Quiet Moments

It doesn't look like everything Jesus said was relevant. There are multiple occasions where He's sharing a quiet moment with His disciples and all of a sudden, He starts speaking prophecy and riddles.

Who do people say I am? He asks when the group doesn't appear to be doing much of anything else. And who do you way I am?

All of these things must come to pass.

Uhm, yeah. That's nice, Jesus, but what does it have to do with anything?

The answer is a great deal. These quiet moments, they were on the verge of becoming idle moments. Between all the moments of ministry, all the healing, all the run-ins with the Pharisees, on the streets of Jerusalem, the shores of Galilee, the Upper Room, these men probably savored these moments. There was nothing much happening. For a minute, they could breathe and just enjoy each other's company.

The problem is that when you take too much of a breather, all of a sudden this purposeful work you've been doing just feels like hanging out with your friends. You're having a good time together, but you're sitting around like buddies. It's easy to forget what you're doing, and that the work isn't done. It's easy to start telling stories like they happened so many years ago or even just yesterday, and reliving the past instead of engaging the present or longing for the future.

Jesus uses these moments to refocus the disciples' eyes on the Promise unfolding before them. He reminds them what it is they are doing here, what they are a part of, whats's going on all around them. He uses these quiet moments to get them to look again at the Promise, to remember what made them leave their old lives in the first place. To bring Simon and Andrew, James and John, back from the chats they used to have in the boat and into the room with Jesus again.

Jesus spoke to the hearts of men; His day-to-day ministry was always relevant. When the streets cleared and the ragged group of friends got a few moments to themselves, His words were no less relevant. But rather than the hearts of men, Jesus spoke into the moment itself. He spoke words of prophecy and riddles, for no other reason than that all those with Him should remember what's going on here.

These are not idle moments; they are merely quiet ones. They are the chance we have to look again at the Promise and remember....