David Bahn – Reflections

John 17:6-19

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you.

It happened to me yesterday, and it was a truly wonderful moment. Mike Breen was telling a parable about the new landlord. Here’s the story:

There was once a man who lived in a trailer home, in a park littered with trash, and in a state of disarray. The owner of that park and trailer home was a hard man, who would come by regularly demanding the rent. The man lived in near terror of the landlord’s impudent knock on the door of his trailer. One day, when the landlord knocked, the man opened his door to see the scowling face of the landlord. “Your rent is due! Pay it now! And what’s this?!?” He held up a scrap of paper.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” said the man. “That must be some trash that got away.”

“What’s it doing out here?!?” The landlord was nearly yelling now. “You’d better keep a better reign on your trash.”

“Oh, I will; it will never happen again.” He reached for the scrap of paper.

“You’d better not. Where’s my rent!” The landlord held out his hand.

So the story goes; the man doesn’t have the money, begs for extra time to pay, is threatened and charged exorbitant interest for his late payment. This goes on for some time. But the man has no recourse, he lives in fear of the landlord and in dread of his visits.

But one day a new landlord shows up. He comes to the man’s trailer and politely knocks on the door. The sound is different; the man can tell in an instant it’s not the same person. He answers the door and sees a kindly smile and soft eyes. “I’m the new landlord,” he simply says – no threat in his voice. “I just wanted to come by and let you know that I’ll not be collecting rent from now on; you can just live here – free.”

“Free? I don’t understand. You mean you’re not going to charge me any rent?” The man can hardly believe his ears.

Just then a breeze blows through the trailer park and a scrap of trash tumbles out of the house (it’s full of trash by now for fear of the old landlord’s tirades). The new landlord reaches down and picks it up. “That’s my trash, and I’m sorry!” The man nearly screams in fear (the old landlord had so deeply intimidated him). “Give it to me; I’ll never let another scrap get away again.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” said the new landlord, putting it in his pocket. “I’ll take care of it for you. You got any more in there? I’ll take it as well.”

“Maybe just a bit, but it’s no bother. Don’t worry about it.” The man didn’t quite believe a landlord could be so kind.

“Well you see I do worry about it; it’s not safe for you to live among all that trash. Tell you what, you just put it outside your door whenever you’re ready and I’ll take care of it.” Then the landlord left.

So the man gave it a try. He bundled up some of his trash and set it outside his trailer. A few minutes later he opened the door to check to see that the wind hadn’t scattered it. And – miraculously – the trash was gone!

The next day the landlord came by again. He told the man, “If you have any more trash” – he seemed to know that the man had lots of trash in his trailer – “just put it out and let me take care of it for you.” The landlord left again.

The man did indeed have lots of trash and he began to imagine how good it would be to be rid of it. So he began bundling up his trash and cleaning out his trailer. Then one day he heard an old, familiar, and very unwelcome knock. Opening the door he was met with the glaring eyes of the old landlord.

“Where’s my rent!” The old landlord’s voice brought chills to the man.

“Well, er, I, I don’t have it,” he was stuttering now caught in a vortex of fear and worry.

“Well I need it now.” So the encounter unfolded with a promise to come next week and get the past-due rent, with interest, and a threat about garbage not being seen. And the man was heart-broken; life had been so good with the new landlord.

Later that day the new landlord came by, and seeing the man told him, “By the way, I wanted to warn you: the old landlord has been seen here lately. He’s been threatening people, demanding rent. You haven’t seen him have you?” As soon as the new landlord asked the question he could tell that the man had indeed seen him. He continued, “Well if he comes back – you know to collect rent or trouble you about your garbage – tell him to leave you alone. Mention my name to him, and tell him to leave you alone; he has no right to you; I’ve bought this place. It’s mine and he has no right to collect rent from you – or to threaten you about your garbage. Just mention my name to him. My name is Jesus, and he’ll leave you alone if you just mention my name.”

When Mike told that parable, at the name of Jesus a rush of life and deep joy welled up within me. I knew the parable had been about Jesus. I knew it was surely coming. But at the mention of the name of Jesus there was deep joy and peace in my soul.

Doesn’t that make these word of Jesus even more sweet: He has brought us to the good and gracious Father who’s kingdom is a place of grace, mercy, kindness and life. We need never give our old landlord any rent, nor live among the trash in fear of his condemnation. Once in a while I need to be reminded of who my new landlord is. How about you?

John 17:6-19

“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. ⁸For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁰ All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.¹² While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.