Walking the Line

Embracing the Imperatives of Jesus

Alan Davey

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781725290365
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

The rule of Jesus articulated in Matthew's Gospel is neither obscure nor archaic. Jesus' imperatives speak powerfully to the contemporary issues of our day, and do so by illuminating a way of clarity, simplicity, and love. Where populism demands separation, Jesus promotes unity; where institutionalism extols hierarchical power, Jesus encourages humble service; where individualism lauds immediate gratification, Jesus asserts the path of sacrificial love. Indeed, as the Gospel of Matthew lays out, the pathway that Jesus defines is one of awareness, self-knowledge, and personal growth. It is a way of generativity, fruitfulness, and abundance. As we travel with Jesus in intimate conversation, we walk the line in a rhythm that fosters advancement, enjoyment, and soulful acceptance.

Part I

Casting the Vision

Chapter 1

Launching Out into the Deep

The heart of sin is that we do not let ourselves be loved by God; in other words, that we do not let God be God. Normally, this refusal to let God be God, be love, does not happen explicitly, but through our lifestyle, which in turn is determined by the order of our priorities.

Peter Van Breemen

Let All God’s Glory Through, 24–25

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

”Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fisherman. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. (Matt 4:12–25)

Diving the isolated waters of Little Cayman one can safely enjoy the shallow reef with its myriad of fish life and beautiful turquoise waters. It is relaxing, stress-free, peaceful, and dynamic in its own way. But the magic of Little Cayman is not found in the shallows. It is revealed in the deep blue waters falling off Bloody Bay Wall that descend three miles into the subterranean world. Here one finds ancient sponges, canyons, crevices, and a rock face painted over with diverse corals of every shape and color imaginable. It is there for the taking, but to enjoy it, one has to dive over the top of the wall and descend into the dark blue depths. It feels risky, perhaps a bit crazy, but that is where the magic lies.

Following the way of Christ has a similar feel at first. We may muse, “Do I really want to exchange my comfortable life in the shallows for a scary descent into the unknown? Why would I do that? My life is mostly a peaceful ride, even if somewhat prosaic. At least I can touch bottom when necessary. Let’s leave the deep waters for the zealots and safely frolic in the security of the shallow waters.”

Jesus understands our hesitancy. Nevertheless, he calls us to push out into the deep. He invites us to take the risk and go over the top of the wall and down into the depths of knowing and experiencing the Divine Mystery. We face this conundrum every day. Do we restrain ourselves, dictated by our culture that promotes a focus on our own desires? Or do we become risk-takers and follow the divine overture into the deeper waters of inner abundance and true serenity? Indeed, Jesus bids us to join his group of disciples and enter his school of training. His desire is that the voice of the Father—one he knows so well—might become the muse that leads us in the way of reclaiming our birthright as children of our loving, eternal God.

The Gift of Reorientation

Jesus begins his public ministry by echoing the words of his cousin John, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matt 4:17). These are not meant to be the frightening words that we might imagine today. A call to repentance is not proffered to raise up depictions of fire and brimstone but is an invitation to enter into abundant life. Repentance, which in the Greek is metanoia, draws its meaning from the Hebrew shub, and simply means “to turn”—to turn away from a set of self-centered priorities to a new viewpoint where God holds the foundational position. Before coming into a relationship with God, our self-centered interests are our core desires. What we want and what benefits us are the only things that matter. When we turn to God (repent) we recognize that there is a better way—one that may be costly—but ultimately, a way of love that flows between God and us and then out to our neighbor.

Of course, turning to God isn’t a one-time event. There is an imperative to keep turning to him over and over. It is true that we often have a particular conversion moment when we say our “yes” to God and make a pivotal choice to open our lives up to him. But the choice needs to be reaffirmed each day. Being in a relationship with God is meant to be our everyday experience. For this to take place we need, in the words of Richard Rohr, to “unlearn a lot.”1 There is a need to create new habits that help us in our desire to know and say “yes” to God. It means that we have to spend time with other followers of God—other people who desire to live within the new rubric of love. Perhaps, it is necessary to make new friendships and enter new support circles.

We need to be diligent if we are going to truly open ourselves up to Divine Love. There is no room for holding onto the old ways of selfish gratification, stepping on others to get ahead, playing the world’s game of personal ambition, and holding on to a hierarchical model. If we keep doing these things then what is the nature of our “turning?” No, repentance is serious business. Jesus announces, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” His declaration calls for a recognition of the King’s kingdom that surpasses in every way our former selfish concerns. We embark on a journey, a process of unlearning our old destructive ways, and learning the fruitful new ways of loving our loving Father, ourselves, and our brothers and sisters who share our earthly home.

Loving God is crystallized in loving Jesus. We affirm that God reveals himself best in the person of his Son. As Matthew records, at Jesus’s baptism the Spirit of God descended from heaven as a dove and alighted upon him, and a voice from heaven declared that Jesus is his Beloved Son in whom he is well pleased (Matt 3:16–17). Since the mystery of God is incarnated in human form in the person of Jesus, as we come to know him we come to know the Father. As a result, the path forward in the journey of repentance is worked out in our friendship with Jesus. He is the one who reveals the nature of the Father. He is the one who opens his heart to us so that we are able to grow into maturity as the Father’s beloved children. As Matthew declares, Jesus is the light of God (4:16), who as Isaiah presaged, becomes for us “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:6). Looking to Jesus becomes the way of continuing our work of reorientation so that the old self fades away and the new creation in Jesus blossoms.

Entering the School of Christ

As Jesus calls people to repentance he begins to form his band of disciples. Walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee he spots two brothers, Simon and Andrew, casting their net into the waters. He calls out to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people” (Matt 4:19), and surprisingly, the brothers immediately leave their nets and follow. Farther along the shore, Jesus repeats his invitation, appealing to two more fishermen, James and John, who also leave their nets and follow him (4:21). It is striking that Jesus begins his selection process from his immediate environs. He does not scrutinize dozens of applications from prospective disciples; rather, he begins exactly where he finds himself—summoning fishermen who are plying their trade along the shores of his home town. (Curiously, this approach might just be the best for future discipleship programs. Who are the interested and available persons for ministry in our own context? Before looking for a superstar from afar it might be more beneficial to identify persons in our own circle who share our passion for God’s kingdom.)

As we step back and reflect on this early narrative, we note that Jesus’s ministry holds two salient imperatives: First, he invites the broader community to repent (turn) from their self-centered ways and open their hearts to the Father’s lov...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• About the Artist and the Art
• Introduction
• Part I: Casting the Vision
• Part II: Going Deeper
• Part III: Moving to Maturity
• Epilogue
• Bibliography