“Invitations, Not Commands”
I have a confession. As you may well have noticed, almost all my posts are stolen from other people. I usually give the giver credit. Sometimes I forget the source. As someone has said, “Originality just means that you’ve forgotten your source.” (See what I did there? As someone has said, . . .!) Today’s post is based on an early-morning phone conversation with my friend Jack.
He was telling me that in a prayer group, they were telling one another stories about a wonderful friend who was their priest. He had just died, and they were remembering what a good impact he had on each of them. As they shared, Jack realized that this priest and everyone else who had had a good influence on him had one thing in common: “The people who are the solutions, the people who have helped me to grow, are people who have given me invitations, not commands.” That was a wonderful insight that Jack gave me. That Jack included me in this group who give invitations rather than commands was also quite wonderful.
But my mind is prone to wander—as well as to wonder—and my mind turned in the direction of Jesus. This is not a bad form of wander or wonder, in my opinion.
Certainly, Jesus gave commands. At least, they were in the imperative in the original Greek of the New Testament. That is to say, they were in the imperative grammatically. But I wonder if it might be more helpful, and even more accurate, to think of Jesus’ “commands” as invitations.
“Come follow me!” Jesus said to many. Invitation or command? Perhaps both, but I suspect that the disciples thought of it more as an invitation. Were there hard things in following Jesus? Absolutely! There still are hard things about following Jesus. Most invitations involve some difficulties. The more important the invitation, the greater the difficulties.
But the bottom line for me is this: Who is better to follow than Jesus is? And my answer, when I am thinking straight, is pretty straightforward: No one!
My wife is a fantastic cook. When she calls me to come and eat, it is a command in form, but in content and in spirit, it is an invitation to experience joy and to be nourished. So it is with Jesus. So, in some measure, it is with certain friends as well. But I believe that Jesus is the Great Inviter.
Thank you, Jack! I love you too!
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