I am afraid these days. I watch the news and see a wedding party blown up in Baghdad as they were taking photos and I get scared.
When I get scared, I stick to routine. I harden my schedule with appointments and to-do lists, so that I feel in control. I wake up in the morning, look at my schedule, and think that I know what will happen to me that day. The truth is that I have no idea what will happen when I step out my front door, but I ignore the truth and cling to my schedule.
Consistency is good for human beings; it makes us comfortable. When raising a young child, all the books will tell you to set up a routine and stick with it. Naps at a certain time, stories and prayers before bed—whatever it is, make it consistent and your child will be comforted. Routine alleviates anxiety. It gives us the impression that we are in control of our lives.
But the truth is that we should be afraid, because we have no idea what might happen to us today. Like the bride and groom in that Iraqi wedding party, we might die just when the photographer says, “Cheese!”
The road of discipleship is unpredictable. There can be no scheduling—no plans. You cannot expect to encounter God at a certain time in a certain way. The road to discipleship belongs to God, and God alone has the map.
Jesus sent out seventy people ahead of him, to the towns where he was expected to go. And he did not prepare them. He did not give them schedules, itineraries, books to read, or speeches to deliver. He told them that they could not bring money. Can you imagine going on a trip without money? The first thing that I do, on my way to the airport, is to check and see if I have my wallet. Everything can be purchased, but you definitely don’t want to leave home without money.
Jesus told them not to pack. No extra clothes—nothing. They were to be completely dependent on their hosts for their survival. And they had only one phrase that they were to repeat to everyone they encountered:
The kingdom of heaven is near.
I have been trying to figure out what Jesus meant by these words for most of my adult life. And all that I can come up with is this:
God is close.
It is an extraordinarily simple message. It is a message which can be translated many different ways. There are many ways of telling people that God is with them.
No matter how people responded, whether they welcomed the disciples or rejected them, they were to say the same thing; the same message was to be delivered.
I guess they were to tell this to everyone because no matter what you do, God is still around. There is nothing that we humans can do to get God to stop being present with us. Invited or not, God is there.
In future posts, I will describe to you some of the ways in which modern-day disciples tell others that God is close.
