On And In

As children, many of us thoroughly enjoyed the game called, On the Bank: In the River. I know it has various names, for it is called by other names such as, “On the sand: In the Water”, but the spirit of the game, the object of the game remains unchanged.

The prepositions, on and in, boldly jumped out at me, when I was given to read Mark 9: 33. Let me quote this single Bible verse. Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road? Have you heard it? Have you seen it? Yes! Of course! ‘In the House: On the Road’, or ‘On the Road: In the House’.

In the children’s game mentioned above, the object of the game is one of acute listening and prompt responding, or obeying.  To falter or fumble even, in the slightest, failed attempts, is to be out of the game. The boy or girl who wins, is the person, whose listening and prompt obedience, hold fast and firm to the end. Indeed, it’s a great game that brings loads of laughter, full participation and the desire to repeat the game over and over again. No child gets bored in this skilled game of listening and obeying. So much for the game, In the River: On the Bank.

What relevance is there for us in this scene with Jesus and His disciples? Let’s explore what’s happening, with acute Spiritual hearing and responding. This is only possible by and through the Holy Spirit, who is our Leader, Teacher and Guide.  We are surrendered to Him because we have been made acutely aware of the skill and craftiness of the deceiver to try to get us to use our own intelligence, common sense and knowledge to think, speak and do what is not our Lord’s desired way.

One thing the evil one does is to make us doubt and deny the Nature of the Holy Spirit, to be like the wind. We do not touch His Name and we are always particular and reverently careful to keep His Name Holy, but alas, how we falter when it comes to His Nature. We cannot accept that He blows where He wills and we cannot track Him down nor harness Him, and that the same characteristics, the same attributes, are true of all who are born of Him.  

Returning to the game, let’s take time to listen to and receive some life-altering connections, as plucked from that same children’s game.

The first connection to the game is in the Place of Position. 

In the game, there are two visible places, the place of the river and the place of the bank. As available and accessible as these places are to us, we are never ever able to be fully in both places at the same time. You are either in the water or you are on the bank or the sand, as the game goes. This fact must also be seen and understood with the Place of Position mentioned in this setting with Jesus and the disciples. Most noticeable also, in the text, there are two visible places, the place of the road and the place of the house. The road is like the river and the bank is like the house. The same truth of fact applies here also with Jesus and His disciples. As accessible and agreeable as these places are, it is impossible for you to be on the road and in the house at the same time. You say to yourself that this is obvious and would dismiss it, but when it comes to our spiritual and carnal living, how we think and behave as though we are able to live both at the same time.

Think about it candidly. Note how many of us hear our Master say to us one thing and we are trying to respond by giving one ear to Him and one ear to ourselves. We want to serve two masters at the same time – self and Spirit- and it is totally impossible, and most of all, a total vexation to our Lord. No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.  Matthew 6: 24.

No! You cannot have all of your person in the river and on the bank at the same time. That kind of thinking is libellous, all of the deceiver, and not of our Lord. In his own slick ways, the clever deceiver is trying to have you make an idol unto yourself, of your carnal desires and think that it will be okay with Father God. Check your life-standing!

Tomorrow we move straight into more self-altering connections.