Rev. Wesley Menke
26 September 2021
The Problem
Congratulations! You made it through another week! That is no small task. There are big problems and challenges to surviving everyday. It is remarkable that we as a species, the human race, have come so far. It really is quite remarkable all the things we have achieved like the increases in standards of living for so many people. Sociologists and Anthropologists believe that the reason that we as a species are as successful is because we are so highly social. We are phenomenally social beings. Even the most introverted among us, like pastors for example, are able to step away from our silent meditations on scripture to interact with other people. It’s phenomenal. But you know what? It comes at a price.
Our highly social nature as human beings is a two sided coin. On one side you have empathy, and on the other side you have jealousy. The two social responses are related and in tension with one another. One of my professors of pastoral care in seminary told us of an experiment conducted on babies. It was a very benign experiment in which crying was recorded in nurseries in hospitals and observations were made. You have probably heard that babies have different kinds of cries. Parents can often tell if a baby needs milk, sleep, burping, or a diaper changed. Well scientists have studied the social nature of babies crying.
It turns out that almost immediately out of the womb and into the world babies are social. They demonstrate both empathy and jealousy. How do we know this? We know this because when one baby begins to cry in a nursery out of hunger, the same or similar type of hungry cry spreads throughout the nursery. Babies are naturally empathetic; they feel what their neighbors feel. Emotional intelligence theory says that feelings are contagious. This is a beautiful thing, because it means that built into the fabric of our beings is the capacity to relate to others and have an understanding of what they are going through. But as I mentioned before, there is a flipside to this phenomenon.
The flipside is jealousy. Babies are also naturally jealous. The same experiment mentioned above yielded proof of natural jealousy. When one baby is picked up in the nursery and it’s needs are attended to, the other babies change the tone of their cries to one of anger and pain if they do not receive the same care. Babies naturally know and are hurt when they feel they are not being given the same love and care.
Both Josua son of Nun, the second in command to Moses, and the 12 disciples of Jesus demonstrate their very human capacity for empathy and jealousy. In both cases there is unsanctioned ministry happening. Elded, Medad, and some unnamed people get inspired, get in front of people, and start doing the work of the Lord even though nobody asked them or gave them permission. Joshua and the disciples don’t like it. They are jealous. This very human response highlights the strength and weakness of being so social. While these disciples excelled at empathizing with people in need and with their leaders, they weren’t prepared to handle the emotional challenge of being upstaged as it were. They were suffering from jealousy.
Works-righteousness, that old stubborn sin, is perhaps the greatest contributing factor to jealousy. Joshua and the disciples had worked hard and sacrificed much. This was admirable. But it was no doubt the devil whispering in their ear that tricked them into believing that they had earned the authority and ministries they had been given. They had forgotten that God does not call the equipped, but God equips the called. It seemed unfair that Eldad, and Medad who couldn’t even show up to a meeting on time, nor wanna-be’s who didn’t even know Jesus could be afforded the Holy Spirit of God, ministries, and recognition. So Joshua and the disciples went to their leaders to express their concerns.
The Solution
The Good News is that we are saved by grace through faith, and not by our works. Neither Moses nor Jesus chastises their followers too harshly. They are very understanding. In fact, neither Jesus nor Moses seems to be worried at all about their disciples getting everything right. With great patience they demonstrate that they have faith. Being a leader isn’t about doing everything right all the time. It is about having faith.
Faith is peaceful and creative action. Faith means trusting in God even though you don’t know what the outcome will be. Having faith means addressing unhelpful behavior. Faith means taking action. You have to have faith.
When Joshua son of Nun tried to get Moses to stop Edad and Medad from prophesying what did Moses do? Moses corrected Joshua. He said, “No” to Joshua. Joshua was the second in command, but that didn’t prevent him from being corrected. Moses explained to Joshua that being a leader means allowing unofficial leaders to pop up wherever the Spirit of God falls on them. Moses did not turn a blind eye and say, “Do whatever you want Joshua.” He had to take action because of his faith. Moses had faith in God, that God could send Spirit upon whomever. Faith means making space for new leaders to blossom, and gently teaching current leaders to be inclusive. Faith is quite the opposite of control. Joshua and the disciples wanted to control people. Jesus and Moses taught them to let go of the illusion of control and to trust that God is going to call people who they don’t know.
Moses says, “Would that all God’s people prophesy!”
Jesus says, “Whoever isn’t against us, is for us!”
Faith means stopping ourselves when we feel jealousy bubbling up within us. Faith means remembering that we haven’t earned or deserved any of the blessings God has given us. The best most beautiful blessings in our life are God’s unmerited Grace. Things we haven’t earned, rather things that are just plain grace. Has any of us earned air to breathe? Ruakh and Pneuma mean air and Spirit. This most elemental form of Grace, breath, is 100% God’s gift. So if you have faith, then you must follow the example of Jesus and Moses, and you must live out your faith by making space, by checking our own jealousy, and allowing new unsanctioned upstarts to do ministry and prophecies in unexpected places by unexpected people.
Just as Jesus died on the cross for the whole world. So does the Holy Spirit fall on all flesh sometimes causing prophecy and divinely inspired ministry. It’s God’s grace at work!
Gospel
You will be salted with fire.
The fire is the Holy Spirit will fall on you!
The Holy Spirit will fall on all God’s people.
All God’s people will become prophets.
The Spirit of God will fall on you!
There will be peace with one another.
We will grow.
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