At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
Luke 10:21 (NIV)

While we were away for the holidays, things really began to heat up back home in Iowa. We’re weeks away from the Iowa caucuses which are the first test on the road to political conventions for the Presidential candidates. Most Iowans can randomly spit in the air right now and risk hitting a Presidential candidate. The number of ads for Presidential candidates that we’re seeing on television right now is crazy. We go through this every four years.

Along with the candidates, we also get the press. Reporters from New York and Washington D.C. make their trek to the cornfields of Iowa. It’s usually the only time you’ll see a major reporter’s by-line read Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, or Sioux City.

During our U.K. sojourn, I read in multiple outlets a story of the host of NBC’s Meet the Press who went out of his way to disparage those who believe God’s Message as individuals who reject logic and believe in fairy tales; people who like to be lied to and are unwilling to accept “hard truths.”

Wow. I was glad to read that his fellow journalists distanced themselves from painting a large percentage of Americans with such a disparaging broad brush of generalization. Nevertheless, it’s a reminder that there are individuals who

In today’s chapter, Jesus is continuing his miraculous mystery tour of towns along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. His ministry is expanding. He sends out 72 followers in pairs as advance teams to the towns He’s planning on visiting. There are still small towns, like the little hamlet of Chorizin, who want nothing to do with Him. But the crowds are growing and word is spreading.

But here is the thing. Jesus has launched His ministry in the backwaters of the region. Everyone knows that Jerusalem is where it’s at. Everyone who is anyone knows that if you want to make a name for yourself you have to do it in Jerusalem. If you want to be big in the theatre you have to be in New York. If you want to be big in movies you have to be in Hollywood. If you want to be big in politics you have to be in the Beltway. If you want to be Messiah, you have to go to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is where the greatest religious minds reside, where the power brokers make and break religious careers, and where young men like Saul of Tarsus can make their mark in the world of Judaism.

But Jesus rejects that model. He chooses a strategic plan that runs opposite of what the PR firms of the day would have told Him to do. When His 72 followers return from their practicums in the little towns and podunk villages of the Galilee backwaters, Jesus joyfully relishes the successful results of His rural, spiritual caucus:

“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.“

Jesus will make His way to Jerusalem. He knows, however, that those religious power brokers will be threatened by Him and His teaching. He will stir the pot, and they will kill Him out of political expediency.

In the quiet this morning I’m reminded that the things of God run contrary to the things of this world. Jesus even told His followers, “In this world, you will have trouble.” Just as He did. I shouldn’t be surprised when power brokers in the institutions of the world paint me with broad brushstrokes of generalization.

In a few weeks, the political circus will pack up and move on to New Hampshire and elsewhere. Iowa will once again be largely relegated to the back-burner of national thought. I’m sure that politicians and reporters will swap war-stories of their weeks having to be here, in the middle of nowhere. That’s cool. We do this dance every four years.

I like it here. It’s the kind of place Jesus would start a ministry.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Phil Roeder via Flickr.