Undercover Jesus

Prayer

There are some fascinating stories of police officers and federal agents going undercover in order to catch the bad guys.

William Queen went undercover as a outlaw biker with the San Fernando Valley Mongols - spent two years with them, hanging out in seedy bars, riding stolen motorcycles, and fighting with competing biker gangs. It’s a biker gang - there are fights - what do you do? He fought, actually relished in being the baddest of the bad, he could be as mean and violent as he wanted to be.

Robert Carroll went undercover as a junkie named Lee Taylor for the Greater Manchester Police force. But Carroll couldn’t keep his real life and undercover life separate - he couldn’t manage just pretending to take drugs and actually did, getting hooked on heroin. After his assignment, he reached out for help, but spite of what he’d told his wife and supervisor, he was still using. When he was finally caught, they discovered he had sold some of his police gear to pay for his habit.

One poor police officer, a woman, went undercover as a murderer and sexual deviant in hopes of luring a murder suspect into exposing himself. In order to fully immerse herself in the role, Lizzie James (her alias) watched sexually explicit videos filled with violence. The entire experience of entering into that world scarred her.

Speaks to the immense challenge of undercover work - having to immerse yourself in world you would never normally be a part of, your role as a cop is to catch the bad guys, not become one of them.

And only way for undercover work to be effective is to be fully immersed, to be genuinely in that world - violence, drug use, sexual deviancy, disregard for human life. Have to build trust to gain information - part of relationship has to be authentic. And yet, in the midst of it all, not to lose yourself.

Say all this because in a very real way, Jesus went deep undercover with us. That’s the gospel story - Undercover God.

Gospel is God, taking on human flesh, coming down to be with us, immersing himself fully in our world. Several passages that speak to this downward trajectory, Jesus going deep...

Ephesians 4:9-10...

What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.

Before Jesus ascended, he had to descend, he had to come down to our lower, earthly regions.

We see same concept in Philippians, Jesus’ continual, progressive downward move, 2:5-8

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

The whole movement is this great “V”, Jesus starting up in the heavens, descending down to earth, emptying himself of his godly glory, becoming human (with all of our creaturely limitations), taking on nature of a servant, humbling himself by willingly giving up his life - and not just giving up his life, but doing in it the lowest form possible, on a cross, as a criminal.

Lower and lower, deeper and deeper (before, of course, he goes higher and higher, ascending to his rightful place on the throne.

Here’s critical difference - when federal agents or police go undercover, it’s to get information, get all the evidence, catch criminals in the act - in order to put them away. Lock ‘em up - they’re guilty! The big bust (surprise, I was a cop the whole time!).

Not Jesus. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17...

Very different undercover work. Jesus was willing to get down in the mud with us, with us in our worst in order that he might save us.

So different from religious leaders of his day - in fact, that’s what drove them nuts about Jesus - Jesus never shied away from seedy side of life. He would go to dinner parties with tax collectors (worst of sinners) - so much so that he got a reputation for being a glutton and a drunkard (isn’t that remarkable, that Jesus gained a reputation among the religious leaders as a drunk?!).

Story in Luke 7, when Jesus lets the “sinful woman”, code for prostitute - wash his feet with her tears, dry them with her hair. How dare he let that woman even touch him. All part of his deep undercover work, being with us in our worst.

How amazing this really is, how absolutely grace-filled God is, humility of not just coming down to be in the midst of us in our seedy world, but on top of that, his willingness to lay down his life for us.

To say that we are “unworthy” is understatement of the year

It doesn’t take long to start naming how messed up we really are...

Just thinking about all the reasons those police officers had to spend months, years in undercover work…we have whole groups of people dedicated to drug dealing and violence and sexual deviancy.

I think about all the atrocities being discovered as Russian soldiers have pulled out of certain areas in Ukraine - the indiscriminate killing of civilians, rape, heads decapitated. Sadly, it’s not just on one side, apparently there are atrocities being committed by Ukrainian soldiers on captured Russian soldiers.

List goes on - it’s not just those terrible criminals, it’s us in our everyday lives…????Our violence towards one another…our sexual debauchery…our deceit…moral posturing…contempt…moral cowardice…self-indulgence

Jesus has gone deep undercover indeed.

Inviting Jesus to Go Deep in Us

This is why we set aside time in this season of Lent, why we gather on Maundy Thursday - to be reminded of just how amazing the Gospel really is...To be reminded of just how amazing Jesus is

That he would do this for us. Forsake heaven. Empty himself. Taking on our human form, with the whole intention of serving us stuck in the deep pit of our sin.

So that our hearts would be humbled, stirred with gratitude.

Spur inside of us desire to follow Jesus more fully, surrender more and more of ourselves to him

Playing off this analogy - of Jesus going deep undercover, we want to let Jesus continue to go deeper in us

Daniel 2:20, 22, Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

God knows what lies in darkness, he knows all the deep and hidden things in our hearts. He’s willing to go right in.

Consider parable of sower in Matthew 13, farmer who goes out sowing seed - seed falls on four different types of soil.

Seed that falls on beaten path, it’s hardened ground, just lays there unto birds come and snatch it away.

Seed that falls on rocky places, where soil is shallow - plant sprouts up quickly, but because roots are shallow, it withers quickly as soon sun shines its intense heat on it.

Seed that falls among thorns and the weeds - it, too, sprouts up, but is choked out by all the weeds.

Finally, the seed that falls on good soil, deep rich, soil - and it produces a bountiful harvest.

If you think about this in terms of the definition of an emotionally healthy disciple: One who slows down to be with Jesus, digs beneath the surface of their lives in order to be deeply transformed by Jesus, in order to offer their life as a gift to the world.

You think about seed that falls on those different types of soil, it relates directly to this. Seed that falls on beaten path, that’s a hardened heart, unresponsive to God’s word.

But seed that falls among thorns, that’s when we fail to slow down to be with Jesus. That’s a life that’s distracted, consumed with worries, too focused on wealth and its false promises. When we don’t slow down to be with Jesus, we’re thick in the weeds of life. God can’t produce a rich harvest in us.

Seed that falls in rocky places, shallow soil, that springs up immediately and then quickly withers away. That’s a person who is unwilling to go deep, to go beneath the surface of their lives. Everything about their faith stays shallow. Won’t let Jesus do the very thing he came to do - to go deep within us, meeting us in the deepest and darkest place of our hearts.

Jesus, do your deep undercover work in me! Prayer of Psalm 139:23-24...

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Courageous prayer, asking Jesus to do his deep undercover work in us - not to condemn us, but to save us.

Extended time of silence immediately following Communion. Pray this prayer.