Dear Readers, I hope you will continue to join me for “Running Toward the Danger.” We are looking at the ministry of Jesus through ficitonalized perspectives of those who were front and center, based on Scriptural accounts, and research. Each post includes its primary Scripture notation, a perspective, and question(s) for thought. My goal is to offer new insights into the ministry of Jesus as He chose to fulfill His Heavenly Father’s purpose for Him by running toward the danger for each of us.

Andrew’s

Perspective

The Danger of Commitment

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 4:10-12 ERV

Perspective

Here’s a big thing you need to know about the Jewish culture: our prophet, Isaiah, prophesied about a Savior seven hundred years (yes, I said 700 years, like in seven centuries) before Jesus came. Longing and looking for the Messiah, the promised and anointed Savior, was part of our DNA.

Then John, the Baptizer came preaching about repentance. A lot of us thought John was THE ONE. Close, but no cigar.

One day, one of the guys and I were hanging out with John when he sees this other guy walking nearby, and hails him as the “Lamb of God!” Could this be HIM, the long-awaited Messiah? The question must have been all over our faces because when we looked from the man to John, he gave us the nod. That was it, no big parade or sign, just a nod from one we trusted.

I’m not going to lie: going after Jesus was way cool, and way scary. It only took a couple of conversations and short amount of time to realize following Jesus was going to mean leaving behind everything else in our lives. Everything. That included families, homes, livelihood, the girl down the road, my homies at the synagogue, you get the picture. BTW there was no signing bonus, or conversation about benefits and perks either . . . and yet, we chose to follow Jesus.

Because Jesus plucked us out of distinctly different lifestyles, more than once, I wondered about some of the other people Jesus called to hook up with him. Seriously, a zealot, you know, the guerillas trying to oust the Roman government. (Was that extreme patriotism, or flat out crazy?) Then there’s Matthew. Really, this guy was known to extort money from his countrymen, and was in cahoots with the Romans. Of course, my brother, Simon (Peter), was doing the mundane work of fishing for a living, but my boy, Pete, could fly off the handle at the drop of a yarmulke.

I sometimes questioned what kind of hot mess I’d gotten myself into by committing to this motley crew of followers. Maybe Jesus wondered, too. If He did, He never let on, but He sure seemed to sneak off for personal quiet time with God a lot.

Question(s) for Thought

Consider a time when you chose to make an important commitment to someone, or something. In what ways did the commitment impact your life? (Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.)

Series Links

• The Danger of Conflict
• The Danger of Commitment
• The Danger of Community
• The Danger of Transparency
• The Danger of Doubt
• The Danger of Rejection