Yesterday I wrote about being directed into the Love of God and the perseverance or steadfastness of Christ. It was a good meditation for me, and as I was walking my dog, I continued to mull that theme over and over. I realized that I left out one major theme of Christ's steadfastness, His humility. Today I wanted to spend some more time on that theme, for it was one that tripped up most of the Jews, and certainly doesn't make sense to our normal human minds.
Going back to the verse I was most focused on, I wanted to looks at a few different translations here is my normal -
2 Thessalonians 3:5 NIV: "May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."
Following are some other translations.
2 Thessalonians 3:5 NASB: "May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ."
2 Thessalonians 3:5 TPT: "Now may the Lord move your hearts into a greater understanding of God's pure love for you and into Christ's steadfast endurance."
2 Thessalonians 3:5 NKJV: "Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ."
I find it so interesting how each takes a slightly different twist on the last phrase. A note for the Passion translation (TPT) indicated the Aramaic could be translated into "the hope of the Messiah", or the "faithful endurance of [all things] for Christ. I find that last bit slightly off topic, for it doesn't seem to be so much about our endurance or steadfastness, as Christ Jesus'.
As I allow these slightly different definitions to roll around, the thing that I find myself going back to is the way Jesus interacted with the people, and the way He refused to allow people to push him towards leadership or fame. Even though thousands of people were coming to see Him preach, he never lost the focus on the individual. It is like His parable of the ninety-nine sheep and the one that was lost. He could be surrounded by the crowds and still interacting with a person, touching them so deeply that their lives are forever changed.
The story of Zacchaeus, found in Luke 19:1-9, is one such example. Jesus is coming into Jericho and the crowd is so large that Zacchaeus, in order to actually see Jesus, had to run ahead and climb a sycamore tree, for he was short. Jesus is walking in the midst of this huge crowd, and stops at the foot of the tree and calls him down and tells him that He (Jesus) must stay with him that night. He knows all about Zacchaeus, and he could probably hear quite clearly the muttering of the crowd when He decided to stay with a tax-collector, rather than one of the important, or more faithful people! Zacchaeus's response to all of this made it clear that his heart had been changed by this simple act of Jesus, calling his name and choosing to stay with him.
As I was writing that, I remembered how other times it was said that Jesus would have dinner with the tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:15-16, Luke 15:1-2; Matt 9:9-12). The Pharisees and teachers of the Law had a real problem with that, for they were pursuing righteousness through the Law, and eating and even interacting with such people was enough to cause them to be unclean. Since they were hoping for a Messiah who would come and establish the Kingdom of God and defeat the Romans, it made no sense that Jesus would be spending time with sinners, for they were not considered part of the "chosen people". We find this command in Numbers 15:30 NIV: “ 'But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or foreigner, blasphemes the Lord and must be cut off from the people of Israel." This is one reason why it was so important that Jesus proclaimed Zacchaeus a son of Abraham (Luke 19:9). Again, for Jesus to take time to visit Zacchaeus's house, to proclaim him a son of Abraham, shows how willing He was to interact with the lowly and rejected, the ones you would never think a great leader would value.
As I was thinking about all of this a few other bits came to mind. First the story of when Jesus didn't want to go to the festival found in John 7:3-4 NIV: "Jesus' brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” Jesus' response to this is interesting, for this is exactly how we would normally think, if you want to make a bigger impact than go for a bigger crowd, bigger congregations, etc. In Jesus response to Peter, after Peter rebuked Him for saying He was going to die, I think Jesus addresses this very issue - Matthew 16:23 NIV: "Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Jesus was confronting this merely human concern, this human thinking! He was holding fast to the way forward the Father had shown Him.
As in the wilderness when He was tempted by the enemy, Jesus was being encouraged to pursue "greatness" and take on the mantle of a great leader, a public figure, one who would gather all the Jews to Himself! He knew His path was one of humility, one of laying down His life! I am sure that prior to His passion and death that Isaiah 53 was not a popular Messianic prophecy! They wanted a warrior King, an all-powerful ruler who would set them free from their oppressors. Isaiah prophesied the following - Isaiah 53:1-9 NIV:
[1] "Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
[2] He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
[3] He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
[4] Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
[5] But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
[6] We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
[7] He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
[8] By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.
[9] He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth."
As I read those verses, I can't imagine Jesus not knowing them by heart, knowing that they were His path, and choosing over and over again to embrace them! He was above all else, steadfast in His humility! Paul encourages us to take on this same humility in his letter to the Philippians 2:1-8 NIV:
[1] "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
[5] "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
[6] Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
[7] rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
[8] And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death---even death on a cross!"
As I write this all, I go back to the prayer of Paul, that our hearts would be directed into the Love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ, and I see the path forward, and its not necessarily an easy path! We want greatness and glory, to be applauded and appreciated, and yet the steadfast path of Christ is one of humility and obedience! His path was one of self-sacrifice, of taking time to minister to others, of being present to those around Him, even when they numbered in the thousands. He was willing to lay aside all the honor and glory of men, to pursue the path He knew He needed to follow.
Oh Lord, I pray for greater love (Your Love) and greater perseverance! I pray for the grace to seek the path of humility and self-sacrifice, not as a form of abasement, but as a way to serve and love those You value greatly. I pray for the clarity of mind and purpose that You had Lord, as You embraced the mind of the Father.
Help me Lord, for this certainly goes against my natural concerns and proclivity.
Amen!
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