Jellyfish and taking risks – August 4

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 119:97-120; PM Psalm 81, 82; 2 Samuel 9:1-13; Acts 19:1-10; Mark 8:34-9:1

While on vacation last week, we hit the beach. It was nearly 6pm on a lovely afternoon. While Sam was helping Robinson ride the boogie board in deeper water, Josephine and I were searching for a few more shells as the undulating waves snatched them from our grips. I heard a small person’s voice cry out, “A fish just bit me!!” We turned and it was Robinson, screaming in pain and grabbing his leg. Sam quickly got him out of the water. There was no blood, so I gathered that it was not a fish (or shark) that was the perpetrator of pain. Rather, it was a jellyfish that left its microscopic stingers across his knee and around his calf.

Understandably, our five year old was inconsolable. We did what we could to assuage his symptoms, packed up our stuff, and headed to the car. Josephine tried to distract him with tempting dinner options. Robinson had no nice words to say about the ocean or the mean jellyfish that left whelps on his leg. Furthermore, he said that he would never swim in the ocean again. As a note, this was day three of a five-day trip…and the beach was going to be on our agenda before heading home. I promised him I would not let jellyfish hurt him next time.

On day five, we joined friends at the beach. Their kids went splashing into the waves. The seaweed influx and previous drama of her brother’s jellyfish incident kept older sister Josephine mainly on the shore, happily digging holes and making dribble castles. Robinson took a risk, knowing he had a friend to play with and the assurance of his parents that these kinds of stings were rare. He went back into the waters, staying near parents most of the time. He dove underwater and frolicked about. And then, he began screaming. Loudly. Robinson – now a jellyfish veteran – knew what it was; we saw several floating around us, and we quickly exited the water. Sobbing, he said, “Mom, you promised they would not sting me again.” He took the risk…and while it makes a good tale for this reflection, I am not sure he would report that it was worth it.

In Mark 8, after telling his disciples the not-so-happy future ahead for his ministry – suffering, rejection, execution, and rising again on the third day – Jesus makes a recruitment pitch to the crowds, not shying away from the risks at hand. If they want to follow the Messiah, they must utterly deny their own needs and wants. In essence, they will need to walk around with large planks of wood on their shoulders, the crossbeams hoisted up to make crosses upon which Romans punished and publicly executed rebels and agitators. In essence, they are preparing to die, just by saying yes to accompanying Jesus in ministry.

I imagine the people gathered around this man known to teach, heal, and feed, and I wonder how they respond to his words. Is it silent? Do they trust him? It is a wild proposition, at best. And yet, Jesus – the world’s boldest salesperson – asks the crowd to consider what they would give in exchange for their soul…their breath…their very spirit. It is a hail Mary pass, for sure. And the narrator, in brevity and word economy does not give us the benefit of learning what happened next. Did they take Jesus up on his pitch? We do not know the reactions of the crowd, for Mark moves on to the transfiguration.

Jesus makes a risky proposition, challenging those who will follow him to set aside their own needs in order to serve others. In order to love boldly. He makes a big ask. He knows there may be some big tears ahead. Some are ready, and others need a bit more time. The short-term returns of the world look iffy, to be sure…but the long-term promise of God’s love and redemption brings hope. And as these words persist, we know that some have taken that risk. We do what we can, as Christians 2000 later, to put aside our own needs. Perhaps that looks like taking part in sacrificial giving through tithes to the church. Perhaps that looks like giving up a lunch outing to shop for school supplies or deliver sack lunches for Avondale Ministries. And maybe that looks like going on a pilgrimage into a risky area to share the love of Christ with those who are thirsty and hungry for the Good News.

Be bold, my friends. Let us encourage one another to take a risk with Jesus by our side.

Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

How likely are you to take risks in life? In faith? What must happen to get you there?

What feels like a risk grounded in faith for you today?

Daily Challenge

What is a risk in your spiritual life you have been avoiding? Pray about it. Write yourself a note of encouragement, in the bold technique Jesus used with the crowds in Mark 8. What will it take to convince you to take a risk?