Disciples are Simple

Jesus practiced simplicity on purpose, not because he was broke, but because it allowed him to direct his life rightly in the season he was in. How much of my time and attention is spent on "stuff maintenance"? How can I take a next step into radical simplicity?

Simple Week

How was your week? Slow? Unhurried? Basking in the presence of God unceasing? Love it. Congrats!

Full confession. This week got away from me. It was anything but simple.

This week was full of graduation parties and dinners.

End of year Next Generation Youth party over at Boondocks. The fact that the screen says “Game Over” in the background is a nice touch :D.

I think most of those girls had a sleepover at our house after, just because we needed a bit more crazy fun.

Logan is moving out, which is sad… and awesome… and doing everything we can to help this new Discipleship House get started. And the actual house is our old house, so we were there resetting and fixing and setting up furniture yesterday.

And all of that is during summer vacation, where we DON’T have to be shuffling kids around to school and sports… but actually cross country running and swim team starts this coming Monday.

And… this week, Wednesday was our 7 year Wedding Anniversary. Ask me what we did to celebrate?

Nothing. Isn’t that awful? Dinner reservations blew past yesterday while we worked on the house getting it ready. I am the worst! (and the people all said: Amen).

Recap

We are wanting the life of Jesus, and so carefully looking at the Lifestyle of Jesus. His Way. His Yoke. We want to live our life as Jesus would if he had our job, our marriage, our house, our kids.

And Jesus was slow. Un-hurried. Even in life and death situations, he was right on time as led by the Spirit… even when everyone around him was thinking he was too slow, too late, that’s when he did some of his greatest miracles.

And Jesus practiced habits on purpose that set the rhythm of his life. Jesus Sabbath’d on Sabbath… and so we keep the Lord’s Day. Sabbath. Stoppy day. And we cease from everything that isn’t both Worship AND Rest.

And Jesus snuck away to desolate places, quiet places, the wilderness. He did it often, sometimes early in the morning, sometimes late at night, but Jesus snuck away to pray. So disciples find hidden places. Sneak away to pray: win the day.

Those are rhythms that help establish a new normal. And if your week looks like mine, or your calendar looks like mine… this is hard.

And it seems and sounds unrealistic and impossible.

How did Jesus do this?

From Carpenter to Homeless Jesus

Mark 6:3 ESV

3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

So, presuming from this, and other verses that Jesus’ adopted Dad, Joseph, was a carpenter / builder. And that, as most would, he apprenticed Jesus as a young man, Jesus would go into business reaching his “manhood” at 13. And this is a valuable skilled profession, what we would call middle-class today. It wouldn’t even conflict with acting as a rabbi, there are records of many prominent rabbis practicing a craft.

How did Jesus go from a professional middle-class life to:

Matthew 8:20 ESV

20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Jesus’ Simplicity

I wonder if Jesus did this, in the silent months, or even years before his ministry begins with Baptism at the Jordan River. Did he sell a house in Capernaum or Nazarus? Did he turn in 2-week notice with his Supervisor, or maybe finished up a Building Contract and purposefully didn’t take another because he knew he needed to make space for what was coming?

Perhaps he needed a garage sale to get rid of everything he couldn’t carry with him… or just a trip to Goodwill.

Of course, the standard then was WAY less stuff. The average person might have 2-3 garments. Houses were one or two rooms, maybe a small cave attached for storing food or keeping the animals. Very minimal furniture, a piece or two, no chairs or beds as we understand them. The average person was simple… and Jesus went simpler than that!

The people he is talking too, they aren’t generally wealthy. Maybe a few among them. This is ultimately a heart posture before God, a relationship with the stuff that you have… or that have you. But he was certainly harsher with those who had more, because they were in more danger.

The rich young ruler, sell ALL your stuff, because it has you! And he went away sad.

If you drove here this morning, you are likely richer beyond measure than the rich young ruler.

Again and again Jesus taught about money, about treasure, about the dangers of wealth and “mammon”. About half of the parables, estimates around 15% of Jesus’ teaching overall, all about money.

From the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:19–24 ESV

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

It is not that you should not serve God and money. It is that you… cannot.

Roughly 25% of Jesus’ teaching is on money and possessions. Why? Because they are deceitful, they conspire to possess us.

And if I really break down the sources of complexity in my life, much of it comes down to serving my possessions. Not all of it. But a large percentage of my time is spent on stuff maintenance. Especially if I consider my day job as feeding my mortgage which is… more of my stuff. So I work to pay for the stuff I have and maybe add more stuff so I can work more… and model that life for my kids so that they want more stuff and more activities, and then I can work more to pay for that stuff too… how quickly it steals my time and attention… which is my worship.

But that’s not practical, Jesus? What, am I supposed to starve and go naked?

Matthew 6:25 ESV

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

What does Jesus put as the “bare necessities? Food and clothing.

We would add a whole lot more to that list. Shelter? That seems pretty important. Maybe climate and season dependent, outside in Israel is pretty nice most of the year.

Friends. Social connection. Not just clothes, but the right clothes. How about a fresh haircut?

Entertainment? Fun?

Jesus doesn’t even list a phone, that’s a crazy oversight. Much less the newest iPhone or Pixel.

We can easily see how any of these fit into Jesus’ story, and Jesus isn’t likely attempting to list every possible necessity for human life. We know his plan for human flourishing: he builds it in the Garden, it is not good for man to be alone, he is living it with his disciples, he knows about feasts and beauty and joy and laughter and singing and every good and perfect thing.

But he also knows that there is clear and present danger in “more”, in the pursuit of it.

He goes on to use the example of the birds, aren’t you more valuable than birds? And God clothes and feeds and provides for them and the lilies of the field.

Do not be anxious, because He’s got you!

Matthew 6:31–33 ESV

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

How simple is this?

This is the great anthem, the slogan of the life of simplicity.

Seek first the Kingdom.

The Discipline of Simplicity

Disciples of Jesus for thousands of years have identified this “Jesus Habit”, this Way of Life, as the “Discipline of Simplicity

The inward reality of a single-hearted focus upon God.

That results in an "outward lifestyle of modesty and openness."

In order to focus on God, we have to limit our folks on anything else, redirect it, see it through the lens of God and His Way.

The discipline of simplicity is an inward focus on core priorities that shapes an outward lifestyle. Rather than merely getting by on less, it is the deliberate practice of removing distractions—such as excess clutter, busyness, and materialism—to prioritize your true purpose, restore peace, and foster deeper relationships.

This was what monks making a vow of poverty were all about. Anabaptists, Quakers, taking this seriously. All of it coming from the example of Jesus and his teachings on wealth.

Disciples of Jesus are simple, they pursue simplicity, because Jesus was simple and teaches us to treasure well and wisely and rightly.

So how do we do this?

Be like Jesus, quite your job, get rid of your kids and your spouse, backpack around Israel. Done. Simple.

Nope. That’s why we don’t quite say just “live like Jesus.” Or if we do, it is really shorthand for “How would Jesus live my life if He were me.” With my starting place, my calling, my ministry, my family, my current responsibilities.

How would Jesus take steps to wisely simplify, do the right things at the right time with the right attention… and set aside all the noise and distraction?

What if start with the opposite? How to have more:

How to Have More

Note, not “be” more, “have” more.

In some ways this is the American Dream.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, President Bush didn't call for sacrifice. He called for shopping. "Get down to Disney World in Florida," he said. "Take your families and enjoy life, the way we want it to be enjoyed."

I think he meant well, but doesn’t that reflect our culture? This is a false gospel, this is how you “live the good life?” Not so much.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Mammon.

We could see the Sin in the Garden this way. Here is the one thing you don’t have, the one fruit you haven’t tasted yet… if you could just have that you would “be like God.”

Famous Rockefeller quote, one of the richest men who have ever lived, he’s in the list. A reporter asked him “How much money is enough?” and he replied “Just a little bit more.”

More stuff. More possessions. More work, to pay for more stuff, more stress, more busy, more hurry, more, more more. We know well how to have more and most of our economy, world, culture… and life plans are bent to that goal.

The default is “more”. We have to recognize that narrative that culture… and reject it. It is Mammon.

What would it look like, actually look like in our actual life to do differently?

How to Be Simple

Not simple-minded, I am great at that.

I am the worst at this. My life is not simple. It is complicated and confusing and over-scheduled and all too often, as a result, I am rushing from place to place, thing to thing. I am working on this.

And that is what it takes. This is not a “I will be AWESOME at this tomorrow” thing. This is a “I will intentionally and sacrificially walk into this” sort of thing.

So this is how do I simplicity today? How do I simplify?

This works together with our other Jesus habits: Sabbath and Silence and Solitude. Those are beautifully simplifying rhythms, practices that rightly redirect our attention to what’s truly important.

We can simplify our calendars by saying “no” to more things, so that we can give a bigger “yes” to exactly the things God has called us to. Our culture is to overcommit, over-schedule, non-stop activities.

We can simplify our phones. Deleting the apps, turning off notifications. We used to say that your checkbook reveals your heart and what you treasure… and that’s true. But now your phone has a whole lot to say about what you value, what you treasure. The “Screen Time” app shows where your attention is, which is a powerful measure of what you value.

At camp we take away phones for the week, what would it look like to set yours aside for a day. A digital Sabbath.

We can simplify our possessions. Our wardrobe, our stuff. Everything we own grabs a share of our time and attention. It owns us a bit. Sometimes literally in the way it takes time to maintain, care for, clean… sometimes in the way it takes up space in our homes. Get rid of the stuff… and be free. Simplify!

It is not about feeling guilty or stressing about all the things and ways we need to simplify, which ironically, would make us more stressed.

Seek First the Kingdom

Disciples of Jesus pursue intentional simplicity in our time, our attention and our possessions.

It is ultimately the command of Jesus: Seek First the Kingdom. That is the great simplifying command.

It is recognizing that as the goal: to simplify and seek first the Kingdom. To intentionally choose, again and again, the simpler path. A great default, a new bias, to reflexively say “no” to the purchase, “no” to the event, “no” to the complication and the busy and the hurry… so that we can give a biggest “yes” to the Kingdom and our King.

As disciples of Jesus, we seek first the Kingdom. As disciples of Jesus, we practice intentional simplicity, so that we are more available in heart, in mind, in attention, in time, available to our King and His Kingdom.

As we disciple folks by name, we help them do this. We help each other do this as the family of God. You help me say “no”… I’ll help you say “no” to all the things that want to own our time, our checkbook, our attention.

We are going to sing out our intentions. First Thing First. Note the singular, we sing it wrong all the time, because the normal phrase is “First Things First.” And that phrase shows up.

But the Chorus gets it right. Note it everytime. It is first Thing first. Singular. And what is it?

The Kingdom of our King, the Dominion where His Will is Done in us and through us.