Best Person Is You—Judges 6: 13-22; Matthew 28: 16-20
How many of you had chores as kids that you absolutely despised? For me, it was sweeping the wrap around porch to our house. These little helicopter seeds would get stuck between every single plank, and no broom could pry them loose. The only option was a butter knife to scrape them out. It was long, tedious, and miserable. Another chore I hated was shoveling dog doo-doo out of the yard. It was gross, and stinky. As an adult, I hate mopping and vacuuming. It’s so miserable, and I always miss a spot. My friend Amish hates cooking. He says that it is incredibly stress-inducing for him, and at the end, he’s too worked up to eat.
There are all manner of things in adulthood that we regretfully have to do. So many times, we have to say, “That’s not my job.” We have to deal with a mess. We have to clean up somebody else’s oopsie, and sometimes our own oopsie. We may hate laundry, cleaning dishes, exercising. I tease my cousin saying, “Do people who run marathons know they don’t have to?” There’s plenty of things in life that come to us as burdens and irritating chores. But sometimes, it is our skills, abilities, and wisdom which make the perfect connections to accomplish the task at hand. Sometimes in life, the best person for the job, is you.
Gideon, in our Hebrew Lesson, was not a willing leader, nor is he particularly easy to deal with. God’s angel comes to him and addresses him like this, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you.” And Gideon’s response is basically, “About that, God, you dumped us and ignored your people.” Gideon is not wrong. Because of the wickedness and disobedience of the people, God has let their enemies overcome them and the people are in hiding and short on food. The one God calls “mighty hero” blames God for the bad circumstances the disobedient people are in.
God’s angel tells Gideon that he will be the warrior to lead the people into battle and victory. Gideon’s response is, “No.” He is the least of his family. His family and tribe are the least of all of them. He’s telling God, “Not me, I’m the worst of the worst, the weakest of the weak, and the most unable to do live out this calling.” Despite God’s promises of success and a holy presence, Gideon still asks for signs and disbelieves the call God has given him. But God saw something in him that Gideon did not see in himself. God didn’t pass Gideon over because of his weakness; instead, God was prepared to equip Gideon in spite of any weakness.
The problem with Gideon’s fretting is that God does not accept when we say, “I’m not up to it,” or “I’m not able.” We cannot put the Philippians quote, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” on every picture and decoration in our house then say, “Actually, God, I’m too weak and incapable,” when God comes a knocking. As II Corinthians 12: 9 reminds us: God’s strength is perfect when our strength is gone. As assuredly as Gideon said he was not good enough, God was prepared to be enough for him.
But then Gideon deflects after God gives him a sign. It’s a very basic sign. God sets fire to the meat and bread offering. There are no locusts, rivers of blood, darkness over the land, rods becoming serpents, or death. It’s a simple fire, the presence of God burning and shining in the sacrifice. Gideon, though, doesn’t say, “Okay, I’m ready, thanks for the sign.” He throws a tantrum instead saying that he is doomed because of being in the presence of the Lord. Even after a sign, Gideon still did not say yes to God. And at this point, if I were God, I would have made that a self-fulfilling prophecy.
In all of Gideon’s waffling, God has infinite patience. God sees beyond the uncertainty in Gideon to a human God can work in and through. Gideon’s skills, abilities, and desire to trust God make him the best person to lead the people out of their wickedness and back to strength and safety. Gideon can plead his weakness, and Gidon can deflect after signs, but God has called Gideon for this very purpose, and the best person for this is Gideon, whether he is willing or not. Perhaps God didn’t see this as a lack of trust or disobedience from Gideon. Perhaps instead God saw it as Gideon’s search for his resolve. Much like doubting Thomas wanted to see Jesus, Gideon wants more of God’s presence and assurance of God’s strength. This was a momentous task, and Gideon wanted to be sure he was ready to follow God.
So, what are we called to do? For that we turn to the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus said to them, “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” In this order, he says, PREACH, BAPTIZE, and TEACH. For Gideon, the call was to return the people to God and conquer enemies. For us, the calling is to teach this good news of Jesus. We don’t go out with an army and sword ready to do battle. We go out with love and grace prepared to live a life that reflects the presence of Jesus throughout the entire world.
One of the easiest parts of this is the reminder Jesus gives, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” That’s comforting, a strong reminder to us that even as God calls us to do the work of the kingdom, we are not alone. No matter where we go, what life brings us, whether our task is easy or difficult, God is with us always even to the end of the age. Take heart in that. Just as God gave signs to Gideon, God gives a promise to us, and those promises of God never fail.
But then is the hard part: the go out into the world part. So many churches have built structures and prayed for people to come. But unless we bring people in from outside these walls, it won’t happen. We have to go out and make disciples then bring them here and teach them things that will help them to make a difference in life. But it also means encountering the unexpected.
I remember a youth minister who spoke to my youth group in high school. He was talking about his experience, brief experience, as a prison chaplain. At a very packed service where the men were praying, one came to him and said, “I’ve never prayed. I don’t know what to say.” The minister said that he should just speak to God as if he were talking to a friend. Not counting on or understanding how an imprisoned gang member might talk to a friend, the minister described that what came out of the inmate’s mouth could best be described as a cross between horrendous slang and a dissertation on swear words.
Going into the world to preach good news is a hard job. Leading a wayward and suffering people to victory over their enemies was a hard job for Gideon. Rarely does God call us to something easy and smooth. The work of the kingdom is costly, challenging, and sometimes leaves us feeling exhausted. But just as God promised to be with Gideon, God promises to us, “I am with you always.”
Gideon didn’t want to be a part of God’s calling. He challenged God’s care for the people. He asked for a sign before committing. Then he deflected when God gave him that sign. But God didn’t walk away. God knew the character and ability Gideon had, and God knew Gideon was the right one to lead the people despite his insecurities and avoidance.
Where are we being called to go out? Perhaps it is stepping out of our comfort zone. Perhaps it’s a place of leadership we would rather avoid. Perhaps it’s thinking, “I’ll never be a pastor,” but God has other plans. Growing up there were chores I tried so hard to avoid. I’m sure there were many for you as well. But as followers of Jesus, we have a calling to work for the kingdom of God, and sometimes, the best person really is you and me.
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