Good Morning Friends,
The Bible has honest examples about human behavior outside the run of the mill. One King eats grass. People hear animals talk. David challenges a giant in one passage and drools in another. And Saul kills himself which is crazy. One guy even jumps into a pit on a cold snowy day to kill a lion. (I do not know about you, but if a Florida Panther was prowling my back yard I would not go out and pet it.) Interestingly this seemingly crazy act of a guy killing a lion is listed in the Bible as one of the reasons Benaiah was held in greatest honor among King David’s best warriors and put in charge of his bodyguard. The Bible counts him as a hero, not a crazy fool. Then in our lectionary selection from the Gospel of Mark, we have a surprising insertion of a passage about Jesus and the reality that his family thought he was crazy. So, this morning we contemplate how insane the world is and that sometimes what appears to be crazy behavior serves a strategic purpose. Some people thought Jesus was crazy. Perhaps it befuddled them why he left his humble life of carpentry and took off into the wilderness and then started traveling around teaching and healing. Maybe they thought he was out of his mind for socializing with tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners. Perhaps they had heard the rumors that he was breaking the Sabbath and breaking the traditions of the elders. Considering all that was happening they surmised that he had gone mad…possessed. So, this morning I silently reflected on what we say we believe about all this and ask, Are We Out Of Our Minds?
Scripture: Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant warrior from Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he struck down two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.
2 Samuel 23:20 (NRSV)
After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. On the third day, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground and did obeisance. David said to him, “Where have you come from?” He said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” David said to him, “How did things go? Tell me!” He answered, “The army fled from the battle, but also many of the army fell and died; and Saul and his son Jonathan also died.”
Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them; and all the men who were with him did the same. They mourned and wept, and fasted until evening for Saul and for his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places! How the mighty have fallen! Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you with crimson, in luxury, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan lies slain upon your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; greatly beloved were you to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
2 Samuel 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27 (NRSV)
and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.”
Mark 3:20-21 (NRSV)
Message: I am sure you have all seen people do some wacky things and have thought to yourself, “These people are out of their minds”. Someone risking their life doing a stunt is one thing but, then if it really is God’s will they are following we must look at the behavior in a different light. Ok, I recognize that there are a lot of crazy Christians out there. I must admit, my own actions and attitudes might be thought crazy by some. So, it behooves us to keep seeking truth and coming to honest conclusions. The thing is that real craziness does exist, and it is a very sad thing. And yet, even as we recognize the craziness that Christians sometimes represent, it is important to recognize and affirm that there is something to Christianity. I do not know exactly where you are on the journey but this morning, I would like to encourage you to keep an open mind, even as the crazy Christians in your life tempt you to close yourself off to the relevance and vitality of Christ. Living for Jesus is not easy. When we face opposition, we need to handle it like Jesus did. Some people will think we are out of our minds for our devotion to Christ. In fact, we should expect it.
And So, the world may think we are crazy for believing in God and moreover that God can and does have a relationship with us. But what others might think does not diminish the joy of a relationship with Jesus. This is truer than true and saner than what the world considers sane.
Pray we realize that what is spiritually right may appear to be a bit crazy. Pray we realize that we must make a choice for Jesus was either a liar, was crazy or is Lord. Pray we are not double minded. Pray we realize that we may be going against religious traditions by following Jesus. Pray we realize that the world is crazy and the only sanity we have ultimately is Jesus. Pray we be equipped to serve and not be deterred from doing God’s work even when it seems risky.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 