The Kingdom of God is on a forceful advance, and forceful men lay hold of it. (Matthew 11:12)I will tell you 4 stories of 4 extraordinary men. My hope is that by the end of these tales, you will feel a bit of what I feel in my heart at this hour. Even more so, I hope the telling (and the fact that it is recorded here) will spur me on to further action, and greater commitment.
Eliot Ness was a Treasury Officer. More than being an officer of the law, he was a man of justice. It was his desire to bring Al Copone down. When he arrived in Chicago, his first efforts to topple the big-city boss were embarrassingly unsuccessful. After his initial, painful defeat, he threw a scrap of paper into the Chicago River and so began a relationship that would change his life. An old beat cop, Jim Malone, chided him for his littering, and in the course of their conversation proved himself to be an experienced, insightful, and above all, honest cop. Malone dismissed Ness's proposal to join him in his fight against Capone, but after many hours of thought, later came to Ness with a changed heart. Whisking Ness out of the police headquarters ("These walls have ears"), Malone escorted him to a nearby church. The conversation held there is profound on many levels, and shook Eliot Ness, and now shakes Jay Elliott.
Malone: You said you wanted to get Capone. Do you really wanna get him? You see what I'm saying is, what are you prepared to do?
Ness: Anything and everything in my power.
Malone: And THEN what are you prepared to do? If you open the can on these worms you must be prepared to go all the way because they're not gonna give up the fight until one of you is dead.
Ness: How do you do it then?
Malone: You wanna know how you do it? Here's how:they pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send on of his to the morgue! That's the Chicago way, and that's how you get Capone! Now do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that?
Ness: I have sworn to capture this man with all legal powers at my disposal and I will do so.
Malone: Well the Lord hates a coward. Do you know what a blood oath is Mr. Ness?
Ness: Yes.
Malone: Good, cause you just took one.
There once was a man named Jason with tin ears, and even if he had a bucket, he would have been unable to carry a tune in it. Yet somewhere in his soul, he felt he should play the guitar. There were many nights when, after he had completed his school work, he would resolutely sit in his bedroom and pluck shaky chords on his guitar. In a matter of months, he could play simple songs. In time, he discovered not only musical ability in his fingers, but also in his voice. Out of sheet effort and practice, Jason became not just a singer and musician, but one who would lead others in song.
Kaiser Soze was a notorious theif. So much so that one fateful day, he came home to find his family being held captive by a group of murderous mobsters. Without describing the events of that grusome day in detail, let it be said that, "he showed these men of will what will really is."
Some people are born, and from their earliest days, they are declared to be wonders in music, in athletics, in academics, and in art. Jon was not one of these people. He reached his 20th year and suddenly thought to himself, "I would like to draw." Imagine sitting for hours and producing a work on the level of a junior high art student. The frustration was almost unbearable. He nearly quit. But instead of turning away, the times of despair fueled drawing sessions that would last for hours and hours. They prompted a two year period of intense artistic study. By force of will, Jon is now perhaps THE best artist I know personally.
Do you catch the familiar strain in each of these four lives? Will. I have two dear friends who, although seemingly lacking the "inherent ability" in art and music which I possess, have far surpassed me by will and determination. I love the quote from the film, "The Usual Suspects": "He showed these men of will what will really is." It speaks to me directly of the Scripture in Matthew 11:12: "the Kingdom of Heaven is on a forceful advance, and forceful men lay hold of it." Does this mean the Kingdom will be persecuted and warred against? Most likely. But also true, and I believe even more so, it carries the idea that those who strive with steely resolve to follow the King of Kings will most fully grasp the Kingdom. Consider the context. Jesus points to John the Baptist. He renounced (and I speak from a modern perspective) fashion, delicacies, comfort and fine living, norms of work and social interaction, and lived what would be considered the life of a madman in order to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom. He forcefully held onto the Kingdom, seeing that all else would slip away. He had resolve. He had determination to forsake all else for that high calling. "He showed these men of will what will really is."
It boggles my mind that Jason and Jon, both men of faith, along with their talent and passion, labored until they reached their goal, when, as Jon put it, "(they) didn't even show signs of promise." There are countless lives of resolve, from John the Baptist, to Abraham, (see Hebrews 11 for the list of those in between), from Jim Elliot to Elliot Ness, who challenge me to evaluate what it is I really want, what is really important, and mostly, what it is I am prepared to do to achieve such ends.
I have set my face toward being an artist. Not simply producing a mediocre sketch here or there, but being, thinking, working and living as an artist. It will require much sacrifice, and will greatly test my will. But before that, above that, I have been chosen to follow Christ. I responded to this high calling. And I was reminded this morning as I worshiped among the people of Irving Bible Church that I must steadfastly commit to my convictions, to caring, and to endurance until the coming of Christ. Artist. Theologian. Social activist. Expectant worshiper. I could be no happier than if these titles were authentic in my life. The question remains: "What are you prepared to do?"
It is easy to see Christ in many things, and I find him in the cathedral conversation between Malone and Ness. Christ, in a curious Scottish brogue, lays out the plan of discipleship, pointing out the inherent dangers, and asks if it is really my desire to follow him. With a meek, "Yes," he responds, "What are you prepared to do?" In a brutally poignant seen later in the film, "The Untouchables," Malone is ambushed and lays dying in the arms of Ness. Here too I find Jesus. In an act of supreme devotion and resolve, showing what will really is, he showed what he was prepared to endure for my sake. He stretched out dying to show what force would be required to take hold of the Kingdom. As Malone, I hear his last words stab into my heart: "What are you prepared to do?"
