THE BARRIER OF INCONVENIENCE
Barriers to Bridges - Part 4
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Mark 4:35-5:21
Then they pleaded with Jesus to leave their region.
Mark 5:17
We know about Jesus calming the storm. We know how Jesus healed the demoniac and sent the demons fleeing into the pigs. But what do these two stories have to do with each other?
After crossing the sea on that stormy night, Jesus finds himself in a position to minister to the 10 Gentile cities of the Decapolis. Of course there were mixed feelings among the disciples about the Gentiles in general, but either way, there is significant potential here for spreading the Good News of the Kingdom among countless people who have not heard. What strikes me is how quickly Jesus gets back in the boat to go home.
I don't know how the disciples felt, but I can tell you how I would likely feel had I been there. My response might have gone something like this.
Jesus, have you lost your mind. You made us come all the way over here to Gentile territory, risking our lives through the storm in the middle of the night. You heal one lunatic living among the tombs on the margins of town, send a herd of innocent pigs running into the sea, and then turn around and go home.
What was the point? Why did we come all the way over here for this one random person? By any statistical standards, this mission was an absolute failure. How many of our own people could we have healed during all that time? Isn't there anything else we can do while we're here on this side of the sea? This is crazy.
There is no doubt that the sea stood as a physical barrier between the Jews in Galilee and the Gentile Decapolis. There is no question that this particular trip through the storm took an emotional and physical toll on the disciples. It's not that we are unwilling to take risks, cross barriers, or work hard for the sake of spreading the Gospel. The question is whether our results justify our effort. Did our investment of time, money, energy and resources produce a reasonable return. In our day, that often looks like evaluating how much profit we make on a fundraiser or how many new visitors we have in church as a result of our outreach event. Based on these standards of evaluation, Jesus' trip across the sea for one random crazy person just wasn't worth it.
Unfortunately we don't know what results, if any, this demoniac had as he went back and told his story in town. We don't know how people responded to him? Given the absence of statistical data on this in the gospels, my guess is it didn't really matter. The point was the trip itself. If Jesus is willing to cross the barrier between heaven and earth, between death and life, just for us, then crossing a stormy sea for one demoniac doesn't seem like such a big deal anymore.
How many opportunities have we ignored to bring the hope of Jesus to someone because it just didn't seem worth the effort or the risk? How far out of the way are we willing to go to follow Him?
BARRIERS TO BRIDGES
by: Craig J. Sefa
Verse 1:
13 miles across the sea to a Gentile Cemetery
A stormy night, the waves so high, we thought we might not see the light of day
All for a lunatic, demon possessed, outcast shell of a man
But then we saw him healed, and sent to reveal the Master’s saving plan
Why, oh why, am I risking my life to follow this man
Why, oh why, didn’t I just stay home in bed, on dry land.
Chorus:
Am I crazy, stepping out on the unknown
To a world where, where the people aren’t my own
Have I lost my mind, sailing through the storm to see
What this Jesus, seems to have in mind for me
There he goes again, turning barriers into bridges
Verse 2:
With a cross beam heavy on his back, barely still alive
He climbed up through the crowds, the people he loved, who now mocked and cried crucify
His closest friends were all but gone, as he forgave and breathed his last
But the we saw him raised, up from the grave, to reveal His saving plan
Why, oh why, am I risking my life to follow this man
How can it be that I must take up my cross and die to find life?
Chorus
Bridge:
Sometimes I wish I’d never left my nets behind
The life I had wasn’t much, but it was all I knew
Now I can’t turn back but by faith I must go on
By His grace, leading everyone to our Father’s home
Chorus
Tag:
Here we go again, turning barriers into bridges.
If you are a musician and would like to play along, you can link to the chord sheet for “Barriers to Bridges” here. These are free to copy for personal or public use in worship. I would only ask that you share with me how they are being used.
If you or someone you know would be interested in recording a more professional version of any of these songs, please contact me. I would love to work with you.