Because of Him...

(photo from www.amashni.wordpress.com)

I would love to be accused of that. Just saying. I would love for folks to say that because of me, they are coming to see him. Scripture actually says, "On account of him," but that just didn't really sound like me. Maybe it was curiousity, I don't know. Maybe they had heard about what had happened and just wanted to see for themselves. Maybe they had been walking with the crowd, grieving, and throwing dust into the air as they carried his lifeless body to the tomb.

On account of him, though, now folks were coming to get closer to HIM. Yep, that's what I want to be accused of. I've been accused of a lot of things in my very nearly 40 years....nearly burning the house down when I was 4 because I thought I needed a smoke, didn't like it, and threw it in the trash...scraping the car fender along the TV antennae pole when I was 12 because I was trying to wash the car before dad got home from work...tying my bicycle to the back of the 3 wheeler when I was maybe 13 because my chain had broken...walking past a tobacco sucker that was way down on the ground and I was tired, and it was hot, and I just didn't want to bend down to pull it...swapping out going to Intro to Botany lectures with a buddy of mine, I'd go Tuesday, he'd go Thursday and we'd compare notes...I've even been accused of righteous pruning by asking some folks to find another place to worship, because the spirit they brought to the church was nothing but negative. Sad part is, they're all true. Every one of them. But that's not what I'd really like to be accused of.

I'd really like to be accused of what he was accused of...on account of him. I would like to be accused of leading a life that made folks just a little more curious about this Jesus guy. John says that not just because of HIM, but on account of him, folks were coming to see HIM. I would like to be accused of having the same effect on folks that Lazarus had, that because of me, folks were coming to HIM. But there's a problem, and it's a big problem. It's a freakin' huge problem.

For Lazarus, the reason folks were coming to see HIM because of him, was that HE raised him from the dead...which means, for me to have the same "because of him" effect on folks, I have to die and be raised again...which sucks. Unless, I could get by without physically dying and being raised. I mean, I'm all for a trip to that big construction site in the sky, but not really looking to go today. So what if, I died to the old me and let HIM raise me to a new me? That might just work.

I try, but it's tough. It's hard to let go of the old me, because the old me used to have a whole lot of fun. Not that I don't now, it's just different fun. Like I've said before, I never was a real hellraiser, but to quote Hank Jr. "Me and my rowdy friends done settled on down." So what if, this new me is so much different from the old me that folks actually come to check out what's going on?

That would be cool, and that, my friends, is what we are called to.

Peace,
Jamie