Becoming more at home through companions
The goal in life with Jesus Christ is to become more at home with the heavenly Father. Companions help us to achieve this. Aaron and Miriam were Moses» companions. Thanks to them, Moses became the capable and mature man we know from the Bible.
My best colleague during my «tech time» was an Engadin and mountain guide. When we looked out of the window during lectures in Buchs in the Rhine Valley, we looked directly at the Kreuzberge on the edge of the Alpstein. For him, this was often a temptation he could not resist. And so he was drawn to the mountains and I was allowed to go along. Those were wonderful experiences. Thanks to his psychological skills and technical expertise, I was able to master difficult places. Good companions climb the peaks of life with us. They experience adventures with us, warn us of dangers. But they also descend with us into the valley and comfort us.
When children should grow more, they are given growth hormones. If we want to grow in life with God, to become more at home with the heavenly Father, we need companions.
Becoming more native through people
What was the name of the leader who led Israel out of captivity in Egypt into the Promised Land? To this question I would answer «Moses» as a matter of course. I am fascinated by his leadership and social competence. He led a people of millions through the greatest challenges in impassable terrain. Political stars are usually woven from such material. But about Moses it says: «Moses was very humble, there was no one on earth more humble than him»(Exodus 12:3). Moses was also a man who had found a home with God: «The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as one who speaks to his friend»(Exodus 33:11).
Moses was commissioned to take up a new homeland for all the people of Israel. But he did not go alone. Companions helped him – for example Miriam and Aaron. The three were later described as the leaders who led the people out of slavery: «For I brought you out of Egypt and freed you from slavery. I have given you Moses, Aaron and Miriam as your guides.»(Micah 6:4). Who led Israel to the new homeland? Moses, Aaron and Miriam! Thanks also to his companions, Moses became a mature man in character and spirit.
Is there an «Aaron» and a «Mirjam» for you? They are confidants and people you make confidants. You let them look into your heart. You don’t have to play a role with them – just like at home. You can put aside your professional self, your entertainer self, your strength self, your helper self, your compassion seeker self and just be who you are. Such companions want to be found. It is one of the tasks and privileges that we do not embark on our life’s journey on our own, but with companions. With people who mean well for us.
When Moses lost heart, his brother Aaron came to meet him. «But Moses asked: «Lord, please send someone else! Then the Lord became angry with Moses. «I know that your brother Aaron the Levite is a good speaker,» he said. He is already on his way to you and will be glad to see you.»(Exodus 4:13f). Aaron became a loyal companion and found the right words. Without Aaron, Moses would hardly have managed this task.
On the way to the Promised Land, we too will pass through the desert. It is then that we need good companions. People tend to condemn themselves in their failures or to think less of themselves. For me, it sometimes only takes one critical email and I feel a heaviness trying to settle on my soul. An encouraging break talk in the staff team is very helpful. Or when things didn’t work out in the staff team a year ago, I needed companions to help me sort out my thoughts and recognise my shares.
Perhaps even more difficult is to deal well with success. We need people who rejoice with us over our successes. Miriam, Moses» sister, sang at the top of her voice about their joint success after they had passed through the Reed Sea (Exodus 15:20–21). It is not easy to be successful without becoming proud and arrogant. Roger Federer is also so popular because he has remained grounded in the 20 years of his success. Some say that he is still the same as he was back then. Federer has good companions who help him «keep his head down». In addition to his staff, his wife and four children play an important role in «grounding» him.
Moses had a direct line to God and was the boss of countless people. It would not have been surprising if he had «grown trees in the sky». But no, Moses was humbler than all the others. Humility means the courage to serve and not to think too little or too highly of oneself. He was aware of his dependence on God, but also that God wanted to use him. Moses knew who he was and that everything was given by God. False humility would be to respond sheepishly to a compliment: «It works, but it wasn’t that good…«Basically, all you want is more praise.
Aaron was as much an advocate as a critic for Moses. At one point Mirjam and Aaron questioned the leadership style. They criticised his marriage to the Cushite woman, a woman with brown skin. Moreover, they questioned Moses» prophetic special status. «Did the Lord really only speak through Moses? Did he not also do it through us?»(Genesis 12:2).
It is impressive how Moses does not retaliate to this massive questioning out of a wounded ego, but leaves the matter to God. First loyalty is always to God and not to the companions. And God is not long in coming. He gives a clear answer. Miriam becomes a leper. The Lord confirms Moses» special position: «I speak to him personally, directly and not in riddles!»(Genesis 12:8). He thus contradicts all democratisation tendencies and every demand for equality. The Lord can empower and use individuals in a special way. Despite the personal attack of his brothers and sisters, Moses asks the Lord for healing for Miriam. His focus is on God. His companions help him to purify his motives and become more at home with God. It is very important that we not only have people who give us confirmation, but also those who have the courage to question us critically.
These three companions, who were also brothers and sisters, stuck together as companions in the face of all problems (Ex 32:8). They stood up for each other and remained faithful to the promise of leading the people to the good land. At the same time, Moses did not make himself dependent on his companions. He kept his focus on God. Companions help us to find a home in relationships, to become more at home with the heavenly Father.
Becoming more native through small group
These are exactly the tasks of the small groups in seetal chile. They are meant to integrate people in the seetal chile and to promote growth in faith. In the small group, companions meet for a while.
Someone said that we needed three different types of companions. We all need a Paul. A person who challenges us and sets us a task. Paul trusted Timothy with a great ministry. Paul’s companion became a role model for the young worker. We all need someone who sees more in us, who draws out a particular gift and encourages us. A boy watches an artist chisel away at a stone. He asks, «How did you know there was a lion in this block of marble?» – «I saw the lion in my heart before it was in the marble!» A Paul sees the lion that is in you! He challenges you to follow your heart and your calling.. They are companions who have already walked the path and turn back once more to accompany another. They know their stuff and still leave room for their own discoveries. Look for people who are moving forward and ask them to accompany you part of the way.
Besides a Paul, we also need a Barnabas, whose real name was Joseph. Barnabas means: «Son of Consolation»(Acts 4:36). He is called «Man with noble character» who was filled with the Holy Spirit and had a firm faith (Acts 11:24). After Saul’s conversion, Barnabas was the first, along with Hananias, to take Paul in. He gave him protection and was loyal to him. He was also a faithful companion on Paul’s first missionary journey. Later there was a quarrel between the two and they separated. So he also seems to have been a critic of Paul. He pointed out grievances and did not mince his words.
I wish for such a faithful companion. A faithful person who nevertheless questions me honestly and openly. We need people who offer us a place of retreat when we need it. We need mentors who remind us of the limits of our strength and give us a break in between. A Barnabas takes us further pastorally and in questions of personality.
Then we also need a Timothy. He was a kind of foster son of Paul (Acts 16). He became his companion and learned a lot by watching and being there. Timothy was held in high esteem by Paul and was given more and more responsible tasks – up to the leadership of the church in Ephesus. Paul called him his beloved and faithful child. Later he became a kind of partner of Paul, was co-author of some letters. Paul encouraged him to let the gift that was in him grow. He exhorted him to use his strength well, to be faithful in his service and to be an example to other Christians despite his young age. Paul’s message remained relevant because he had someone close to him who asked the right questions. The younger one knew his generation better than the older one, formulated in different words, asked different questions.
As all need people who are younger and ask crucial questions. They have a fresh and unspent look. And: you have fire. God always worked especially with young people because they were not yet deprived of ideals by the spirit of sobriety and the experience of defeat. A Timothy calls to mind what is really important, calls things into question with his very presence and evokes in us a longing to leave something important behind.
What does this have to do with our small groups? I don’t think we find Paul, Barnabas and Timothy there in pure culture, but – if we are attentive – shares of each type throughout.
But in such a group there is always the Judas. When Jesus created community and called his circle of disciples together, at the end of the list of names it says: «[…] Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him)»(Luke 6:16). The literal translation should be: «Judas, who handed him over to suffering». Community is the place where the person you least want to live with is guaranteed to live. There are always people who hand us over to suffering. Such people are given to us to «hand us over». There is always this Judas who brings things out of my heart that I didn’t even think were still there. There is always that Judas who is annoying and without whom it would be much easier! After two or three negative experiences, we avoid such people. Judas handed Jesus over to suffering and thereby made the community fruitful. Difficult people are also given to us so that we can grow and become more at home with God.
When I was twenty years old, my pastor at the time «saw a lion that was in me» that I did not even begin to perceive. I would never have done a theological education if I had not had companions who challenged me for a long time. We live in the time of individualism. Everyone has to know for himself what he wants. People hardly talk each other into life. We have to fight against this trend. We need companions with whom we find home and who help us to become more at home with God.
Possible questions for the small groups
Reading the Bible text: Genesis 12
- Why is it that in Micah 6:4 not only Moses, but the trio of Moses, Aaron and Miriam are named as leaders of the people on the way to the Promised Land?
- Do you have people who are with you when you climb mountains? Do you also have people who accompany you through your valleys?
- A Paul sees «the lion in you». What kind of people have helped you to find your vocation?
- Who could become a Timothy of yours?
- Have you had any relevant experiences with a Judas in your environment? In what way has he made your life fruitful?
