August 31, 2010: Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream

As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a den [that had a radio in it], and laid me down in that place to sleep [while listening to WMBI]; and as I slept, I dreamed a dream.

In my dream, I saw Jesus talking to a rich young man. I seemed to understand that I was viewing the scene recorded in Mark 10:17-27, except that a few things seemed different.

First, instead of the rich man approaching Jesus, it was Jesus who approached him. The rich man never asked, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Instead, Jesus asked him, "Is there anything I can do to persuade you to have a personal relationship with me?"

"I'll need some assurances first," the man replied.

"I'm your servant," Jesus said. "Please tell me your concerns. I'll listen, and I'll try to do whatever I can to make this work."

"Ok. I'd like to know this: Are there a lot of do's and don'ts in your religion? Rules and regulations that I have to follow?"

"Rules!" Jesus cried. "Do's and Don'ts! Listen, young man: this is about relationship, not rules. The Pharisees are all about rules. The elder brother in my Prodigal Son story is all about rules. Oh those silly rule-keepers! I can't stand it when people think they can please me by obeying a bunch of rules. Why, just the other day I told my disciples, 'If you break all my rules, you will remain in my love' [John 15:10]. Thankfully my disciple John understood this right way - he was taking notes and I saw him write down, 'This is love for God: that we not trouble ourselves with obeying a bunch of rules' [1 John 5:3]. Ask the crowds who have heard me preach, and they can tell you how consistent I have been on this point. I boldly told them recently that my true mother and brothers are those who hear the Word of God and realize that they don't have to 'do' or 'perform' it in order to be part of my family. [Luke 8:21]. I'm about grace, not performance."

In my dream I saw the man turn to a friend, and I heard him whisper, "I like Jesus' religion! All other religions of the world are concerned about what I DO. They insist that I follow a set of rules in order to be in right relationship with Ultimate Reality and enjoy Its favor. What a relief to know that rules and regulations are not an issue here! Please remind me in case I forget: In Jesus' religion, there's no rule against sleeping with my kids' babysitter, or neglecting my parents, or taking bribes, or defrauding my clients, or oppressing races I don't like, or slandering all the innocent people who get in the way of my ambition."

Then the man turned back to Jesus and said, "Tell me this. Do I have to sacrifice anything?"

Jesus sighed. I perceived he was frustrated that the man still wasn't getting it. "Look," Jesus said. "Sacrificing yourself is a work. You're not saved by works. You're saved by grace. Stop trying to earn my favor! It really is all about rules and performance with you, isn't it? I mean, here you go again, thinking you could 'please' me or 'earn my favor' with your 'performance' of 'obeying the rule' of 'sacrificing yourself' to follow me. All the other religions of the world are about that kind of thing. They require sacrifice and self-denial; I don't. If any man would come after me, he must lay down his cross and stop thinking that he has to do all these burdensome things to please me" [Luke 9:23].

"Are my riches a problem?" the man asked.

"A problem? A problem??? Oh heavens no. It's easier for a rich man to get into heaven than it is for a camel to spit in the sand. I could take you to quite a few of my assemblies that are full of people with nice homes and expensive cars who don't even tithe! I'm so glad they understand that my love is unconditional - it has nothing to do with their generosity or lack thereof [2 Corinthians 9:7]. Just the other day my disciple Peter marveled, 'Lord, we have left nothing to follow you!' [Mark 10:28], and of course I just grinned at him. (Oh, and I should mention in passing that since this is your first time visiting me, I don't expect you to give anything. Just let the collection bucket pass. It's policy. I don't want you to feel threatened or pressured.)

"No, friend," Jesus continued. "Your money is no obstacle at all. Quite the opposite in fact. I find that having people like you around helps us be more attractive to the kind of people we want to draw in. And I may as well tell you now - an unwritten requirement for lay leadership in my community is financial success of the sort for which you obviously have a knack."

My dream began to fade. But just before it was fully gone, I thought I saw the man's face break into a broad smile. He seemed to place his hand on Jesus' shoulder. And as my eyes began to flutter open, I nevertheless distinctly heard him say, "Jesus, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."