“But to what will I
compare this generation? It is like
children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We
played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not
mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor
drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and
drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is
vindicated by her deeds.”
“Come to me, all you that
are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for
I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light.” Matthew 11: 16-19, 28-30(NRSV)
It must have been pretty
easy for Jesus to feel like he was the captain of the Titanic. Those who weren’t hurling insults his way doubted
him or treated him with complacency.
The doubters included
Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist, who was in prison, but sent emissaries to prod
Jesus into doing something to prove he was Messiah. The religious authorities didn’t much like
the Baptist (he was, after all, in jail); they said he had a
demon because of his asceticism. Jesus
was much different; he partied and hung-out with both the despised and the movers
and shakers. They called him
a wine-bibber (read that party animal).
Jesus’ friends in
Bethsaida and Capernaum were complacent. They saw miracle upon wonder and remained
chilled, unmoved. “Ho-hum…that was a
good trick, Jesus; do another one.”
Jesus shook his head and told them they were like children who couldn’t
make up their minds whether to play wedding or funeral, so they sat doing
nothing.
Friends, Foes and
Followers….they all misread Jesus. They
wanted proof and benefit in hand. He had
come to give them so much more; he had come to give them himself in relationship….and
they were surprised when he didn’t act like they thought he should.
1.
He had come into the world
to be the Savior.
2.
The world had said,
"OK, if you ARE the Messiah, then this is the way you should act...and
this...and this....
3.
But Jesus wouldn't dance
to their music.
And so we ask the question
- WHY DIDN'T JESUS DANCE?
1.
The crowds wanted a
"break-dancer" to entertain them.
2.
The established religious
leaders wanted a more traditional "fox-trotter," who would learn all
the correct steps and moves before playing on their dance floor.
The Lord had a dance
of the soul in mind. People
wanted fancy steps and action...Jesus wanted them to see the Great Musician.
When Jesus’ cousin, John
the Baptist, whom Jesus declared the greatest of the prophets, questioned Jesus
about His mission, Jesus used the John’s question as a spring-board to teach
several important TRUTHS about His mission, and the relationship God wants to
have with of us.
Relationship
is a dance. I’ve never danced much, or
well; I’m not very graceful. We even took dance lessons a couple summers
ago. I went through the classes and did
what I was told. I moved around a good
bit, but dancing still escapes me. Somehow I missed the music gene…and that’s the point: Elizabeth can dance, but
she’s got a miserable partner. If you’ve
got no music on the inside, it doesn’t matter what you do on the outside – it’s
only shuffling around.
The dance of God is like
that; you have to be born again on the inside to genuinely dance the kind of
relationship He wants to have with you.
And when you
begin to dance with the Morning Star some stuff happens…
You get surprised a lot
Surprised by My Fickleness
I
get surprised by my own fickleness. Like
Jesus’ followers, friends and foes, we get a little upset when Jesus acts
differently than we want. That’s human
nature! We want things our way, and even
when we’re treated better than we deserve, it’s not enough. Few are ever satisfied.
I
heard about a farmer who was so critical of everything that he drove his
neighbors crazy. If it rained he
complained the crops would rot; if it was dry that was bad. None of his farm machines measured-up. Finally, one of his neighbors decided to shut
him up for good. He had recently bought
a hunting dog, and found out the hound could actually walk on water. He convinced his negative neighbor to go duck
hunting with him.
The
next morning when the first shots rang out, the hound ran right out on the
water, retrieved the duck, turned around and trotted back without so much as
getting damp. Said the proud owner of
the hound, “Well…my dog walks on water; what do you think of that?” Said the negative neighbor, “Can’t swim, can
he?”
Jesus
probably couldn’t have pleased that guy either…or most of us. But like Jesus said (v.19) wisdom
is vindicated by her deeds. This
is like our saying, judge words by the
actions. We can be as fickle as we will…we are not going to change
Jesus. He will always love us. That’s surprising!
Surprised by My Faith Fault-line
And
then I also get surprised by my “faith fault-line”. It’s amazing, isn’t it? We, like those who saw Jesus perform miracles
of God’s grace, and remained as complacent as a chair…it’s like we know this Almighty
God created an infinite universe and is willing to love us, die for us and
wants us to come close so he can bless us – well, it’s just no big deal. It IS a big deal; it’s
something to get all excited about and shout and praise and tell others.
Jesus
warned those who failed to acknowledge God’s goodness to repent, or change
their ways. I am surprised at how
stubborn I can be in this. I get really
settled in what I like and what I do.
Jesus wants so much more for me.
And that’s good news. We may be
Methodists, but if we’ve got a pulse, we ought to be shouting this news from
the rooftops!
So,
in dancing with the dayspring, morning star, you get surprised a lot, and…
You get loved a lot
The
rest provided by an easy yoke and light burden is arguably one of the most
recognized metaphors in Scripture. Who
isn’t burdened? Who hasn’t needed rest
from it all? But it is also a commonly
misunderstood rest. It isn’t a
burden-free life Jesus offers – he called it his burden. He just said it was “light”.
The
rest
Jesus offers is from the inner turmoil that describes life that is self-driven,
as opposed to God-led.
In
June 2011 we got a new addition to our family. Gracie Cotton was orphaned and she adopted us…sorta! It’s a long story. She was five then, and
when your human companion has gone away, it’s hard to get used to a new place,
rules and even where to do your business (and which rug to avoid). We learned that she is fickle when it comes
to food, and exceedingly fearful of summer lightning storms. And we discovered that in just a couple of
days our hearts were melting like butter on hot grits.
In
the space of a few weeks Gracie, a bright, alert, quick learner began to accept
the comfort of my yoke. We call it a
leash, but it’s comforting for her. With
that leash I care for her, that she won’t get lost. I lead her to the right places, and when back
in our house, our home, she is released into family fellowship in all the
rooms. In short, she gets loved…a lot!
And
that’s how it is in the dance with the Morning Star….in spite of my fickleness
and faith fault-line, I get loved a lot.
Jesus didn't dance to the
music some selfish people thought was important. But He does stand ready on the dance
floor. He wants to help you do the
"dance of life." Just take His
hand, He will lead.
And
that’s what our table this morning celebrates…the dance of life with the Bright
and Morning Star!
Lord, we pray that we’d
learn to run to Your yoke…in the Name of the Father, Because of the Son,
Cooperating with the Spirit…Amen!
