2009.11.01 - "A Day in the Life" by Sandra Beauvais (Sandra Beauvais)
18.4 MB
20:07 min
DAWN: And another night spent sleeping out in the open, shivering under our cloaks, shifting constantly, trying, but not succeeding, to find a comfortable sleeping position on the hard ground. At least last night we had the shelter of a fig orchard, the broad leaves of the trees protecting us a bit from the frigid night air. There have been several nights when we have slept on the edges of wheat fields, in ditches beside dusty roads, or on windswept hills in the company of shepherds and goat herders.
As I awake, and work the stiffness out of my bones and muscles, my thoughts automatically turn to my family. I think of them every morning and wonder if all is well with them. I miss them terribly, but I have made another commitment these past few years and I must see it through to the end. Did I have any other choice? From the moment that Jesus called to me by the Sea of Galilee, could I have answered any differently? Could any of his chosen twelve have refused him? As he called each one of us in turn, we left families, homes, jobs and security for his sake. But his voice was so powerful, and his presence so compelling, that we could do nothing else but to leave everything, to follow him, and to become “fishers of men”.
When I think of Jesus, I look for him among us, but of course he is off by himself again. He is always the first one up and the last one to bed; he spends hours alone in prayer to God. I sometimes wonder if he ever sleeps at all! He will return soon with our instructions for today. We will then be on our way once more, hurrying to the next town or village, where we will be needed to help people, and to teach whoever is willing and eager to listen.
James, John and Andrew have just arrived from deep within the orchard. They have brought us figs for our breakfast, their cloaks bulging with the delicious fruit. They have also replenished our water skins from the orchard’s well. James and John are laughing at something that Andrew has just said. I couldn’t hear what it was, but it must have been really funny by their reactions. Andrew is my brother, and I love him dearly, but must he always be so cheerful?! Especially at this early hour! I have rarely seen him angry or upset, and he is so much happier these past few years, the ones that we have spent following Jesus. His happiness is very contagious; at times we have all fallen victim to his exultant mood!
Our mornings have become routine. While we wait for Jesus to join us, we greet each other and talk about the previous day. We recap the marvelous things that we heard, saw and did, and wonder what today will bring. We are constantly amazed by this man Jesus, and the things that he has shown and told us.
We even try praying together ourselves, hoping that our sincere thoughts and feelings will make up for our stumbling words. Jesus has taught us how to pray, but we still find this new form of prayer difficult to understand. Jesus has told us that we can address God as “Abba, Father”. Is this not an incredible way to look at our God? Can you imagine addressing Yahweh, the Lord of Hosts, in this manner? It is such a different way of thinking from what we have known all our lives, that this new prayer gives us comfort, peace and hope. Jesus has shown us that we do not have a god who is unattainable, a god who is so far off and remote that we must make tremendous efforts to get him to hear us. No, Jesus has told us that God is always near, always ready and eager to listen when we pray. This very thought has given us some new-found confidence in our prayers, and the words start to fall more easily from our lips.
Here comes Jesus now with a purposeful stride. He greets us with a “good morning,” and “a peace be with you”, as we set out our breakfast. We waste no time in eating after giving thanks to God, for we know from experience that Jesus will be anxious to be on his way. Suddenly he is on his feet without a word, and we fall in around him to begin the long day’s journey. It is only then that he tells us that we will try to make Bethany by nightfall. He always knows exactly when we are reaching our physical limits, and Mary and Martha’s house will be a good place to rest and regain our strength.
MIDDAY: We have stopped to rest and partake of the midday meal. Along the way, some kind friends have given us olives, bread, cheese, dates and some skins of wine. At each stop, we spent a few minutes chatting with, or helping these good folk; Jesus, as always, is so attentive to their needs.
The camaraderie that we share over every meal makes up for the sparse provisions. To Jesus, however, every meal seems like a feast. He is always giving thanks to God his Father for every little thing. He has given us the example to follow: learning to be thankful in all circumstances. And while we all miss our own families, we have formed another one among us. It helps us to know that we are united in a single cause; that we are together and should work and live as one body.
We are glad of the rest. Today was no different that any other day spent travelling. Jesus starts out walking at a steady pace, all the while talking to us, teaching us the true meaning of the scriptures, giving us parables as lessons, instructing us on behaviour and demonstrating how to heal people, all with God’s help, of course. I have never seen a man so driven. It’s as if he is trying to cram a lifetime of teaching into a very short span of time. We don’t really understand it all, but we do the best we can to grasp everything that Jesus is telling us.
Jesus’ intense drive is reflected in his pace. The more he talks, the faster he walks, until we are running to keep up to his enormous stride. We dare not interrupt him to ask him to slow down. Eventually, he realizes what he is doing, and as he slows his pace, he shows great concern for our well-being. It is at times like these that we feel truly loved by our Lord. We know that he cares deeply for us, and we start again at a more leisurely pace. Until the cycle begins again!
We are not always travelling, though. Where we are welcomed, we stay and rest our bone-weary bodies, even though we are still very busy working in the service of God and others. I find these times to be the most exciting! The crowds of happy followers grow day by day, all full of hope and the promise that the Messiah is in their midst.
People travel from miles around just to hear Jesus speak; they crowd around him, straining to hear his every word. Jesus can talk for hours it seems, without tiring, making sure his voice carries over the hot desert air. He is so concerned that all who want to listen can hear his voice. He never tires of his interaction with the crowds, patiently answering every question asked of him. As always, Jesus astounds us with his knowledge and teachings. We hear him speak and all are filled with hope, joy, peace and love. We know in our hearts that God has finally fulfilled his promise, and that we are sitting at the feet of his Messiah, the long-awaited one who is to save us.
Jesus is indeed all-powerful, and this has become quite clear to us as we have witnessed the miracles that he has performed, and the people he has healed. These miracles, signs of God at work among us, are increasing every day. He has fed five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fish, he has walked on water and calmed angry seas, and he has driven out demons that have possessed their victims. And people have come from miles around, with every type of disease and affliction, some even needing family and friends to carry them great distances to reach us. To see Jesus’ face at these times is to see the overwhelming love that he has for everyone who comes to him; I have seen tears of compassion in his eyes at the sight of them. He has cured the blind, the lame, and the leper; he has lifted up the down-trodden, and comforted the broken-hearted and bereaved. The joy that we feel in our hearts when we see the cured praising and glorifying God is indescribable!
It is incredible to see the power that Jesus commands, and nowhere more so than in the people he has raised from the dead, including his dear friend Lazarus. I remember that day so clearly. Jesus wept as he shared in Mary and Martha’s inconsolable grief. Through his tears, however, he comforted them with these words: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” When he asked Martha if she believed this, and she answered, “Yes, Lord, I believe”, I also answered in my heart, “Yes, Lord, I believe!”
And the children! Jesus welcomes them as his own, even though we, in our foolishness, tried to stop them from bothering him. To see how his face softens, and his eyes sparkle as he listens to their delighted chatter, is a beautiful sight. He tells them amusing stories, and laughs right along with them. He has even joined in some of their games, when they have begged him to come and play. He seems to become a child again whenever he is in their midst. But the picture that will always stay with me is how he gathers them in his arms and blesses them. It shows a father’s true unconditional love for his children.
We know now that Jesus makes time for everyone who comes to him, no matter how low or humble they may be. Jesus has also talked with our religious leaders, the Pharisees, Sadducees, priests and scribes, but they only scoff and get angry with him. And it seems that as the crowds following Jesus grow in increasing numbers day by day, so grows their anger. We, the disciples, live in fear of them; we know that they have the power to do us terrible harm. And yet I sense that they are very afraid of Jesus. They don’t understand his power, or his reason for living among us. In a way, I do pity them; they can’t know the joy and hope that we have found in Jesus, and in helping and teaching others the good news that Jesus has taught us.
The midday meal is over, too quickly for me, and we are on our way again. I know that Jesus is anxious to be on the move, and so we push onwards. We must travel through many dangerous sections of road, especially in the hills between towns and cities. There thieves lie in wait, ready to attack and rob their unsuspecting victims; they have even left some for dead along the isolated roads.
NIGHTFALL: We are in Bethany, having made good time on the road after the midday meal. There were only a few people that we met on the way; it is wonderful how Jesus talks to everyone he meets, but it can really extend our travelling time when we are constantly stopping.
On reaching Bethany, we hurried straight to Mary and Martha’s house. We were greeted like the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable! Their servant washed the dust of travelling off our feet, and gave us clean, soft, lambskin slippers to wear. We were served a great feast, more food than we have seen at one time in the past week. After dinner, Jesus again amazed us with stories and teachings.
However, we will need to separate soon, since Mary and Martha’s home isn’t big enough to house all of us; some of the other disciples will walk to other friends’ homes to spend the night. I have always been a strong, independent man, and at times it still distresses me deeply that we must rely on the charity of strangers we have met, and of friends that we have made these past few years. They gladly give of themselves, even those who have so little to spare. They offer their food, shelter, and even clothing, and always welcome us warmly into their homes and lives. I am ashamed to admit it, but I don’t always share Jesus’ deep faith that God will always provide for all our needs, or his gratitude for all the blessings that God bestows on us. I confess that it is one of my weaknesses. I still worry about the lack of possessions that we carry, and fret about where even our next meal will come from. But at least for tonight we will have warm, comfortable beds to sleep in, and a breakfast already prepared for us in the morning.
We are exhausted, but exhilarated, not only from the long day’s journey, and from the work that we have done along the way, but also from all the teaching that we have been given. We all try so hard to concentrate when Jesus talks, since we know that everything he tells us is very important. We know that it is vital that we remember everything, even though we don’t understand it all completely, so that we can pass it on to everyone that we meet. My head swims with all the knowledge that Jesus has imparted to us. And yet we never tire of his stories and teachings; he makes the scriptures come alive for us.
These past few years we have spent every waking moment in each other’s company, sharing laughter and tears, learning and gaining strength from each other. It is Jesus especially who has kept us going when we start to falter. Yet despite all of Jesus’ assurances that everything is happening according to God’s great plan, sometimes the thought of what I must do in Jesus’ name overwhelms me. There are times when I am so frightened about the future, and worry where this new life that I have chosen will take me. But I am a disciple, and I have vowed to follow Jesus, to abide by his teachings, and to proclaim the good news of his kingdom: news of love, peace, hope, forgiveness and salvation. And when I look to him, he calms my fears. He is so reassuring that I know that I can do anything with his help. I cannot perform my duties apart from him, for I desperately, constantly need his guidance and strength.
Yes, these are exciting but frightening times in which we live. And yet, we know in our hearts that we must trust Jesus to help us. We have no idea what will happen tomorrow, but we will get through each day relying on Jesus’ strength.
Not for the first time, I think back to the day when Jesus first called me to be his disciple. Looking back now, I have become so very happy since then, and my happiness is directly caused by Jesus’ presence in my life. We who would call ourselves followers of Jesus must do just that: follow him, obey him, abide by his teachings, love and help everyone we meet, friend or enemy. We keep our eyes on the goal, which is to spread the good news of his love and salvation. We who would be fishers of men can do nothing but obey, love and trust our Lord. This is our hope for God’s kingdom here on earth.
We cannot do what Jesus asks of us half-heartedly. We must give him our all, if we are to inherit the kingdom of God. We know that it will be difficult; we will not be able to reach or help everyone, but we must do our best to fulfill God’s plans for his people. We will make mistakes, but we know that we can trust Jesus to take care of us, as a shepherd cares for his flock. We know that his words and promises are true, and that he will be with us always.
We must, if we would be true followers of Jesus, do as he taught us: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matt 16:24)
A Day in the Life
