Teflon, Barky and Sleepy

Luke 9:46-48

An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. 47 Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.

“Teflon, Barky and Sleepy” Sounds like it might be a title for a Disney Fairy Tale, doesn’t it? Well it might be! See these three little children were the best of friends. We lived in a pretty quiet neighborhood many decades ago, when it was still safe to play outside. We hung out all day together in the summers. Sometimes we would even pack a sack lunch and be gone together until dinner. No one worried, everyone in the neighborhood was watching out for us.

I was Teflon, the ‘leader of the pack’. I was the oldest, and the bossiest. I loved to read and a plan, so often the days would be planned by me-and once a week the plan involved a trip to the library.

Barky always seemed to have this underlying cough. It might have just been a nervous cough because she was a little intimidated by most people, that’s when she seemed to ‘bark’ the most.

Then there was Sleepy! He was the youngest-my little brother! At first I thought it was a pain that I always had to have him with me, but he grew on me real quick. He was just so cute! He always had a little shock of wheat colored hair that stuck up in the back where my Mom said he had a ‘cow lick’. Whatever that was. He always had a quick smile and a riddle that really had not comedy in it, but we laughed anyway. We all loved him.

The three of us mostly got along well…except when we didn’t! That was at least once a week! See, I would already have a plan for the day. One day Barky did not like my plan. She said it was too hot to walk the 10 blocks to the library, she wanted to go to the pool. I already made the plan I told her, and it was not about to change because of the weather. Beside that, the pool was quite a distance away also.

We went back and forth with our voices getting louder and louder until they reached a crescendo! Sleepy was just sitting on the curb with his books in his sack waiting. Suddenly he stood up and exclaimed, ‘hey, you guys are wasting a perfect summer day yellin’ at each udder (he was missing his front teeth). I wanna git goin’ somewhere, anywhere, and I wanna go now! He stomped his foot for emphasis.

Since we had not ever heard him speak to us like that before, we just looked at each other and began walking. And, since we had our books, we went to the library-first. After we returned we dropped them off, got our swimming stuff, and went to the pool.

I never really understood why we did not think of that before we fussed about it. I do know that from that time until this, Sleepy became the boss of the schedule. He stood up to us with a leadership quality we both admired in him.

When the disciples were with Jesus they had a similar experience. They were fussing with each other over who would be greatest in the Kingdom Finally they asked Jesus; “who will be greatest in your Kingdom?” Jesus must have just shook his weary head thinking; “almost three years I have been with you and my message of love and equality still has not gotten to the root in your heart.”

But He put an end to the bickering by telling them this; “whoever welcomes one of these children, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes my father who sent me.” He probably left them with confused looks, scratching their heads. I am sure when they were alone they asked each other; ‘what did the teacher mean?’ I wonder if they ever figured it out before He was Resurrected. If even then.

The lesson for us is the same as it was for them. Teflon, Barky and Sleepy did not need to bicker over who was the greatest of the three. Who would be the plan maker, the direction taker or the problem solver. They just needed to be loving, all inclusive, all welcoming-even the smallest, youngest, and most different from them! When we do this, we are welcoming Jesus, when we welcome Jesus, we welcome His Father, God!

It’s simple, really. we make it so complicated when we place our own restrictions and parameters on who can and cannot become part of our ‘exclusive’ club called Christian. It really takes a conscious effort to take a person just the way they present themselves, and accept them right there where they are. Then, if we are who we say we are, the ‘Jesus’ will splash out of us, on to them, and He will show them to His father.

Can we please be more like Sleepy and ‘splash’ out Jesus on to each other instead of ‘lashing’ out on each other?