Ekballo

This month we look at an important New Testament word that is translated in various ways in different places. It’s the word ‘ekballo’, which basically means ‘out’ (ek) ‘throw’ (ballo).

i ) Read Matthew 21: 10-13 especially verse 12: Jesus went into the Temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling there. Drastic action here: he didn’t say, ‘Oh dear, I’ll go and pray about this’ or

‘Oh dear, they’ve maybe had a deprived upbringing’ or ‘That’s the way they are, poor things.’

He dealt with the wrong situation, thoroughly. Ekballo is not a gentle word: if you want a modern English phrase to match it, try ‘chuck out’. I like the story of the gardener who was proudly showing off his handiwork to a Christian friend who repeatedly said ‘Isn’t God a wonderful gardener!’ After hearing this too many times, the gardener (human) said, ‘But you should have seen it when God had it all to Himself.’ All of us have issues in our lives which, like weeds, need to be ‘chucked out.’ Some of the weeds are easy enough to remove, whereas others need determined, repeated treatment to eradicate. Psalm 66: 18 says ‘If I had cherished sin in my heart (NIV), if I had ignored my sins (GNB), the Lord would not have listened.

It is tempting to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, but we must deal with sin - chuck it out !!

Read Ephesians 4: 22-24 Verse 22: Get rid of your old self . . . throw it out Verse 24 Put on the new self . . . compare Colossians 3: 9, 12.

Read Matthew 10:1 Jesus gave His disciple authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out (= ekballo)

Pray, using the words of James 4: 7-10 in the Message version:
So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him

scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.

ii ) Read John 10: 1-4 Verse 4 has the ‘ekballo.’ ‘When the shepherd has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them.’

At first I’m in the sheepfold with the Shepherd, and that’s great. But then. . . I know I can’t stay, so it’s out to face the day.

Notice that the Shepherd brings out all the sheep, no matter how tempting it is to stay in the comfort zone.

A visitor called at the church one Sunday morning just as the preacher was nearing the end of the sermon. The visitor asked, ‘Is the service nearly over?’ The person at the door said, ‘The worship time is nearly finished. But the service begins when the people walk out of the building.’

Don’t forget that ‘ekballo’ is a strong word - we are pushed and shoved out into service. But also from verse 4, the Shepherd goes on ahead of us.

iii ) Read Matthew 9: 35-38 Verse 38 has the ‘ekballo.’ ‘Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.’ Again we remind ourselves that it’s not a gentle word but a forceful one. When you pray about this, remember we’re not giving God instructions, we’re reporting for duty.

And this will happen if we are truly concerned about the harvest being ripe and ready to be brought in. Almost every day brings news of desperate situations, in our land and across the world. The song that Graham Kendrick wrote expresses it perfectly:

O Lord, the clouds are gathering, the fire of judgment burns, how we have fallen! O Lord, you stand appalled to see your laws of love so scorned, and lives so broken. Have mercy, Lord, forgive us, Lord. . .

O Lord, over the nations now, where is the dove of peace, her wings are broken. . . .while precious children starve, the tools of war increase. . .
. . .dark powers are poised to flood our streets with hate and fear. . .

Have mercy, Lord. Forgive us, Lord.

Verse 37: The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in > Pray therefore the Lord. . .

Isaiah 6: 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me.’

For further reading: there’s no shortage of good guide books to sharing your faith, but I like ‘Out of the Salt-shaker’ by Rebecca Manley Pippert.

Photo by Gary Chan on Unsplash