The 4 Simons and me
This season, I see myself having the mind of the three Simons! And a desire to have the mind of the 4th Simon….
Simon the Leper
One who had experienced Jesus’ healing touch
but that does not seem to have changed his perspectives of looking at others.
Experienced Christ, but looking at issues from
logic, legalistic judgmental and rational perspective, economy and cost
effectiveness, looking at issues from intellectual spirituality, armchair
planning for caring for poor etc. Not able to see from a heart and spirit
perspective, the heart and spirit of Mary. Mary who was moved in her heart, and
spirt by a sense of gratitude, overwhelming gratefulness to Jesus for what He
had done…. You can experience Christ and what Christ does for you, but you cannot
take the Pharisee out of you….
The logical, legalistic and judgmental mind….
I have the mind of Simon – when I see others
and their responses, when I see the contexts around me – I see it through my
intellect, logic and legalistic perspective. I am unable to see through the
eyes of Christ!
Simon the Disciple
One who as the last few days of Jesus life
approached, was going through a bipolar response. Recognizing Jesus as Messiah
then telling him not to go to cross – thinking thoughts of God one time and
thinking things from the evil one the next minute. Refusing feet to be washed,
next moment asking to be bathed. Promising to hold on to Jesus rejecting him
soon. Repenting and returning, deciding to give up on following Jesus and going
back to fishing the next day!
I have the mind of Peter the Disciple – the
bipolar mind! One day when I hear a message about hope I am upbeat, then I read
the news paper of listen to a TV show, I am down beat!
The unstable and divided mind….
Simon the Cyrene
One who was forced to carry the cross against
his will! Wondering a t times, why did I have to carry someone else’s cross at
times. Problems and confusions created by others, need to be sorted out. I
wonder why people cannot carry their own crosses! Why are leaders in position –
creating problems that others must face and sort out….
The complaining mind….
But I want to be like Simon the Zealot. One
who did not say much but allowed his perspectives to be changed over time. So
much that He became a martyr, in Europe for the gospel and Kingdom he was
invited to be part of.
This is in his own words…
I had already heard about him. In our meetings
of the Zealots there was a difference of opinion about him. We had been waiting
for a Messiah who will restore the nation back to us. Who will overthrow the
Roman occupation and give back freedom to us? We will join him as his army and
fight against the Romans, free the temple, our land and establish the National
and religious systems. We will be free to be Jews in a Jewish nation again!
And this is when we heard that this new Rabbi
in town has been talking “The Kingdom of Heaven/God is near”. Was he the person
who will bring this to pass, if so, we need to join him? From what he was
talking regarding the kingdom it looks is as if he is talking about something
that will change soon! But somehow what he was doing did not seem in line with
what we thought he should be doing if the kingdom had to be restored!
So, majority felt that he is not the person
whom we should follow. But I felt he should be given the benefit of doubt. We
have been waiting, fighting and planning. Even if he is not the right one,
there is nothing wrong in trying him out since he is the first one in the last
many years to openly talk about the kingdom. We need such a leader, who is
unafraid to talk about restoring the nation and kingdom!
And that is when he met me (I was wanting to
meet him) and invited me to follow him. Unusual way – Rabbis do not invite disciples;
disciples request the Rabbis! He seems to be doing things differently – there
is something that is attracting me to him, but I was not sure if it was worth
following him.
But over the next 3 and half years, life
changed, I started understanding the Kingdom in a different way. I had to
unlearn much as I walked with him, listened to what he taught us, saw His life
and lived life together.
I thought about a powerful army led by Him and us
as his generals, but he talked about kingdom like a mustard seed, with its
small beginnings of a potential larger influence. He talked about the Kingdom being like the
yeast - the invisible but an invincible presence! Completely different from the
powerful army that I was dreaming!
He talked about the Kingdom like scattered
seeds, some eaten by birds, some scorched by sun, some choked, but some – a
minority that grows well. Again, challenging my dreams of the whole nation of
Israel coming around him and joining him in the new Kingdom.
He talked about 2 kingdoms existing together - The
weed and the wheat - allowed to grow together, till a future day, and the Net -
the future when the good and bad be separated but today all swim together. But
we were dreaming of the Romans being defeated and we freed from the occupation!
He talked about all in the kingdom being equal
through a story of the workers in vineyard- the nonhierarchical community of
equals with equal rewards where I was dreaming about me being part of the
ruling team in the new Kingdom!
I was challenged by the stories of the two sons
and Wedding Banquet that those in the Kingdom might not those are vociferous
(like me) and the invited but those who live out what they talk and the
uninvited.
And I started understanding that the Kingdom
was not a physical one, but a spiritual one, one that will emerge in the margins,
through a minority, and not from the corridors of power. But I also started
realizing that there will be a day, those who were ruling over us, and having
rights today, will face the wrath of the King and lose their rights – may be
after my time in the world is over! But still a hope worth living for.
And in the interim I must persevere, keep my
light burning like the wise virgins, invest my talents for the kingdom in the
areas of influence I have, and care for those in the margins, because there will
a day of reckoning when I must stand before the King who is a judge too!
But it worth waiting and persevering for, and
giving up my everything for since, the Kingdom is priceless and precious a like
the pearl the farmer found…
I am glad that I was invited to be part of His
family and me giving him the benefit of doubt….
A mind that is being transformed….
This is my desire for this season – that I will
start seeing the world the way Jesus sees, understand the Kingdom that is
emerging around us, amid all the powerful maneuvering of the state and
leadership…
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