Foolish Fridays 12
by triunebill
Brennan Manning in his The Importance of Being Foolish now gives us a practice that rests on the prior week’s ideas. Recall, he has us come to understand that Jesus had a devotion and obedience to the Father as his motivation. Second it is crucial that we have a heart of forgiveness. Now Manning directs us to consider the relational attitude of Jesus. Jesus sees his disciples as friends, John 15:15 The Message:
I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends.
With all of this Manning can now suggest:
A Christian who doesn’t merely see, but looks at another communicates to that person that he is being recognized as a human being in an impersonal world of objects, as someONE and not someTHING.
Ahh this seems so easy but it is so hard. How often do we see with eyes of opportunity? That opportunity is what can we gain from this person – some pleasure, some other type of benefit, for some purpose all our own? Now in and of itself I don’t think that is necessarily evil but it is quite opposed to seeing people with the eyes of Jesus. It no longer has really anything to do with gain and opportunity. Rather its all about walking together in the here and now headed to the what is to become (look at Monday’s post here).
Manning points us to the episode of Peter and his denials of Jesus. After Peter’s third denied, in Luke 22:61 ESV, we are informed: “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered.” In that moment Peter was transformed into the Apostle he would become shortly thereafter.
How can we do any less?
Be blessed and be a blessing.
Evangelical Monk Blog 
Yes. Materialisticism. Building up material things on earth; including materializing people. A commodity. Like cattle. We should put people before things. Makes sense; huh.
My mother used to say; If you have 1 close friend, you are very fortunate”.
I think in this case, Jesus saw how weak Peter was that he needed a little boost. Peter now; after denying Jesus the third time, knew the meaning of humility.
It’s not the quanity of friends you make, it’s the quality. I made this mistake; at a church I went to earlier the last month: I memorized 15+ names of people but didn’t make one close friend. I now feel like ALL of them; let me down; even though I let them down. I was proud and boastful. I’m So Confused says Barbarino on Welcome Back Kotter.