The fable goes something like this…
Relaxing after a most eventful evening shared in the Upper Room, the disciples are musing together about the declining attendance at their recent public events. What had at one time been standing-room-only crowds, events where they actually had to make a “preaching platform” out of a boat pushed away from the shore, His followers were becoming painfully aware that more people seemed to be leaving Jesus than joining Him. So the event team began to discuss what adjustments they might propose which could reverse this attendance slide. Andrew suggested, “I think we need to organize more of those ‘tail-gate parties’ where Jesus takes small amounts of food and feeds the thousands. You have to admit, He definitely had them jazzed about that!” Philip was quite impressed with the healings. “Maybe we need to round up some more blind people and secure a stadium with excellent seating and better sight-lines for the audience. Let Jesus demonstrate some of His various healing methods on them. Spit and make some mud-packs…cover their unseeing eyes with His hands…or build the anticipation with another of those ‘progressive sight restoration’ healings.” Nathanael, the skeptic, was drawn to the earlier stages of Jesus’ public exposure. “If we would line up some water pots and have Him turn them all into top-quality wine, we not only could build the crowds, we could even underwrite some of the increasing ministry expenses by selling it after the event.” James wondered aloud why Jesus had to do His walking on the water thing in the middle of the night with the only “stage lights” being a full moon. So on and on went the strategizing for restoring the momentum to the mission. And then, during a lull in the conversation, they heard Judas say, “I don’t know much about your marketing strategies and all. But I would like to suggest that if we are going to keep meeting up here in this Room, we do something about replacing the carpet!”
Being a somewhat impatient sort of guy…the kind who sees three cars in the drive-thru lane and parks to and go inside to get the kiddie meal…who can’t believe how slow his MacBook opens up…who wonders why they haven’t developed a grass seed that sprouts in 48 hours…the kind of guy who believes we “just need to make a decision” and then, if it is a bad decision, we simply fix it with a better decision later. You know my type! Being an impatient sort of guy, I marvel at the strategy Jesus employed for His mission to our World!
Thirty-three years of living in one small geographic location with his only “out-of-the-country” excursions being in His infancy to Egypt and in His stepping onto the eastern shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. Three concentrated, sensational years of public ministry and proclamation; and yet, by the time He is preparing to return to Heaven, He is actually losing more followers than He is adding! And with the shadow of His cross looming ever nearer, He declares victory/success/mission-accomplished. “In the World you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the World!”
John 16:31
With the unlimited power of Creator being His, one HAS to marvel at the strategy Jesus employed for reaching the World. “As You sent Me into the World, I also have sent them into the World.” John 17:18 Rather than build His followership on grand events with additional numbers recorded each time, Jesus ordained the principles of multiplication. “Each one reach one” by the power of the gospel and for the glory of the Savior.
If you were sent to “save the World”, what strategy would you employ to accomplish the mission? On the eve of His death on the cross, the number of those who truly believed in Him was very, very small. And then, if you add into the mix the “kind” of followers He had amassed…His impact was unimpressive by nearly all standards!
But the mission of the Savior was not aborted at the cross. No, rather, it was accelerated there! For that handful of faithful (SORT- OF faithful…night runners and verbal deniers…) embraced their calling and committed themselves to the task. One soul at a time the gospel was proclaimed and embraced. And before long, the reputation of this small band of disciples was, “they have upset the whole world by their preaching of this Christ”!
But the mission of the Savior was not aborted at the cross. No, rather, it was accelerated there! For that handful of faithful (SORT- OF faithful…night runners and verbal deniers…) embraced their calling and committed themselves to the task. One soul at a time the gospel was proclaimed and embraced. And before long, the reputation of this small band of disciples was, “they have upset the whole world by their preaching of this Christ”!
