Faith Is Like Sitting Down
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Much of what I was handed in the name of “following Jesus” and being “faithful to church” was foreign to what Jesus actually said.
Instead of hearing about a Father who is delighted in me, I was taught about a God who demands things from me.
Instead of learning to trust in what Jesus accomplished on the cross, I was taught to strive for the sake of God’s reputation.
Perhaps you can identify. What a relief to learn that Jesus hasn’t given us a life of riddles to solve, maps to navigate, or ladders to climb. Instead, Jesus gave us a life of faith.
WHAT IS A LIFE OF FAITH?
What is a life of faith? It’s a life of learning to trust in what Jesus said over what we see. It’s something I have come to cherish at times. It also at times frustrates me. The need for significance runs deep in human veins. There’s not a whole lot of hype to be found in an ordinary life of faith. Ordinariness rarely goes viral.
The need for significance runs deep in human veins. There’s not a whole lot of hype to be found in an ordinary life of faith. Ordinariness rarely goes viral.
FAITH IS FRUSTRATINGLY ORDINARY
But considering how ordinary Jesus’ life was, is any of this surprising? Sure, after years in the construction trade, his ministry launched with a few short bursts of miraculous stardom. But don’t forget how quickly he shut that operation down. In fact, to keep things in tune with the ordinary, he told those he healed to “keep this a secret.”
And the ordinary doesn’t end there.
You find the same under-the-radar approach in how Jesus taught, a chosen method known as “parables.” Stories designed not to make things clearer but to frustrate (which doesn’t help when trying to figure out how to make an impact).
Why? Because like Jesus’ first century audience, we often come to him hoping to find a plan we can build our lives around. So it doesn’t compute when we find intentional confusion and frustration from Jesus. Hell, I hate frustration. I usually see it as a sign that something is wrong which I need to avoid at all costs.
But according to Jesus, there is immense value in this divinely designed frustration. It leads us to see what we aren’t looking for and to a place we can never get to on our own.
…there is immense value in this divinely designed frustration. It leads us to see what we aren’t looking for and to somewhere we can never get to on our own.
FAITH IS NOT UNDERSTANDING
We find a scene in Luke 8 where Jesus’ disciples, the guys who have been with him day and night, were frustrated by his teachings. They ask him, “Why Jesus do you teach this way?” Jesus responds by telling them you “already have the secrets to the kingdom, but for those outside, I teach in parables ‘so that in seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand’” (vs. 10).
This statement no doubt frustrated the disciples to no end. I mean, these are the guys in the Instagram stories with Jesus. Despite being told they “have the secrets to the kingdom,” they didn’t understand what Jesus was teaching!!!
But look closely here. Contrary to the views of God handed down through religion, Jesus doesn’t tell the disciples that “insiders” have it together and “outsiders” need to work harder. Instead, Jesus says those who are on the outside are, well, outside. And those who are on the inside are, yeah, they’re just inside.
In other words, if you have chosen to sit with Jesus, then you’re inside listening to what he’s saying. By sheer presence, “you have been given the secrets to the kingdom of God.” You are sitting with the “secret” himself. But if you’re trying to use your intellect to understand all of God and life from outside the door, and in your frustration walk away, then you’re outside. It's mere physics.
By sheer presence, “you have been given the secrets to the kingdom of God.” You are sitting with the “secret” himself.
TRADE YOUR FEAR FOR FAITH
I was taught that the parables were handles Jesus gave to help us build a better life. I was taught that people who grab onto these handles and make life happen are the ones who truly have faith. To hear that “insiders” were those who chose to sit with Jesus and “outsiders” were those who were unwilling to do so was a hard pill to swallow.
And yet, it’s when I look at these stories for what they are instead of what I want them to be that I find they’re exactly what my make-it-happen heart needs: an invitation to a life of faith.
According to Jesus, the parables that point us to what God is truly like can only be heard from inside the life of Jesus. Their truth, relevance, and wisdom can never be found from studying the menu at the door afraid of not getting it right.
…when I look at these stories for what they are instead of what I want them to be that I find they’re exactly what my get-it-together heart needs: an invitation to a life of faith.
And that’s how this life seems to work. To follow Jesus is to sit down at his feet, and, by faith, to learn to trust in what he’s showing you. Nothing less. Nothing more.
To explore more of what Jesus really said in his parables, check out the LARKCAST.
*All photographs by Jeremy Yap.
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