Thursday, October 14, 2010

What Do I Smell?

I've read that people in Galilee are a bit rough. Well, OK, they are rough as sand paper. They don't get along with outsiders very well, and you better keep your political ideology to yourself. Education, especially in religion, is next to nothing. Yes they teach their children to respect and obey the scriptures, and they might make the mandatory yearly trip to Jerusalem. Don't bother asking for much more unless you are one of them. And Jesus was one of them.

I've also heard how sailors are a very foul-mouthed group. They can't talk without cursing. Pete and Andy were sailing fisherman. They were sailors of the most offensive odoriferous kind (they stank!), but we don't actually know about their language.

And these fellas were also brothers. Did they fight? What brothers don't? And when there are fights, or very strong disagreements, someone usually walks away. But if you and your brother are in a small fishing vessel on the Sea of Gallilee and an argument ensues, either one of you gives up or someone must swim to shore.

It was under these circumstances the leader of the 'hottest' religious movement in years came walking by their storefront (Ok, no storefront. They were actually washing their stink-ified nets). He told these two cats-in-bag to follow him (become a student of his teaching and person). He promised them they would become the ultimate fishermen, and get their own TV show. (Okay, Okay. The last part isn't exactly true. There was no TV deal.) 

Pete and Andy could hardly believe what he said. It was the one chance in their lifetime. They didn't need to discuss it or fight over which one would go. Both men immediately dropped their nets and walked off. They chose to follow.

Today, that same Jesus asks you and me, with all our bad, smelly, offensive habits, to drop who we are, walk off from our rough-cut personalities, educational background, financial limits and other imperfections, and begin copying the perfect one and imitating his ways.

Now, are we going to argue about it, or will we both get busy dropping our history???

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