Following Jesus

Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas son of James, and last (and certainly least) Judas Iscariot. These twelve men had an opportunity and subsequent experience that tumbles the rest of us deep into the sin of jealousy! Having been called by Jesus himself into his inner circle, these twelve men were given VIP seats to the most important three years in God’s great story of redemption. They saw the God-Man at work day after day: no doubt awed by his miracles, intimidated by his rebukes, even of high officials, and challenged by his teachings, not to mention by the private explanation of parables that took place behind closed doors. Wow, to fall into step with the physical Jesus, even if just for one day, would be a journey of a lifetime.

 

Well, neither you nor I have been chosen for such a privilege, nor even to be alive during those exciting times, but thanks to the blessing of written language and the careful collection of these experiences into what is now known as the four gospels, we can, in a sense walk beside our Lord. We can help Andrew haul in that great catch of fish. We can attend Matthew’s party with all the tax collectors and sinners. We can stand next to James in awe of the transfiguration (and maybe warn Peter to just keep his mouth shut). We can help Simon the Zealot fill baskets with leftovers after feeding a whole stadium of people. At night, we could pull up a chair with Phillip and James son of Alphaeus and together marvel at the number of demons Jesus had commanded to enter that herd of pigs. We can recline next to Bartholomew as Jesus breaks the bread and passes the cup of the New Covenant for us to partake. We can weep with Peter after the foretold rooster crowed. We can stand in devastating shock with John at the foot of the cross just as the midday sunlight goes black. Then less than 48 hours later, we can race with him to the garden tomb which had only temporarily swallowed the flesh of its Creator. We can shout “Amen” after Thomas’ faith-filled declaration “My Lord and My God!” Then, we can fall into step with Judas son of James, as we walk back to Jerusalem, involuntarily looking up over our shoulder at the very cloud into which the King of Kings ascended. With the eyes of faith and the written accounts of eyewitnesses, we CAN relive these moments in all their power!

 

This realization hit me in a new way this past week in the translation office when we came to Luke 4:25: “I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine.” To me, this was a routine verse for translation and so I thought nothing of it. But, after I had communicated the idea in my mix of ugly Amharic and ugly Gmz, we worked to come up with what everyone agreed was a good rendering in the Gmz language. As I looked down at my Bible to prepare for verse 26, Dewaan slumped back in his seat folded his arms and shook his head. Now, this is not an unusual posture for Dewaan, as he is my most careful translator, never afraid to speak up when he doesn’t like the way something sounds. “Is there a problem, Dewaan?” I asked, reaching for the keyboard to make the anticipated change. “Yea, it didn’t rain for three and a half years? And there are widows during such a famine? That is terrible!”

 

Clearly, I had fallen into the trap that awaits many Bible translators, Bible students and Bible scholars alike, the trap of engaging one’s mind when working with Scripture, yet leaving the heart idle. Dewaan’s lament was true. This was a TERRIBLE situation and the Gmz people know it better than you or I. For example, a June with no rain in America means that we would have to water our treated lawns ourselves to avoid being the neighborhood eyesore all summer. A rainless June among the Gmz means that life gets a lot tougher. The seeds planted in May, in anticipation of rain, are long gone, jeopardizing the next year’s crop or at least requiring a loan for replanting a late crop – that is, assuming that rain would come in July. Three and a half years of drought would devastate and destroy the whole Gumuz subsistence way of life, with, by the way, nothing to fall back on. And yet, Jesus highlights the helpless condition of the many widows in Israel during this time. The Gmz, as the ancient Israelites, could appreciate the grave consequences of such a famine upon widows, where social security meant only what one’s family could provide. Without a family, widows have nowhere to turn. The description of this situation had entered Dewaan’s ears, its devastation had been processed by his mind, and the hopelessness of it all had reached his heart. And when that heart overflowed out of his mouth, it was a confrontational blow to my dormant emotions.

 

It was then that I realized something. Something huge. Something unnoticed by me, but that had been happening from the very beginning. Dewaan, Werku and Habtamu sit with me every morning as we work through the text of Luke’s gospel. As we talk our way through each sentence, each verse, each story, they are the modern-day Peter, James and John. You see, although the gospel was introduced in this area about eight years ago, it is clear that their understanding of the stories of Scripture are fuzzy and very much disconnected. But now, for the first time in their spiritual lives, they have laced their sandals so that they might walk vicariously alongside Jesus during his earthly ministry. The stories are fresh, they’re clear, and they’re powerful, just as they must have been to their original eyewitnesses.

 

I can’t help but smile as I think of the journey that they are on. They’ve entered the temple with Zechariah. They’ve travelled to Bethlehem with Mary and Joseph. They’ve stood with the shepherds as the glory of the Lord surrounded them. They’ve heard the testimony of Simeon, Anna, John the Baptist and the voice of God himself from heaven. They’ve been awed by the genealogy and worshipped the only Man to ever stand sinless against Satan’s strongest temptations. And though they know some of the major events that lie ahead, much of the details lie in the mystery of anticipation. For not unlike Jesus’ Twelve, these three Gmz translators are experiencing it one day at a time. And I have the privilege of joining them on this journey. I can’t wait for tomorrow!