Say 'No' to Vicarious Spirituality

The problem with Moses and Elijah, and any other godly person who loves and obeys God is not in who they are and their unique role and contribution in the unfolding of God’s plan.

The problem is what we make them to be. 

Instead of seeing them as an inspiration to pursue more intimate relationship with the Lord, we settle for vicarious spirituality, accepting that God may work in their lives...back then... over there, but He certainly isn’t going to do anything in mine, here ... and now.

Instead of drawing us closer to Christ, we see them as privileged insiders with special powers and access unattainable to us ‘ordinary’ humans.   Whether it’s saints in traditional churches or popular Christian leaders and personalities among evangelicals, we stop short at the doorstep and never enter in, never taste and see for ourselves that the Lord is good.

Moreover, we often cherry-pick events of their lives or their words and interpret their story through our own limited and warped grid, making them into something God never intended them to become.

This is what the Pharisees did.  They considered themselves 'Moses’ disciples’ but continually corrupted the intent of God's Law by their rules and regulations and eventually used it to condemn and murder His beloved Son.

This is what disciples did.  When confronted with rejection and opposition, James and John, the fiery sons of thunder, wanted to call fire down from heaven on their 'adversaries' and incinerate them (!) – (obviously they made a connection with the account of Elijah’s encounter with the Samaritan king’s soldiers).  But, Jesus strongly rebuked them:

You do not know what kind of spirit you are of;  for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. Luke 9:55-56

We all are prone to be both like the Pharisees and the disciples. Knowing, however, that the privileges of direct access to God in Christ are not reserved for just select few, we have every reason to enter boldly in and listen to the voice of God’s beloved Son. Why settle for less?