Nougat 16

Why would anyone; confident in His status, confident in the power of His breath, confident in His healing touch, NOT desire the limelight? That doesn’t fit the general profile of a successful minister, nor of one who wished to have a successful ministry. Yet, despite all His aversion to the crowds; Jesus’ presence had impact. Something for us to consider in today’s Holy Nougat

“When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12:15-16‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

In our world where everyone lives for recognition and adulation, Jesus’ actions; rather Jesus’ response to crowds in his world seems strange. It goes against all we’re taught about Evangelism, Church Planting or even successful itinerant Ministry. I wish to propose that Jesus’ ministry succeeded because He had a very clear understanding of His Purpose and His Call.

Purpose & Call

Purpose, also referred to as raison d’être, speaks to our intentions and objectives and defines why we exist. Calling speaks to the specifics of our purpose (the ‘how’ of our purpose). As God himself opting to become human; and as One specifically anointed by God’s Spirit, Jesus’ purpose was to rescue lost sheep. Many were unaware of their lostness, and therein lay the challenge. For, that became a point of contention in Jesus’ ministry.

One may surmise that this was the reason behind Jesus’ avoiding the crowds. As Jesus clearly understood His purpose, the response of detractors did not phase Him. He simply walked away from them until the time was right to respond; for Jesus was firmly fixed upon God’s calling and purpose. That is;

to bring Good News to the Poor

to offer Breakthrough to the Captive

to effect Vision for the Blind

to Free the Oppressed AND

to Proclaim God’s Favor

And that mandate demanded that He move away FROM the Limelight TO the Byways, to the ghettos, to the unsafe spaces, to the ‘dens of iniquity’ (as my grandmother would say) so that lives would be transformed.

There’s something challenging in Jesus’ call; for Good News to the Poor challenges institutions and structures established to maintain poverty. Freeing the Oppressed means that we are open to overturning tables and doing whatever it takes to rescue those who everyone would prefer to pretend don’t exist. (We know from the life of Jesus that that comes with threats to one’s life and liberty). Opting to Proclaim the year of God’s favor means that we recognize that some of us existed outside of God’s favor. That may manifest in actions not always seen as positive in many societies.

Then there’s the issue of opening blind eyes. The question however is, what constitutes blindness; and subsequently, whose eyes? For, if Jesus’ ways did not conform to the status quo, perhaps blindness isn’t only physical but moral and spiritual. Especially in light of the other aspects of His call.

Response

This begs a similar response from each of us who hear and heed God’s call. It insists that we not only reach those who have the power to transform our ministry financially/numerically; but that we seek those who are desperate, despondent, diseases and dispossessed. It may mean sidestepping the naysayers until the appropriate time; allowing our lives to speak for us among the people who matter to God – the entire world.

Are we still open to hearing and heeding God’s call?

(Sincere apologies for the delay)

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May all we seek be found in Christ