Follow
As we've been working our way through "The Way" this Lenten season, I'm reliving a lot of memories from my most recent trip to the Holy Land. (To my congregation: I'm sorry if you're getting tired of the Israel stories...take heart, have hope, there are just a few more weeks to Lent!) One of the most memorable times was when, one evening, we took off after the official tour was over and headed back into the Old City of Jerusalem.
It was a lot quieter "after hours," and shops were beginning to close up, but we (myself, Pastor Chris Nunley and my daughter Rachel) were on a quest. I wanted to purchase a new stole from Jerusalem, and Chris knew just the place. Thirteen years before, when I had been there, I had purchased a couple of stoles, but I had no idea where the shop was. Chris, however, had taken part of his sabbatical in Jerusalem and had explored much of the Old City. He knew the way.
So off we went, in search of the stole shop, and we had to hurry because things were closing. So we grabbed a cab, hurried up the walk, through the gate and began to navigate those narrow ancient streets. While I recognized some of the landmarks as places we had been earlier in the day, I really had no idea where we were going. I was so very thankful to have a guide, one who knew the way, one who kept assuring me he knew where we were going.
It occurs to me that there are a lot of times like that in our lives, when we don't quite know where the road is leading, or where we need to go, or what our next destination is or should be. It's scary, especially if we feel like we have to navigate those narrow passages alone. And then Jesus comes along, just as he did with those disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and calls to us: "Follow me!"
We tend to hold back. Are you sure, Jesus? Do you really know where you are going? I mean, after all, you're God and we're just human beings. Are you sure you know what it's like down here? Yes, he does. The book of Hebrews affirms that truth: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15). Part of what we affirm when we say Jesus was not only fully God but also fully human is that he understands what we go through. He knows that it's like. But because he is also fully God, he knows the way to go. We can trust him to lead us to the right place, the best destination. That's why he calls to us: "Follow me. Don't follow things that are going to lead you astray. Follow me."
It's not easy. It's often difficult to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as our guide and leader when there are so many other paths we could walk and many other leaders we could follow. Shiny things, good things, beautiful things beckon to us. And yet, we must keep our eyes fixed on the only true guide, the only one who has a right to invite us to follow him.
I had to trust Chris that afternoon in Jerusalem, and sure enough, he knew where he was going. I got my stoles (yeah, I went to buy one and ended up buying two) and we got back to the hotel just in enough time that we didn't miss dinner (that's a good guide—one who gets you back in time for dinner!).
But even as good a friend as Chris is, my ultimate commitment to follow must be made to Jesus. Only he knows the true way. Only he knows the safe path. Only he will get us home.
"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2).
P.S. If you might be interested, my photos from last year's Holy Land trip are still online here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/teknopasto/sets/72157630059495167/
It was a lot quieter "after hours," and shops were beginning to close up, but we (myself, Pastor Chris Nunley and my daughter Rachel) were on a quest. I wanted to purchase a new stole from Jerusalem, and Chris knew just the place. Thirteen years before, when I had been there, I had purchased a couple of stoles, but I had no idea where the shop was. Chris, however, had taken part of his sabbatical in Jerusalem and had explored much of the Old City. He knew the way.
So off we went, in search of the stole shop, and we had to hurry because things were closing. So we grabbed a cab, hurried up the walk, through the gate and began to navigate those narrow ancient streets. While I recognized some of the landmarks as places we had been earlier in the day, I really had no idea where we were going. I was so very thankful to have a guide, one who knew the way, one who kept assuring me he knew where we were going.
It occurs to me that there are a lot of times like that in our lives, when we don't quite know where the road is leading, or where we need to go, or what our next destination is or should be. It's scary, especially if we feel like we have to navigate those narrow passages alone. And then Jesus comes along, just as he did with those disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and calls to us: "Follow me!"
We tend to hold back. Are you sure, Jesus? Do you really know where you are going? I mean, after all, you're God and we're just human beings. Are you sure you know what it's like down here? Yes, he does. The book of Hebrews affirms that truth: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15). Part of what we affirm when we say Jesus was not only fully God but also fully human is that he understands what we go through. He knows that it's like. But because he is also fully God, he knows the way to go. We can trust him to lead us to the right place, the best destination. That's why he calls to us: "Follow me. Don't follow things that are going to lead you astray. Follow me."
It's not easy. It's often difficult to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as our guide and leader when there are so many other paths we could walk and many other leaders we could follow. Shiny things, good things, beautiful things beckon to us. And yet, we must keep our eyes fixed on the only true guide, the only one who has a right to invite us to follow him.
I had to trust Chris that afternoon in Jerusalem, and sure enough, he knew where he was going. I got my stoles (yeah, I went to buy one and ended up buying two) and we got back to the hotel just in enough time that we didn't miss dinner (that's a good guide—one who gets you back in time for dinner!).
But even as good a friend as Chris is, my ultimate commitment to follow must be made to Jesus. Only he knows the true way. Only he knows the safe path. Only he will get us home.
"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith" (Hebrews 12:1-2).
P.S. If you might be interested, my photos from last year's Holy Land trip are still online here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/teknopasto/sets/72157630059495167/
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