I was not a reader in high school. Case in point, most of my book reports were based on movie versions of the assigned story—a strategy that often led to awkward conversations with my teachers.
And yet, there was one reading assignment that captured my attention like none other, a story I was compelled to read, a legend I could not put down. It was The Odyssey—that epic poem about the king of Ithaca sailing home after the Trojan War.
The main characters were unforgettable. There was Odysseus, the hero of the story; Circe, the immortal nymph; Poseidon, the god of the sea; and, of course, Zeus, the god of the gods. Even the supporting characters were memorable, none more than the Sirens of the sea: the half-female, half-bird, hypnotic creatures who lived on the islands, luring passing sailors to the rocky coast with their beautiful songs.
Circe’s warning about the Sirens is graphic,
The Sirens bewitch everybody who approaches them. There is no homecoming for the man who draws near them unawares. . . For with their high clear song the Sirens bewitch him, as they sit there in a meadow piled high with the mouldering skeletons of men, whose withered skin still hangs upon their bones.1
No wonder the “Siren song” has become modern slang to describe deceptive danger, a graphic visual for something attractive that destroys.
Distraction is our modern-day Siren song; the alluring, yet dangerous, melody that seduces us every day—so much so, as Alan Noble observed, we now search for distractions from our distractions.2
Distraction is a song that has its distinct sounds—its chimes, dings, and rings; a tune that wields great power over our lives—wasting our time, cluttering our minds, and bullying itself into our already set schedules; a ballad that affects every part of our body—foggy thinking, elevated anxiety, and sapped energy.3
And yet, there is a Siren song far more treacherous than any push notification that will ever reach our phone, or social media alert we will ever hear, or reel we will ever watch. The distractions that should concern us most are the passing fads and temporal movements that have charmed many believers away from Christ’s calling on their lives.
Social movements, like End Homelessness; political campaigns, like Make America Great Again; personal ambitions, like Achieve the American Dream—and there are countless others—each a Siren tune seducing us, luring us, distracting us from our God-given purposes.
And what is the danger of being carried away by these tempting songs? Gospel opportunities are missed, Christ-centered goals are never achieved, and in the end, like Odysseus’ sailors, our distracted lives become shipwrecked lives.
In Greek mythology, the sailors stuffed wax in their ears to resist the Sirens’ seduction. Today, the remedy is much the same, but with a necessary addition. We certainly need to deafen our ears to the many distractions we face, but we must also fix our eyes on the life and ministry of Jesus—the perfect God-Man who made it a habit to say no to every temporal movement (John 6:15), who disappointed many by not doing what they hoped He would do (Mark 1:42), the one who would not be deterred from anything that would keep Him from fulfilling His Father’s purposes (John 5:19).
Why is Jesus’ undistracted life the answer to our distracted ways? Because of Jesus’ commission in John 20:21, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” With deliberate language, Christ removes every distraction that might pull us into its orbit and calls us to embrace the same purposes that drove Him. This is no ambiguous parallel. Christ made His undistracted life the pattern for ours.4
To the surprise of many, Jesus was not sent from heaven only to sacrifice Himself on the cross (though that was the most significant reason for His coming). Jesus had many more goals to achieve. In fact, throughout His ministry, Jesus spoke of eleven distinct, divine purposes for which He was sent.
Notice the chart below.
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“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:17; cf. 10:10; 12:47) |
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“He said to them, ‘Let us go somewhere else to the town nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.’" (Mark 1:38 (cf. Luke 4:43) |
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“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matt 5:17) |
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“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32; cf. Matt 9:13; Mark 2:17) |
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“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matt 10:34) |
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“But He answered and said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’” (Matt 15:24 ) |
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“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! . . . Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division.” (Luke 12:49, 51) |
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“And Jesus said, ‘For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.’” (John 9:39) |
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“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45; cf. Matt 20:28) |
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"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10) |
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“If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” (John 12:47) |
When these purposes are combined thematically, seven overarching priorities shaped Jesus’ undistracted life.
Jesus’ Purpose Statements Arranged Thematically
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Priority #1: Teach God’s Word |
He said to them, ‘Let us go somewhere else to the town nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.’” (Mark 1:38; cf. Luke 4:43) |
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Priority #2: Instruct the Heart |
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17) |
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Priority #3: Sacrifice for the Gospel |
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45; cf. Matthew 20:28) |
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Priority #4: Shepherd God’s People |
“But He answered and said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’” (Matthew 15:24) |
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Priority #5: Treasure Repentance |
“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32; cf. Matthew 9:13; Mark 2:17) |
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Priority #6: Sever from the World |
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34; cf. Luke 12:49–53; John 9:39–41) |
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Priority #7: Proclaim the Cross |
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10; cf. John 3:17; 10:10; 12:47) |
Here is what the undistracted life, modeled after Christ, looks like: a commitment to teach God’s Word and instruct the heart, a love for God’s people that shows itself in sacrifice and shepherding, a desire to repent from sin and sever oneself from the world, and a singular focus on proclaiming the saving work of Christ on His cross.
It begs the questions: What are our priorities? What goals drive us? What purposes are we accomplishing? And even more probing, how do our priorities compare to Jesus’?
If we are going to fulfill John 20:21, if we are going to be sent into this world as Christ was sent by His Father, if we are going to resist our modern-day Siren’s songs of distraction, then we will have to stop chasing the fleeting trends of our day. We will have to start disappointing those who try to fit us into their diverting agendas. We will certainly have to reevaluate what we deem essential and divorce ourselves from any pursuit of the American dream. Why? Because that is the only way we can make Christ’s priorities our priorities.
The undistracted life is what my blog posts will focus on this year. Each post will expose a modern-day Siren song that tempts us to follow its melody. But more than exposing the problem, we will be challenged to embrace the solution and adopt the priorities that drove Jesus’s life and ministry. This is why each post will end with a section entitled, “Living the Undistracted Life,” where everyday applications will be offered, showing how we can pattern our lives around Christ’s purposes.
Will we be convicted? How could we not? Will parts of our lives need to be radically altered? I suspect they will. But it will be worth it because the Siren’s song is deadly. And it is strong. We feel its pull every day. And yet, Christ’s commission is stronger, His purposes are greater, and His words are clear: “As the Father sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).
[1] Homer, The Odyssey.
[2] Alan Noble, Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age.
[3] Chris Martin, Terms of Service: The Real Cost of Social Media.
[4] John R. W. Stott, Christian Mission in the Modern World.
[5] This chronology is based upon Robert L. Thomas and Stanley N. Gundry, A Harmony of the Gospels (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1991). All italics are mine.