Fred's Mule

"And Jesus said to him,

“No one who puts a hand to the plow

and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

(from Luke 9:51-62)

One Semester I attended Summer School in Tennessee living with Aunt Jose and her nephew Fred.

Aunt Jose grew up in the village and Fred, her nephew unable able to care for himself, came down from the mountains to live with her.

Aunt Josie had planted an enormous vegetable garden by her house tending it carefully as Fred pulled weeds.

One morning I woke up to Aunt Jose yelling at Fred angry enough to call the “fires down from heaven”

Looking out my bedroom window, I saw Fred had attached a mule to a plow yelling “Gee” then “Haw” again “Gee, Haw”.

The mule was plowing across the vegetable’s rows instead of down the furrows.

I got out of bed, went down to the garden, grabbed the mule by the halter, and led it up and down the furrows.

Plowing a field means watching carefully in front of you to maintain straight furrows.

Looking backward means swerving one way or another.

What does Jesus mean saying, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God”?

Reflecting on this, Jesus seems to be saying disciples have a higher standard than using scripture impulsively for hasty, violent actions like commanding fire from heaven. (2 Kings 1: 10-12)

James and John’s request about fire from heaven will only lead to thinking God is on their side and the Samaritans are wrong.

Consider looking back asking yourself, “who are my Samaritans?” Are they race, gender, ethnic, economic?

Now, put your hands to the plow, look ahead, and prioritize your actions to fully and faithfully follow Jesus.

Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened,

and when they came to Jesus,

they found the man from whom the demons had gone

sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind."

(from Luke 8:26-39)

Astrid is a streaming program I often watch.

The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught.

The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime.

Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society.

My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years.

With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds.

It was no wonder he cried for mercy.

Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and eventually into a lake where they drowned.

This story though, is a complex one with deeper political, economic, and historical content as indicated by the word “Legion”.

It seems to me that Jesus’ next actions demonstrate the meaning of deliverance.

Jesus later sat quietly with the man who was fully clothed and in his right mind.

Jesus sits quietly, listening.

Jesus sits quietly, delivering us when we are tormented by our past, considered barely human, or seeking an end to our addictions.

Jesus, continues today, bringing deliverance to God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

The end of the story, however, is Jesus telling the man to go home and tell others what God has done.

Where Hope Is Found

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,

set your hearts on things above, where Christ is,

seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

(from Colossians 3:1-4)

Every once in a while, I’ll ponder the desire to purchase a new laptop which mans I’ll go to Consumer Reports for their evaluations.

Then I discover laptops of all types with all sorts of internal data I know nothing about ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to a few thousands.

At this point my thrifty inner self says, “Do you really need that?” You have a good computer and smartphone.

Life in the “earthly things”, our secular age, is about looking to our concrete, material accomplishments for satisfaction, without expecting God to be part of their lives.

Sooner or later, it seems, we’ll be asking “what’s the point?”

So, I have the latest, newest, or best laptop, is it as meaningful as I’d hoped?

If it’s not, what significance is there in our daily routine, relationships, and even our lives?

Where’s the hope?

What I understand Paul to be saying is when you “Set your minds on things above” you are trusting in God’s promises.

Hope is in God promise that when we are striving but failing to find meaning in our efforts, God is there.

Hope is when God is with us as we blunder through the “things below” and then using them for some greater good.

Hope means it doesn’t matter how deep the pain or suffering; no tear shed, no frustration, hurt, or loss, no tragedy –is ignored or unnoticed by God.

Paul says that this kind of hope does not disappoint.