Jesus' Imperatives Part IX - FEED MY LAMBS

John 21:15-19

Peter was not ready to answer that he had AGAPE for Jesus.  He got to PHILEOS, but could not bring himself to say AGAPE. 

Jesus - "Simon, do you Agapao me?" (unconditionally, self-sacrificingly love)
Peter - "Yes, Lord; you know that I Philo you." (I love you like a brother)
Jesus - "Feed my lambs"
Jesus - "Simon, do you Agapao me?" (pressing Simon to Agape love)
Peter - "Yes, Lord; you know that I Philo you."
Jesus - "Tend my sheep."
Jesus - "Simon, do you Phileis me?"  (are you sure you even have Phileos love for me?)
Peter - (grieved because of the third time and its implication) "Lord, you know that I Philo you."
Jesus - "Feed my sheep" (even if you are not "there yet", out of Phileos love, do what I command)

Still, even in his limited ability to love, Jesus commanded Peter to care for Jesus' followers - for all humanity.
How many of us would, if completely honest with Jesus and ourselves, be able to say anything else?
AGAPE is easy to understand, but hard to live.  There is no "payback", no "return" on the investment.  It is doing the right thing for the right reasons.  It is loving unconditionally, even when we don't "like" folk, when our emotions or knowledge of them would not allow it.  It is loving in a self-sacrificing way, even when we want to be selfish.  It is loving in ACTION and not feelings, even though we want to be swept away and guided by how we "feel".  AGAPE is active commitment on behalf of the other - our Neighbor, according to Jesus, even stranger and enemy (Luke 10:25-37).  Agape is not about the "object" of the love, but about the SUBJECT.  Like Peter, the question is - "Do we have it in us?"

We are COMMANDED by Jesus to live Agape in the world around us.  This is clearly shared in all four Gospels.  It is what identifies us with Jesus (John 13:35).  THAT is what sets us apart in THIS part of God's Kingdom - not our purity or holiness, praise or tithes.  Those things can be manipulated for self gain in power or prestige.  We are known by the love that Jesus taught, commanded and LIVED among us - that which has no payback or return - Agape.  If we follow Jesus, we follow what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for us, His followers.

So, we must care for HIS sheep, lambs.  It is not about each of US being righteous, but about living within Christ who IS our righteousness and who claims THIS Agape Love as our faithfulness to Him.  We must care for HIS sheep and lambs, not those WE think are worthy, but those who Jesus loves.  It is not about how WE FEEL.  Yes, those Jesus loves are pretty much EVERYONE - the disenfranchised, the poor, the sinners and even the religious leaders and political leaders that Jesus bothered to address with His Good News, regardless of outcome.  It is so important to Jesus, that this central teaching culminates in HIS vision of criteria for salvation in Matthew 25:31-46 - the active commitment on behalf of other in the world around us. 

If we love Jesus, we will ACT in Love with those who Jesus loves in the world around us.  If we want to have Jesus as Savior, we MUST have Jesus as Lord of our lives.  If we want to say we are people of the Christ, we must FOLLOW the Christ.  Even if our love is "not there yet", we practice loving in an unconditional, self-sacrificing way - Jesus' Way.

Pastor Jamie

Jesus' Imperatives (Commands) part VIII - "Go, therefore... "

Matthew 28:16-20

These are final instructions.  This is what Jesus wants.

First, we must acknowledge that JESUS is THE AUTHORITY - Savior, Fulfiller of the Law and Prophets, Redeemer and LORD of our lives... that is, IF you claim Jesus... remember the "you cannot have two masters" thing?


OK, now that Jesus has said WHY we must listen to Him...

Go... Imperative (Command)... don't open up a shop and sit, even with the doors open more than just one hour a week, even though you advertise with signs, flyers, radio, TV, billboards, CD's, books, Facebook, Twitter, etc., etc.... Go out there... you know, in the real world...

Make Disciples... mathetes... student/followers of Jesus - you know of what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled for His followers to live... don't just worship and adore, praise and tithe Him, as Jesus never asked for or commanded that... teach others what Jesus taught, commanded and modeled, and get them to live what Jesus taught, commanded and followed... and

Baptizing them... inclusion into the community of believers... not conditional inclusion... not only if they are holy or pure enough... not only if they are adults... not only if they think just like you... like Phillip on the road, even those who are sexually different and excluded by the Law of Moses (Acts 8)... INCLUDE THEM... invoke the Holy Spirit in their lives, in Jesus' name... INCLUDE them... and...

Teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded YOU... NOT the Law and Prophets, but Jesus' fulfillment of them... NOT just what Paul wrote that you agree with... NOT just what you have heard your "preachers" say... what JESUS taught, commanded and modeled... Jesus, who repeatedly refers to keeping HIS commands, abiding in HIS Word... obey Jesus... there is NO other judge... no other Redeemer, Savior or Lord, that is, if you claim His name...

and Remember (that) I am with you always, to the end of the age.  Yes, it is meant as a comfort... and YES, it is meant as ACCOUNTABILITY...

I hear Jesus saying, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I tell you?"  (Luke 6:46)
So many who think they are sheep will find they are goats, at least according to what Jesus says determines our salvation. (Matthew 25:31-46)
It is not about our purity or holiness, not about our righteousness, not about our adherence to the Law of Moses, not about our being better than someone else... Jesus says... yes, Jesus... LORD... that it is about LOVING GOD and NEIGHBOR (even stranger and enemy - Luke 10) as we love OURSELVES... not about Worship or Praise or Adoration or Tithes... we are worthy only because Jesus makes us worthy... righteous only in HIS righteousness... why we must have Grace and DO have it given, freely, unconditionally... not because we have earned or merited it, but because we NEEDED it... God's Love is Great... so is ours supposed to be... teach others to be disciples of THAT Jesus...

Pastor Jamie

Imperatives (commands) of Jesus Part VII... "Do not lay up for yourselves..."

Matthew 6:19-21 may speak more powerfully and clearly to our age than any other of Jesus' teachings and commands.  If there has been a time when GREED has become so mainstream that we not only cannot see anything wrong with it, but build our lives on it, this is it.  Greed is NOT a Kingdom value.  God does not treasure the things gained by GREED.  God does not value the pain inflicted on those who are exploited so that others may have more, always more... God does not value the addiction of acquisitiveness, the disease of affluenza, the idolatry of making MORE (wealth, Mammon) god.  God does not like the cost to our souls, how it takes over and owns us as human beings because we can never be satisfied with "enough", while destroying the lives of those around us.

"Self" is part of the problem, because when we always want more for our "selves", our "own" and those like us, it is exclusionary at best and destructive of others' lives at worst. 
The New Testament era Prophet, James wrote that conflicts, wrangling, War and killing come from Greed (James 4:1-6), which comes out of a sense of entitlement in pride.  We act as if we are entitled to take what we want because we can.  This "I should because I can" mentality is the product of a people who have walked away from Jesus' teachings and commands in Agape, or who have never had a value for them.  It is for this reason that James admonished the rich (5:1-6) and called for those who have been victimized by them to remain hopeful until the Lord comes (7-11).  God says, "It ain't right.  I will make it right in the end."

So, we are instead of value the things of Heaven, THAT part of Kingdom of God.  We are to value AGAPE and Grace, Joy, Peace, Contentment, Community, Equity (all having ENOUGH) and live the fruit of the Spirit that is meant as a way of life for us in THIS part of God's Kingdom, here and now (Galatians 5:22-26), and not get caught up into the things that produce despair and destruction out of Greed (5:19-21) - the things that please self at the expense of others.

If we value relationships and our NEIGHBOR having what they need for well-being, we will not "lay up for ourselves" anything, but will share of our abundance so that we are not all like the Rich Fool or unnamed rich man who ignored Lazarus, but rather more like the Good Samaritan.  When others are in need and I ignore, vilify or de-humanize them instead of share what I have, I fail to live the Agape that Jesus commanded.

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  I wrestle with this regularly.  It is with me all the time.  It informs how I see the world around me and what is happening in it.  It clarifies "why" things are the way they are for me.  It shines light in the darkness of evil for me.  If I hold something as treasure, I will give it my love.  If I am giving my Agape to self alone or the things of self - Power over others, Wealth at the expense of others and Prestige above others - then I am turning self into my god and power, wealth and prestige into my unholy trinity to be devoted to, dedicated to and beholden to... I am not called to give my greatest, "unconditional, self-sacrificing, on behalf of the other" love to these things (I Timothy 6:3-19 - especially vs. 10), but to God and Neighbor.  Jesus commanded it (see Part II).

Pastor Jamie

Jesus' Imperatives (commands) Part VI... "Let the children come..."

I remember it like it was yesterday.  The poor, often disheveled kids from across the alley came to church.  Week after week, they got themselves up, dressed themselves and came to church.  Their parents did not come.  They came because a few of us invited them.  They came because some folk were nice to them.  They came as they were.  They sometimes misbehaved.  We separated them at times, and they still misbehaved.  We then asked some older adults to sit with them individually and teach them HOW to worship and engage them IN the worship.  It was at this point, about six weeks after they had been coming, that the woman well-known for being the wealthiest person in the church (and among the wealthiest left in Toledo) came up to me at the end of worship and said, "Pastor, if you do not tell these children to stop coming to church by next week, I will stop coming, and you KNOW what THAT means."  I looked at her and said, "Ginny, I will miss you."
They did stop coming, because for everyone who was kind to them at the beginning, there was another now who was nasty to them, determined to get what they wanted.  It was now a movement to push these children OUT OF CHURCH.  And it worked.
It was a few months later that I left.  It was less than a year after that that that church body had its last worship in that building.  Every new worshiper who had come in the previous two years had been pushed out, and they were left with the 35 or so people who were there when I came seven years before.  They got what they wanted.
Mark 10:13-16

Every time someone is judged by the church or people in it, we walk away from Jesus.
Every time there is no effort to welcome "those people" into the body of believers, we disobey Jesus.
Every time we value people of power, prestige and wealth and ignore those who are powerless,
        have no status and are poor, we refuse Jesus.
Every time we refuse to welcome changes to our worship, our leadership and our community that
        come when new folk enter that community, we reject Jesus.
Every time we twist the Word to judge, exclude and de-humanize others, we are hating Jesus.
Every time we insist on our own way, instead of Jesus' Way as we have it in the Gospels, we
        ignore Jesus.
Every time we trust in our own strategies, construct new strategies based on the values of the world
        and proof text scripture to fit them, we insult Jesus.
Every time we hurt others, accuse them, attack them and vilify them, we crucify Jesus.
Every time we decide who gets in and who must stay out, we throw away Jesus.
Every time we make this about our comfort, our feelings, our desires and our ways we lose Jesus.

This is about the Kingdom value of INCLUSION.  You may not have that value in such a developed form, but rest assured, Jesus did.  It does not matter what abilities or disabilities a person has, how much of a pain dealing with them may be, where they come from or what they have done, Jesus includes... and so are we called to do.
We are not called to keep people from Jesus, but rather bring them to know Jesus.  Jesus is all about Agape.  If we are not living that, we are not introducing them to Jesus, but to something much different.  We are not the arbiters of entrance, who get to decide who gets to come to Jesus.  This is not OUR banquet.  It is Jesus' banquet.  We did not come up with the guest list.  The Holy Spirit did that.  We are just the butlers at the doors who open them in welcome.  We are just the waiters and waitresses who serve the guests.  We are recipients of inclusion who are called to include others.  If we are not willing to do that, we are not willing to follow Jesus.   That necessarily makes us something other than followers of Jesus.

Grace, Agape and Peace in Justice are what Jesus wants.  If we are followers of Jesus, it is what we want also...

Pastor Jamie

Part V of Jesus' Imperatives... "You give them..."

Matthew 14:13-21 (16)

When Jesus preached to the crowd and realized they were hungry, He had compassion on them.  It is out of compassion that this Good News is lived.
His followers, the leaders, wanted to send them away to fend for themselves.  Jesus rejected that idea and told the disciples, "They need not go away; YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT."  The followers of Jesus are to act on this compassion, if not their own, then on the compassion of the one they follow.
Then their argument was that they did not have enough resources with which to feed them and themselves.
Jesus ignored that argument and told them, "BRING THEM HERE TO ME."
He blessed it and broke it and distributed it by the work of His followers to the crowd.  This, to me, is sacramental... the Word/Command and Elements shared in Grace and Agape...
And all 5,000+ ate and were satisfied, and there were 12 baskets of leftovers, more than what they started with...

1. Jesus has compassion on those in need, and His followers had better get with that program, because if they do not, they are not following Jesus... many who are goats think that they are faithful sheep - see Matthew 25:31-46.

2. There is no excuse for not helping people with what they need - the lame excuses of "it's not our job" or "we don't have enough for everyone AND ourselves" hold no meaning or value with Jesus, the one we profess to follow.

3. God provides through OUR hands and feet and mouths.  God works through us in THIS part of God's Kingdom.  We are COMMANDED by the Good News Law of Agape to live the compassion of Jesus with one another, and if we are not willing to follow Jesus in this, we are not Jesus' followers... making disciples means making folk who will FOLLOW Jesus' teachings, commands and examples, and baptizing them into a radical community that lives His Agape - see Matthew 28:16-20.

And Imperative is not a suggestion, but a COMMAND... simply put, it is "do this... don't do that..."  If we are going to follow Jesus as Lord and not just try to hold onto Him as Savior, we must obey His commands... to be His followers, we must FOLLOW HIM.

Pastor Jamie

Imperatives of Jesus - Part IV

"Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'"  (Matthew 9:13)

Jesus associated with people who were known by others to be "sinners".  He, in fact, according to the Gospels, refused to judge and shared that He came, not for the righteous, but for sinners.

The Law of Agape has its deepest expression in Grace - undeserved loving mercy.  God is Gracious with us, regardless of our deserving.  We are commanded to be gracious with one another.  Just as Jesus embodied Agape and did not just teach it as a theoretical ideal, so Jesus WAS Grace on the Cross.

In Luke 7:36-50, we learn a lesson, not only about being gracious with one another, but about forgiving the debts or sins of others.  If we understand our sinfulness, we understand the greatness of God's Grace in our lives.  If we don't recognize our sinfulness, but rather have some delusion about our own righteousness, especially over others, then we have no value for God's Grace and are much less likely to be gracious with others.  I used to think, "Just give me what I deserve."  Coming to understand my sinfulness and consequent need for Grace, I now do not want what I deserve.  I know what I deserve.  I want Grace.  If I want it for myself, I must necessarily want that for those who I love as I love myself.  If I want to receive God's mercy in Grace, I had better learn mercy for others over some punitive desire to see them make a sacrifice for their sins.

Agape Love demands Grace.  I cannot live Agape, as commanded by Jesus, AND judge or refuse to forgive.  I cannot live Agape and want, out of vengeance or a sense of superior righteousness or a lack of compassion, to want others to pay a price while I enjoy the fruits of Grace.  I am either a person of Grace in Agape Love, or I am not.

We are not to consider this a theoretical, spiritual truth with no application, but rather to LIVE it with one another.  As God lives it with us, so we are to live it with one another.  We learn from Jesus' parable of the two debtors in Matthew 18:23-35.  God will deal with us as we dal with others.  We had better learn mercy over a desire for punitive sacrifice.

Jesus is THE sacrifice for ALL sin.  He WAS Grace and Mercy.  He WAS Agape, and command it. 

If we hope to follow Jesus, we must indeed LEARN mercy over sacrifice for others, because it is what we want for ourselves.

Pastor Jamie

Part III - more on Agape

And Then Jesus took it up a notch.  As if loving God and Neighbor (even stranger and enemy) , with all we have, even as we love ourselves is not hard enough, the Jesus of the Gospels COMMANDS that we  "Love one another as I have loved you (Agape)."  John 13:34,35  It is His New Commandment,

The Agape Jesus modeled in the Gospels is full of compassion, confrontation, advocacy, sarcasm, exhortations, admonishments, tenderness, mercy, hard lessons to hear, unconditional, undeserved grace and self-sacrifice.  Hard enough for you to emulate yet?

It is not enough to love the easy ones to love - those who love us (Luke 6:32-36).  We are commanded to forgive the ones who ARE actively killing us, as did Jesus, give mercy without judgment to the undeserving (Luke 6:37,38) as did Jesus and look beyond ourselves in order to live this active commitment on behalf of the other (Matthew 16:24) that we must do to follow Jesus.  If we say we are His followers, do we not need to follow Jesus, both what He taught AND what He did(Luke 6:46)?

I sometimes have my issues with Paul, but I believe Paul got it right in Romans and Philippians, largely - some of the most beautiful, powerful and enduring applications of the theology and practice of Agape and Grace...

more powerful than I Corinthians 13, I believe, is the teaching in Philippians 2:1-11 on Agape...

by definition, active commitment on behalf of the other requires that we "look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others."  We are commanded by Paul to "Have the same mind in you that was in Christ Jesus..." so that we, having so changed our minds, our thinking (see Part I), will say and do as Jesus did - Agapao as Jesus did, even in self-sacrifice.

It really is that simple.  It really is that hard.  If you say you follow Jesus, you must go where Jesus leads you. "Love one another as I have loved you."

One can see why some have come to self-justify with mere worship, praise and tithes as if that is being faithful to the one who never asked for them, but who commanded this.

Are you ready to be THAT loving and gracious?  Are you ready to truly follow Jesus?

Pastor Jamie