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Choosing Sides
Joe Killian • Aug 17, 2017
As I kid I was very fortunate to have the best Wiffle ball backyard in the neighborhood. We played with as few as two players but the best games were when we had bunch of kids. The challenge was choosing fair teams. We relied on an "ancient" ritual.
This particular ritual provided a somewhat fair way to at least begin the "Choosin' Up" as Norman Rockwell's painting is titled. From there, teams were chosen primarily based on skill level. When a small number of kids were playing, the winning team was often determined by who "won" the coveted first pick. Of course it was never a good thing to be chosen last but we'll get back to that later. How does this apply to the Gospel you ask? Read on to find out.
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, "Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon." But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. Jesus' disciples came and asked him, "Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us." He said in reply, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, "Lord, help me." He said in reply, "It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." Then Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." And the woman's daughter was healed from that hour. Matthew 15:21-28
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." This seems very exclusionary as Jesus reminds the disciples that His ministry is to those Israelites who have strayed from God. Jesus' words to the Canaanite woman seem even more harsh as He makes reference to non-Israelites as dogs. In this scenario the Canaanite woman doesn't seem to have a chance at even being the last one chosen. The message can't be more clear. You don't belong.
However, there is a different dynamic at work here. Something very significant happens. This story, in the middle of Matthew's Gospel, cracks the door to salvation for the Gentiles. Jesus came for all! Everyone belongs. While Jesus never physically left Israel, the salvation He brought through Israel was for all. With hindsight you and I understand that.
As His disciples we are responsible for inviting everyone to follow Jesus. In our world where people are separated by every imaginable boundary this can be challenging. Jesus sees no boundaries, no differences, no barriers. Are you living to break down those barriers? Or do you get caught up in the divisiveness that is so prevalent today? Jesus doesn't need an ancient ritual to choose sides. He died for all!
The story continues...I'm still working on the pondless waterfall in our front yard. I shared this project with you two weeks ago in Playin' In the Dirt. Since then I've had to rework sections of the stream three different times because we were losing too much water. I am now an expert on evaporation rates and excessive splash, two causes of water loss. This morning I tore the whole thing apart and I'm starting over.
Have you ever watched DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda? I stumbled across it recently and thoroughly enjoyed Jack Black's performance as a bumbling, noodle selling, kung fu enthusiast, giant panda named P o. Set in ancient China, it is more than a humorous slapstick comedy. The core message of the story jumped out at me as I have been focusing recently on the concept of being. Po is shockingly identified as the Dragon Warrior and he reluctantly enters training. The goal of the training is to receive the Dragon Scroll, which is believed to hold the secret to limitless power. Now I don't want to spoil the big reveal but I will say that what Po realizes is the same as what I speak to in the concept of being and authentic identity. So, where do we find the secret to our "power?" I praise You, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works! My very self You know. Psalm 139:14 God knows it; and we must seek Him with all of our hearts in order to find it. As it was in the movie, the answer is stunningly simple. Our authentic identity is already within us. The challenge for Po in the movie was in seeing himself accurately and not the way others saw him. Even his teacher scoffed at the idea that Po was anything more than an underachieving dreamer who overate when he was anxious. Po's problems are rooted in the fact that he believes the lie of his false identity much more than he does his authentic one. Is it possible that you do the same? Who could have imagined that beneath all of Po's girth lived the Dragon Warrior? What's hidden from view in you? Seek God for understanding as to who He created you to be. Spoiler Alert: the secret of your limitless power is already in you. God placed it there and He wants you to be who He authentically created you to be.
Maria and I have been playing in the dirt a lot recently. First we replaced our French drain and then we embarked on a creative project intended to change the entire look of our front yard. My brother Jeffrey and I installed a new front step.
