The Unexpected Mission of Jesus 

Weather Report 

Severe storm warning. 
Resist the temptation to shelter inside. 
Go out into it, 
and bring calm steadiness. 
It will change the storm. 

—Steve Garnaas-Holmes 

While in prison, John the Baptist grew concerned about the actions (or nonactions) of Jesus. Apparently, Jesus was not behaving like the One John anticipated.   

John, filled with both curiosity and unease, wanted to know what Jesus what was up to. So, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus a simple question: “Are you the Expected One, or should we be expecting another?” (Matthew 11:3) 

Jesus responded by referring to a prophecy of Isaiah: “Go tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see, the crippled walk…the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor” (Matthew 11:4–5).  

“Yes,” Jesus is saying, “I am the Expected One. I just did not come in the expected way.” The prophetic and healing ministry of Jesus was first to the poor, the unwell, and the marginalized. He did not come to the wealthy, nor to those in power. He came for those who suffer. 

Truthfully, this passage speaks to me right now. Writing this article challenges my own way of being these days. For instance, here I sit, in the comfort a generous home, mostly pondering my own contemplative wilderness journey, reading my favorite Christian mystics—a most worthy journey, to be sure. Still, I wonder, because I am not only called to contemplative prayer. I am also called to action. 

As my spiritual guide wrote in the poem above: “Severe Storm Warning! Resist the temptation to shelter inside. Go out into it!” St. Teresa of Ávila once preached to her sisters something like this: If you are immersed in the deepest of prayer and your sister is ill in her cell, then leave your prayer and go help your sister.  

We live in a broken world. Throughout human history, we always have. But today somehow feels far more potentially catastrophic, especially considering the impacts of a warming Earth and nuclear war. We must not neglect the catastrophes of our neighbors and neighborhoods. 

It reminds me that I too am called to the unexpected ways of Jesus: to serve the poor and the oppressed. Through a charity called Higher Ground Youth and Family Services, I respond to the voice of the Divine in service to the underserved, the most often neglected, and the most marginalized. I resist the temptation to shelter inside and go out into it—God willing.  

So it is with CAC. We are a Center for Action and Contemplation, following the unexpected ways of Jesus—committed to navigating a world on fire.  

Charlie Hedges served for nearly three decades as Executive Coach/Partner-in-Thought to C-Suite personnel in larger companies. He currently spends time with nonprofits, writes blog posts and hosts a podcast, and devotes much time to exploring contemplative prayer.  

For more on Charlie, visit www.thenextchapter.life. 

For poetry and a new book from Steve Garnaas-Holmes, visit www.unfoldinglight.net. 

For more on Higher Ground, visit www.highergroundoc.org.