Last Night: Conversations with Jesus on the Way

I like to use my imagination when I pray.

When I pray for the Lord to comfort someone, I picture Jesus embracing that person in a warm and tender hug. When I pray for a specific thing to happen, I visualize the desired event in my mind.

One of my favorite ways to pray is to imagine myself walking along with Jesus and the Twelve, or sitting on a hillside with them.

Sometimes I imagine hanging out with them in the rec yard at the prison, along with the ladies from our Monday chapel gathering.

“Come now; let us leave." (John 14:31)

Jesus and the Twelve always seemed to be on the way to somewhere. The majority of the events and teachings in the Gospels took place while they were on their way to somewhere else.

I think that's because Jesus wasn't interested in just talking. He talked a lot, teaching the 12 and the crowds of followers. He also spoke one on one to people He met along the way.

But He was always on the move, walking toward His destiny, headed to fulfill His Father's mission.

Even on this last night, it appears that most of Jesus' final conversations with the Twelve Eleven took place after they left the upper room. Realizing this adds a bit of a different feel to their conversations.

Could it be they were carefully navigating through the dark streets and byways of Jerusalem, avoiding people who would turn them in to the authorities, when Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." (John 15:18)

Perhaps they were walking through a vineyard when Jesus said "“I am the vine; you are the branches."

When Jesus "looked toward heaven and prayed"(John 17:1), they were likely standing outdoors and they might have followed His gaze as He was looking up into the night sky. (He certainly, it appears, did not bow His head, close His eyes, and fold His hands like we were taught as children.)

Try, some evening, praying through the scriptures of John 13-17 while walking about outside. Picture being the Twelfth Man, if you will, listening to Jesus as He talks, asking questions. Imagine the uncertainty and fear you and your fellow disciples must have been feeling as He spoke of death and sacrifice and persecution.

Imagine.

Last Night: Temptation Judo

The Japanese word Judo means "gentle way."

As opposed to many other forms of martial arts that emphasize techniques of attack, the aim of Judo is to use the attacker's body mechanics and forward momentum against him or her.

In short, resisting a more powerful opponent will result in your defeat, whilst adjusting to and evading your opponent's attack will cause him to lose his balance, his power will be reduced, and you will defeat him. This can apply whatever the relative values of power, thus making it possible for weaker opponents to beat significantly stronger ones. This is the theory of ju yoku go o seisu. (Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, quoted at Wikipedia)

George Thompson, an inner city police officer, adapted the philosophies of judo to create Verbal Judo, a method of defusing confrontations. His book, Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion, has been used to train not only law enforcement and military officers, but negotiators in business and politics. It teaches how to use the aggressive verbal attacks of others as leverage to move them toward more constructive conversation.

Judo's principle of defense by making use of the opponent's offense can be adapted to many areas of life, including spiritual warfare.

I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. John 14:30

In Matthew 4 we're told of Satan's efforts to tempt Jesus while He was fasting for 40 days in the wilderness. He tried to tempt Jesus in the areas of physical needs, power, and wealth. At the core, though, the "prince of the world" was trying to divert Jesus from His mission.

The devil didn't stop tempting Jesus to veer from His purpose after He left the wilderness. Jesus dealt with continual diversionary tactics throughout His ministry.

Jesus' mother and family were sent to plead with Him to stop embarrassing them and come home. Adoring crowds were sent to follow Him around, begging for Him to put on a spectacular show or to lead them in a rebellion. Simon Peter was pushed to chide Jesus for wanting to submit to being sacrificed.

Now, on this last night, Jesus is determined to slam the door once and for all on those temptations. And He's going to defeat Satan Judo-style.

His adversary is getting ready to throw everything he's got at Jesus. He has compromised Judas, one of Jesus' inner circle. He has hardened the hearts of the Sanhedrin to the point where they want Jesus dead. He has weakened Pilate's resolve through political subterfuge.

He's finally going to win by doing away with Him altogether.

And Jesus is going to let him. He will embrace the betrayal and the jealousy and the political conniving and the fickleness of the crowds and let them carry Him to the cross and to the grave.

Which is exactly what He came to do. By losing His life, He saves the lives of millions.

In Judo it's called ippon: victory in one move.

Perhaps I could learn a lesson from this. Satan has some favorite strategies he uses against me, pushing my hot buttons over and over. Could I go with the flow of those attacks and use them to win my own spiritual battles? Could you?

Last Night: Honk For Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Every Wednesday afternoon a group of protesters gather at the intersection of Providence and Broadway, two of the busiest rush hour routes in my city. They stand on the corners carrying signs:

NO MORE WAR

GROUND THE DRONES 

and their favorite:

HONK FOR PEACE

I used to take one of my foster sons to the library every Wednesday evening, which always took us through that intersection on our way. The first time he saw them, he wondered why they were there and I explained it to him.

"What good does it do to honk? How does that make peace?" He wanted to know. Good question.

As the weeks went by, we began to brainstorm alternative signs for them to carry:

Honk for Pizza!
Honk for Pete!
Honk for Peas!
Honk for Peeps!
Honk for Grease! 

And my favorite, prompted by noticing the lack of racial diversity among the protesters on one particular Wednesday:

HONKIES FOR PEACE!

I have no doubt they are well intentioned, but it does make you wonder what would be their definition of "peace."

To the world, peace generally means whatever results in a lack of conflict...which is why we have things called peacemaker missiles.

True peace is usually something much more complicated. We tend to learn this lesson the hard way, like when we went to war to bring peace and stability to Iraq. Just getting rid of the people who were causing the problem hasn't resulted in lasting peace. There's always another group of people with their own agenda, who will likely be willing to disrupt the peace to achieve their goals.

When violence erupted in Ferguson, MO, this past year, police in riot gear and the National Guard were sent in to keep the peace. Instead, their militarized presence did as much to antagonize the protesters as it did to calm the situation.

The scriptures speak frequently of the need for justice, relief from oppression, and an end to wars. Jesus champions the cause of the downtrodden, the sidelined, and the poor.

But always, the peace Jesus promises is first and foremost an internal peace. It's a peace that comes from knowing God and from having the Prince of Peace within us, in the person of the Holy Spirit.

If the people involved in the various Middle East factions all shared the inner peace of Jesus, resolving conflicts would be much easier.

If the police officers, politicians, and the residents of Ferguson - of all races - truly shared the inner peace of Jesus, solutions to their conflicts would be much easier.

Last Night: The Holy Mentor

Roy Weece tapped me on the shoulder one day and asked me to help with the Christian Campus House prison ministry.

I had no clue what I was getting into or what it would require, but for two years, I had Roy alongside me. I followed his example, I listened to his advice, and I had countless conversations with him during those trips to and from the prison, as I've written about in Mondays With Roy:

He welcomed questions from the prisoners, a practice that always held the possibility of truly off-the-wall and unexpected topics. His replies were always aimed less at serving up a specific theological answer than providing some sort of teaching (related in some way to the topic) that would be of most use in discipling the prisoners. But first he would look to the rest of us on the ministry team and ask if one of us wanted to take the question.

It was great having an experienced and godly mentor with us. It often made me think of how fantastic it must have been for the twelve disciples to be with Jesus every day, to have his continual guidance as they went about their mission.

But just as Roy left CCH and then left this world, Jesus left the disciples behind when he left this world.

On their last night together he gave them - and us - some great news:

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26

Many people talk about receiving the Holy Spirit as though they just set up a play date with a really cool new friend.

Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit as someone sent to do a job.

Item number one on the job description: The Holy Spirit is our advocate. The disciples would have understood the Greek word parakletos as not just an advocate but a comforter, counselor, guide. In short, he was to be a mentor, as Jesus had been.

Except this mentor would not only travel with them but would be inside them. There would be no solo mission trips. There would be no sad farewells.

Best of all, it wasn't just going to be Jesus and the Twelve road tripping around Galilee and Judea. The Holy Spirit mentor would be available to everyone who accepts Jesus as Savior, throughout the centuries to come.

There are Monday nights when I look at the chair in the back corner of the prison chapel and sorely miss seeing Roy there.

But every Monday night I'm aware of the very real guidance of the Holy Spirit, a mentor who is always with me. He comforts and encourages me. He keeps me on mission and reminds me of the things boy Jesus and Roy have taught me, and of what I need to be teaching His lost sheep in prison.

Last Night: The Patron Saint of Ordinary Disciples

Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” John 14:22

I answered the phone one evening to hear a gruff voice ask, "Is this Tim Robinson I'm speaking to?"

"Sure," I replied, with a shrug. When your last name is Robertson, you learn early in life there's no point in correcting all the people who call you Robinson, Robins, Roberts, Roberson, Robeson... the list is long.

Except this is the story of the day I stopped answering to the wrong name.

"This is Colonel Joe Smith (not the actual name he gave me) with the U.S. Air Force in Salt Lake City, and I'm calling to tell you that I know what you've been doing with my wife," said the man on the other end of the line, "and to warn you that I know where you live and I will hurt you if you don't stop."

I spent the next 15 minutes explaining to the guy that I'm not actually Tim Robinson, that he's got the wrong guy. He finally starts to back off when I decide the best defense is a good offense and begin repeating back to him the personal details he's given me about himself, with the promise that I'm going to call the local police when I hang up the phone. Which I finally did while he was still blowing smoke.


I picture Judas (not Judas Iscariot) becoming used to being called "the other Judas" and "not Iscariot" during the three years the disciples were traveling with Jesus. There were probably a few times when someone mistook him for the other Judas, and he would maybe just go along with it because he was tired of explaining.

We don't really know much about Judas (not Iscariot).

He was the son of someone named James, but we're not told which James.

Scholars also suspect, based on the difference in the different lists of apostles (Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19, Luke 6:12-16, Acts 1:13) that he may also have been known as Thaddeus.

You have to wonder whether he switched to calling himself Thaddeus after Judas Iscariot tarnished his given name forever.

The Other Judas should perhaps be the patron saint of the Ordinary Disciple.

Judas-Thaddeus didn't do anything spectacularly horrible, like that other Judas, to earn himself an infamous spot in history. He also didn't do anything spectacularly fantastic, to earn eternal fame. I doubt there are any churches bearing the name St. Judas (not Iscariot) Christian Church. (Although there are a few called St. Thaddeus Church).

The other Judas was just one of the disciples, a follower of Jesus. He followed him during his ministry; he followed him to the last night and through the crucifixion and resurrection; and he continued to follow Jesus after Pentecost.

He strikes me as a pretty good choice as a patron saint, an example to follow for those who are willing to follow Jesus and now and then need to ask him "why".

Last Night: Orphans

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:18

In 2002, my oldest brother died, just days before his 50th birthday.

Just before Thanksgiving, 2009, my father became sick. He was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor by Christmas. He was gone by Martin Luther King Jr Day.

On Memorial Day, 2010, my other brother died.

On the night before New Year's Eve in 2011, my mother died.

The entire family in which I grew up is gone. Many times since then, I've felt like an orphan.

Oh, I'm not without family. I have a wife and several young men who call me Dad.  I have two little boys to whom I'm Grandpa, plus several more little kids who call me Papa Tim.

But still, at times, I feel like an orphan.

I cried twice while watching the movie Interstellar this past weekend, I felt empty inside without being able to talk about it with Scott, who taught me to love sci-fi. Every time I've been to the Roots 'n' Blues festival, I wanted to tell Mark about it. Every time one of my articles is published in The Lookout or Christian Standard, I want to take copies of the magazines to share with Dad and Mom.

But they're all gone.


When Jesus was crucified, the disciples felt like orphans, even though he had promised them he wouldn't leave them alone.

They were overjoyed when he rose from the grave, but then, after a few weeks, he left them again.

I have no doubt there were times in the days that followed when Peter and John and the others turned to tell Jesus something, or to ask him a question, and their shoulders drooped as they remembered he was gone.

It was hard for them to understand that he still was not leaving them alone.

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:10-11

I still carry my family's hopes and dreams, their legacy, within me. I don't know how many times I've wanted to call one of them and let them know when I experience a victory. I want to let them know when I've managed to live up to the dreams they had for me. I'm carrying on the spirit of the Robertson family.

Jesus is always with me, too, only in a more real way. Like those first disciples, it's not just Jesus' spirit that lives on in me, but his actual Spirit that lives in me.

He not only knows when I'm living up to his legacy, living up to the dreams he had for me. He's actually participating with me, going along with me as I carry on the work he began.

He'll never be gone.

Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. John 14:19-20

Last Night: Lead With Love

Christianity Today cover, December 2014

"Who am I to judge a gay person?"

“A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person. "

"On the contrary, the Lord has created us in His image and likeness, and has given us this commandment in our heart: Do good and do not do evil. The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, what about the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us first class children of God! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, with everyone doing his own part; if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of meeting: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good! We shall meet there."

Those are the words of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, known now as Pope Francis. He has provoked a lot of talk with what Catholics and Evangelicals and atheists alike see as controversial statements.

Personally, I don't get too worked up about most of what he says. I figure even if he's saying something theologically questionable, what's shocking about yet another non-biblical or extra-biblical brick in the edifice of the Roman Catholic Church? Frankly, his comments about gays or atheists or abortion are less theologically troubling than this tweet:

Mary, Queen of Heaven, help us to transform the world according to God’s plan.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) August 15, 2014

The concern among many Christians is what they see as his "liberal theology." In their eyes he's going soft on sin and the need for repentance.

I'm no expert on the theology of Pope Francis. I'm not sure anyone is, other than the man himself. He does seem to speak his mind freely, without carefully massaging the message to avoid controversy.

Austin Ivereigh, a Roman Catholic journalist, has followed the new pope's statements as closely as anyone. In an NPR interview about his new biography of the pope, The Great Reformer, he had this to say:

They know he's shaking things up, which he is. But they mistake that for a kind of attempt to change doctrine. I mean, on all the core Catholic teachings, he is a absolutely straight-down-the-line orthodox Catholic. But he is also an evangelizer and a missionary. 

And his observation — the famous observation — that we shouldn't bang on too much about abortion and those other issues, his point is not that abortion isn't wrong. I can cite you many speeches in which he gives searing denunciations of abortion. It's that he says it is not enough for people to look at the Catholic and say, "Yes, that's what the church stands for." 

What's missing from the picture, he says, is the merciful face of Christ. The church that heals the wounds, that raises people up, that nurtures them, that forgives them. And so what he's trying to do is to say, "Actually, that's the face of the church that needs to be presented." 

Now, this isn't a PR exercise. What he's actually saying is people need to experience that before they are ready to accept the rest of it.

The December 2014 issue of Christianity Today has a cover story, Pope Francis: Why Everyone Loves the Pope, in which R.R. Reno has this to say:

In the case of Francis, the media does not realize that his statements are more pastoral than doctrinal in nature. He wants to reframe the classic doctrine and morals of the Catholic Church so that a secular world can be converted and adhere to them.

That sounds a lot like what I've been trying to say in my writing, including this quote from my Christian Standard article, Right and Righteous:

In Matthew 5, Jesus reaffirmed the timeless centrality of obeying the commandments of God. Then he took it a step further by putting the focus not on our actions, but on our hearts. Having barely caught his breath from hammering home the guilt in our hearts, he went on to challenge us to love our enemies. 

At the end of his ministry, Jesus repeated the importance of obedience when he told his disciples, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). In that same final conversation he also told them, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). 

My continual prayer for myself and my fellow Christians is that we will have the courage to speak where all the Scriptures speak, and to steadfastly refuse to compromise on the essentials of holiness and love.

Last night, on the season finale of the 29th season of the TV "reality show" Survivor, much was made of a pair of contestants who are a "Christian gay couple." Twitter was filled with instant reactions and opinions, both positive and negative. Regardless of whether a "gay Christian" is a biblical concept at all, my chief opinion is that every person should be approached as an individual, not as a stereotype.

Lead with love, not with opinions. I don't know the two men at the center of that controversy, so I'm not going to pretend I know enough about their relationship or their beliefs to comment on their faith. I pray there are faithful Christians in their life who are mentors.

Lead with love, something there's just too little of.

Love is the measure of faith.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) November 27, 2014