Wednesday, May 19, 2021
“But Jesus replied,
‘Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no
place even to lay his head.’’’
(Luke 9:58, New living Translation)
Over the last week, in the morning,
on two occasions, there has been a fox
resting under our hedge in the back yard. We live in a very urban area, so this
is a very interesting sight. It’s an adult fox, with all the foxy trimmings of
red fur, bushy tail, black stockings – very healthy looking. Our local rabbits
and squirrels had better look out. He or she runs when it sees us. I am surprised
how agile and nimble a fox can be as it squeezes itself lithely under the fence
to make his/her getaway.
Foxes don’t appear all that
often in scripture. There’s a terrible story in Judges that tells the story how
Samson tied fire brands to the tails of 300 foxes (how he caught so many I have
not a clue) and set the foxes into the fields of the Philistines to burn down
their crops. I am sure that the local Philistine PETA was outraged.
Jesus compared the Rome’s puppet
ruler, Herod Antipas, to being a fox: “Go tell that fox that I will keep on
casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I
will accomplish my purpose.” (Luke 13:32, NLT)
In a way, that statement connects
with our text, also from Luke, and not because they each have the word “fox”.
Both texts remind us of the restless nature of his style of messiahship and its
never-ending commitment to reach those who need to hear and experience the Good
News. Jesus was always relentless in his
pursuit to touch others with love, mercy, grace, blessing and healing. “When
Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and
helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) He was always on the move, always
found in the crowd, always rubbing elbows with the poor, the needy, the sick,
the broken, the lost. This Covid isolation might have frustrated him, but I think that he would have found a way to embrace the people who need his Love
the most.
Our Luke 9 text affirms that the
work of Christliness is never finished. There is always a new day for the Love
of Jesus Christ to shine in this world. But the context of the passage invites
all followers of Jesus to engage in the same restless nature of Love and Compassion.
The Church shouldn’t be waiting for the
world to come to it; it needs to go out and be in the neighbourhoods and
communities and set the Messianic example of Jesus Love for all.
The Message Bible’s paraphrase is
kind of fun: “Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns,
you know.” The burden of followership is to walk where Jesus walked, to go
out and do good, to be a blessing to others, to demonstrate the Good News in
practical, compassionate and unselfish ways and means. That is indeed not always
safe or comfortable, convenient or allow us to hole up in our lairs and dens.
The day is coming when we will
be free from being cramped up in our homes. Once that people can get out, I
hope there will be a constant, restless flurry of compassionate actions by us
all. Do what you can now, but let the Love of Christ flow from you into the
nooks and crannies of a hurting and wounded world.
Jesus found you, didn’t he? Pass
it on.
Dale
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