Photo by: Chili68
In our last post we looked at some dialogue about a stranger who comes into a store and talks to the manager about being there to do family business. The words had meaning only if we supplied the story behind it.
Of all the possible scenarios, two options were that the stranger was either the son of the store’s owner, or the son of a god-father of a criminal gang. Picking one of those two would have suggested the nature of the stranger’s business.
Some of you immediately saw the Father-Son parallel that we had talked about in an earlier conversation.
In this ultimate relationship, the Son’s first recorded words (at the age of 12) were that he had to be about his Father’s business (Luke 2:49).
Later we learn that this Son was so committed to doing his Father’s business that he said, “I do nothing without consulting the Father. I judge as I am told. And my judgment is absolutely just, because it is according to the will of God who sent me; it is not merely my own (John 5:30).
His words had echoes of the ancient principle that says wise people acknowledge the Lord in all of their ways with the confidence that the Lord is able to “make the path straight” before those who trust him (Prov 3:5-7). Another way of saying that is that if our heart is set on doing “the Father’s business” then the Father will lead us (put our path in front of us) in ways we don’t even understand.
Just yesterday, my co-workers and I were reminded in a staff chapel of another story from the 9th chapter of Joshua. In this incident, the children of Israel were deceived by the lies of a masquerading delegation from Gibeon when the Jewish leaders acted on their own judgment, without asking the Lord for counsel (Joshua 9:1-14).
Knowing and being about the family/Father’s business is such a big part of the story that gives meaning to all of the words of the Bible.
Raises questions in my mind of whether I really know that business, and how focused I am right now…
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