“[Jesus said,] ’If you had known what this means, I want mercy and not sacrifice, you wouldn’t have condemned the innocent. The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.’” (Matthew 12:7-8)
“Then he said, ‘The Sabbath was created for humans; humans weren’t created for the Sabbath. This is why the Son of Man is Lord even over the Sabbath.’” (Mark 2:27-28)
We continue on today with bonus material for Gospel Discipleship, stories that either didn’t make the cut or happened after the manuscript was turned in. Today we hear stories about our typically very busy Mattheans.
What Are the Numbers?
I used to be able to confidently identify the people who had probing questions for me in the middle of a training for Gospel Discipleship. They were hands down always Johannine. They were testing my knowledge and authority. But ever since the assessment went online, now it is a toss up – could be Johannines, could be Mattheans. Why did the switch happen?
“I would love to see these numbers. Why can’t I see the numbers?” A longtime friend of mine was in a recent training, and he had questions about procedure.
“Which numbers do you want?” I asked. “Do you want to see the results of all the tests I have given, or do you want to see what your score breakdown is?”
“Yes,” he said.
Ahh, that is what the difference is. During the testing phase on the ground, I would walk in with a spreadsheet with everyone’s scores. People could see how close they were on their types. Now, though, they can’t see their scores (unless they take the paper copy), and that has the Mattheans a little wigged out. Why? They want to see the fullness of the process. Without the numbers, they don’t have that sense. They can’t figure the balance out based on the scores. Mattheans, if it bothers you that much, take the paper copy in the book – then you can know your exact score!
But this also speaks to a revelation I had when I needed to teach a group of churches how to implement some new systems. Systems. That stopped me in my tracks. I sent the assessment out to all the participants and asked them to take it. Then, when it came time to talk through how to implement the systems, I asked who the Mattheans were in the room. Then I said to the group, these are the ones who can do this. Mattheans are masters at systems. Mattheans understand the purpose of systems, and they actually typically work to make them more efficient. And there is great value in that.
So, Mattheans, I can show you my numbers, up to the point of the assessment going online. I am happy to talk through the process of how I refined the assessment. I can talk you through the science of it all. But let’s have our own conversation about it, because it will drive everyone else a little batty to sit through it. Well, everyone except a few Johannines.
Some Know Sabbath
“Oh, don’t worry about me. I know how to rest! Saturday is like all day in bed for me. It’s the best!” She was a student at a Wesley Foundation that was doing Gospel Discipleship. She tested strongly Matthean, and she was fitting every characteristic I shared with her, right up until I said that Mattheans struggle to Sabbath. Then she raised objection. Apparently, she is ritualistic about her rest.
And that’s the key, Mattheans. You need a Sabbath ritual. You are so good at plans. So good at order. But also you feel a great need to take constant action. So you need to define Sabbath as an action you take to stay in relationship with God. And you need to plan for it. You need a ritual around it, even if that ritual is staying in bed until noon on Saturday. It will help you to add in the pieces of Sabbath that keep you connected to God, those actions like prayer and reading Scripture. But definitely take time for your body to recover.
Otherwise you end up like another Matthean I encountered. She was part of a leadership team who had taken the assessment in advance. She showed up late to our meeting and admitted she had not taken the test. I handed her a copy and said, “If you take it real quick, I will score it for you and tell you what type you are.”
She shot back, “Which type is exhausted?”
“Oh, you’re Matthean!” I exclaimed. And sure enough she was.
Now other types do get exhausted. Particularly those of us who work for Mattheans. But Mattheans seem to have made an art of it. But then, they come by it honestly.
I opened this blog with two quotes from two Gospels describing the same instance, where Jesus explains it is fine for his disciples to pick and eat grain on the Sabbath. The passage from Matthew quotes Scripture in the first place (remember that Matthew is the most anchored in ritual tradition of all of the Gospels and directed at a Jewish audience), and then emphasizes that this is an act of mercy, a response to a basic need. So that kind of work is allowed on the Sabbath. See, it is fine to do good on the Sabbath! That kind of work is godly! The Lord of the Sabbath says so.
But what does Mark do with the same passage? No mention of it being an act of mercy. Instead, the assertion is that the Sabbath is made for humans, not the other way around. The implications are first that we don’t get too hung up on law and ritual, and second that we do what we need to do as humans. Sometimes, and perhaps especially in this 24/7 world, humans need to rest. So sometimes Sabbath IS what we do.
Matthew’s Gospel is not a fan of preserving the Sabbath, especially when there is good to be done. But Mattheans, there will always be good to be done. As a Markan who is currently being exhausted by Mattheans desperate to do as much good as they can do in the midst of this pandemic, let me remind you that tired bodies are far more susceptible to infection. You don’t want to get sick and die because you worked too hard. Ultimately, death really limits your capacity to do good. So, do us all a favor. Take a day off!
Want to know who you are called to be? Take the assessment at www.ministrymatters.com/gospeldiscipleship.
Want to hear some more stories? Download the video content that goes with the books soon here at Cokesbury.com.
Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash