(a Steve Orr Bible reflection)
In the original Karate Kid movie (1984), Mr. Miyagi saved high school student Daniel from a savage beating. The older man dispatched the bullies using Karate. Daniel begged to learn Karate so that he could protect himself. Mr. Miyagi agreed.
He directed Daniel to perform various menial tasks, including waxing Mr. Miyagi’s car. He insisted Daniel apply the wax by rotating his right hand in a clockwise circle. At the same time, he had to remove the wax by rotating his left hand counterclockwise. All of this while Mr. Miyagi chanted, over and over, “Wax on. Wax off. Wax on. Wax off.”
Daniel soon balked, feeling the older man was taking advantage of him, using him to get some chores done. Mr. Miyagi then revealed that all the supposed menial tasks were actually practice for effective Karate moves. Once he understood, Daniel dedicated himself to perfecting the moves.
Daniel’s frustration with Mr. Miyagi grew from performing the “what” and the “how” without knowing the “why.” Once he understood the why, Daniel was quite willing to proceed.
Whats, hows, and whys are at the heart of this week’s Luke passage. There, Satan tempted Jesus three times: once with sustenance, once with power, and once with personal value. All three temptations were whats or hows. Jesus needed to experience everything just as we do—the whats and the hows of life here. We read that Jesus resisted these temptations, rebuffing Satan’s attempts to entrap him. But do we know the means of His victory?
In the wilderness, Satan always offered a what or how temptation. Jesus always countered with a why response. Our why drives our behavior. Jesus knew His why. That’s how He could resist Satan.
Jesus never forgot why He was here. That clear understanding drove Him all through His life and ministry. The whats and the hows were not any easier for Jesus than for us. But knowing the why provided the drive to accomplish the mission.
We can grow tired of the tasks God has assigned us. Maybe we think they are beneath our skill sets, or maybe they’re not aligned with our “calling.” Take heart. There is a plan. And if we will stick with Him, we will eventually understand that He has been developing us through our experiences—as menial or frustrating as they may sometimes seem.
Wax on. Wax off.
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