Jesus had a close relationship with his father. It was to his father that he would retreat when the ill were pressing against his skin and [invading] his personal space and his disciples were trying his patience with their unfaith. Needing this one-on-one time with his Father, he would make certain that almost no one knew where he was going, he would climb a nearby mountain or find a secluded garden, sit, and talk and pray. It is too bad that we do not know the content of this alone time. Who would not want to be the bug on the rock that heard what Jesus and his Father talked about in the privacy of their relationship? Unfortunately, we do not have any clue what was talked about. Encouragement maybe, mentoring maybe, simply listening perhaps, we do not know; no one was invited. But, the very fact that Jesus went off so often tells us that this Father/Son time in the quiet of God’s creation was extremely important for Jesus. It was as important as eating and drinking. There was nothing frivolous or fake about this relationship. And because of this, we see that Jesus was in no way religious.
“What do you mean that Jesus wasn’t religious, Pastor Jira? Ask any kindergartener and you will find out that Jesus was the most religious person in the world.”
I would answer that Jesus was one of the most faithful people in existence, but Jesus was not religious.
Religious people are concerned that others know they gave money to help the church or gave money to help the poor. This is not a conscious thing, of course. However, they gain great satisfaction when their names are known. They appreciate having plaques nailed onto church rooms, banners at events such as benefit concerts, or even stadiums named after them.
Faithful people are concerned that God’s creation and God’s people are cared for. Recognition does not matter.
Though it certainly is not conscious for most, religious people want others to know that they have given up a lot for the sake of God. When they fast they want others to visually see the indented cheeks and the hand that goes up to soothe a hunger related headache. They are satisfied when others see that they are feeling miserable and have sacrificed a great deal for the Lord.
Faithful people want the ache of their stomach to reveal how much they need the Lord for even the simplest thing in life: food. Fasting is a space created in life for God to enter in and reveal something important. Sympathy is not needed.
And yes, though probably not consciously, the religious person looks sideways out of their eye to see the smile of satisfaction on a friend’s face when a well-crafted prayer is appreciated.
The faithful person talks to God because they need to talk to God.
Jesus was not religious. But, that does not mean that Jesus failed to have a relationship with his Father. Do not forget that God named Jesus his beloved Son, with whom he is well pleased. In Jesus, we see a healthy relationship with God the Father. It is the close relationship that people in today’s fragmented world yearn to have. It is the relationship that God yearns to have with all of us.
Sometimes as I wander in my mind, drifting off to sleep, I wonder what it must be like for our heavenly Father. Is God like the parent of a particularly emotionally distant teenager? Does God yearn the lost days of cuddling and sharing whispered secrets in the ear; secrets only for God and for no one else? I imagine that our heavenly daddy would go to any length try to get us to have a close relationship like that again. Imagine the joy God would have if we were to take God off into the deep woods, climb a secluded tree house, and talk about the day at school while staring through the rustling leaves.
When people are religious, this emotionally distant teenaged behavior (which, as you know, can go well through adulthood) must be quite depressing. It would be something like finding out that a good friend of ten years spent those hours of talking in the golf club simply for the sake of gaining good stock tips from your vast knowledge, and now doesn’t care about you. No, Jesus was not religious. Jesus has a real relationship with the Father and he used the disciplines of almsgiving, praying, and fasting for only one purpose; building up that precious relationship.
I invite you these forty days of Lent to seek that close relationship with your Heavenly Father. Choose a discipline that will open you up to God’s presence. Giving, praying, fasting, searching the Word of God, among many other disciplines, can assist in opening up a closer relationship. Choose a discipline for these next forty days, and discover the warm, loving arms of your Heavenly Father once again. And I pray with Jesus that none of us may discover religion.
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