Jay Leno's In A Rut

Have you ever been filled with discouragement because you looked back at your life — at the old high school yearbooks, your job career, your marriage, how your kids turned out, how your CHARACTER turned out — and just didn't see any growth? You struggled with petty angers when you were a teenager, and you've still got them. You tended to hold grudges in college, and you're locked onto them now as well. You had what today we call an "addictive personality" . . . and as long as you can remember, it's been like that. In that college dorm, it was beer, and then all-night card parties, and then promiscuity, and then this, and then that. SOMETHING . . . ALWAYS had you by the throat.

Well, in a moment, let me share with you a Bible story where it was pretty much that way too. But first a bit of television history to illustrate the point. We noticed in getting ready for this radio series, THE PATIENT SHOWS NO IMPROVEMENT, that way back in the year 1954, exactly 46 years ago TODAY, September 27, 1954, a program called The Tonight Show made its debut on NBC. And it's done all right for itself in the ratings; some of you listening today have probably been propping yourselves up with pillows for it the whole 46 years.

And what's been the format of The Tonight Show all this time? Well, back on this date, September 27, 1954, Mr. Steve Allen opened up with a monologue of jokes written on cue cards. Then after the first commercial breaks, there would be some little funny things: skits, games, audience participation. And then a couple of guests sitting on the couch next to Steve, with banter and questions: "How've you been? You look fabulous. I hear your latest movie's just a riot; let's take a look at a clip." That kind of thing.

Well, Steve Allen had the job until '57, and then Jack Paar took over. How'd the show go then? Well — monologue, skits, a couple of guests. And then on October 1, 1962, a new face showed up. The guests that night were Rudy Vallee, Joan Crawford, Mel Brooks, and Tony Bennett, and the new king of Late Night was a young man named Johnny Carson. And for 30 years, he used THIS very unique formula: monologue, skits and a couple of guests. Plus his patented golf swing, making fun of Ed McMahon, and the little bit where he'd bounce the pencil on his desk along with the music, and say, "Thank you, Doc!" Finally, beginning in 1992 a guy with a prominent chin, Mr. Jay Leno, has been taking America through . . . guess what? A monologue, mostly made up of Bill Clinton jokes, audience participation and skits, and a couple of guests. Sound familiar? For 46 YEARS, "right after your local news," America has been propping itself up in bed watching a monologue, a skit, and two guests. No change, no growth, no revisions, no nothing.

And you know, I'm afraid that the Bible tells similar stories of CONSTANCY — in terms of spiritual growth. There's a New Testament anecdote you can find in the book of Mark, chapter 9, or the book of Luke, also chapter 9. In Mark, Jesus and the disciples are hiking to the town of Capernaum, and apparently Jesus walked about 50 yards ahead of His 12 friends, or they lagged behind, because when they got there, He asked them, "Oh, by the way, what were you men talking about back there on the road? I couldn't quite hear you." Well, the disciples didn't want to answer Him. "They kept quiet," says the NIV Bible. In the King James, "they held their peace." Why? Because the whole way, these 12 shallow sailors had been arguing about just one thing: who was the greatest? When Jesus set up His earthly kingdom — they were positive this was right around the corner — who should be vice president, who should be secretary of state, who should be head of the joint chiefs of staff, etc.

Now, friend, does this sound familiar? Is this, or is this not, the sin of pride? And maybe you say, "Well, they were new Christians. If this is in chapter nine, they must have just met Jesus." Actually, if you read it in Luke, it's clear that this is towards the END of the three-and-a-half years. It says in verse 51, right after this, that Jesus "(quote) resolutely set out for Jerusalem." "He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem," says the King James. Where a Calvary cross was waiting for Him.

And the point is this. Here are 12 men, who are walking and talking and eating and sleeping and praying and worshiping with Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And they've been doing it for the bulk of three-and-a-half years. And yet, right here near the close of the story, near to the cross, these men are still full of pride. They still want to rule the world with their two swords. In terms of Tonight Show progress for them, it's still a monologue, skit, and two guests. They haven't tampered one iota with the original sin formula they started out with.

In fact, if you read down just eight more verses here in Luke 9, there's a story where the disciples and Jesus come to a rather unfriendly Samaritan village. And these fine upstanding men, James and John, who are trying to follow the example of Jesus in all things, practically have a conniption fit. "Should we call down fire from heaven on them, Lord?" they complain. And Jesus has to rebuke them.

So friend, the pattern of never learning, of stuck-in-a-rut, of THE PATIENT SHOWS NO IMPROVEMENT, is well established even in the Bible. Even in the inner circle of Christ's closest friends. But let's notice two points, both of which are absolutely vital.

First of all, it's wonderful news that even when we fail to copy Jesus, even when we clump along in a rut of slow growth or even NO-growth, Jesus doesn't abandon us. My friend Morris Venden has observed, with a bit of humor, that if they were HIS 12 disciples, he'd had chucked them a long time ago. "Get out of my sight, you miserable 12! Give me a NEW 12; I'm starting over." But Jesus doesn't do that. He stays with Peter, James, and John. He even stays with Judas. Yes, He does rebuke them; yes, He does counsel them. But He also stays on the same road with them. He continues in fellowship with them, in relationship with them. His patience with them knows no bounds.

You know, this is wonderful news for you and me. After 50 or 60 years of trying to be a Christian, are you discouraged because your selfish heart still shows some pretty broad continuing streaks of selfishness? That's not good news, but it IS good news that Jesus is still with you. He still loves you. He's still determined to transform that selfish heart, in His own time and way, as you slowly learn to let Him, and the only way He CAN change it is if He stays with you on the road to Jerusalem.

Over in John chapter four is a story we sometimes call "The Woman at the Well." She was a Samaritan as well, and that seemed to bring out the worst in guys like James and John — in fact, it brought out the worst in almost everybody. Now, this particular woman had had — count 'em — one, two, three, four, five husbands. And Jesus knew it. Five husbands, and now living with guy number six. NOT married to him. Jesus knew that too.

Now, even here in the year 2000, people shake their heads at a woman with five husbands. I recall an episode of Frasier a few years back where a woman who'd had five or six husbands was dating the dad, "Martin." And the two sons, Frasier and Niles, were instantly concerned. Because a woman with five or six husbands, according even to the WORLD'S thinking, is stuck in a rut of dysfunction. Talk about THE PATIENT SHOWS NO IMPROVEMENT. But here by the well in the village of Sychar, Jesus sits right next to this woman of the world who has been through one failed marriage after another. She's been in several adulterous situations, and simply has not learned from her mistakes. She's made no progress toward the heavenly ideals. And yet Jesus ministers to her; He accepts her. He explains to her AGAIN the better way, the fact that HE is The Way. And not only does SHE get saved, but down in verse 39 we find that a huge portion of the town's population comes to believe in Jesus through her witness.

That's really Lesson #2, I guess. If we stay on the road WITH this Jesus who doesn't give up, at the end of the story, something will happen. True, a man named Judas Iscariot decided to dwell forever in the land of rebellion, but the other eleven men finally DID get transformed. In the end, the hospital patients who stayed with the Great Physician DID get well.

And friend, if you and I stay with this friendly Doctor, and don't give up on Him, I can guarantee you He's never going to give up on US.

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