But Jesus said to them, “Let us go somewhere else, into the country towns nearby so that I can make my proclamation in them also; for that was why I came.”
creatures of habit
rate repetition highwe know what works
at least what to expectprofit is made off repeat customers
relationships deepen with shared timelet’s go back and do it again
is a predictable responsesometimes we glimpse
an invisible apple always presentsomething else is needed
than a multitude of yesterdaysdangerous or not
misunderstood or notwe follow a ripple
not a sinking stoneprayer intends to clarify purpose
spark energy to visit beyondwe test our trust
beloved healing ho
When our temptation to be seen as greater than we are has been prayed through, there is increased energy to set a direction less taken. Over time this will make all the difference.
The construct here does make it trickier to figure out when this insight of moving on came. Jesus may have come out of Capernaum to break a healing-only model and this may have been needed with the exhaustion of the previous Sabbath. Jesus may have come out to pray his temptations and in so doing needed greater intentionality given to the preaching part of his announcing good news.
Healing—Preaching. How might these enhance one another? How do they assist folks to turn from a past of getting the same lackluster results from their actions to a future that does find the poetics of Heaven come on Earth to be realized?
When we substitute our past life for Capernaum, our prayer time will ask us what we have come out for? This will be the flip-side of finding our temptations giving us all manner of reasons to return to the tried but not necessarily true.
For the disciples a next town becomes a new wilderness. May they learn more about their temptations and ministering angels there.
Had to smile at the “praying through wanting to be seen as more” bit. I got two rejections on two different writing pieces today, and that’s always a bit of a blow to the old ego. An opportunity to see and maybe de-couple some of the work from response of the world. Almost always a timely thing to be reminded of, whether in the weeds with accolades or rejections. Thanks!
Testings keep returning in another guise. They are a gift that keeps on giving opportunity to go beyond Stuart Smalley affirmations (https://youtu.be/-DIETlxquzY). What is the deeper assurance when it turns out I am not good enough to face down a familiar temptation one more time, not smart enough anywhere but within a narrow band of authority, and people don’t like the gifts I bring them? Blessings on each de-coupling (yours, mine, and others). And more blessings on each re-coupling.
I appreciate responses as they ground (green) my flights of fancy (bluest) and give clues about how we de-couple (let go). — see “o by the by” by E.E. Cummings (https://books.google.com/books?id=oipN3yGYfMUC&pg=PA105&lpg=PA105&dq=e.e.+cummings+%22o+by+the+by%22).