Give Up On Yourself (Counterintuitive 6)

CONFESSION:
I'm an Ultimate Fighting fan. Why? That's a topic for another post. I raise the issue here to share an observation I've picked up after watching grown men punch each other in the face with very light gloves: A short, direct punch- properly placed on the jaw- will send anyone to the canvas.

Why mention this? It reminds me of the teachings of Jesus. With a sentence, He rocks our worlds. His ideas connect with our souls and leave us trying to clear the cobwebs. Jesus' words can be disorienting. Like this little number:

Then he said to them, "I can guarantee this truth: Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3)

Read that again. And again. One more time. Could Jesus really mean that? Does He expect adults to approach Him like chidren? Is regression mandatory to follow Jesus? At least He telegraphs the punch by using that word- CHANGE. Jesus knows most of us are hard wired to grow, succeed, improve. We've learned hard work and perseverance will get us almost anywhere in this life. Anywhere except the Kingdom of Jesus. For that, we've got to give up on ourselves.

CLARIFICATION:
Still wobbled by Jesus' declaration, I wonder what He means exactly. What child-like traits are we to emulate? Reading the VERSES on either side of the world-imbalancing statement suggest one answer: Jesus wants us to be humble like little children. Maybe we shouldn't have asked for clarification. But why stop there? What does it look like for a grown-up to come to Jesus like a child? This STORY that might give us a hint. Two adults go to the same place (the Temple), for the same reason (to seek God)- but approach Him in dramatically different ways. The Pharisee (read religious guy) comes as an adult. The Tax-Collector (read sinner) comes as a child. (Surprised at which God is drawn to?) Could we do the same? Yes, with some changes.

CHANGES IN POSTURE:
Kids are pretty transparent. Want to know what's in their heads? Look at their posture. Joy, frustration, sadness, even the need to potty all show up clearly. Adults aren't much more veiled. Our postures reveal our hearts too. The religious guy is SELF-CONFIDENT. The sinner seems LESS SURE OF HIMSELF (but hopeful about God). Their bodies express their souls. And God RESPONDS to their postures. (Maybe there's something to kneeling in prayer after all!)

CHANGES IN VOCABULARY
What words do these guys bring before God? One comes full of SELF-ASSURANCE. He focuses only on his perceived strengths. The other pray-er brings radically different WORDS. Although he's surely gotten some things right in this life, he focuses on the bottom line of his status before God. Ever noticed how easily kids impress? They perform simple tricks or tasks and we squeal with delight. (Your 3 year old can use a computer? GENIUS!) Perspective reminds us that kids are just that. For all their "success" and "growth", they're still far from being wholly formed. Sounds like our state before God, huh? The tax-collector understood and expressed that with His words.

CHANGES IN REQUESTS:
Kids aren't afraid to ask for things, are they? Been given a Christmas list already by a munchkin? Me too. What does the Pharisee ASK for in this story? Apparently, he needs nothing from God. He'll take care of Himself, thank you very much. What does the CHILD-LIKE Tax-Collector seek? That which would meet his greatest need- MERCY. If we're to approach Jesus like little-ones, we've got to abandon our pride and illusions of self-sufficiency. Because, for good or ill, God will give us what we ask for. At least He does HERE. Both guys get exactly what they seek from God. What if the same thing happens for us?

FROM HERE:
By now the sting of Jesus' words is passing, but the implications are just beginning. What are we realizing? That we're going to have to keep a foot in each world. With others, we've still got to be adults- responsible, mature, dependable. But with God, we've got to learn to shift gears- and be humble, confessing, dependent. Almost sounds freeing doesn't it?


Isn't it just like Jesus to knock us on our butts to set us free?