crazy people, part 1.

Matthew 1-4 documents Jesus' birth to the beginning of his ministry. I've read it before, but these days, there are a lot of "crazy" things going on around me. I began to notice a theme I hadn't noticed before...

Everyone worth mentioning was, by my standards, completely crazy.

     1. Mary gets pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
     2. Joseph does not leave her because ... he had a dream/vision.
     3. He marries her anyway and Jesus is born.
     4. The Magi don't return to tell King Herod (a ruthless man) where Jesus is because ... of a dream.
     5. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus leave and go to Egypt because ... of a dream.
     6. Herod slaughters all boys in Bethlehem 2 years old or younger.
     7. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus move back to Israel because ... of a dream.
     8. John the Baptist, probably a crazy, homeless man, proclaims Jesus and baptizes him.
     9. Peter and Andrew drop their entire lives and follow a guy telling them crazy things.
    10. James and John drop their entire lives and follow a guy telling them crazy things.

So, here is a possible outline for Matthew's account of the first thirty years of Jesus' life:

     - God entrusts his only son to a set of parents who are open to getting direction through dreams.
     - God prepares the way for Jesus using someone who seemed like a homeless man.
     - Jesus enlists the help of uneducated men who were willing to leave their jobs and follow him.

It occurs to me that all through the bible, the crazy ones were the ones worth mentioning. These were the people who could be described using words like "faithful" and "righteous." The Pharisees were keepers of the law, much like many christians then and today. They weren't bad people. In fact, they were pretty good people.

Being a "keeper of the law" is a category I most often fall into. I'm a good, responsible person. I love my kids and wife, I go to and give money to the church, and the list goes on. However, I'm not being called crazy for doing these things. While I'm not saying God doesn't call some people to do non-crazy things, I am saying that too many of us are "keepers of the law." It stands out to me that the people the bible chooses to talk about are the crazy people.

Clearly, God creates people to both little and big things. A person who doesn't get mentioned in the bible is not necessarily doing anything wrong. Likewise, a person who does get mentioned in the bible isn't necessarily doing everything right.

However, I do think God wants us all to grow and the only way to grow, is to be spiritually stretched. Those that continually allow themselves to be spiritually stretched are the biggest difference makers in the kingdom of God.

So, while being crazy isn't mandatory, it sure makes me stop and think whether I'm fully sold out for Jesus, or if I'm just trying to live a comfortable, moderately devoted christian life.