A Crazy Father

“O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Sam 18:33)

King David cries these words when he learns that his son Absalom had died in battle.  For years Absalom had secretly won the hearts of the Israelites as he gained support for a bid for kingship.  Once that support had been gained, he declared himself king and marched on Jerusalem, forcing his father to flee.  To add insult to injury Absalom slept with his father’s concubines in a tent on the palace rooftop before marching out to hunt down David.

Fortunately the battle (and the forest) favored David’s men; Absalom and 20,000 of his rebels losing their lives.  The civil war and the shame was brought swiftly to an end.  And yet David would have traded it all that his son might live.

As a father, I think I understand.  But then again, David seems a little crazy to be that upset about a son who masterminded a rebellion and wanted him dead.

But, David was a man after God’s own heart.  The things David cared most deeply about are things closest to God’s heart.  And the intense poetic passion with which David lived and breathed kept pace with God’s own fiery character.  God would rather die himself than to have mankind live in rebellion to him.

The horror of Absalom’s rebellion brings light to the true nature of our sin.  Yet our battle with God ends very differently, with Christ himself dying in our stead and sharing with us his kingdom, inviting us into adoption.

Oh heart of mine, be ever grateful for a God with a crazy father’s heart.

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”  (Romans 5:10)

Discipleship and Reconciliation

Yesterday’s Sunday morning message at my church was an excellent call to the making of disciples.  Two of the Bible passages Jim referenced caught my attention.  Both very familiar passages, it was their juxtaposition that really got my mind revving.  The first was Matthew 28:18-20 — the great commission — where we are instructed to make disciples of all nations.  The second passage, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, explains that we have been entrusted by God with the message of reconciliation.

Now although he didn’t come out and say it, by teaching these two passages the way he did, Jim implied that discipleship and reconciliation to be very nearly the same thing; or, at least integrally related.  This profound connection is what I can’t get out of my head until I write about it.

Reconciliation is simply the drawing of two parties together.  To be reconciled, one or both parties must move towards each other.  But  the distance between God and mankind is not one of physical distance.  Just because two people are in the same room does not mean they are reconciled.  The distance between us and God is instead one of righteousness.  He’s got it and we don’t.

Mystery of all mysteries, it was God who made the first move in Christ: becoming like us in sin that we might become like Him in righteousness.

What is discipleship, except for a life of becoming like God in righteousness?  Jesus, in the great commission, clarifies his call to make disciples by saying that we ought to teach people to observe all that he has commanded.  By expecting us to not only know his commands but also to observe them, Jesus is expecting life change.  And as we observe more and more commands, our life gets aligned with His ways.  Like the reconciling our check book against the bank statement — slowly but surely, line by line, everything must match up.

In the 2 Corinthians passage (v.19) we see how Christ is the primary agent in our reconciliation with God.  Our job is simply to bring the message.  And in the great commission, we see how Christ is again the primary agent — the source of all the commandments with which we need to align our lives.  Our job is simply to teach Christ and His commands.

Or put another way, it is in both directions that Christ is key to reconciliation.  He is the one who first moved towards us, becoming like us in sin.  And moving us back towards God, it is again Christ who leads through His instruction in discipleship.