Classic Bait and Switch, Jesus goes home after starting his ministry with great teaching and healings, but instead of performing for the hometown crowd he says; “this is not for you.” Of course the crowds are angry, Jesus tells them that He is “the One,” and by the scripture he reads for them he was offering; freedom, sight to the blind, and release from oppression!
What Jew wouldn’t want that? They had been living under oppression for too long. It had been 400 years since they had heard from God and it was about time somebody came down here to whoop on the bad guys!
The bad news was that they were the bad guys! It wasn’t that Jesus was offering something different than advertised. Or that the Jews just weren’t buying what he was offering. In fact, He wasn’t selling it at all, He was giving it away. Even worse, he was giving it to the Gentiles. They were not part of the family, they were not part of “the circumcision,” and, they were sinners.
One of our 10 Principles here at the Ranch is; “Be open to new ideas, regardless of their origin.” As leaders in ministry we can get so closed minded that we refuse to listen to the ideas that others bring to us because they aren’t ours. We need to be careful to not kill the messenger without hearing the message first; the message just might be for us.
David Sellers
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6 comments:
“Be open to new ideas, regardless of their origin.” Thanks for the reminder Dave. As I head out to my new job tomorrow, I need to remember the things I have been taught but I also need to be open to new ideas.
Also, listening is a key factor for life in general. I had a friend recently return from a two year missions trip in Africa. While he was there he and two other guys from the US put Bible stories into an audible form for the "natives" to listen to. He spoke about the African oral tradition and how important it was for passing information along. If we could learn the art of listening and remember exactly what we hear, then perhaps our communication skills would be a little better.
~Shannon~
The bad news was that they were the bad guys!
Isn't this so true with us so many times. We often think that the whole world is against us when in reality, it is just ourselves. Others try to tell us to get our attitude in check, but we just get more upset with them and think it is their fault that we are feeling that way.
We think that we have a reason to be upset and we can so easily justify our behaviors. The Jews wanted freedom, but at the expense of their enemies. They too, could have this freedom, but it would make them change the paradigm in their minds.
It would mean changing their whole system...a change which wasn't worth it to them. I think when we stand before Christ, change in our lives would have been worth it.
><> Josh
David, As you stated, "“Be open to new ideas, regardless of their origin.” As leaders in ministry we can get so closed minded that we refuse to listen to the ideas that others bring to us because they aren’t ours."
One essential characteristic of a wise person is to have a teachable spirit. Here in Jesus' hometown they had religion figured out; they weren't about to have someone come along and change their views.
We need to make sure that we stay teachable,purposeful and relevent, but Biblical.
Andy
“Be open to new ideas, regardless of their origin.”
This a such a strong statement for me Dave. Coming from 3rd world country where tradition and culture are so different from the west, more like the opposite, it was a challenged for me to come here and have an open mind to new things. Taking the good from the new culture and putting it together with the good thing from the formore culture, helped me alot to see a bigger picture in what God is doing in this world.
Sometimes I can relate to this Jewish that Jesus had to deal with because sometimes my culture put tradition and culture hand in hand with the Biblical standard. Sometimes it confuses people and where they are at with their relationship with God.
~ Lydia
Good words David. I like what you said "We need to be careful to not kill the messenger without hearing the message first; the message just might be for us." In my own experience this often seems to be the case. I react before I patiently listen to what is being presented. This often times happens because I have a preconceived idea about what I think is going to take place. I've learned that the majority of the my plan does not match up with God's plan. This is what happened to the Jews. They had envisioned a mighty warrior who would rule by force and overthrow their oppressors. This is what makes Jesus different. He did not come as dictator but as a servant. His ministry threatened all who were unwilling to give up control of whatever they had control over. Jesus Christ came to serve not to rule. It is through His service to His people that He now rules. He offers freedom from bondage without a tax. All He asked that that we follow Him wherever He wants us to go. Rulers do not usually die a criminals death for their people. Jesus did just that.
David I like your statement of, "“Be open to new ideas, regardless of their origin.” I see it first hand in the church that new ideas or change scares people. Often times, these ideas are put on the shelf because of fear, ignornace, or simply being "stuck in the old ways." I've heard it said that insanity is doing the same things the same way over and over again and expecting different results. Should we not believe this is true in the church as well?
-Michael-
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