Painting: The Narrow Gate by Cornelis Monsma
At Renewal Group we meet weekly for 2 hours with the bible, imagination, hospitality towards the Spirit of God & each other, & prayer. Here's one of our recent happenings. It was truely inspirational! Take the 5-7 mins it may take to read this.
We said to begin - “There are different elements in this story. There are different aspects that have connected with each of us perhaps. Trust that God has given you something in the prayer and now we are going to have a conversation with some of the people and things in this story. We can ask and say anything to them in relation to this story. We focus for now on this story only so we don’t ask any other things but just in relation to this story. We have time now to say or ask anything of Jesus, the stone and the river Jordan. What would you like to ask or say – let’s start with Jesus…”
This is what we asked Jesus & what follows is what we imagine Jesus may have said in response to us. We asked Jesus directly saying Jesus why did you – instead of I want to ask Jesus…This helped our imagination in having a real conversation as Jesus is with us not as if he is far off or a concept but a person with us in the room.
1. Jesus, why did you go off with the devil, because you knew who the devil was?!
I expected my dad to bail me out!
I won’t be the first to go off and do something I shouldn’t
Only by facing temptations and fears head on can you overcome them
2. Jesus, did you know you were going to be there for 40 days?
If I did I’d have taken something to eat – instead there was only water
Yes & I had everything I needed
3. How can you, Jesus, turn the stone into bread?
I can’t but God can
I’m depending on my father to help me out
I couldn’t turn the stone into bread unless I got the power from my father
4. How, when you were so physically weak, did you remain so spiritually strong?
Because God gave me power to be strong even though I’m physically weak
I was filled with the Holy Spirit
5. Is it true that you went into the desert for your ministry to come?
I went into the desert for quiet, to pray for strength for what I was going to do
6. Jesus, how did you maintain your self-discipline before you were spirit-filled?
I want to say I didn’t. I’ve always known the Spirit. The Spirit has always been near to be. But it being near and me being filled are two different things. Two totally different things.
Did you have to be emptied Jesus before you were filled?
I had a good upbringing from my mum and dad. My parents brought me up proper.
I don’t think you have to be emptied to be filled. Look at this cup – there is something in it already & you can just add more into it but there is something there in the first place. I don’t think you have to be emptied to be filled. My mum and dad helped me, brought me up, so this adds to it.
7. Was you ever close to being tempted to any of the things the devil was asking you?
Of course I was! I was starving hungry, famished.
Yes, there was the ordinary things of life there: food, greed, power. But I didn’t.
I don’t think I’d want to
If I’d given in to the devil then I’d be tempting my father to save me just like the temptations with the devil. I’d be just the same. Expecting, testing my father to come and bail me out, to prove something.
8. What do you mean when you answer you don’t live by bread alone?
Our bodies need food. It is important but MORE important is scripture. It is food for our spirit, our soul, our spiritual food.
9. How did you feel when the devil quoted scripture in the 3rd test?
Surprised – because why does the devil know scripture
Not surprised – the devil, he is familiar & I know him well
This is what we said as we imagined we were the stone or spoke to the stone mentioned in the story: STONE
I’m a stone, not a loaf of bread!
You can’t just change me into bread!
I’m a stone and so many rivers have been flowing through and over me.
I’m not a loaf of bread, I’m a temple.
It depends on Jesus – if he want to change me, I can, if not, no.
This is what we said as we imagined we were the river Jordan or spoke to the river mentioned in the story: RIVER
I’m not a river yet, I’m a spring flowing into the river. I’ve an important role: I give Jesus the water that keeps him alive for 40 days.
What power do you have that transforms people?
I quenches the thirst
I give life
I give out food, as fish
Did you help to fill Jesus with the Spirit?
I’m a lucky river because God chose me to baptise Jesus and not another river
I was there at the beginning of Jesus ministry so I helped to cleanse maybe
They all go down to bathe
How does it feel to have the power?
Why did God choose me to baptise Jesus?
This way of talking with people and things in the story as if they are present and as if we are them is really transforming and transformative in our group. It plays with Lectio Divina approach of silence, imagination and praying with the bible, the Spirit praying through us. Try it and see!
