Now that Daniel has learned his place, he’s ready to learn more about karate. His first question is, “When will I learn how to punch?” Miyagi answers him, “When you learn balance.”
The growing Christian, once learning formative things about the journey, is ready to take on the world, at least in his or her own mind. A father in the faith, however, knows that it is not the extreme that will win the day, but balance.
We have to be careful here, because the Asian idea of balance isn’t necessarily Christian. In many ways it is not. But to the degree that a Christian should be taught to put things in his life in the correct perspective, balance is important. Yes, the Kingdom of God is amazing and worth all of our effort … but many times the Kingdom of God is worked out by loving our parents or spouses or children or coworkers. There is a balance here in life that is easily abandoned for the extreme if there is no wisdom to what is done. This balance and perspective will work a little differently for everyone, depending upong certain responsibilities and seasons of our lives.
But before we can go out and attack, we must have everything in our lives in our proper perspective. I’ll give you a military example. Let’s say that you see an enemy on the horizon. You gather your troops and leave your base undefended because you’re so zealous to overwhelm and defeat the enemy. But while you’re gone, a separate force comes from a different direction and takes your base, your camp, your refuge, and you actually lose more than you thought you were fighting for.
How many leaders and ministers, truly undiscipled but seminary trained, are great public speakers but their private lives are in shambles? Too many, which greatly saddens me, because these men and women were meant to be a great encouragement to the Body of Christ but in their zeal overcommitted themselves and forgot that ministry begins at home … for everybody.
Balance.
With this in mind, Miyagi places Daniel into a situation where he must learn how to stay on his feet … he takes Daniel to the ocean and makes him stand up to the waves while Miyagi watches. Again, this is real life stuff that Daniel must learn to handle, but its stuff he’s able to handle, which Miyagi knows and is able to discern.
The point of discipleship, and teaching in general, is to challenge with situations where success is possible. So often young, zealous men of God are thrust into situations that they are not prepared for by those above them. This happens for different reasons. Leadership feels they need someone in that position, they want to capitalize on the energy and zeal of youth, whatever. But in the end, these young people are being set up for failure.
While Daniel is in the waves, Miyagi is practicing a technique on the beach. Daniel asks Miyagi later what the technique was. “Crane technique. Very difficult,” Miyagi says. But Daniel wouldn’t have seen this masterful technique if there hadn’t been relationship, real genuine friendship. Later in the movie, we see Daniel practicing this technique on his own, awkwardly.
This is yet another example of teaching without really teaching. Just being in the presence of fathers in the faith gives hope of greater things to those being discipled! They can see sucessful marriages or families or even ministry and realize that such a thing is attainable. They don’t read about it or see it in a movie. They actually know someone who did that. It gives believers hope and a goal, righteousness to imitate and be victors themselves. They may start at it awkwardly, but they know where their going. They’ve seen it before.
Walking back from the beach, Daniel learns more about where Miyagi learned his karate. “From father,” Miyagi says.
“I thought he was a fisherman.”
“Yes,” Miyagi answers.
“You must have had some father,” Daniel says.
“Yes,” Miyagi answers.
Miyagi wasn’t created in a vacuum, either. His father taught him, passed down this knowledge, and Miyagi is doing the same.
In an ideal world, we could all trace who discipled us back to the original source, Christ Himself. Because of the hardness of hearts and fruitless traditions of men, God’s grace has had to fill in some gaps here and there. But God’s heart is clear. Pass on not just what you know but who you are, and the next generation should do the same. Fathers in the faith weren’t created in a vacuum. They were molded and shaped.
The other situation Miyagi places Daniel into is at the front of a boat, straddling the sides, practicing blocks while the boat rocks. Miyagi is fishing. Daniel here questions his training further, and Miyagi challenges him.
“Is that what you think, that karate is for fighting?”
Daniel pauses. “No. We learn karate so we won’t have to fight.”
“Ah, Daniel-san, Miyagi have hope for you.”
Then he dumps Daniel into the water.
In the midst of challenge and growth there is encouragement and play. Friendship develops. These two men are doing more than participating in the passing on of karate. Character is being developed, intimacy is reached between these two men.
And as we will see in the next week, that is when the best discipleship happens.
Peace.