Avoiding the Hubbub

Christy about ten years ago, not eating a TV dinner, but a cake,
made to look like a TV dinner. Hmmm. 

Scripture:

Luke 21:34   “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, ³⁵ like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21:37   Every day he was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. ³⁸ And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple.

Observation:

These verses come at the conclusion of Christ’s words regarding the final days. Interestingly, he tells his followers how to behave, and then models what that might look like. The first admonition is to be on guard, while recognizing that God does know the final outcome. The Christ-follower has the responsibility of being alert, and that means that there is to be an avoidance of the hubbub. This includes a freedom in life, which is not weighed down by a heavy diet, or excess food, or with drunkenness, nor the worries of life. All of these are physical examples of participation in the hubbub of life. If we are consumed by these, then we will not be aware of what God is doing in the world and we will be caught off guard. Instead, we are to be alert and to spend time in prayer.

The section ends with a discussion of Jesus’ daily activity, which included teaching by day, but recusing himself to the Mount of Olives, and presumably Bethany, at night. This was passover season and the city would have been crowded and filled with revelers. Jesus didn’t stay at night to be a part of the party, but would leave so that he could spend time in prayer and come back refreshed in the morning. Many commentators speak about the early morning lessons in the temple. John Wesley puts it this way, “And all the people came early in the morning to hear him—How much happier were his disciples in these early lectures, than the slumbers of the morning could have made them on their beds! Let us not scruple to deny ourselves the indulgence of unnecessary sleep, that we may morning after morning place ourselves at his feet, receiving the instructions of his word, and seeking those of his Spirit.” This was just another way to avoid the hubbub. 

Application:

There’s a disease we joke about these days, “FOMO,” better known as “Fear of Missing Out.” We love to be in the middle of things, keeping busy, staying up to date with everyone on social media, and generally having noise on at all times. Recently as I was sitting in the airport I noticed that nearly everyone had on headphones or earbuds. As the airline staff tried to communicate with people, no one paid any attention. It was as if they weren’t present in reality, but were present somewhere else. They were busy, occupied by something that was either on their screens or in their ears. Somehow, they were in the midst of hubbub, even if it wasn’t in the physical world. The problem is that they had no idea what was really going on and the place could have burned down around them and they would have never known. 

Not only is this happening to us in relation to the physical world, but it is happening to us spiritually. While we wear our headphones we are listening to constant noise, and somehow we’ve blocked out the voice of God. When’s the last time you sat in silence and simply listened to God? How are we going to know what God sounds like, if we never listen? Jesus knew how vitally important this was to his life and he had to intentionally leave the hubbub and go and rest on the Mount of Olives. Only in this way could he be prepared to return the next day to teach. 

I believe that we become weighed down when we allow the hubbub to control our lives. We are over-stimulated by our phones; overweight because of the foods that we eat; and many, even from traditions of teatotalers have chosen to indulge in alcohol. The result is a life of worry and anxiety because our minds have become dull to the leading of the Holy Spirit. In the early centuries there was a group of people who embraced something called “gnosticism.” They believed that there was a separation between the body and the mind or soul. In other words, you could be spiritually seeking God with your mind but that had no impact on your physical body. They assumed that the person who lived in the flesh would still do “fleshly” things, which may not be good, but as long as their mind was set on God, they were okay. We live dangerously close to that place when we fail to realize that our physical well-being is directly connected to our spiritual well-being. Even Jesus was not above the influence of the world upon him spiritually. He had to find a way to intentionally create distance, to avoid the hubbub so that he could be awake and alert. 

There are some practical steps that we need to take to avoid the hubbub. What if we all practiced some silence, and learned to recognize the voice of God? Our diet is an important feature of our lives and eating the right foods will help to clear up our minds. All the latest studies are telling us that we are healthiest when we avoid all alcohol. Even that one glass a day of wine recommendation has recently been debunked. Also, there’s a whole new group of young women in Chicago called “Sober Curious” who are providing a peer group for those who are tired of living anxious and afraid with a glass of wine in their hand. Then, with clear mind let’s focus on getting to know Christ. It is in knowing him that we will become more aware of what is really happening in our surroundings. Early morning sessions at the feet of Jesus are not such a bad idea, and all of this will help us as we avoid the hubbub. 

Prayer:

Lord, may my heart and mind be still and know you, my God. Amen.