Survey time! Raise your hand if you’ve ever lived with a cat. (Did you actually raise your hand? Because you know I can’t really see you, right?) I got my first cat when I was ten. My parents had a dog since before I came along, so I knew what it meant to have a pet. I didn’t realize that cats and dogs were really so significantly different in how they act. Because…well…cats are crazy!
Now, I don’t mean that disrespectfully. I have loved every cat I’ve ever owned. My first cat lived to be 21, and I cried like a baby when we had to put her down. But there’s just a fact of life that cats are completely, positively, without doubt crazy. They’ll be sitting on your lap, comfy as can be, then for absolutely no reason they’ll bolt out the door faster than Superman. Sound familiar? How about when you’re watching TV and you hear this thumping sound. Suddenly the cat bursts into the room, skids to a stop in the middle of the floor, and looks around with these wide eyes that almost say, “How in the world did I get here?” They bounce around chasing bugs that aren’t actually there…I mean, I could go on and on, but hopefully you get my point. I finally got a little insight when my kids and I watched “Inside Out.” That’s the Disney movie about what it’s like inside a tween’s brain. Cool flick, especially during the credits when they show the inside of a bunch of other brains, including a cat’s. Makes total sense to me now!
Anyway, in our Scripture passage for today, you could almost say that Jesus is acting a little bit like a cat. Check out John 4:1-4. You may know the story of the woman at the well—well, this is how it starts. Jesus and His disciples are doing what they do: they’re preaching the Good News about God’s love and then baptizing those who choose to turn their lives around and live for him. They’re reaching a lot of people, even more than John the Baptist, and his name includes “the baptist.” So the Pharisees hear about it, which really doesn’t seem to be a big deal. I mean, they don’t want anybody really doing this, so whether John or Jesus has a bigger total count shouldn’t really matter. But then out of left field, Jesus decides to pack up shop and head to Galilee.
Um…that seems a little cat-like to me. I can picture some of the disciples, maybe Peter, saying, “Hey, Jesus, what’s up? Why are we relocating? We’ve got a great site here, and everybody knows where to find us. We’re making a big difference for these folks. Can you let us know why we’re chucking it all to head to Galilee?” On top of that, verse 4 says He “had to go through Samaria.” Now any Bible scholar will tell you that Jews didn’t travel through Samaria. There were well worn paths all the way around Samaria, so that the children of God wouldn’t have to set foot on tainted soil. (More on that in our next family devotional.) But again, Jesus makes a cat-ish maneuver and heads into this forbidden area. You wonder if someone’s maybe messing with Jesus’ controls in “head-quarters”?
In truth, yes. Jesus wasn’t just bouncing from one spot to another all random like. He was being directed by God. Jesus spent more time with God than with anyone else, and that says a lot since He basically lived with His disciples. But by spending so much time in the Father’s presence, He knew exactly what the Lord wanted Him to do, where the greatest need was, what ministry opportunity was going to reveal God’s glory most. He wasn’t being a cat—He was being the hands and feet for God’s mind.
Now, this phenomenon is not just available to the Son of God. Every single one of us can know God’s leading—that’s exactly what he wants for us. The more time we spend with God—the more we invest in daily presence with the Father through prayer, studying the Word, being mindful of how the Holy Spirit is working in and around us—the easier it is to hear God’s voice and understand his heart. When we choose to invest in our relationship with our Abba Father, we find countless opportunities to follow his lead into new…and sometimes crazy situations. But as we’ll find out when we explore the rest of this story, when we listen and obey God’s lead, we get to participate in some awesome moments that will transform lives.
Take some time as a family and share about what God’s been saying to you lately. Where’s he leading? What’s he up to?
Feeling a little low on daily presence? Ask your family to help you find time each day to spend with God. Maybe you can turn it into a family challenge. Set a goal for how many days you want each family member to spend with God and then decide what you’ll do to celebrate when you reach that goal. After all, Jesus is a whole lot of fun! (Even if He’s not cat-crazy.)
