Adventures in Babysitting

Have you ever been asked to babysit?  If so, you know the immediate reaction to such a question is anxiety and fear – fear that you won’t be able to keep them busy enough and anxiety about doing a good job.  But there are actually only three things you need to know to babysit (besides how to dial 911).  They are:

1.    Don’t lose them

2.    Don’t break them

3.    Whatever you do, DON’T GIVE THEM SUGAR!

Can you imagine what it was like for Jesus when He finally chose His 12 disciples?  For thirty years Jesus had a chance to grow up in body and spirit, experience love and care within His family, and go about His daily business of building things.  I’m sure He had to watch His siblings sometimes if Mary had something to do, but no doubt He was up to the task.  But now He was undertaking a new adventure.  He was going to spend EVERY day with these twelve “gentlemen”, so I wonder if He felt a bit like a babysitter as He worked to ready them for the task of taking His gospel to the world?

Walking and sleeping and eating side-by-side with those twelve must have been a bit like a weekend camping trip with 9^th grade boys.  Think about the smells, the dirt, the chatter, and the strutting that must have gone on.  We know the disciples were competitive, so they probably spent evenings arm-wrestling or who-knows-what-else to show their superiority.  I’m confident there were disagreements and even fights among them that weren’t recorded in Scripture.  Apparently, what happens in Galilee stays in Galilee.

But the most important thing that happens in any babysitting adventure is that those who are being cared for get to see the caregiver in stressful situations – and learn from the experience.  The disciples got to see Jesus get angry over injustice (Matthew 21:12).  They saw how He handled being overloaded by work (Mark 1:38).  When Jesus lost a close friend, they saw Him heartbroken (John 11:35).  Some of them were there when He felt overwhelmed by what was expected of Him (Matthew 26:38).  And they saw Him suffer in silence as He carried their sin to the cross (Luke 23:33).

What makes the adventure Jesus undertook so great for us is that WE get to learn from His experience as well.  The stories in Scripture aren’t just there to tell us about history, but to shape us for the future.  It MATTERS to me that Jesus’ heart hurts when someone close to Him dies, because mine does, too!  I CARE that Jesus felt overwhelmed at times, because I need to see that prayer will help me get through the trials just like it helped Him.  And apparently, all that time Jesus spent with the Twelve made a difference, because more than a billion of us today follow Christ.  And it’s a good thing the 12 paid attention, because Jesus didn’t have a Plan B.

Which causes me to ask, “Are YOU paying attention to the lessons Jesus is teaching even now?”  You see, Jesus, when He knew He had to leave His disciples behind, promised them a new babysitter – the Holy Spirit (John 14:16).  Please don’t think it disrespectful to speak of the Spirit in that fashion.  Because the Holy Spirit of God is with each believer, every moment, offering the very same guidance and oversight that Jesus offered to His chosen twelve.  Now THAT’S an adventure.  I feel safer already.

Always under the Spirit’s watchful eye…

Jacob