count me the stars

The Word for today:
Mark 3.7-19

mark this:
And he appointed twelve – designating them apostles -- so that they might be with him… (Mark 3:14)

I want to admit to you and to the world at large that I have Apostle Envy. I am otherwise unafflicted by envy, but I’d give my ring finger, the ring on it, and the hand it’s attached to to have been in the company of Jesus Christ for 3 minutes, let alone three years.

The famous and rich and gifted and lucky and otherwise notorious people of our times do not interest me enough to know their names.

And from biblical times, even Moses and David and Elijah and Isaiah and John the Baptist do not stir in me the envy that the Apostles do. I’ll trade you their parting seas and towering Psalms and chariots of fire and cherubim and seraphim and all the locusts and wild honey in Israel for 1000 days of access to Him anytime.

If I were an Apostle, I'd ask the names of all the stars. Since God knows them by name (Isaiah 40:26) and they are, by all accounts, infinite in number, that would mean that instead of just three years I’d have to hang with him forever just to hear him reply to my sincere question.

I’d sort of entrap God with scams and ploys so that I wouldn’t have to go home anytime soon. If Jesus were to say, “The answer would take forever,” I’d tell him that I’m in no hurry…

I’d sort of leverage his own patience against him. Many scams (and wrestling moves) are based on the principle of using a person’s own virtue (or strength) against him.

I think that’s what was going on when Jacob wrestled Jesus in Genesis. He just wouldn’t let Jesus go, so He had to break his leg to get away.

If that’s the only risk I have to take, I’m taking it. I have a bad case of Apostle envy, so by hook or by crook I’m going to get three years like they did.

When I can no longer detain him with his own patience, then I’ll devise a way to pit his kindness against him. When that runs its course, then I’ll play the empathy card. That oughtta keep him here for a while.

The way I see it, God’s got more virtues than there are stars in the sky. He’s got virtues that we don’t even have names for. I think I’ll ask him to name every one…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~