Scripture
Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work." John 4:34
Observation
The disciples came back to the well after their trip to town only to find out they had missed the main action. It's kind of like that disoriented feeling you get when you walk into the middle of a movie and have no idea what's going on. They were trying to figure out why Jesus was breaking all the rules? The cultural, traditional, racial laws forbid the kind of interaction Jesus was having as he conversed with the Samaritan woman at the well. Then, Jesus explained He was simply finishing work that His Father had already started in this woman's life. He illustrated this participation with God's divine will by using an agricultural example of a field ready for harvest. He asked, "Can you imagine walking into the middle of a harvest field that you didn't cultivate, plant, or maintain only to take the joy of the harvest for yourself?" (vs. 38). I imagine Jesus had a smile on his face like a man who had just finished a seven course meal he didn't have to pay for. He was feeding on the fulfillment of living life in the middle voice in His Father's story. His method of ministry looked like this, "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, he can do only what He sees the Father doign because whatever the Father does the Son does also." (John 5:19)
Application
Apparently I wasn't paying attention in my Greek language class in Bible College because I had forgotten one of the most important contributions the Greek brings to the understanding of true discipleship and participation with God's will. In his book, "The Contemplative Pastor", Eugene Peterson describes the middle voice in this way,
In the active voice, I (the subject) am the actor. I initiate the action. ‘I give advice.’ In the passive voice, I (the subject) am being acted upon. I receive the action. ‘I am given advice.’ In ancient Greek, the language of the original New Testament, there’s a third way of speaking—the middle voice. ‘I take advice.’ The middle voice means, ‘I am an active participant, but the action did not begin with me. I am joining the action of another.’ ‘Prayer and spirituality feature participation, the complex participation of God and the human, his will and our wills. We do not abandon ourselves to the stream of grace and drown in the ocean of love, losing identity. We do not pull strings that activate God’s operations in our lives, subjecting God to our assertive identity. We neither manipulate God (active voice) nor are manipulated by God (passive voice). We are involved in the action and participate in its results but do not control or define it (middle voice).
In other words this isn't my story, It's God's story and I have the privilege of being a part of the action! Both Mary and her son Jesus prayed in the middle voice "Not my will, but Yours be done." John the Baptist initially refused to baptize Jesus, but realized he was an essential part of the story God was telling. Yet, when his disciples complained that all of his followers were going to Jesus, John remeinded them that he wasn't the main character (active voice) nor was he a bystander (passive voice) instead he was the bridegroom who was preparing the way for the groom and decrease while Jesus increased in attention (middle voice) (John 3:22-26). A perfect example of this was Zander's water baptism this past Tuesday at Moonlight Beach. I didn't soften the ground of his soul through Biblical teaching and weekly care. That was our youth pastor Camille and her leadership team. I didn't lead Zander to Jesus. That was his Saxophone instructor Daniel. I stepped into the story God was already writing and had the joy of explaining water baptism and helping him make this public declaration of faith. This is a Jesus story and we are just a part of the plot. We are a part of the story of redemption God is telling. We are the middle voice, not the main voice.
Prayer
Jesus, this really take the pride off. I'm not the one starting it and I'm not the one finishing it because You already said, "It is finished." This really takes pressure off because I'm not the one orchestrating everything, but I'm a part of the band following my conductor. This life of faith is an invitation to participation with Your divine process and redemptive purpose! Thank You Jesus! I can't wait to see what You're up to today that I get to join you in.
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