Harold was a cussed Finn. He stated so himself. He walked completely stooped over, stated C. S. Lewis was his favourite theologian, and was steadfast in his presence and participation within the Saturday morning males’s Bible research. I can nonetheless see the place he and his spouse, Alice, sat within the church—lectern facet, about midway again, on the far aisle to accommodate her wheelchair.
I feel it was on the Saturday morning males’s breakfast. We had been consuming oatmeal or scrambled eggs and dealing by the Bible passage, and I discussed my sermon for the subsequent day, which was on this Sunday’s gospel textual content, Luke’s model of the decision of the 4 fishermen. I believed I had a intelligent sermon title: “How Jesus Wrecks Our Lives.” I had grown up with this Bible story, all the time with the emphasis on the invitation, “Comply with me, and I’ll make you fish for individuals!” However I had solely not too long ago observed these particulars: when Jesus offers the considerable catch of fish, Simon and Andrew’s boat begins sinking, and their nets are so full that they’re tearing aside. It struck me that the miracle has a darkish facet. Jesus offers superb abundance but in addition wrecks the issues they use to make a residing, even to stay.
I had a sudden perception. Jesus was no “your finest life now” Messiah. Jesus wrecks Simon. He reveals him that the issues he has all the time counted on can break, sink, tear, fall away. I even began wanting on the miracle of the considerable fish differently. Certain, it’s an incredible catch, however do Simon and Andrew actually need all that fish? They stay day after day; they will’t put the fish within the financial institution.
I also needs to say that I merely like intelligent titles. However when Harold noticed this one, he argued strenuously towards it. Jesus doesn’t wreck our lives, he stated. He saves us. He makes our lives higher. I believed to myself, Effectively, there goes one other theologian of glory and stored the title. Not directly, I nonetheless stand by that place now.
And but, in a while—a lot later, I’ll admit—I believed extra about Harold and his objections. The longer I served as pastor the extra I discovered about his life. I knew that his spouse was confined to a wheelchair, however I discovered that she had been confined to that wheelchair for many of their marriage. Alice had had polio, and her situation was attributable to one thing referred to as post-polio syndrome. I knew that he walked completely stooped over, nevertheless it took me some time to appreciate that this was due to all the years of lifting her out and in of the wheelchair. He carried her—and never only for worship, however for the performs and live shows that they attended collectively.
Even later I discovered one thing else: that he gave up a profession as a college professor to tackle a company place. He wanted the bigger wage with a purpose to look after his spouse.
I suppose, utilizing my very own reasoning, you possibly can say that Alice wrecked Harold’s life. However Harold would by no means say that. He would say that she made his life higher—that he was residing his finest life, regardless of the goals that had been left behind. He had a few years to think about it.
I’m wondering how Simon, Andrew, James, and John would really feel about my intelligent sermon title. They gave up all the pieces to observe Jesus, though their “all the pieces” won’t appear to be a lot to us. A few boats and a few nets. But in addition their households and the one lifestyle they knew. And at the least at first, they had been in all probability dreaming about Jesus restoring the dominion to Israel and what that glory can be like. Then got here his unimaginable crucifixion and much more unimaginable resurrection.
Someway I don’t suppose they’d have stated that Jesus wrecked their lives. Although James was martyred early and Peter was crucified head down. I feel they’d have stated, like Harold, that Jesus made their lives higher. In reality, higher appears to be too tame a phrase. I’m not certain what phrase to make use of as an alternative.
However it makes me marvel how we would come to see life this fashion, to see Jesus this fashion. With Simon, it has to do with holiness. “Go away from me, for I’m a sinful man,” he says to Jesus. However Jesus doesn’t go away.
For Harold, it was one thing else. It was love. It was his love for his spouse, and her love for him, that made him see in another way. What mattered was being collectively. He was saved, not wrecked.
Holiness and love. I’ve all the time thought they had been two various things. However, as in so many different issues, maybe I’m flawed.
