Commandeered by Jesus

One of the fabulous preachers at Annual Conference, Will Willimon (big Methodist guru), gave a sermon about Jesus and the rich young ruler. This rich guy came to Jesus, asking what he had to do to gain eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep all the commandments. The man replies that he has already done that. So, Jesus then tells the man to sell all he has and give it away. At this, Jesus and the man part company. The sermon was about how Jesus keeps "upping the ante" on discipleship--how He keeps asking for more and more of us and from us, until we cry out, "What more do You want from me?" And it is at that point, that point where we ask "what more can I give?" that we really start to get what Jesus was talking about...and how that itself is a gift of love to us.

The phrase that Willimon used which stuck out to me was about Jesus "commandeering" our lives, how that is the intention--to take over, to take complete control. First, I love the word "commandeer"...great word. Secondly, what a great word picture. Someone in authority stops you and says, "I need to commandeer your property for a greater purpose". Is this what Jesus does with us, commandeering who we are for a greater purpose than we could ever accomplish on our own?

Willimon also talked about the Christian life being transformative in nature, rather than stagnate. He discussed grace, how we have made grace into this weak thing that requires nothing of us and let's us get away with whatever we want. Bonhoeffer talks about "costly grace" (as opposed to "cheap grace"), which is what Willimon was getting at, I guess. The thing that cost God in Christ everything should not be taken lightly. Our response to grace is one of a total life commitment, an offering of all we have and all we have into the hands of God.

There are places I hold back from God, fears that freeze my feet in one place. When God says jump, I say, "Seriously?" instead of "How high?". I love the phrase: "Saying 'No, Lord' is an oxymoron". You cannot follow Jesus as Lord and say "no" when he calls. You cannot follow Jesus as Lord and say "no" when he comes to commandeer every part of who you are. It sounds scary, that giving up of complete control. Still, everything worth doing has risks. There are depths of grace that we cannot know until we jump into the fullness of who God is...until we really let Jesus take total control. That is my prayer for you and for me, that we will be completely commandeered by Jesus.