still working

Renée Antrosio – March 21, 2023 2 Comments

ONLY DO WHAT ONLY YOU CAN DO. 

I wonder how Jesus decided which things he needed to do and which things to leave undone. He was limited in time, energy, and availability. Jesus did not heal everyone, multiply food for every crowd, teach in the synagogue every Sabbath. How did he choose? 

I’ve been thinking a lot about the best use of our time, energy, and skills. I am a licensed clinical social worker, experienced in education and foster care, with a knack for scheduling and curriculum development. And yet God called me out of the schools and into the service of this fellowship. What for? What can I do here that I wasn’t doing elsewhere? What does New Covenant need me to do that is uniquely my responsibility?

…there was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. John 5:1 (CEB)

Walking took two to five days, depending on stops, for this journey south. Should Jesus go through Samaria, like he did last time? It would be more direct. But then maybe he should stop in the city where he had met the woman at the well and see how the believers were doing. That would take time. Was he in a hurry or did he enjoy the walk itself, the silence and the opportunity to talk with a few disciples at a time? When should he be efficient? When did he need to stop and heal a blind man or stay and enjoy a rich man’s hospitality in Jericho? He couldn’t do it all. 

Going to Jerusalem meant he wasn’t teaching in his local synagogue in Nazareth. Someone else would do the scripture reading and interpretation. It was a church day, but Jesus didn’t have the same responsibilities at the Temple as he did at home. Maybe he should lie low and not draw attention to himself. It was a day of rest, after all, and certainly he had earned a break. 

and a crowd of people who were sick, blind, lame, and paralyzed sat there. John 5:3 (CEB)

Why didn’t Jesus do mass healings, wave his hand over the crowd and pronounce them magically well? Was this another one of his limitations? He could only do so much? Teaching a crowd seems more efficient than healing one person at a time. If he chose to heal one, would everyone notice and start clamoring for attention? There goes the whole afternoon; the Shabbat meal that Martha prepared for him would be kept waiting. 

A certain man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, knowing that he had already been there a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:5-6 (CEB)

Maybe, since Jesus wasn’t preaching that day, he had the time and energy to identify one man in the crowd to heal. Is that an appropriate use of a church day? We are supposed to focus on scripture and worship, time with family and friends, not everyday things. Church is once a week. Education and healthcare and social justice can be done the other six days….

Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Immediately the man was well, and he picked up his mat and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. John 5:8-9 (CEB)

Jesus did a lot of teaching, traveling from synagogue to synagogue in Galilee, reading the scroll and interpreting scripture with an authority that left people in awe. That was an “appropriate” use of church time. While his sermons sometimes stirred up controversy, it was his other, less “spiritual” work that got him into trouble with the religious authorities. 

leaders were harassing Jesus, since he had done these things on the Sabbath. Jesus replied, “My Father is still working, and I am working too.” John 5:16-17 (CEB)

Jesus doesn’t distinguish between the work of preaching and healthcare, one being spiritual and the other being work to be done the other six days of the week. It was all part of his job. Things that only he could do. 

We have a limited amount of time, both individually, and together on Sunday mornings. How should we spend our energy? What should my focus be, and yours? Some of you can pray in a way only you can pray. Others can welcome and engage visitors in ways only you can do. Your voice, your ability to play guitar, your attention to detail and confidentiality in counting the offering, your ear for sound, your eye for design, your organizational genius- each of these and more are needed, something only you can do. Jesus couldn’t do it all; he had to choose in each situation what was the best use of his gifts and energy. He knew his time was limited. As is ours. 

May we know the work that we are called to do. May we serve the body in the ways each has been uniquely gifted. May we understand the wholeness of the work, healing for body and soul, for each day of the week. And may we trust God- with things done and left undone- to complete the work.  

–Renée