Shade tree wisdom 8/6/09

All you and I saw was an old barn, weathered, leaning sideways, looking useless. That’s what we saw. But then another eye came along, and the man actually paid the farmer for the barn, hauled it away, and cleaned up the place where it had stood for so many years. And when next it appeared, it graced the recreation room of a new home being built by this man. He saw potential, and used that weathered lumber as siding for the wall for that room. It really looked fine, in place, needed. And added real class to the room.

The owner did not see any potential in that old barn, but a builder did. It depends on what you know.

There is a story in the Gospel of Matthew about Jesus’ home town. He taught, and amazed the people, because they saw him as “the carpenter’s son”. How does he know, they asked. They knew Jesus as a growing up lad.

We can understand their action. It’s true that “a prophet is not without honor saved in his own country, and in his own house.” Home town boy makes good, but at home they remember him growing up, and it doesn’t seem as if he can be all that important. Can’t be, because they saw him developing, and they know some of the things he pulled, so they know too much.
Matthew tells us the story of the rich young man who asked what he needed to do to be saved, and Jesus said, “Keep the commandments." He said “I’ve kept them all.” So Jesus told him to "sell what you’ve got and follow me." And the man did not, for he had "Much possession: He knew too much too."

That story troubled me for a long time, for it seems to contradict what we are taught, that faith alone saves, not what we do. But a deeper look makes the teaching clear. Jesus is telling this man, “Look to ME, and stop depending on what you have”.

When Jesus fed the 5,000 it becomes clear. He said, ‘Get them seated’, and they did, even though they knew the supply Jesus had was not enough. Yet they followed instruction, and distributed to them all plenty. That’s faith, even when their knowledge did not cover the fact.
So often we simply know to much. “Lord,” we say, “I can’t do this, after all. . .” and we offer excuses. Moses offered his stammering tongue; Jeremiah offered his youth, etc. So we offer excuse. We hesitate to do His will because we know better. “It would never work”, we say, “because. . .”.

That gets us back to the first story in Matthew (13, 53-58). It ends like this, “He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief”. What did they shut out? Why, the mighty works Jesus often did that He did not do here “because of their unbelief”. The Bible is filled with such expressions. Ps. 78,41, “. . .tempted god, and limited the Holy One.” Ps. 81, 10.11 “open thy mouth wide and I will fill it, but My people did not hearken, so I gave them up”. Is. 55,11 “My Word will accomplish that which I please.”

They depended on their knowledge, did not trust the lord, and that is always fatal. They knew too much, depended on that knowledge, and that proved fatal. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Prov. 3,5. That is not just a proverb, it is God’s grace and word of truth for us.

GPD 8/6/09