So Demanding (Matthew 10: 5-14)

Life is so demanding!

Some of the demands in life, you place on yourself. Goals you have set, achievements you are striving for.

Some of them are demands placed on you by those closest to you: your family members.

Some of them are demands placed on you by causes you care about. Yes, the church places demands on you, as well as other organizations you might be a part of.

All your chores are demands placed on you; and so are bills that need to be paid. Anything that requires your time, energy, or money...

And then there are demands placed on you by society at large. Society’s demands are harder to identify, because they are more subtle, and go straight to the subconscious, so let me give you some examples:  the demand to own a nice car or a nice house, the demand to have sparkling white teeth or flawless skin, the demand to conform to established categories, the demand to dress a certain way, eat a certain way, buy certain brands, the demand to have a certain appearance or body type. Every day, we are exposed to thousands of ads that implant these demands into our minds.

 Let me tell you about one of the many demands I noticed last week in my life. Last Sunday evening, my family decided to watch a movie on TV. And as we were watching, I felt the demand to get a bigger TV, one that had a better picture and better sound.  Now, maybe this had something to do with the ad I saw earlier that day for a really nice TV that was on sale for only $800. The TV we have now is only about two years old, but the one I saw on sale was nicer. 

Insanity took over as I seriously contemplated buying a new TV. I have $800!  I could buy a new TV!

It really was a moment of insanity. When sanity returned, I realized that we don’t really watch TV all that often; in fact, our quality of life would probably be better if we didn’t even have a TV at all, and if a new TV wouldn’t add to our quality of life, why did I want one?

Insanity.

After World War I, corporate America worried that Americans might become satisfied with what they had - wouldn't that be horrible! - and stop buying things. Paul Mazur, a Lehman Brothers banker, said: "We must shift America from a needs to a desires culture. People must be trained to desire, to want new things, even before the old things have been entirely consumed."

The corporations hired Edward Bernays, the nephew of Sigmund Freud, who began a public relations campaign to make people want things they don't need.  Edward Bernays was so successful that Life magazine later named him one of the most influential Americans of the 20th century.

Today, we continue to feel the pressure, the demand, to want and acquire things we don't need, because we feel perpetually dissatisfied and unhappy.
Thanks a lot, Edward Bernays!

Anyway, that $800 that I was thinking of spending is actually some money I’ve been saving for two things: one, a trip to the Grand Canyon my family hopes to take over spring break, and two, a trip to Ohio for next summer’s General Assembly.  Those quality family experiences are worth far more to me and my family than a new TV. 

And yet the demand that I get a new TV was one that I felt strongly.

Life certainly is demanding.

We will never be completely rid of the demands life places upon us. Nor should we desire to be completely rid of demands. Not all these demands are bad. Many of them are good.

Demands to follow Jesus, demands to care for our families, demands that we set goals for ourselves and work to achieve those goals, these are good. They can help us live a better life, and help us help others live better lives.

And then there are the other demands…

The scripture today is one of demands. The most significant demand is the demand Jesus places on his followers to go out and bear witness to the kingdom of God.

It’s probably there, somewhere, but I can’t see it because there are so many other demands in the way…

Yes, faith is demanding. Jesus demands much from his followers. “I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves,” he says. It’s not an easy task.

So imagine you’re heading out on this journey. As you leave your home and start walking, you pass by all these vendors. And they call out to you: “Oh, I see you are heading out to bear witness to God’s kingdom. Well, here; no one doing such a demanding task should be without a new purse or a new bag. And look at these sandals! These will make the journey easier for you, I highly recommend them. Besides, they are on sale, today only!

“An extra tunic or two would be advisable, as well as a good staff to help you.  And while you’re at it, here’s a new belt that no traveler should be without…”

All of a sudden, your journey just got a lot more complicated. In fact, all these extra expectations and demands make it likely that you will never actually start your journey at all.

And the ironic thing is that each of these things that you just have to have are described to you as something that will make your journey easier. But really, all they do is weigh you down.

Many years ago, I spent a week volunteering on a replica of James Cook’s sailing ship the Endeavour. It was sailing around the world, but for one week it was docked and open for tours, and I was a guide that helped show people around the ship.

One of the things I learned is that James Cook was accompanied on his first voyage, in 1768, by a naturalist named Joseph Banks.

After their first voyage, the two were hailed as heroes, and they began planning for a second voyage. Apparently fame went to Joseph Banks’ head. He insisted that an extra deck be added to the Endeavour in order to accommodate all the scientific and personal gear that he determined was necessary.

An entire extra deck!

Well, the extra deck made the ship top heavy and wobbly, and James Cook ordered it to be removed.  Joseph Banks was outraged, and refused to go on that voyage.

But it was just too much stuff; too much of a burden for the ship.

When it comes to the work that God calls us to do, and the life God calls us to live, Jesus says that you don’t need much. In fact, the Good News Bible paraphrases his instructions to those he sends out like this:

“You don’t need any equipment. You ARE the equipment.”

Essentially, Jesus is saying, “Life is demanding enough. The task that I have set before you is demanding enough. Why do you add all these other demands that do nothing to help you along?”

Isaiah 55 says: “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”

Why do you chase after a bigger TV, a shinier new car, whiter teeth? Why do you spend so much energy and so much money keeping up with the latest fashions? Why do you allow the ads to tell you which brands you should buy? Has buying the “right” brand ever brought true, lasting happiness to your life?

The prophet says, “Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” Stop chasing after everything else.

God wants you to be happy. God wants you to enjoy the things that satisfy.

And yes, God does expect you to work, to bear witness to the kingdom that is at hand. But working for the kingdom, and being filled with joy and satisfaction, do not have to be mutually exclusive of each other.

When we add in all the unnecessary expectations and demands, we are overwhelmed. It becomes too much. The ship becomes overloaded, and cannot sail.

I’ve often wondered how it is that so many people around the world can be happy with so little, while in the United States – arguably the richest country on earth – so many people are unhappy.  All the stuff we have hasn’t made us happy. Why?

I think it’s because we have drilled into us the message that it’s not enough. Advertising is a big part of this. The way advertising works is to make you think your life is incomplete unless you have what the ads are trying to sell.  The typical American sees thousands of ads every week, all with the same message: your life is not complete unless you buy this product. And there’s always a new product, which means:

We are perpetually unsatisfied.

It is a true spiritual practice to be able to find contentment no matter what your circumstance. Buddhists believe that the circumstances one finds oneself in are made either good or bad not by the circumstances themselves, but by the attitude one has.

Learning to practice a good attitude no matter what is a practice that helps me.

Just like the apostle Paul, who wrote a letter to the Philippians in which he said: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” And then he goes on to write, “I rejoice in the Lord greatly… I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength…I am fully satisfied.”

Paul wrote this while he was in prison!

I’m sure that being thrown in prison was a huge burden, a distraction, for Paul. The demand it placed on him was ultimate; it demanded his freedom!

And yet, he was content, and focused on the only real demand that was important to him: the demand to bear witness to the gospel. As long as he could do that, he was content. No other demand mattered.

After Jesus sends out his followers in Matthew 10, he says this in chapter 11: “Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Following Jesus means getting rid of all unnecessary burdens. All the demands that do little for us are taken away, and we are then free to take care of the demands that really do matter. If I stop worrying about things like a new TV, then I will have more time and money for some quality experiences with my family. If I allow the demands of what clothes to wear, what brands to buy, and so on, to be lifted from me, then I can direct my life to the more important demand of bearing witness to the kingdom of God.

If Paul can let go of the pressures and demands of prison life, then surely I can let go of some of the demands and expectations in my life, the ones that get in the way of what’s truly important. And in the end, I will be a better person, a better father and husband, a better follower of Christ.

After all, I don’t need all that extra equipment, because I am the equipment.