…we Christians are conquered in this spiritual warfare, first by our carnal vices and proud way of life, and then by the weakness of our wavering faith, whose feebleness is the reason for our being surrounded unawares by our enemies in triple ranks, who have been given to punish our luxurious ease.
– Columbanus, Letter to Pope Boniface, Irish, 7th century[1]
As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.”
– Matthew 11.7, 8
There was nothing soft about John the Baptist, or about Jesus, for that matter. In Jesus’ commendation of John, He put His followers on notice: no one associated with Jesus should look for an easy road.
Following Christ is not about a comfortable life here and now. He will provide our needs, of course, as we seek the Father day by day. But being a Christian holds no promise for a life of ease, where we are never inconvenienced and always have things just the way we want. The Gospel is not about feeling good because the circumstances of our lives are just what we’d like them to be. Or very nearly so.
Following Jesus means bearing a cross, not wearing the latest in soft clothing.
Life as one of Jesus’ twelve disciples must have been fairly trying. Always on the move, living off the generosity of friends, facing threats and harassment, sleeping out of doors, trying to serve all kinds of people, putting up with ingratitude, opposition, and indifference. And always learning, being corrected, taking on new tasks, and trying to keep up with Jesus’ teaching and lifestyle.
The life of faith is not about ease and plenty, comfort and fun, but, dying to yourself, looking to the needs of others, and being hated by the world because you love the way of holiness and love.
Which is what Columbanus was writing to the Pope about. He had encountered some of the Pope’s bishops and priests during his ministry in Gaul, and, well, they weren’t the sort of folk he was familiar with in his service to the Lord. The ease and luxury of the churches in 7th-century Gaul testified not to their strength but to their weakness. The clergy of Gaul enjoyed the favor of the royal court, since they catered to their every whim and made no spiritual or moral demands on the rulers. The bishops of Gaul and the priests who served with them were losing the spiritual warfare because they were too comfortable, too set in their ways, and unwilling to take up the life of sacrifice and suffering in anything other than theory. They liked the status quo, and if no one was coming to faith in Christ, well, that must have been the fault of a hard-hearted age.
When Columbanus and his companions arrived, preaching the Gospel, calling people to repentance and faith, making a living by the labor of their hands, and seeing many come to faith in Christ, these bishops chafed at the austere life and uncompromising message of the Irish missionaries, and they responded by trying to silence them.
Comfortable Christians do not like to have their comfort disturbed.
Columbanus’ complaint to the Pope could just as well have been written to believers today. Have we become so determined to have a soft life following Jesus that we are unwilling to give up any comfort or take on any inconvenience for the glory of God? Jesus has sent us to the world after the same manner and for the same purpose as He was sent (Jn. 20.21). Like John the Baptist, He did not concern Himself with comfort and convenience, but with serving, proclaiming the Kingdom, seeking the lost, praying without ceasing, and standing up to adversity and opposition with grace and truth. This is how Jesus came to the world, not to be a seeker of ease, fun, and no-demand religion.
And what did we expect when we believed in this Lord?
Because if it’s soft clothing we’re seeking, we’re following the wrong God.
For Reflection
1. What does it mean for you to take up your cross daily and follow Jesus?
2. What can keep us from being the kind of followers Jesus seeks?
Psalm 4.6-8 (Picardy: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent)
Wicked men may scorn and try us, casting doubt upon Your grace;
send Your Spirit, LORD, don’t deny us ‘til we see Your glorious face.
You have put in us more gladness than when all their crops increase.
I will lay me down in peace, LORD, sweetly resting in Your care,
rooted in Your strong and wise Word, finding all my comfort there.
For I trust in You alone LORD, grant me safety everywhere.
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
More confidence in witnessing
Well, how timely is this? Tomorrow in our ReVision column we begin a new series on “The Confident Witness.” We’ll be looking at Paul and others to learn how we can become better seekers of the lost. If you aren’t signed up to receive ReVision three times a week, go to our website and scroll down to the bottom.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. May I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe? It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
T. M. Moore
All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[1] Walker, p. 45.
