Golden Moment

  • The Golden Moment.

    As I was told, an older gentleman was out on a beach in South Texas flying his kites. He enjoyed doing such things. After a while, another man came up and asked what he was doing. “Flying my kites,” the man replied and went back to his kites. “I think that’s pretty neat,” the stranger continued. “Yep,” said the old man. “Hey, what do you do for a living?” queried the stranger. “I used to Pastor.” “Oh! I used to teach Sunday School in my church” exclaimed the stranger. “That’s nice,” said the old man, never looking from his kites.

    The old man was a man I knew very well for many years. The stranger was former President Bill Clinton. From what I am told, the old man may have known who he was, but if he did, he did not care. It is one of those rare meetings where the not-famous and the famous meet. Some might call it a chance meeting. Since I don’t believe in chance, I would call it a planned or ordained meeting by God. What struck me in hearing this story was the nonchalance which the old man had toward a famous man (on infamous, as you may consider him). It did not matter that this was formerly a President of the United States, one of the 40-some men who have occupied that office. If my friend had any idea of gaining from his encounter, he might have pressed his President Clinton for some favor. This was his one chance and he never took it.

    Now, he did not have to, nor should he have for that matter. But let’s take the illustration into the hypothetical. What if you were summoned today to speak to President Trump and he asked you if there was anything he could do for you, what would you ask for? Would you ask for anything? Knowing the needs of people, it would be tempting to ask for the moon or something great. Whether or not he would or could grant the request is another matter, but lets hypothesize that he could give you want you wanted. In that one time moment, what would you ask for? What you ask for tells a lot about you and what you think is important.

    My text for these thoughts is found in Luke 18.35-43. To summarize, a beggar hears of Jesus passing by Jericho on the way toward the cross. This would be the final time he was in Jericho and therefore the final time the beggar would ever see him. When he heard of his passing, the Bible tells us that he “cried” and then after being shushed by the crowd, “he cried so much the more” v39. William Barclay characterizes this cry as, “The instinctive cry of ungovernable emotion, a scream, an almost animal cry.” The man knew he had one golden moment and he was not going to waste it. He would not be denied, he would not be silenced. He knew he was the Messiah, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me” v38. He knew that if he was going to be healed, this was his one shot.

    Jesus then asks, “What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?” It would seem the heavenly checkbook has been opened and the Son of God has picked up a pen. That is not true, but Jesus has not placed any limits upon the man at the outset. The blind man’s response is key, “Lord, that may receive my sight” v41. He could have asked for anything! Yet, he asks for the simple, the basic and the immediate.

    I am asking myself, if Jesus appeared in my office right now (I should probably straighten my desk…) what would I ask? Would I ask that my back be healed or that my retirement fund be filled up so that I can retire in 25 years? Would I ask for daily bread for the rest of my life or that a relative is cured of some issue or disease? Would it be appropriate to ask for more members in the church or for soul-winning power so that I can win more people to him? Could I ask for some things NOT to happen? The root of my request would be rooted in my priorities AND in my understanding of the will of God.

    James 4 tells us that the reasons we do not receive are: 1. We don’t ask and 2. We ask amiss that we may consume it upon our lusts. What might happen for some of us in the blind man’s sandals is that we might hear of Jesus striding by and think that he would not listen to us anyway or we don’t want to bother him so we won’t ask. Or, on the other side, we might ask for something that we should not have and therefore be denied.

    What would be your request, if you were in the same situation? What you answer tells much about you and what you value and how much you understand the will and word of God.

    But also, it’s really a false question because we are always within easy access of God the Father through God the Son.

    [1Jo 5:14 KJV] 14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

    [Mat 7:11 KJV] 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

    What you ask tells a lot about you. A good exercise might be to sit down and think about what you would ask God, if you could. Then examine those things to see the motives behind why you are asking.

    * Am I asking for money for my retirement because of my lack of faith and planning?
    * Am I asking for more members in my church so that I will feel successful and accomplished?
    * Am I asking for a certain person to be healed because I want what is best for them or because I want to be relieved from the care of dealing with their sickness?

    God has a will for our lives. He sees the end from the beginning in ways we will never see. It should be our desire that we ask in such a way that will produce us following him more closely, glorifying him and, when others see what has happened, they too will praise him. (see Luke 18.43).

    One more thing: what does some of the Pharisees, Herod, Pilate, Felix, Agrippa and the rich young ruler have in common? All of them had the opportunity to ask for the greatest thing of all, salvation and they squandered it. For two thousand years, they have thought about that missed golden moment. It tells a lot about them and what they valued.

    JPA
    2 Cor 4:5-7
    https://tbcmilton.org/are-you-saved/