Drawn into the intoxicatingly attractive messianic suffering of God in Jesus Christ

Hey!!!

Sorry for my absence recently. I'm getting hit hard by school right now!!! Finals are coming and then it will all be over (for now...) Seems like no time has passed since we were out on the water for all staff and for off season trips. Time flies!

Anyways, I'm doing my best to keep up, and had a couple thoughts on this last reading. I think Bailey's breakdown of the Woman in the House of Simon the Pharisee stuck out to me most, just because of the chills I got when reading about the implications and cost of the action of properly welcoming  Jesus into a home owned by someone who wanted to show him that he was not welcome there. A couple things jumped out at me. Firstly, Bailey's description of the way that Jesus responds to the women's actions. He could have responded in anger, he could have defended himself from cultural shame by apologizing, he could have reacted a lot of different ways. But he chose to defend her, and I love the way that Bailey describes it -- "Jesus chooses to defend her by attacking the host with a coup de grace!!!" A final shot to kill a wounded person... with grace!!! BAM BAM BAM!!! Jesus goes against culture again (shocker!!!) and responds with grace upon grace upon grace when no one expects it. What an incredible display of the person of Jesus.

When I read this passage: "By aggressively defending the woman Jesus endorses her willingness to get hurt for him. She empathizes with his suffering, and in Bonhoeffer's language 'is drawn into the messianic suffering of God in Christ.' Jesus responds with a costly demonstration of unexpected love. The woman is watching! She sees Jesus defending her, confirming her and in the process carving out space for her in the community of his followers. This scene could not be and was not forgotten."

I immediately thought of the staff devo book, and specifically the description of humility as intoxicatingly attractive aspect to ones leadership effect. Jesus is WILLING to enter into this woman's suffering. She sees this, realizes that Jesus is right there beside her through her embarrassment, shame, and sadness. She watches a scene of unmerited, unexpected love unfold before her eyes, and I imagine is extremely shocked by what is happening. 

This reminds me that Jesus ALREADY has entered into our suffering and will walk with always. Our response to this is to ENTER into other's suffering and in that, point them to Jesus, without even needing to say anything. 

I still recall being up on the wall at lake Shasta my junior year of high school coming out of a long season of dryness and disconnectedness from Jesus. Having my youth leader there to enter into my suffering and pray through it with me, and then meet Jesus in a vivid, spectacular, unforgettable answer to a prayer, is a scene that I will never forget. To think that Jesus is using our willingness to enter into the suffering of other's is an extremely powerful, awe inspiring aspect of what it means to be out on the water for a summer that is embodied very well by Jesus' actions and responses in this story.

See everyone so soon for interviews! I'm excited to see you all again!