How do we know when something is true?  We hear someone make a statement.  We read a section in a book.  How do we test the truth of what we are hearing or reading?

A couple of Jesus’ disciples were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus discussing the events in connection with Jesus’ trial, execution and reports that he was alive.  Jesus joined them in their walk, though they did not recognize him, and engaged them in conversation, asking what they were talking about.  When they told him, he said, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?  And beginning with Moses and all of the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures about himself.” (Luke 24:25-27)

As they approached Emmaus, they asked Jesus to stay with them, and as they began dinner they finally recognized him as he broke the bread and offered thanks.  Immediately, he vanished from their sight.  They said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”  (Luke 24:32)

It takes Jesus and the Holy Spirit to open our minds to understand all that the Scriptures hold for us.  Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, I met Jesus one October evening many years ago on a country road, and he brought renewal to my life and gave me an intense desire to read Scripture.  Over the next several months I read the Bible from cover to cover as I commuted on the trains in and out of New York City each day.  Sometimes the words would seem to leap off the page with understanding and insight.  My heart would burn within me as the truth of God’s Word and action became evident to me. His Word has since “become a lamp to my feet.” (Psalm 119:105)

It is Jesus and the Holy Spirit who help us discern the truth of what is being said in Scripture and what we hear and read from other sources as well.  Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life.”  We know truth when our hearts burn within us – a litmus test given us by the Holy Spirit.

If God said, “Ask whatever you want me to give you,” how would you respond?  God asked Solomon that very question.  Surprisingly, though he was Israel’s new King, he replied in complete humility, “Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my Father, David.  But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.  For who is able to govern this great people of yours.” (1Kings 3:7, 9)

While God offered him whatever he wanted, Solomon did not choose the things people usually think of first such as wealth and power, or good health and a long life. Rather, he acknowledged his lack of experience and need as he came to serve as King. There are some lessons here.

First, when we are approaching God with a request, we need to come humbly, acknowledging our true status and need.  Solomon characterized himself as a little child.  How appropriate when coming before God!  Jesus said unless we become as little children we will never enter the kingdom of God.  We may not always understand what to request, confusing wants and desires with real needs.  Solomon was overwhelmed with the task he was about to face as a young and new king reigning over Israel.  That is not necessarily a bad place to be since it helped him recognize his needs in contrast to his desires.

Second, leave God some room to act in what will be in your best interests. Seek his will for your life.  Solomon did not ask to be a successful king.  He asked for wisdom and a discerning heart.  The Bible tells us that God was pleased with Solomon’s request and gave him not only what he asked for, but also what he didn’t ask for including riches and honor.  God also told him that if he obeyed his commands he would give him a long life.

Centuries later we hear the echo of this same response, when Jesus tells us not to worry about what to eat or drink or wear, but “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)  Our highest priority should be to seek God’s will in all things.  It is a measure of success that far surpasses the world’s view involving wealth, fame, honor, and power.

So, what would you ask?

How often do we fail to see Jesus present and acting in our lives because we do not expect it?  The circumstances fall outside the paradigm we have established for ourselves, and we don’t recognize him.

This apparently happened to the disciples on the day of the resurrection when two of them did not recognize Jesus as he began walking with them to the village of Emmaus.  He asked what they were discussing, and they told him about how Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet powerful in word and deed, had been handed over to authorities and crucified.  Now, to their amazement, some women had reported that they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he was alive.  Jesus then proceeded to explain the scriptures to them of how the Christ had to suffer all of these things to enter into his glory.

Not until Jesus joined them for supper and broke the bread did they recognize him. “Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.  They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’” (Luke 24:32)

Why didn’t they recognize Jesus?  They weren’t expecting to see him because they thought he was dead.  The resurrection did not conform to their paradigm.  Even though Jesus had previously told them that he was going to suffer, die and be raised up, they could not comprehend it.

When our last child, Emily, was born we were shocked to learn that she had Down syndrome.  We were expecting the usual “normal” baby who could serve to be a playmate to a brother that had been born a couple of years earlier and round out our family of five children.

Initially, I did not recognize God’s presence in Emily’s birth and all of the blessings he would bring to our family through her.  A child with a disability was outside my paradigm.  But then, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, God begin to open my eyes and share his mind with me and his love for his special children – children who never offend him as we do, who never pervert the work of his hands as we often do, children who have no guile, but only purity of heart.

God often comes to us in people and circumstances that we do not expect in order to reveal a truth or take us to a new level in our relationship with him.  Sometimes he wants us to take his place in opening the eyes of another to his presence.  We know it is him when our hearts burn within us.

Today, Emily celebrates her 28^th birthday, and our family will see Jesus through her beautiful smile, her many hugs and a special joy that transcends her disability.

Is there a paradigm in your life that is preventing you from seeing Jesus?

To the Romans and the people of Jesus’ day, the cross was a symbol of dominance, suppression and death.  To the Christian, the cross is a symbol of love, giving of self and the ultimate sacrifice.  St. Paul says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1Cor. 1:17)    God’s power and wisdom are made visible in love, sacrifice and the subordination of our will to his.

Out of love for the Father and us, Jesus subordinated his will to the Father and sacrificed his life on the cross.  As a result, God overrode the physical laws of nature and raised him to life, an exercise of power that the world had never seen before nor has it ever been able to replicate. When the world exercises power, the consequences are experienced and then fade, becoming just a chapter in history.  Throughout history we have seen worldly powers come and go, but the power of God remains.  God’s power in a kind word, an act of love or sacrifice and their consequences last forever.  Not so with the power of the world.

We lament our sins and those of others, and we lament the policies and power of governments that detract from life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but the cross of Jesus and all that it is and all that it represents in the wisdom and power of God is the antidote to our lament. It may seem as foolishness to the world, but to us, both individually and collectively, it provides the inspiration, instruction and saving power of God.  No matter what has happened in our lives, it provides the opportunity for forgiveness, redemption and renewal here and now, as well as for eternity.

Hardly foolishness!  Rather, a message to be embraced.

How alone and abandoned Jesus must have felt.  Just a few hours earlier he had shared dinner with his closest followers and disciples.  He had told them that he no longer called them servants because a servant does not know his master’s business.  “Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made know to you.”  He had prepared them to be his successors in the family business.

Yet, when a mob with clubs, swords and torches in the dark of night struck terror in their hearts, Mark reports, “Everyone deserted him and fled.” (Mark 14:50)  Fear had seized them.  They may have thought that their spirit was willing as evidenced by Peter’s proclamation that he would go to prison or death for Jesus, but the flesh yielded to the terror of the night.

Fear was everywhere that evening.  The mob was gripped with fear, for they armed themselves with swords and clubs.  Jesus, too, experienced fear as he sweated blood and asked the Father to take “this cup.”  The disciples ran out of fear.

When my son, Stephen, turned 12, the two of us went on an overnight camping trip into the Shenandoah Mountains in Virginia.  After we had retired to bed down for the evening, we heard something moving outside our tent.  In the dark of night we were gripped with fear.  After fumbling around one of our back packs I found a flashlight, and cautiously peaked outside the tent to discover a deer tasting the nearby fauna.  How much more terror I would have felt if I had seen a mob approaching with torches, clubs and swords!  We should not be too harsh in our judgment of the disciples.

Fear is one of Satan’s greatest weapons which he uses to steer us away from God and his will.  Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of what people think, fear of rejection, fear of the boss, fear of the next medical test – all become obstacles for us to live the life to which God has called us.  John says perfect love casts out all fear. (1John 4:18)

When motivated to act out of fear, stop!  Remember the love God has for you as evidenced by his willingness to become one of us and die for us.  Remember your love of God and ask what he wants you to do.

After Jesus told the disciples at the Last Supper that all of them would fall away, Peter proclaimed, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”  Jesus responds, “Tonight – before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times. Peter continues to protest, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” (Mark 14:29, 31)

Later that evening after Jesus is arrested and is being questioned at the house of the High Priest, Peter is outside in the courtyard warming himself by the fire with some guards and servants.  A servant girl accuses him of being a follower of Jesus. Peter denies that he knows Jesus.  After the third accusation and denial, a rooster crows a second time and Peter remembers Jesus’ words.  “Then Peter broke down and wept.” (Mark 14:72)

Falling into wrongful conduct is so easy. We encounter an unexpected circumstance and react out of fear, anger, lust, greed or one of our other emotions, and in a twinkling of an eye, we do something we regret.  We sin; we hurt a loved one; we hurt ourselves.

How often have I reacted in anger with an indifferent store clerk or a person serving on the help desk of a computer company who is unable to remedy a technical problem!  How often have I been tempted to tell a boss or person of influence what he or she wants to hear rather than the truth!  How often have I refrained from offering to pray with someone in need or speak about Jesus out of fear of what people might think!

Peter no doubt considered himself stronger than the rest of the disciples and his pride could not imagine any circumstance that would have him denying that he knew the Lord. Yet in a moment of confusion when his paradigm of Jesus was being shattered before his eyes, fear reigned and he did the unthinkable.

Similarly, my pride causes me to stumble time after time.  Recently, an organization denied a “Seal of Approval” to a book I have written because it was not considered in sufficient alignment with the characteristics of the organization’s constituency.  My pride prompted me to write an immediate rebuttal with copies to those making the evaluation.  The rebuttal did not persuade them; it only angered them and opened me to charges of being uncharitable and unprofessional.  Like Peter, I was humiliated.

Has your pride caused you to stumble?  Regardless of what you have done, God is always willing to forgive a repentant heart.  We should be encouraged by Peter’s example. Though he faltered in his commitment to the Lord, he regretted his actions; the Lord forgave him, and strengthened him through the Holy Spirit to become the first leader of Christianity – pride’s lament.

Jesus has just finished praying in the Mount of Olives when a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests came to arrest him.  Luke reports, “And one of them [a disciple] struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.   But Jesus answered, ‘No more of this!’  And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.” (Luke 22:50-51) The Gospel of John says that the servant’s name is Malchus.

Imagine if you are Malchus.  You have accompanied a group of soldiers, probably at the request of your master, the high priest.  You come in the dark of night across the Kidron Valley separating Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives with torches and weapons to arrest Jesus whom you have been told is an enemy of the Jewish religion and Israel.  One of Jesus’ followers attacks you with his sword, cutting off your ear.

Then this Jesus, your supposed enemy, reaches out and touches your ear and it is fully healed.  One moment it is hanging there, bleeding, about to fall off, and the next moment it is completely restored.  One moment your adversaries are acting as you would expect adversaries to act, and the next moment Jesus, the object of your arrest, is reaching out to you, not to do you harm, but to undo the harm done by one of his followers.

How can Malchus not be affected?  It had to be life changing.  Since John identifies him by name in his Gospel, it is likely that Malchus became a follower of Jesus and was familiar to John and the people for whom he wrote his Gospel.

As with Malchus, Jesus is always ready to reach out to us.  In the most unlikely of circumstances, he is there, always inviting, ready to heal or respond to a need we have not anticipated.  In the ordinary and extraordinary, he is there.  Whether it is to open our life to him for the first time, or to go deeper in our relationship with him, he is present.

Like Malchus, I had an unexpected encounter with Jesus many years ago on a country gravel road south of Kansas City, Missouri on the way to my wife’s grandmother’s farm.  I asked him if he would take away some disorder in my life and he did.  As a result, I invited him into all areas of my life, including my professional life, and my life has never been the same.  If you ask my wife, she will tell you that from that point forward, my priorities began to change, as I sought God’s will in each area of my life as a husband, father and an attorney for a large international oil company.

Are you willing to be surprised by an unexpected encounter with Jesus?

Ask someone how they are doing, and they will likely tell you how busy they are.  We seem to be always busy – demanding jobs and active families with children involved in numerous activities often results in our rushing from one place to another.

The Gospel of Mark reports that as Jesus, his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar beside the road, heard that it was Jesus who was passing by and he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Those standing nearby rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the louder, “Son of David have mercy on me!”

Above the din of the crowd Jesus hears this man call out to him as the heir to King David.  Ironically, Bartimaeus, the beggar, may have known who Jesus was better than the disciples and the crowd following him – “King of kings, Lord of lords, Sovereign of the universe,” titles attributed to Jesus in Isaiah 9:6-7. Bartimaeus is appealing to the King, and the King has stopped to hear his plea.

Jesus responds by asking, “What do you want me to do for you?”  Bartimeaus says, “Rabbi, I want to see.”  Jesus says, “Go, your faith has healed you.  Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Are you willing to stop what you are doing to respond to someone in need?  Sometimes I have stopped; sometimes I have passed by.

One evening when I was driving to a meeting, I came upon a man who had just been hit by a pick-up truck as he was crossing the road with a grocery cart.  The man was on the street in front of the truck and the grocery cart was under the truck.  As one of the first on the scene, I immediately pulled into an adjacent parking lot and ran to him.  I kneeled down to see how he was.  As the sound of sirens approached, he asked me if he was going to die.  I said, “No, you are not going to die,” and started praying with him as a crowd gathered around.  The rescue squad arrived and pushed me aside.  They put him on a board and took him to a nearby hospital.  I inquired of the hospital, but since I didn’t know his name, was never able to learn whether he lived or died.

In reflecting on the moment, I came to understand that I was the King’s delegate that evening and the King wanted me to stop and let the man know that whatever his physical condition, he wasn’t going to die, but would live for eternity.

There is blessing in stopping. Are you willing to listen above the din of the crowd and resist the pace of the moment to stop – and respond to the need of another on behalf of the King?

How frightening it is for us to give up control, living by faith instead of by our own wits!  But that was God’s desire for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus is praying, realizing that he might soon be seized by guards, arrested, subjected to false accusations and an unjust trial, torture and death.  He may have also been feeling the heavy weight of rejection, sin and wickedness in the world that was about to overtake him in spite all of his teaching, miracles and good works.

He said to his disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” He then prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.  Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:38-39)

Jesus reveals to us the fullness of his humanity by asking the Father three times to take this cup of anguish and free him from this hour.  But then he yields to the will of the Father, giving up control and submitting to his sorrow, anxiety, rejection and every imaginable human emotion of fear and doubt. It was God’s desire for Jesus to accept the cup in order to carry out God’s saving plan for human kind. Jesus was free to reject or accept the cup. Fortunately for us and the history of the world, he accepted it.

Like Jesus, we too, may be given cups that are bitter to drink.  Seven years ago, I was diagnosed with an advanced and aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread outside the prostate to at least one lymph node.  It was a cup filled with the initial shock of the diagnosis, a gauntlet of consultations, evaluations of the various treatment options and their varied side effects, the actual surgery, the recovery process and follow-up hormone therapy for three and half years.

The Gospel of Luke reports that after Jesus submitted to God’s will, an angel appeared to him and strengthened him.  I too, was attended by angels. My wife was always at my side.  Two daughters, who lived in another state, left their families to spend successive weekends with me. Another daughter encouraged me with scripture (Sirach 38:1-13).  A good friend who had cancer that made it difficult for him to even walk, showed up in a snow storm to pray with me in the pre-op, leading the attending nurses and surgeons in prayer for what they were about to do.  My fellow board members of Christians in Commerce prayed and fasted for 24 hours for me at a meeting just prior to my surgery.  Through God’s grace and the expertise he has given my doctors, my PSA has been undetectable for over seven years.

In looking back, I believe that I have rarely experienced God’s love more than during this time through the prayer and actions of my wife, children, extended family, friends from Christians in Commerce, the People of Praise, St. Mark’s Catholic Church and former colleagues from Mobil Corporation.

It is not unusual for most of us to want to be in control, managing and manipulating the events of our lives.  However, God does not always give us a road map to our journey of life.  If he did, we would likely try to take control, and mess it up. Jesus gives us a better example – seeking the Father’s will in all things.

As we begin the Lenten Season, we might ask ourselves, how much of my following Jesus is at a distance? After Jesus’ arrest, we read in the Gospel of Mark, “Peter followed at a distance right into the courtyard of the high priest.  There he sat with the guards and warmed himself by the fire.” (Mark 14:54)

Like Peter, we may profess our allegiance to Jesus that “even if all fall away, I will not,” or we may recite the Creed every Sunday in our church declaring that we believe in “God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only son.”

Yet, we keep our distance from Jesus, failing to keep our appointment with him each day in prayer or putting a higher priority on our comfort as Peter did when he sat with the guards and warmed himself by the fire.

Like Peter, we may be thrust into circumstances where we are reluctant to be identified with Jesus.  In Peter’s case, it was the guards, the elders, and the mob.  For us, it may be a boss who has disdain for God, or social friends who consider any reference to Jesus as foolishness or it may be our yielding to that little temptation that never seems to go completely away.

Early in my career when I would attend a company meeting followed by cocktails and dinner, the conduct could sometimes get a bit macho and boisterous. It was not unusual for the conversation to involve exaggerated exploits, the building up of self and the putting down of others, off-color stories, gossip, and the fawning over whoever might be the most senior person present. At some point I began to realize that when I engaged in this kind of conduct I was distancing myself from Jesus. It was so easy to go with the flow and so tempting to want to be a part of the group. It required a decision on my part not to participate.

Just as Peter’s faith was tested, so may our faith be tested.  The world inclines us to keep our distance from Jesus, while Jesus bids us to draw near.  He says, come to me all who are burdened from the cares of this world and I will give you rest.  Come to me all who are thirsty for meaning in life and I will give you understanding.  Do not fear those who do not follow me for I have overcome this world. Step across the distance that separates us, and you will experience my love, my strength and my peace.

Do your daily choices distance you from Jesus?  How can you shorten the distance?