Tend to the One

Excerpt from Ed Stetzer post:  Thursday is for Thinkers:  Kelly Minter on The Gospel versus Religious Mission

Today's post comes from Kelly Minter. Kelly is a musician and writer, most recently releasing Ruth: Loss, Life, & Legacy, a project made up of both a musical release and a Bible study. I am excited to have her at the blog today.

The Gospel Versus Religious Mission

A few mornings ago I opened my Bible to the story of the blind beggar in Luke 18:35-42, as part of my study through the gospels. I was perfectly prepared to skim through the end of the chapter, seeing as I had heard about Blind Bartimaeus since a small child perched nicely in my Sunday School chair. What I wasn't expecting to find was a surprising lesson on the heart of Christ versus religious mission.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem with a large crowd, a blind beggar cried out for help: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" What struck me next was a tiny phrase that's only included in Luke's Gospel: "Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet..." For the first time I noticed that the condemning voices had come from the leaders of the crowd (some translations say, "those in front"). They viewed the ailing man, with no sight and no coins in his pockets, as an embarrassing nuisance worthy only of their dismissal. After all, he was getting in the way of their "mission with Jesus."

Those who led the way. It's startling to think that the very ones in the front of this crowd, barreling toward Jericho like storm clouds rolling across the sky, felt perfectly justified in condemning the vulnerable and needy, all because they were on, what they thought was, a mission with Jesus.

I couldn't miss the correlation between this harried crowd and our often fast-paced, program-heavy Christian environments. How easy it is for us to get swept up in the rhythm of our productivity, marching to the beat of religious mission, while ironically forgetting that our call is about people! Our ministry busyness can often create the illusion that we are keeping in step with Jesus - even leading the way, much like those in the crowd. When in reality, Jesus may be asking us to stop. Perhaps for just the one.

As one who makes my living in what would be considered "full-time ministry," I find this passage especially challenging. Sadly, there have been many instances where I have practically tripped over the proverbial blind beggar because I had a certain mission to accomplish, a Bible study to prepare, a devotional to write. They are the good things that sometimes get in the way of Christ's heart for me to live out His compassion on, what appears to be, a smaller scale.

It is so easy - even as leaders - to miss the individual person for the corporate task at hand. Sermons and meetings and events sometimes overtake God's call for us to minister to an individual or a smaller group, sans the smoke and spotlight. He has put in our path people that may cause us to slow down, or even come to a dead stop as Jesus did (Luke 18:40). Yes, Jesus dealt corporately, but He also followed His Father's leading to stop and tend to the one. Even in the midst of a crowd that was more intent on its destination than on the heart and healing of a blind man.

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I started pursuing what was right in front of me, as opposed to seeking a bigger "ministry." I pressed into my local church and community more intently. I taught the Bible to a small group of women who had just gotten out of prison, as I was desperate to see the gospel transform ravaged lives. I became more available for leisurely coffees with those who simply needed to talk. I threw more dinner parties so I could commune with the church and non-churched alike. I took a couple of international missions trips. And though this may sound like I simply added more to my "to-do" list, this has not been the case. I have simply been more mindful about what God is calling me to, not always saying "yes" to the bigger opportunity, not always keeping step with the crowd. Ultimately, I needed to remember why I was doing ministry in the first place, and tending to the one became not just a reminder, but the fuel for everything else.

Though Jesus never needed any reminder, I can't miss the irony of Him stopping to heal Blind Bartimaeus on the way to His crucifixion and resurrection (Luke 18:31-33), showing us that He never lost His heart for the one, even on the way to give His life for the many.