Can't Somebody Else Do That?

When it came time to prepare for the Passover, Jesus sent Peter and John - the unofficial leaders of the disciples.  They were accustomed to being selected for special assignments for Jesus had taken only them and James to witness what we now refer to as The Transfiguration.  They were special and probably knew it - not in an snobbish way but fully aware of their position among the disciples.

So when Jesus had a new assignment - to make preparations for the Passover - what was their response?  The preparation process was arduous, time-consuming, messy, and meticulous.  Jesus could have sent any of the twelve but He asked Peter and John.  In Luke's account (ch 22) we read that Peter and John immediately complied.  Despite being asked to do something that was quite a bit less exotic than a transfigured Jesus or a healing, they embraced the need at hand.  They resisted the temptation to ask Jesus a question that we are often prone to express:  "Can't somebody else do that?"

What we see in Peter and John is a supreme example of an emerging, spiritual maturity.  Namely, the closer we get to God, seeking Him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, the more inclined we become to serve.  If a serving heart does not begin to flow from time spent in God's presence, than we remain spiritual infants - consuming but not giving.  Seeking God without serving others is spiritual narcissism in disguise.  It is a form of self-medicating - using God as a therapeutic fix that makes us feel better for an hour but lacking any substance.

This weekend is the finale of our Seek series.  We will conclude by focusing on serving because seeking must lead to serving.  If we miss this correlation, we run the risk of spending another year in spiritual kindergarten.  We run the risk of using God's presence for ourselves at the neglect of the needs in our world. We run the risk of chronically thinking or expressing the same question:  "Can't somebody else do that?"  It's time to change that immature question to a mature statement:  "Here I am Lord, use me."

Ex nihilo,

R.J. Rhoden