Instructions

Matthew 21:1-2 - And when they were near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village in front of you and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me."

Jesus and the disciples are headed to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. He has told them three times that he will die there and they are having a difficult time accepting this. They have arrived at Bethphage from Jericho, where he gave sight to two blind men. Now, Jesus gives two of his disciples some strange instructions: Go into the village in front of you and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me.

Sometimes, I wonder why anyone follows Jesus at all. He is full of strange instructions: go wash in the pool of Siloam, pray for your enemies, turn the other cheek, go do this dangerous thing (you fill in the blank), go be my minister. None of these appeal to us, right? I'm pretty sure praying for our enemies goes against every fiber of our being; at least at first. And I know that many people don't want to be ministers; at least ordained ministers. I know because many of us fought that call for years (sometimes decades!). Most of us are not like Mary, who said yes without hesitation. We're more like Moses or Isaiah - imperfect, unclean. We have a million justifications. As if God is not already aware of our circumstances.

I myself resisted with very good justifications - I have lupus and am extremely photosensitive; churches tend to be very brightly lit. My idea of ordained ministry was so narrow, I couldn't see a place for me. But God didn't let it go. So, finally, one day I made a deal. I said that if I could have independent corroboration, i.e. if someone else mentions it, then I'll consider it. I thought this would give me a few months or so. Nope. The very next day, I was talking with a friend about something and she interrupted me to ask if I'd ever considered being a minister. Let this be a lesson to you; be careful what you wish for.

I realize that the directions in today's text are not the same as a calling to ministry, but they, at this point in the story, are every bit as incomprehensible. They make no sense to our rational mind. No one ever said God was rational - to my knowledge. In fact, we usually call her mysterious. Mysterious as it may seem, if you are a Christian, God is calling you, too. God calls everyone to be a minister! All Christians are called to be ministers by serving others. There's a lot of work to be done; working with God to right the injustices in the world.

Have I heard God's call? Have I accepted? If not, what are my reasons? What would it take for me to follow Christ's strange instructions?