A Bloody Ear and Surrender

So, what might a bloody ear and surrender have to do with each other, you might ask. I believe the Holy Spirit has a clear message for the Body of Christ in this word from Luke 22. 

For many years, whenever I heard this passage in part, it was said to be a passage concerning the pacifism of Jesus. 

Luke 22:50-51

⁵⁰ And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

⁵¹ But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

It would make sense to come to this conclusion. After all, Jesus does seem to demonstrate this was not acceptable. 

However, if not read in context, scripture as a whole can be very easily misunderstood and misrepresented. I believe strongly the Lord is asking His Church to be steadfast in pursuing accurate understanding of the totality of Scripture. Not in part, but the WHOLE. He is calling us to SEEK Him out in this season. To know in full and be fully known. In this SEEKING there will be a beauty, joy, peace, hope like never experienced before, because of the new depth of KNOWING and being KNOWN. 

Now, back to the full message of Christ through this particular passage. 

Lets look at the context. Just before this occurrence Jesus was meeting with His disciples in the upper room, sharing His final Passover meal. During the meal the disciples and Jesus have an interaction which sets the stage for Luke 22:50-51.

Luke 22:35-38 

³⁵ Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”

“Nothing,” they answered.

³⁶ He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. ³⁷ It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’^[b]; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”

³⁸ The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.”

“That’s enough!” he replied.

Furthermore, in continuing to search this passage we find that Jesus then led His disciples to a place of prayer. It is in this prayer that I believe we see the full context for the interactions we witness in verses 50 and 51. Here in verses 42-44 we see Jesus, both fully man and fully God in a place of WRESTLING with SURRENDER. Jesus, in His flesh, crying out for a different story. While also, in His flesh, crying out for God's WILL to be accomplished! FULLY SURRENDERED. Surrender, as we see it played out before us in this passage is weighty, hard, painful, testing and a place of prayer. 

⁴² “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” ⁴³ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. ⁴⁴ And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.^[c]

After I read this passage in it's entirety I felt the Holy Spirit speak very clearly to me...

THIS is NOT a passage about the pacifism of Christ; rather, it IS a passage about the SURRENDER of a SAVIOR! We also see Jesus' foreknowledge on display here. As He knew Scripture had to be fulfilled of Him. 

Many times over the last year of my life in particular I have wanted to "Take things into my own hands". I have been "Tired of living life in a place of being betrayed, lied to, wounded and hurt". I have been WRESTLING with SURRENDER. Yielded-ness is a place of two-fold work. The work of bending under weight but not being broken. A place of being open but not torn off. A place also of bringing forth a crop. The place of birthing. Something new comes forth in the yield. THIS is the place God longs for His church to be! The place of FRUITFULNESS. 

When Christ reached over and said, “No more of this!” I believe we can see now more clearly His heart for US--HIS BODY--saying, 

BE SURRENDERED

BE YIELDED

BE FRUITFUL

Do not try to take things into your own hands and manipulate your circumstances. Do not strike against God. Do not stand in opposition to His plans. Do not stand unyielded to whatever the call of God on your life, whether small or large, easy or difficult, whether the crowd comes at you with clubs in hand or with praise on their lips or with a false greeting of the betrayers kiss; no matter what may come, SURRENDER. 

Let's pray... God, this message for Your Church is a hard pill to swallow. We long for comfort, for peace, for good. So often, this is not what we face. We face death, we face betrayal and heartache, sorrow and misunderstandings, we face difficulty and pain... but through it all Lord, whatever may come our way, may we stand or sit on the altar and not get off of the altar in unyieldedness, pride or rebellion. Rather, let us be on the altar, hands raised high in surrender, fruit bearing plentiful because of our roots deeply planted in the fullness of Your Word. Thank you for Your great mercy God. You are so powerful, able and worthy of all our heart, mind, body and soul. Please keep speaking to us through Your Word. In Jesus name, Amen! 

Thanks for joining me today in leaning in to God's Word and prayer. If I can support you in prayer today please know I want to pray for your heart to be yielded, as I also pray for mine. 

Blessings,

Abi

Off The Altar...

Last Sunday Pastor Bobby spoke on the difference between Spa and Spur from Hebrews 10:24-25 which says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

He displayed the physical action of what it looks like to actually SPUR someone on... he went on to share a personal experience with what it looks like when in Christ we try to spa one another on versus spur. Often in the church we see the term love being described in soft and gentle terminology. It could be very easy to dismiss the term spur as 
Insensitive 
Harsh 
Hard headed
Intolerant
Stuck in the mud
Traditional
Evangelical 

Because along with the term spur we often see people who are willing to call into question Biblical morality and sin. Not sin of the world, but sin within the Church. Deviation from Gods call on us as Christ followers. Let me not get off course. This message spoke directly to me. How I have needed a spur. There have been critical points where over this past year I have felt I was being coddled and “spa’d” rather than spurred. 

Grieving, anticipatory grief, painful personal experiences and deep wounds from those I thought were friends but lied... these circumstances brought me deep emotional, psychological and spiritual wounds I have had to find healing for. In the midst of seeking that healing though I allowed myself to become angry at God. Rather than continue trusting Him and His plans I became upset He had NOT intervened in several deeply troubling circumstances I truly believed on Him to do so... and instead I was disillusioned and honestly felt several times that I was dying in so many ways.

I think that’s actually exactly what God intended though. In the death of so much of what I thought I was clinging to and where I thought I was, God has brought me back into His arms of grace, He has sought me and spoken truths to my heart. He has shown me the way everlasting. Psalm 25:4 Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. The people in my life, like my counselors, have brought the spurring I needed to find my way back. 

Pastor Bobby ended the message with this poignant reminder; and tearfully I sat to ponder. 

“Have you gotten off the altar?” In other words, have you tried to take Gods place away from Him and been unwilling to surrender your life, your body, your hopes and prayers, your everything to HIM? Saying, I am Yours Lord! Tears filled my eyes and I willingly got back on the altar. I am done being angry at the One who is worthy for me to sacrifice everything for the sake of His purposes and will for my life. I am done trying to be hyper vigilant in anything other than prayer! 

God keep bringing me back! Your MERCY in view is what calls me to offer my body and my life, everything to You as a sacrifice—my spiritual act of worship! Romans 12:1-2 

I don’t want to ever get off of the altar again. I am Yours Lord! My life is a sacrifice. Thank you for the deep, wide, unimaginable mercy of Christ. I am unworthy of such a sacrifice. Thank you for not forsaking me. In Jesus name, amen.