our stuff is our own, but it’s not.  Multiple verses remind us of this foundational fact.  “The earth is the Lords and everything in it”(Ps 24:1). "The land is mine, and you are but aliens and my tenants" (Lev 25:23). “‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the Lord Almighty”(Hag 2:8). "You are not your own; you were bought at a price"(1 Cor 6:19-20).  “The Teacher asks, ‘Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’”(Mk 14:14).  

Everything we consider a possession is really a loan—our time, talents, treasures, even the truth of the Gospel are not resources we created by ourselves and, therefore, should not be spent mainly on ourselves. By God’s great mercy, we are not required to pay these blessings back, but we are expected to pay them forward—passing along the good we have received from God to others.  

That Passover day in Jerusalem, when Jesus wanted to do something special in someone’s life (His disciples), He helped Himself to the resources of another (the homeowner) to make it happen.  What a privilege it is when God helps Himself to us and our stuff to work His will across the street or around the world.

God has the right to presume upon our possessions at any time in any way.  By His grace and for His glory, it’s all His, and so are we.

Linger Longer

“Six days before the Passover…a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor…in the home of Simon the Leper. Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.” John 12:1,2 Mark 14:3   

 

Almost fifteen years ago, our family made one of our most important purchases ever—a dining table.  Since this surface would be the sole site for all breakfasts, lunches, and suppers—simple or gourmet, casual or fancy, with a few or with the crowd—it had to be big, beautiful, and durable.  At last, I found what I was looking for, but the search had only just begun because the perfect table demanded perfect chairs.  Two requirements must be met—no cushions and ultra-comfy.  The first was for practicality (cloth chairs and children don’t mix); the second for hospitality.  We wanted family and friends to linger longer round the table laughing, talking, and listening, so we made sure the seats wouldn’t cut the conversations short.  After multiple stores and many “sittings”, my husband lowered himself into a fine piece of Amish furniture and declared it the one.  

Our dream came true.   Day after day, year after year, meal after meal has been served at that table.  Countless hours have passed with the five of us alone or joined by others sharing life and love without haste. Long after the last bite, we’re often still at the table nourishing our souls and spirits more than our stomachs.   Good stuff happens when we gather round the table and stay for a while.

“Six days before the Passover…a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor…in the home of Simon the Leper. Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.”  What a sacred scene.  Jesus, Lazarus, Simon, and several more sharing food and fellowship around the table.  None were in a hurry to eat and run—so much so that they weren’t standing or even sitting but were reclining.  Jesus was the center of honor and attention, and the rest had set aside the demands of the day and the weariness of work to totally relax with Him.  They weren’t rushed.  They weren’t restless.  They were reclining with Jesus just enjoying His presence.

As the slower pace of summer ends and full schedule of fall begins (back to school tomorrow), I find myself already trying to figure out how to recline in the midst of the rush.   My spirit needs more than a quick bite of the Bible each day.  Snacks are great, but they should supplement meals—not be the major form of nourishment.   Without doubt, I need to linger lounger round the table, savoring Scripture and just enjoying God’s presence.  

At our family table, the best interactions often take place after we’ve been there a while, and the same is so with our souls.  The “verse of the day” is good, but we usually find the richest fare after we’ve been listening (reading God’s Word) and talking (praying about we’ve been reading) for more than two minutes.  It is in this consistent conversation that our relationship with God flourishes, our amazement increases, and our passion soars.  Yes, we interact with God throughout the day as we see His hand and need His strength, but those times of recline—not rushed and not restless—are essential to our spiritual lives.  They are how we know Him.  They are how we grow in Him.  And they fill us up so we can overflow to others.

Let’s not settle for a snack when our Father has prepared a feast.  When we take the time to dine, we will find that Jesus becomes our true delight. Linger longer round the table and fall in love with the Lord.

Just As Jesus Told Them

^“The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them.”  Mark 14:16

 

Some say close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and dancing, and though this list is not exhaustive, it is very true that many times in life close enough isn’t good enough.  Ask a surgeon, a pilot, or the IRS!  Better yet, ask a Christian.  Why the latter?  Because nowhere does exactness matter more than in matters of eternity. 

A long time ago in a land far away, our Lord sent two disciples on a mission—“Go fix supper.”  To be exact, the divine directive was, “Go to town, and you will meet a guy carrying a jug of water.  Follow him home and ask the owner where my guest room is where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” (Mk 14:13-15)  Though the instructions may have seemed strange, ^“the disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them”(Mk 14:16).  

What if what they found had just been close?  What if the man they met had been carrying a jug of wine instead of water?  What if he hadn’t headed home but had stopped instead at the market?  What if a guest room hadn’t been available but merely an outdoor picnic table? The end result of Jesus celebrating Passover with His pals might have been the same, but what would that mean for them and for us?  When it comes to the words of God, is close enough really good enough?

Never.  And that’s why on that famous spring day and on all other days—ordinary or amazing—all of Christ’s disciples will always find all things “just as Jesus had told them.”  We never need worry that He will be with us “almost” always, that He will “usually” supply all our need, or that “most likely” whoever believes in Him will live forever.  In every word, in every way, in matters as large as eternal life or as simple as directions for dinner, our God means exactly what He says and will do exactly what He says.

Because He is our faithful Friend, He says He will “never leave us nor forsake us”(Heb 13:5).  Because He is our loving Father, He says He will “guide us and watch over us”(Ps 32:8).  And because He is our gracious Savior, He says He will “present us before His throne without fault and with great joy”(Jude 1:24).  We never have to worry.  We never need to doubt. The words of our Lord are sure and secure, and because they are so, so are we. In every moment on earth and in eternity, down to the smallest, most delightful detail, the joyous mantra of the saints shall always be that they “found things just as Jesus had told them.”

Great is His faithfulness.