Fools Along the Road

We often think that on the #NarrowRoad Jesus calls us to walk that we will find ourselves traveling with wise, famous and important people. The 21st century American church loves celebrity Christians and people who seem to have it all together. The truth is closer to this- the #NarrowRoad is littered with fools. Over the years I have often talked about the disciples and other first generation Christians and their inability to understand what Jesus was trying to teach them. Such thoughts usually end with me saying something along the lines of, "Jesus walked with them on earth, and they STILL didn't get it!  It's no wonder we struggle." But actually, I had it all backwards. We may not get to physically walk with the Christ, but we have 2000 years of church history, written documentation and the full canon of scripture to guide us- in addition to the Holy Spirit!  Those first followers had none of that. They gave three years of their lives to following the son of a carpenter from Nazareth. Nothing good ever comes from Nazareth! They left their jobs and their families and put their lives on the line to follow a man who said somewhat ridiculous things to people he shouldn't have even been speaking to. No wonder most of the world- and some of the disciples- found the whole adventure a bit foolish.

Michael Card is one of the great songwriters of our time. In addition to writing El Shaddai and I Have Decided (both made famous by Amy Grant) he has recorded a number of albums, including 1985's Scandalon (which somehow is not included on my Top 50 Countdown.  This was a bad omission). Scandalon featured the song God's Own Fool (a song which got him into quite a bit of trouble at the time he wrote it) in which he uses scripture to remind us that those who follow Jesus are not the only ones who look foolish- Jesus himself did as well. Let these lyrics wash over you as you think about what it must have been like to be a fully devoted follower of Christ in those earliest of days. Think about the perils of the #NarrowRoad for those first apostles. "So come lose your life for a carpenter's son; for a mad man who died for a dream. Then you'll know the faith his first followers had, and you'll feel the weight of the beam." And then think about what it means to follow Jesus in our world today. Think about where the #NarrowRoad actually leads and the foolish places where following Jesus will take you. I don't now about you, but I am ready to be more foolish. More than ever, I see the call to follow the Christ as a call to follow God's own fool. Let's "believe the unbelievable, and come be a fool as well..."

Because of Jesus,