A Lethal Weapon Type of Faith

So, you know the story about the blind men and the elephant where several blind men touch different parts of the elephant and try to describe what an elephant is like? Yeah, OK. So, from one blind man to another, here is part of what I think friendship with God is like.

Ever watch the movie, Lethal Weapon? Sergeant Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) is partnered with Sergeant Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) in the LAPD. Murtaugh is nearing retirement and just wants to do his job well, but safely. Riggs has lost his wife and doesn’t care if he lives or dies so safety is not a concern for him as the pair pursues the bad guys. This dynamic means that Riggs puts the duo into a series of crazy, breath-taking, lunch-hurling situations. Fortunately, Riggs’ capabilities are equal to his reckless bravado and the pair escapes every danger.
Murtaugh and the audience go along for this wild ride because it’s obvious that Riggs is a good man. He always has his partner’s back, he’s never going to get caught taking a bribe or playing both sides of the law and he’s willing to risk his own life for his friends. That’s just like Jesus and me.

Jesus is always coming up with these crazy ideas about what should happen in my life and He doesn’t seem particularly concerned with my safety, my comfort or my ice-cold, lunch-hurling fear. He doesn’t! He takes me on adventures I would never sign up for and wouldn’t survive if I didn’t know that He is good. I’m just like Murtaugh – I’m not afraid of hard work but I just want to go about my job and make it to retirement safely. HA!

Jesus doesn’t care that I’m middle-aged. He doesn’t seem at all concerned about my desire for a comfortable retirement. He knows there is evil in the world and He knows there are still people in danger. He risks everything to save them and if I want to partner with Him, He’s willing to risk my life and limb because He knows His capabilities are equal to His reckless loving bravado.

These adventures are very real. I’ve had friends who have followed Him into adventures in dangerous countries to save people. Other friends have followed Him into poverty or social alienation to save others. I’ve got friends who have followed Him through disease and into the face of death in order to save others. All of them went, trusting in His goodness, knowing He always has their backs, He’s never going to turn evil and He’s willing to risk His own life for His friends.

Our culture worships safety. There’s nothing safe about following Jesus. In the words of C.S. Lewis, “‘Course he isn’t safe, but he’s good.” Psalm 86 speaks to the goodness of God. He’s good but He’s not safe!

I have a friend now who is “walking through the valley of the shadow of death” but she is sold out for Christ and I know she is like Murtaugh. She had hoped to safely reach retirement but if others can be reached and saved by her example in looking death in the face with Jesus at her side, I know she’s willing trust in His goodness all the way.

Jesus doesn’t care about risking death because He’s been there and He’s back! He knows the way out of death so it makes Him reckless in His love. Sometimes it seems He doesn’t care about the lives of His partners but that’s not it. He’s not crazy. He just knows there’s more to life than this life. He knows the real end of the story. As lunch-hurling and hair-raising as it gets, I want to be His partner.

This Saturday, remember how the disciples must have felt when the man they believed would be King and Messiah lay cold and dead in a tomb surrounded by Roman guards. Much of our lives can be like that Saturday -wondering how following Jesus could have led us to where we are.

But on Sunday – glorious Sunday – that tomb was empty and He who was dead was alive. That’s where following Jesus really leads -to the risen life that never ends.