Checklists

I've made a decision. I'm going to start to try to write at least two new blog posts every week. I have noticed that blog that do really well all have new updates pretty much every day. I'm not quite to that level, but I figured it's time to step things up at least a little bit. Don't get too excited though (or too disheartened. Depends how you feel about my blog). Chances are, this new pattern won't last beyond this week.

In Mark 10, a group of Pharisees comes up to Jesus with a question: "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" Jesus responds by asking what Moses commanded, and they reply, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away." After this, Jesus goes on to describe how the intent of marriage is a lifelong commitment between a husband and wife.

The problem for the Pharisees here is that they are solely concerned with following the details of the law without worrying about the intent of that law. They want to be able to check their adherence to the law like an item on a checklist. Yes, Moses did permit divorce, but in no way is it ever depicted as a positive thing. But instead of wanting to follow God and his true desire, the Pharisees just want to say that they have stayed within the bounds of the law. For them, it's not about having a trusting relationship with God. It's about crossing your t's and dotting your i's, so that you can look at God's commands and say, "Check."

A little later in Mark 10, a rich young man runs up to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus essentially tells the man to obey the Ten Commandments, but the guy claims to have already done so. Don't murder? Check. Don't commit adultery? Check. Don't steal? Check. Don't lie? Check. Honor your parents? Check. He's done it all, and at the end of Jesus' listing, he can say, "All these I have kept since I was a boy!"

When it comes to marking items off of a checklist, this guy is in pretty good shape. But when it comes to following Jesus with everything, he's unwilling. In verse 21, Jesus says, "One thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Then the man walks away, unwilling to part with his possessions for the sake of Christ. Like the Pharisees earlier in the chapter, he was interested in wearing his adherence to commands on his chest like merit badges, but he wasn't ready to be a true disciple of Jesus. He was focused on a checklist of duties and not on walking in the footsteps of Christ.

But what comes between these two passages--the first about the Pharisees, and the second about the rich young ruler? In verses 13-16, people try to bring their little kids to Jesus, but the disciples try to keep them away. Then Jesus famously says, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

What sharp contrasts we find in this chapter. On the one hand, there's the Pharisees and the rich young ruler--so intent on following commands, but not as concerned with a true relationship with Christ. On the other hand, there are the children--with no merits of their own, but coming to Jesus with attitudes of trust. And which group does Jesus commend? The children. Both the Pharisees and the rich young ruler do not have the attitude of a child. They don't want to receive the kingdom of God. They're trying to earn their way into the kingdom.

Often, I find myself taking the stance of the Pharisees or the rich young ruler instead of that of the children. I come to God with my checklist of accomplishments and expect him to be impressed with all I've done. Read my Bible regularly? Check. Weekly church attendance? Check. Didn't cuss anyone out today? Check. Pray before I eat my dinner? Check.

But God isn't interested in our checklists. He's interested in our hearts. He wants us to come running to him like a child into his father's arms. A child doesn't have to come to his parents with a list of accomplishments to ensure that he is loved by them. Likewise, our ability to work really hard and follow all the rules doesn't cause God to love us, and I think he would rather we faithfully throw ourselves into him. This isn't to say that obedience is unimportant. But we might need to examine why we are obedient to God's word. Is it so that we can keep crossing things off our checklist? Or is it because we love Christ and desire to follow him?

On an unrelated note, I have recently caught myself saying "Will do" a lot whenever I am given a task. You know, someone will say something like, "Hey, can you make sure to take out the trash on your way out?" and I'll say, "Will do." It really bugs me. I think that's an annoying thing to always be saying. I don't like saying "Will do." But it's like I can't stop, not matter how much I want to. Do you ever catch yourself always saying something that you don't like?