John 6:56-69, Joshua 24:1,2,14-18
The people of Israel were about to enter the land God promised them and led them to. A new start often calls for an assessment of what is important and this is what Joshua is doing in chapter 24. They had 3 choices.
The choice based on the past
Why do we keep old photos, diaries, newspapers, journals and so on? They remind us of the past – our lives and those who went before us.
Abraham had lived in the area that we now know as Iraq. His relatives had worshipped some ancient gods but it was here that the true and living God spoke to him. God called Abraham to obey him, to leave his home and extended family and travel to a land that God would show him. Abraham did not know where this land was but God promised to be with him and to bless him. Abraham did not have to obey God but he chose to. He left behind so much, including the ancient gods.
Some people today still hang on to the past and refuse to move on. People can find it hard to trust God to be with them in the present and the future. They may think that the old ways of doing church are the only ways and the old songs are the only ones worth singing. The format of Christian worship has changed little over the years because the key elements are always included. One can sometimes get the impression that the old ways of doing things have become the object of worship! But today God says, “Choose to serve me.”
The choice based on the present
As God’s people moved into the land God had promised, they were going to encounter people who worshipped idols and false gods. This worship led people to do dreadful things (like human sacrifices). God’s people were tempted to worship these gods too.
There is a real pull on people today to be so influenced by what is not of God that they make choices that displease God. Eg, never mind about attending church; doesn’t matter if you swear; you earned your money so it’s yours to spend entirely on yourself; time, likewise is to spend as I see fit; and so on.
God today says, “Choose to serve me.”
The choice with an eye to the future
Joshua challenged God’s people to choose to serve God, both then and in the future. Read the whole chapter and you will see that Joshua reminded the people they had failed in the past and he predicted they would fail in the future. We too know we have failed in the past and will fall short in the future but we have the assurance of God’s forgiveness affirmed by the presence of the Spirit in our lives every day.
The Hebrew verb ‘abad occurs nine times in this passage. The range of meanings for this verb includes “to be a slave”, “to serve”, “to work”, and “to worship.” The conceptual link between worship and slavery may seem obscure or theologically distasteful, but it is critical for understanding the choice Joshua offers the tribes of Israel. They can and will give their whole selves to one kind of relationship only. Worship of false gods is slavery to human artifice and self-interest. Joshua calls Israel out of bondage into the freedom of life in covenant with God.
Those associated with Jesus had a choice whether they were going to leave him or not. Simon Peter made that powerful statement, “We have faith in you, and we are sure that you are God’s Holy One.” They may not have understood everything about Jesus (how could they as Jesus hadn’t yet died?) but they knew he was true. Today God says, “Choose to serve me.” For Jesus’ followers it was a costly choice but it was the only sensible choice to make. What choice will you make?
The choice is to commit everything to Christ, relating to him and following his ways. I like the way The Message Bible refers to this as ‘the unforced rhythms of grace’.
“The primary goal is to abide in Jesus and have him and God abide in and among us. Abiding in Jesus is synonymous with living, really living; what we call “truly living” John calls “eternal life.” It refers not so much to quantity as to quality.”
Brother Lawrence, 17th century
“I cannot imagine how religious persons can live satisfied without the practice of the presence of GOD.”
As I said, Jesus offers a yes-no choice. “Choice A, as shown in verse 66, is to give up and go your own way. Choice B, however, entails abiding and, therefore, coming to believe and know. Jesus asks if those left also wish to leave. Peter answers for the group; notice that he does not say Yes or No. It’s a moot point – Peter now knows things he can’t pretend he doesn’t know. Oh, he will forget and stumble, but saving, eternal-life-giving knowledge causes us to abide.
“It is a compelling knowledge, if only in the long term. The verbs for believe and know here are in the perfect tense in Greek; that tense is what we use to indicate action completed in the past that has continuing effect in the present. That’s the kind of believing and knowing Jesus is after. Recognizing Jesus for who he is (be it Son of Man, the Holy One of God, the Word made Flesh, etc.) requires both belief and knowledge; one without the other is useless, even sinister, as Judas was about to demonstrate.” [Jaime Clark-Soles, Associate Professor of New Testament, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX]
What some famous people said:
Thomas Merton, 20th century
Just remaining quietly in the presence of God, listening to Him, being attentive to Him, requires a lot of courage and know-how.
Mahatma Gandhi, 20th century
Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul.
Adam S. McHugh, Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture, 21st century
When introverts go to church, we crave sanctuary in every sense of the word, as we flee from the disorienting distractions of twenty-first-century life. We desire to escape from superficial relationships, trivial communications and the constant noise that pervade our world, and find rest in the probing depths of God’s love.
And a final question to leave you with: What have you embraced (taken on) and what have you released (let go) in order to follow the way of Jesus?