A thought by John Mark Comer from his
book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (p. 77). The Crown Publishing
Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy
the book.)
That’s a great way to say follower of
Christ, isn’t it?
John says, “And in doing so to recover
your soul. To have the warped part of you put back into shape. To experience
healing in the deepest parts of your being. To experience what Jesus called ‘life…to
the full.’ (John 10:10) What the New
Testament writers call ‘salvation.’ (Romans 1:16) Keep in mind, the Greek word
that we translate ‘salvation’ is soteria; it’s the same word we translate ‘healing.’ When
you’re reading the New Testament and you read that somebody was ‘healed’ by
Jesus and then you read somebody else was ‘saved’ by Jesus, you’re reading the same Greek word. Salvation is healing. Even the etymology of our
English word salvation comes from the Latin salve. As in, an ointment
you put on a burn or a wound.”
He goes on, “This is what Jesus was
all about—healing people, saving them, at a soul-deep level. How? Through
apprenticeship to him. So everywhere Jesus went, he was constantly offering an
invitation.
“Usually it sounded like this: Come,
follow me. (Matthew 4:19) Or like this: Come, be my apprentice.”
Matthew 11:28–30 in the Message
paraphrase says, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to
me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a
real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced
rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep
company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
John says, “This is an invitation—for all the tired, the burned out, the stressed, and all those stuck
in traffic and behind on their to-do lists, reaching for another cup of coffee
just to make it through the day.”
He later says, “People all over the
world—outside the church and in—are looking for an escape, a way out from under
the crushing weight to life this side of Eden. But there is no escaping it. The
best the world can offer is a temporary distraction to delay the inevitable or
deny the inescapable.
“That’s why Jesus doesn’t offer us an
escape. He offers us something far better: ‘equipment.’ He offers his
apprentices a whole new way to bear the weight of our humanity: with ease. At
his side. Like two oxen in a field, tied shoulder to shoulder. With Jesus doing
all the heavy lifting. At his pace. Slow, unhurried, present to the moment,
full of love and joy and peace.
“An easy life isn’t an option; an easy
yoke is.”
So, let’s reach out to Him, become His apprentice and model
His life. Would you do that?
Comments
Post a Comment