Author: Jon Partlow

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Extreme Measures: The Cost of Discipleship

“If your right hand causes you to sin, cut if off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell” (Mt. 5:30).

I do not believe I’ve ever seen someone walking around without a hand who claimed they cut it off to save their soul. Most who read these verses in Matthew 5 lean more toward hyperbole interpretation and less to a literal one. In other words, Jesus isn’t really telling us to cut off our hands, because if he were, we’d have a bunch of people running around missing their hands. So if Jesus is not literally telling us to cut off our hands when we sin, what is he trying to tell us?

The Sermon on the Mount is Matthew 5-7, and many believe that these chapters comprise the essence or core of discipleship. I tend to agree with that assessment. I’ve also seen how moments in these chapters resurface later in Matthew’s gospel. In other words, these chapters are both key to Matthew’s gospel and to the Christian faith.

Matthew 5:30 is part of five illustrations where Jesus exposes the unrighteous behavior of the Pharisees’ so-called “righteousness” (5:20). The Pharisees may not have broken the 6th Commandment, but the hatred filling their hearts could have led to murder (5:21-26). They may not have physically broken the 7th Commandment, but they wanted to (5:27-32). They created acceptable rules and reasons for breaking one’s promise (5:33-37). They advocated personal revenge (5:38-42). And they justified hating their enemies (5:38-48). Jesus wasn’t attacking the Law, but he was attacking the way they bent the Law to excuse their sinful behavior.

So as Jesus addresses adultery (5:27-32), he is combatting a twisted view of Scripture that rationalizes lust as long as one never physically commits adultery. Nowhere in the Old Testament was God’s intent to create a venue for sin. That in and of itself stands against his own nature. Moses never told Israel that it was ok with God for you to be driven by lustful desires as long as you never act on them. For those who actually believed and/or taught such a premise, they neither knew nor understood God.

Some two thousand years have passed since Jesus gave these instructions, and we find ourselves almost a world away from his original audience. If we compare modern American society to ancient Palestine, the moral decline is shocking. Redefining modesty, marketing products with sex, lewd images at our fingertips and an entire industry driven by pornography produces millions of dollars a year. No wonder lust is a losing battle. That said, compared to some ancient Gecko-Roman cities, America’s battle with the explicit sexual images might still be seen as tame. Either way, it’s still a temptation to battle.

Jesus’ teaching on lust includes two strong messages often glossed over. First, lust has eternal consequences. The call to gouge out an eye or to cut off a hand is clearly hyperbole, though the damage lust does to the mind and heart cannot be understated. Studies are confirming that the dehumanization of women through pornography deteriorates the relationship between the husband and wife. By continuingly going into such a dark place creates a foothold for darker thoughts to prevail. So Jesus says to take extreme measures to ensure your heart remains pure, because more is at stake than a moment of pleasure: your very soul is at stake.

Secondly, take responsibility for your thoughts. Jesus clearly puts the burden of purity, not on the women, but on the men, “. . . anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in her heart” (Mt. 5:28). While modesty, as well as the messaging sent through dress, is an important discussion to have, the focus of this text is on the man. We have the power to look away and to stop the fantasy before it even starts.

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen an eye gouged out or a hand cut off as a preventive measure of stopping lust from taking hold. I did hear about Billy Graham ripping the cable cord from his hotel room to prevent him from succumbing to temptation. He confessed that he’d rather pay for the remodel job on the room than to discredit his ministry and vow to his wife. Maybe that’s the extreme measures Jesus had in mind.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)

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Beyond Guilt and Shame

Head buried in his hands. Sitting alone on a bench. Paper lunch bag holding an uneaten peanut butter sandwich. School filled with children. Charlie Brown without his dog or a friend. I don’t know the narrative behind the scene. Did Lucy and her friends just call him, “Blockhead,” or did he fail to impress the Little Red-Haired Girl? While I’m inclined to believe the latter, the result is another moment when Charlie Brown was shamed. 

So much of Schulz emerged from Charlie Brown; did you notice they had the same first name? Schulz may well have been the greatest cartoonist to pen a daily strip. He certainly inspired a generation of cartoonists to take up the cause. He also had his own set of insecurity demons, and when reading about his personal story, you find him living between guilt and shame. Not without some irony, the same traits could be found in a boy named Charlie Brown. 

But Schulz and Charlie Brown aren’t far from the only ones who struggle with those demons. From the earliest recorded memories of mankind, guilt and shame have tag-teamed humanity. When Adam and Eve realized they were naked in the garden, and more importantly, before God, they made makeshift clothing out of fig leaves and hid themselves (Gen. 3:7). The text doesn’t say why they chose to make the clothes and go into hiding, but filling in the blanks is easy: they sinned against God and felt bad about the sin they committed. 

Guilt and shame. The two are easily linked. Together they serve a purpose. They cause great spiritual and emotional discomfort in order to draw us back to God. So when we’ve committed sin and feel the guilt and shame, its purpose is to drive us to repentance, refusing to commit that sin again, and to draw us closer to God. Unfortunately, like the fallen world we live in, it doesn’t always work out that way. 

Guilt can have three components to it, and certainly what follows is an over simplification of guilt. First, we experience Real Guilt when we commit a sin or cross a boundary and the sting is felt. You’ve done wrong and you know you’ve done wrong. You lost your temper and unloaded your anger on your child. When the dust settles, you recognize the damage on your child and ask forgiveness from him/her. Secondly, we experience Repressed Guilt when we commit a sin or cross a boundary but instead of feeling the sting of wrong, we’ve compartmentalize our life in such a way as to avoid dealing with the guilt. Unfortunately (or fortunately), eventually what is repressed makes its way to the surface of our lives. What is hidden or buried, like rubber tires in a landfill, cannot stay hidden and buried forever. Once the repressed guilt surfaces, the damage can be felt. Finally, we experienced False Guilt when we do not commit a sin or cross a boundary but feel the sting of wrong as if we did. Usually, False Guilt has an outside element to it by other people’s own insecurities and character flaws projected ourselves. As a minister, I’ve discovered numerous times when people refuse to deal with their own sin, but they’ll project their problems onto the leadership. Sadly, they’ll blame me or someone else for their own guilt. 

Guilt and shame have their place in the redemptive story, but can be abused. Using guilt and shame as a form of motivation may have a desirable short-term result, but its long-term impact is negative. Not only does guilt and shame create an environment of fear, it never moves you out of fear. It burdens you. It weighs you down. (see Em Griffith, The Mind Changers). Guilt and shame, as motivators, trap the victim in a perpetual cycle of fear, making one believe he/she is never “good enough” for God’s grace, or that God’s grace is always out of reach. 

God does not want us to live our lives encumbered by guilt and shame. He wants to relieve the burden (Jn. 3:16-17). He wants to lead his people beyond guilt and shame where hope, love, mercy, and grace are found (Rom. 8:1). God’s desire is for his transforming power to change our lives so that guilt and shame no longer act as the decisive and/or defining factor in our lives. If he can remove the guilt and shame from the worst of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15), what can he do for you? Or, case of Adam and Eve, we find grace as he made garments out of skin to replace their leaves (Gen. 3:21)?

Charlie Brown, sitting alone on the bench with his head in his hands, has an emotive look to it. Not because it’s a two dimensional cartoon character, but because we’ve all been there. Hope does not arrive because of a boy named Charlie Brown, but because of a Savior named Jesus Christ.           

bonum dolar!
(i.e., Good Grief!)

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Casting a Long Shadow: Discipleship’s Call to Carry A Cross

As I sat listening to the speaker address a room full of teenagers, I was mesmerized by his message. On the table before him were placed multiple types of crosses. A rugged six foot cross made from tree branches. A dainty necklace pendant. A table-top cross suitable for an executive desk. A bookmark with John 3:16 written on it. A decorative wall hanging with the name, Jesus, as the cross beam.

Referencing Luke 9:23, the speaker called the young people to pick up their cross and follow Jesus. One by one individuals from the audience came to the speaker, accepting the invitation with a desiring passion to pick up their cross. But when the speaker showed them which cross they had to bear – the one with their own name on it – none were willing to carry that cross. The petite girl wanted to wear the necklace, not carry the six foot cross; it was too heavy. The burly young man was hoping to muscle the big cross, but his name was attached to the book mark; he didn’t like reading. So one by one the individuals responded to the call, but they each wanted to pick their own cross. Each wanted to follow Jesus on their own terms.

And isn’t that where we live? We want to follow Jesus, as long as we set the conditions. We’re willing to give, but unwilling to sacrifice. We talk about forgiveness while harboring ill will toward individuals. We discuss submission scenarios while demanding our own way. We demand attendance to the assembly takes priority until it’s no longer prioritized in our lives; everything else in life takes precedent. We cry out for mercy, but demand justice when looking at others. We say we embrace humility while our pride stands in our way. We’ve convinced ourselves that we can gain the whole world and have Jesus at the same time. We’ll take up a cross as long as we get to choose which cross, when to carry it and where we’ll take it. When we do that, it’s not the cross we’re carrying, it’s just a shadow of the cross.

So the speaker continued his message, and refused to randomly hand out crosses that belonged to someone else. Fleshing out the Lukan context, he told us how Christ had to suffer and face a horrible death at the hands of the Jewish leadership. He then added the irony of those saving their lives will actually lose it, but those who lose their lives for Jesus will save it (Lk. 9:25). Jesus had to pick up his cross and he’s asking us to pick up ours. The speaker ended by reminding the audience that we don’t set the terms for discipleship, Jesus does.

I sat there enthralled by the message. Captivated. As a sixth grader I was still too young for the youth group. My presence at the assembly came because my home congregation was hosting the event and my mom was helping with the food. I sat on the floor next to mom as if I was sitting on the edge of a chair, soaking in every word being spoke. Some 40 years have passed but that moment is as clear in my mind as if it happened 40 days ago.

As the high school students rejected the cross, I remember thinking to myself, “I’ll carry it. I’ll carry the cross of Jesus! I don’t care what the cross looked like or felt like, I’m willing to carry any cross for Jesus.” That’s what was running through my mind, but something else was telling me that the message was preplanned. Those volunteering had rehearsed their roles to help drive home the speaker’s message. So I just sat there in my innocence, watching the events unfold before me. Secretly, I wanted to come forward to get my cross.

Sure enough, the same individuals relented and repented. One by one they came back to the speaker. Humbly and with contrition, they were willing to pick up the very cross that had their name on it. With broken pride, they claimed the cross Jesus wanted them to bear. They were now following Jesus, not on their terms, but on his terms.

While the messages ended with resolution, as it should, we live with the tension. Are we following Jesus on our terms or his? Maybe that’s why Luke adds the word “daily” (Lk. 9:23) to the charge to pick up your cross. For every day, and even every moment, we decided if our following Jesus is genuine or coming with conditions. One is substance. The other simply casts a long shadow on our discipleship.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)

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It’s the Middle of the Night, Charlie Brown

The sounds of silence in the middle of the night. The clock ticking. The house creaking. The wind whistling. The shadows coming to life. A mind racing. A brain active. A guilty conscience screaming. 

Something about the middle of the night arouses our minds as we either replay events which unraveled during the day or anticipate events about to unfold in the morning. I’ve been there too many times to count. So have you. Schulz drew from that well, which never seemed to run dry, and I can imagine he wrote many of those strips in the middle of the night. 

Charlie Brown lies awake to ponder life’s greatest questions, and “Life” always had an answer for him, though the answer was never quite the answer he was seeking or expecting. 

● “Sometimes I lay awake at night and ask, ‘Is life a multiple choice test or is it a true or false test’?’ Then a voice comes to me out of the dark and says, ‘We hate to tell you this, but life is a thousand word essay.’” 

● “Sometimes I lay awake at night and ask, ‘Why me’?’ Then a voice comes to me out of the dark and says, ‘Nothing personal. Your name just happened to come up.’” 

● “Sometimes I lay awake at night and ask, ‘Where have I gone wrong’?’ Then a voice comes to me out of the dark and says, ‘This is going to take more than one night.’” 

The night is prime for our minds to rest, or to arouse our restlessness. The curtain of the night closes in on the day-time drama. With its darkness comes the quiet. It’s peaceful. The crickets in the background are almost the perfect white noise. After a long day of rushing, and meeting scheduled appointments, and dealing with all the headaches of life, we’re given the night for rest. Yet too many of us on too many occasions are unable to embrace the night’s rest. If we can’t sleep because of our biological clocks, I’m not sure what can be done. If we can’t sleep because our mind is still running, maybe there is something we can do. 

The Psalmist tells us, “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). For most of us, our days are filled with too much noise. The children are screaming. The TV is active all day. The radio or iPod is constantly playing. No time exists for the quiet, to listen to the “gentle whisper” of God (1 King. 19:12), until our heads finally hit our pillows. By then, we’ve probably shocked our bodies into the moment of silent quietness. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. knew something about restless nights. As catalogued in multiple sources, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, people made death threats. Phone calls in the night warned him to leave Atlanta. The phone rings and as he picks up, the caller hangs up on him. And more than one time he woke up to a cross burning in his front yard. While he did pack up his family and move them out of town, he stayed behind until the threats dissipated. Shaken to the core, he felt like leaving as well. He felt the struggle to hold onto his conviction or to give it all up. But something within him wouldn’t stop. He chose instead to spend many, many hours on his knees in prayer. No, he didn’t get his sleep back, but his worries evaporated and his courage was restored. He was able to move forward with bringing justice and equality to the American system. 

When I was a little boy, and was often overcome by sleepless nights, I asked my mom what she did to get to sleep. She told me she talks God. I probed further, “But what if you’ve prayed and still can’t get to sleep?” She smiled and said, “That gives me that much more time to talk to God.”

As an adult, I’ve had more restless nights than I care to admit. Sometimes they arise because with age comes a change in sleep patterns. I don’t sleep like I used to, so I find myself awake when I’d rather be asleep. Sometimes they come because I’m worried far too much about church and family crisis. My family, either by water or by blood, is making life decisions or is rejecting the help I’ve provided in leadership, so I find myself awake when I’d rather be asleep. Sometimes I’m filled with regret, because I’ve chosen words that were cruel or thoughtless or lacked compassion, so I find myself awake reliving that moment the words exited my mouth, when I’d rather be asleep. I either lie awake, and either emotionally beat myself up or try to take my mind off what is worrying me. I get up and read a book, or watch a late night movie on TV. 

I need to recall and embrace my mother’s words. When you’ve tried praying, but you’re still wide awake, trying praying some more. And if you’re still awake after you’ve prayed, try praying some more. So in the stillness of those late nights, when you’re overcome by guilt and worry, or just wired and cannot unwind, and you’re asking questions about life and life events, why not just cast your cares on God, because he really does care for you (1 Pet. 5:7).                   

bonum dolar!
(i.e., Good Grief!)

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Come Back Home

Come Back Home where your feelings are sheltered and secure. A place where danger is kept at arm’s length and safety is maintained for the freedom to express yourself and to be yourself. A place where you belong.

Come Back Home where the food always tastes better than a Martha Stewart meal. A place where the fellowship is always sweeter than an apple pie. A place where fond memories feel like they are relived all over again, just as new ones are being created.

Come Back Home where the void in one’s life is filled by kinfolk and comrades. A place where the line between family and friends is blurred, and that’s a good thing. A place where the water of baptism is thicker than the blood running through our veins. A place where scars and wounds begin to heal. A place where belonging is a piece to the puzzle so that the individual helps create the entire picture.

Come Back Home where home feels right because home is right. A place where your lounging chair is ready for your return, and your bed is made, and your place at the table is always left empty for you to fill.

Come Back Home where the Father’s heart is longing to be mended from the harsh words spoken as his son left the house. A place where he stands at the door, waiting and gazing into the horizon for a hopeful glimpse of his son’s return.

Come Back Home where the prodigal realizes that life away from the “confines” of home is really the liberty to live. A place where the Father not only, no longer holds the past against the son, but is also willing to accept the shame and humiliation his son has brought upon the family name to have his son with him in his presence. A place where the fattened calf is prepared and where robes and rings are fitted once again. A place where the son is willing to be a servant to earn his father’s forgiveness, only for the father to reiterate the role of “son-ship.”

Come Back Home where the “dutiful” son has forgotten his duty. A place where the Father risks more humiliation to plead for his son to join the party. A place where reconciliation is sought as his “prodigal” son is also the “dutiful” son’s brother.

Come Back Home where truth is found in a world filled with lies. A place where negative messaging that turns to despair is replaced by messages underscoring hope. A place where God continues to shape our character and strengthen our faith. A place where God’s Word reorients our lives to true North.

Come Back Home because we’re not just saved from hell, we’re saved for heaven. A place where the waters of baptism not only douse the devil’s flames, but purifies the sickness of sin’s stain. A place where we not only experience the victory of being ripped from Satan’s hateful grasp, but feel the comforting embrace of a loving Father.

Come Back Home where God is the center-piece of our relationship. A place where singing and praying is both praising him and encouraging us. A place where a table is present, Jesus sits at its head and we break bread together. A place, even in the midst of a pandemic separation, we can step into each other’s lives again. A place where tears are felt and laughter is heard. A place where the circle will never be broken.

Come Back Home where the sinner is restored to a saint. A place where the wrongs of our past are made right again. A place where confession and repentance is the norm, as we expose our own sinful secrets. A place where forgiveness is as common as the air we breathe.

Come Back Home.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)