Home » Posts tagged 'Jesus' (Page 6)

Tag Archives: Jesus

Rules versus love.

Posted on by | Leave a comment

Sometimes rules help. Sometimes they hinder.

There have been times where I have created a rule to help me on a project. This is useful when I have either no idea what I’m going to do next or worse, I have no idea how to start. If I’ve fun out of ideas for what to make in my beaded creations I’ll grab two bins and make up a rule that I can only make jewelry from those bins. If I want to write a poem I’ll pick a poem form like a sestina and use it.

Sometimes having a structure or a framework at the beginning is just the start I need to get things rolling right along.

But then sometimes a rule gets in the way. Sometimes the rule worked at the beginning but then no longer serves its intended purpose.

The goal is more important than the rule. If the rule no longer moves you towards your goal then drop the rule and either use another one or figure it out as you go. It is just like driving and then encountering a traffic jam. You need to get to your destination. Do you stay on the freeway, stuck in the traffic jam, or do you get off at the nearest exit and take the side road? If the situation is dire enough, you may even have to abandon your car and walk.

This is exactly what Jesus did when he threw away a lot of the Jewish rules of purity and separation. The goal is live in love. The goal is to show that love to God and then likewise to everyone else. He realized that a lot of the rules were no longer working. They were being done out of habit or even out of fear. But they weren’t getting people towards the goal. In some ways they were drawing people away from the goal because performing the actions had become the goal.

Jesus healed a woman on the Sabbath. That was “work.” So he was breaking a rule.

Luke 13:10-14
10 One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight.12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!”13 Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God! 14 But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”

Then Jesus immediately points out that there is another rule that allows for it.

Luke 13:15-17
15 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? 16 This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?” 17 This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.

When Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, he broke a rule.

Mark 3:1-6
Now He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a paralyzed hand. 2 In order to accuse Him, they were watching Him closely to see whether He would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 He told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Stand before us.” 4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good or to do what is evil, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.5 After looking around at them with anger and sorrow at the hardness of their hearts, He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 Immediately the Pharisees went out and started plotting with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

It was after this that the leaders started actively plotting to kill him. He hasn’t “worked.” He’s healed. They are missing the point of the rule. The rule of Sabbath is to heal us. This man was being healed on the Sabbath.

So the punishment for healing on the Sabbath is death? Seems a bit excessive.

The purpose of the Sabbath rules of refraining from work is to ensure that everyone rests. We all work too much. We all spend way too much time being human doings rather than human beings. If we don’t take a day off to rest we will wear ourselves out. The week is just like the day. If we don’t take time at the end of the day to sleep we get frazzled and frayed. If we don’t take time at the end of the week to rest we get unraveled entirely.

But the rules had gone too far. The rules were meant to keep the Jewish people mindful of their special covenant with God, and to make them mindful of their duty to God. Many times throughout their history they had collectively forgotten this goal and had suffered greatly for it. Throughout their wanderings in the desert large swaths of the Jewish people were destroyed by God for getting off track and out of line. Many of the Jewish rules for how to conduct your life were created to keep God’s wrath at a low simmer rather than from boiling over.

But Jesus came to point out that the rules were not only getting them towards the goal of loving God, but they were simply being used as a stopgap to keep God loving them. They didn’t get that if they showed love to God, then God would show love to them. They were acting out of fear rather than love.

Unboxing Jesus

Posted on by | Leave a comment

I went to a church once to visit with a friend and a lady there invited me to join them. I told her I had a church that I went to. This wasn’t enough for her.

I had a coworker once who insisted that I come to her church. She knew that I went every Sunday to my church. That wasn’t good enough for her, either. She told me that she didn’t think God was in my church.

I told her that God isn’t in a box. God isn’t just in one place. God is everywhere.

Look at Jesus, after the resurrection. He is the disappearing rabbit in the hat. He suddenly appears in a locked room. He disappears again. He is wherever he wants to be, and nothing can stop him.

He isn’t in one denomination, or one particular building. He doesn’t speak through one particular minister.

You can find God everywhere. You can find God’s message in a magazine or in a book on deep sea diving. I have a friend who says he finds God in recipe books. You can find God’s message in a Goodwill store. God hides in plain sight.

Jesus has left the building. We have to think outside of the box. We have to think outside of the church building.

It isn’t about worshipping God. It is about serving God. We’d all be better off if we spent that hour at a soup kitchen instead of singing hymns.

The Second Coming has already happened, and is happening.

Posted on by | 1 Comment

There are many times after Jesus arose from the dead that he showed himself to his disciples. They rarely recognized him at first. These are people who knew him well and were expecting him to come again, and they didn’t know it was him.

Let’s look at the various examples as we come across them in the Gospels. I’m using the Holman Christian Standard Bible for this translation, but you can use any that you want. I’m deeply indebted to the Bible Gateway website for digitizing the Bible in many translations. It makes this so much easier.

Piecing together stories from the Gospels is a bit like looking at different reports from eyewitnesses to an accident. Some leave some things out, some emphasize other parts. To get the whole picture we have to look at what everybody has to say.

The story starts in Matthew 28:1-7, when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb to take care of Jesus’ body. They didn’t have time to properly prepare his body after he died because the Sabbath was coming. They arrive, and they see an angel at the tomb. He tells them that Jesus isn’t there, that he has risen.

Then we see this, in Matthew 28:8-10.
“8 So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell His disciples the news.9 Just then Jesus met them and said, “Good morning!” They came up, took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see Me there.”

He appears to them when they leave the tomb, and they worship him. In this version of the story, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary are able to recognize Jesus immediately. I like that he calls his disciples his brothers here. This is a term of equals, and not of master and student. I also find it interesting that he doesn’t tell the women to bring the men there, but for them to go on ahead and he will meet them.

The two Marys do as they are told and the men go ahead.

Matthew 28:16-20
16 The 11 disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

There are a few things of note here. Notice that some of the disciples worshiped, but some doubted. They know Jesus. They spent all their time with him. Here he is, just like he said, back from the dead, and these people are full of doubt. What would cause them to doubt? Did he look different? Some versions of the Gospels indicate this. I find it also really important that Jesus says in verse 20 that “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Notice he said “I am with you”. Not “I will be with you”, but “I am with you”. That is present tense. He’s here. There is no future.

Now let’s look at the book of Mark, in chapter 16, at the same point. The women have gone to the tomb as before. In this version they are listed as Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. They too hear from an angel that Jesus isn’t there and they leave,” running from the tomb, because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them” (in verse 8).

Then we hear in verses 9-11,
9 Early on the first day of the week, after He had risen, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had driven seven demons. 10 She went and reported to those who had been with Him, as they were mourning and weeping. 11 Yet, when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe it.

Mary Magdalene sees him first. She tells the disciples and they don’t believe her. I’d like to think that they don’t believe her in part because she was seen as less-than-credible because she used to have seven demons in her. Even though she is healthy and whole now because Jesus healed her, that taint of “possession” and of “crazy” is on her. Nobody listens to crazy people.

Then in versus 12-13 we read
12 Then after this, He appeared in a different form to two of them walking on their way into the country. 13 And they went and reported it to the rest, who did not believe them either.

Notice now he’s appeared to two of the disciples, not just to Mary Magdalene. This is a separate encounter. Notice also that it is “in a different form.” He just doesn’t look like himself. He keeps changing how he looks. They are made to understand that this is Jesus, and then they too are not believed. These are the “sane” ones, the not-formerly-possessed ones, and the others don’t get it. Perhaps the others think the madness is catching.

Then he appears for a third time, to all of them. This is in verse 14.
14 Later, He appeared to the Eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table. He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw Him after He had been resurrected.

He’s a little ticked off that they didn’t believe the other followers who saw him.

In verses 17-20 we read this-
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; 18 they will pick up snakes, if they should drink anything deadly, it will never harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.” 19 Then after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by the accompanying signs.

Now, while I’m not into the idea of snake-handling and poison-drinking (I’ve written about this part in another post), I included all of this because of the few words in verse 20 “…the Lord working with them…”

Jesus was there, with them, healing the sick, casting out demons. They weren’t alone. He’s back.

Now we move on to the Gospel according to Luke. Let us see what this eyewitness has to say about what is going on.

Luke 24:1-8
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. 5 So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground.“Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. 6 “He is not here, but He has been resurrected! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’?” 8 And they remembered His words.

The same things happen. The passage is a bit vague here on who “they” were who were at the tomb, but from the context we know it isn’t the male disciples. Once again, they don’t find Jesus. In this case there are two angels there.

I love what they say in verse 5.
“Why are you looking for the living among the dead?”

That is what we are doing when we continue to wait for Jesus to come again. We are looking in the wrong place.

The women had to be reminded in verse 7 of the words of Jesus.
“The Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day.”

The words of Jesus were what aided their faith. This is important. We know Jesus through words. He is the Word made flesh, after all.

Let’s keep going on. Now we are at Luke 24:9-12
9 Returning from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest. 10 Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them were telling the apostles these things. 11 But these words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. When he stooped to look in, he saw only the linen cloths. So he went home, amazed at what had happened.

This story has more women who are involved, telling the story. It isn’t just “crazy” Mary – it is a lot of women. They still aren’t believed. Their words seem like “nonsense.” In this version however, Peter at least goes to the tomb to look. While he doesn’t see Jesus, he does think something pretty amazing has happened. Also, in this version, we don’t hear about Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene, as he did in Matthew and Mark’s versions of the story. But in this version, we get a really great version of the walk to Emmaus.

Luke 24:13-35 (I’ve broken it up to comment on it)
13 Now that same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 Together they were discussing everything that had taken place.15 And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus Himself came near and began to walk along with them. 16 But they were prevented from recognizing Him. 17 Then He asked them, “What is this dispute that you’re having with each other as you are walking?” And they stopped walking and looked discouraged.

—–Jesus just drifts into their conversation, and they don’t recognize him. You know those people who just swoop in on your conversation and you think they are rude? They might be more important than you realize.

18 The one named Cleopas answered Him, “Are You the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” He asked them.

—–Of course Jesus knows what has happened. He is playing along, to see what they say.

So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene, who was a Prophet powerful in action and speech before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that He was the One who was about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, it’s the third day since these things happened.22 Moreover, some women from our group astounded us. They arrived early at the tomb, 23 and when they didn’t find His body, they came and reported that they had seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they didn’t see Him.”

—-They still don’t believe in who Jesus is. They don’t believe the stories that the women told because they didn’t see it for themselves. They also don’t understand that radical transformation of anything, especially people, doesn’t happen overnight. But it does have to start somewhere.

25 He said to them, “How unwise and slow you are to believe in your hearts all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Didn’t the Messiah have to suffer these things and enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

—-They have to be wondering at this point who this guy is, who knows all this Scripture and can speak about it so effortlessly. They still don’t get it. He is just a guy walking along with them, and they don’t see who he really is.

28 They came near the village where they were going, and He gave the impression that He was going farther.

—-To me, this is the most amazing part. “He gave the impression that He was going farther.” He was going to keep on walking. He was going to leave them where they were. These are his disciples. These are his chosen people. And they haven’t recognized him. So he is going to keep on walking.

This is huge. This part alone is worthy of its own post, but I’ll try to contain it here.

Every single time we don’t recognize Jesus he walks on until he finds someone who does recognize him. So we have to seek him everywhere. Remember how we are to “seek, and you will find”? We have to seek. Mother Teresa said that she saw Jesus in every single person she served – babies abandoned by their poor parents, people suffering from AIDs, old people turned out by their families because they were sick. She saw Jesus in every person. She saw him there because she was looking for him.

This is the secret. This is the answer. We have to look for him, everywhere, in everyone. He’s hiding in plain sight. When we look for him, he reveals himself to us.

These disciples aren’t there yet –but what saves them is that they offered hospitality. This is an excellent start.

29 But they urged Him: “Stay with us, because it’s almost evening, and now the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them.

—-Hospitality is the key. They day is getting late and they are looking out for him. They want him to be safe and warm. This is a stranger and they are showing him kindness. This is the way in.

30 It was as He reclined at the table with them that He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him, but He disappeared from their sight.

—-They finally got who he was when they ate the bread that he served to them. I find it interesting that the formula is always the same – he blessed it and then he broke it. Always give thanks first. This is true communion here – not the ritual. This is a sharing of a real meal, and a true recognition of the Divine in our midst. And then he disappeared. Poof. Gone.

32 So they said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts ablaze within us while He was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?” 33 That very hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and those with them gathered together, 34 who said, “The Lord has certainly been raised, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they began to describe what had happened on the road and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

—They were amazed. Even though it was late, they got up and left straightaway for Jerusalem to tell the others. He was with them for a long time on the road and they didn’t recognize him at all. If they hadn’t offered him hospitality, they would never have seen him for who he was.

While it is almost anticlimactic, I’m going to go on with the Gospel according to John to finish this out. The story starts in chapter 20.

John 20:1-10
On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.
—Here, Mary is by herself.

2 So she ran to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!”

—understandably, she is very worried. She thinks someone has desecrated the tomb and stolen Jesus’ body.

3 At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. 5 Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in. 6 Then, following him, Simon Peter came also. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7 The wrapping that had been on His head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself. 8 The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then entered the tomb, saw, and believed. 9 For they still did not understand the Scripture that He must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went home again.

—-In Luke, only Peter went. Here, Peter and another disciple went to see what is going on. The other disciple believes without even seeing Jesus. He trusts that what has happened is what was prophesied. Peter is still doubtful.

John 20:11-18
11 But Mary stood outside facing the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where Jesus’ body had been lying. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

—The two disciples are inside the tomb and Mary is standing outside. Because she is outside she gets to see Jesus. She isn’t looking for the living among the dead. She is out in the world of life and light.

“Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.”14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not know it was Jesus.

—once again, Jesus is standing there and a person who knows him well doesn’t recognize him. If they can’t recognize him – people who spent a lot of time with him, how much harder it is for us to recognize him. Thus, how much more important it is for us to be welcoming to everyone as if they are Jesus.

15 “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Supposing He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve removed Him, tell me where you’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.”
16 Jesus said, “Mary.”
Turning around, she said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!”—which means “Teacher.”

—-He said her name, and that was enough. In an instant she saw him, truly saw him. He took compassion on her, in her grief. She was distraught that her Teacher was missing. She wanted to show him the respect and honor of performing the Jewish burial rituals for him. He wanted to show her that she didn’t have to and she was worrying for nothing. He was right there.

17 “Don’t cling to Me,” Jesus told her, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and tell them that I am ascending to My Father and your Father—to My God and your God.” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what He had said to her.

—-The disciples who were right there, staring at the burial cloths, didn’t even see him. They don’t believe her. Perhaps they are a bit jealous – why would Jesus show himself to this woman first, and not them? Aren’t they his closest confidants? Aren’t they more important? If they had been standing outside they would have seen him. The longer we all continue to look in the wrong place, the longer we aren’t going to see him either.

Going on further, with John 20:19-23
19 In the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because of their fear of the Jews. Then Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them,“Peace to you!”

—-The doors are locked, and Jesus just appears amidst them. This had to be terrifying. They are in a locked room and there he is suddenly. They still don’t recognize him.

20 Having said this, He showed them His hands and His side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

—After showing them his wounds they then see him. Notice that it is only after they see the wounds that they rejoice. They didn’t rejoice when he appeared.

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 After saying this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

—This is known as “The Great Commission.” Jesus calls his followers to go out into the world. He gives them the Holy Spirit as a guide. In some versions of the Great Commission, (Mark 16:19-20) he mentions that they are to heal, drive out demons, and speak in new languages. They also will be safe from all harm and poisons. In this one, they are just told to forgive sins. But no matter what, they are told to go out and do these things.

They aren’t told to go build big buildings and set up a vestry. They aren’t told to collect money for tithes or buy vestments. They are told to go out and work, in fact doing Jesus’ work. He has blessed them and in his death and resurrection he has multiplied himself, just like in the story of the loaves and the fishes. He was blessed, and broken, and now lives in us and in everyone who accepts him into their hearts and lives.

The very last bit of this part is in John 20:24-29
24 But one of the Twelve, Thomas (called “Twin”), was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in His hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe!”

—once again, here is a disciple that has to see it to believe it. This is something he has expected and been waiting for. His own friends and fellow disciples have seen Jesus and he still doesn’t believe. He should be able to trust them, right? But he still can’t. He wants proof.

26 After eight days His disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace to you!”

—Eight days later. Not instantly. Jesus is taking his own sweet time. Jesus appears when he wants to. Once again he does the magic trick of appearing in the middle of a locked room.

27 Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and observe My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Don’t be an unbeliever, but a believer. 28 Thomas responded to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Those who believe without seeing are blessed.”

—Jesus knew about Thomas’ doubts. He wasn’t standing there when Thomas said he had to see Jesus’ wounds to believe that he was really back from the dead, but he knew about it anyway. He was kind to show up to assure Thomas. Notice that Thomas didn’t have to even touch the wounds – he saw Jesus and knew. But the most important part is that Jesus says that “Those who believe without seeing are blessed.”

Believe. Seek Jesus out, everywhere. He’s hiding in plain sight. The more you seek him, the more he will reveal himself to you.

I’ve adopted Mother Teresa’s philosophy at work and it has been transformative. I try my best to see Jesus in every single person I serve, and when I do that (I don’t always remember to) they open up and are very real and kind. Every person. I tell you, seek Jesus and you will find him, everywhere.

His own disciples didn’t recognize him. He appeared out of the blue, sometimes in locked rooms, and just sometimes as a fellow traveler on the road. If it was hard for them to spot him, how hard must it be for us to do the same? So we are to treat everyone as if they are Jesus.

And – we are to serve everyone with the aid of Jesus. He’s here, with us, inside each one of us who call upon him.

There is no “second coming”. It is here, already, all around us. We just have to open our eyes and look.

But wait, there’s more. In the book of John, chapter 21, versus 1-14 we read this:
After this, Jesus revealed Himself again to His disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed Himself in this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 “I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them. “We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

—-Fishing is their normal activity. This is how Jesus found several of them to start off with. They weren’t scholars. They were average, everyday workers. Remember Jesus chose them, not the ministers and leaders of the day. Jesus chose common folk then, and he does the same today.

4 When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore. However, the disciples did not know it was Jesus.

—once again, they don’t recognize him. They’ve just seen him twice, and they still aren’t seeing him this time. We have to constantly be looking for him. He appears in different guises.

5 “Men,” Jesus called to them, “you don’t have any fish, do you?” “No,” they answered. 6 “Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” He told them, “and you’ll find some.” So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish. 7 Therefore the disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

—-A disciple figures it out not by how the man looked or what he said, but by the amazing results. They caught a huge amount of fish. This is very interesting.

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer garment around him (for he was stripped) and plunged into the sea. 8 But since they were not far from land (about 100 yards away), the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish. 9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread.

—-I like that Jesus already has a fire going for them. Raw fish isn’t very hospitable, and the warmth of the fire is comforting. I also like that there is fish and bread there – just like in the story of the loaves and the fishes.

10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus told them. 11 So Simon Peter got up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish—153 of them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.

—–I find it significant that the net was not torn by all those fish. This tells me that whatever we do, if we do it on Jesus’ command, will succeed. When we try to do things our way is when it fails. But if we do it Jesus’ way it will always be bigger and more amazing than we could ever expect, and all will be well.
12 “Come and have breakfast,” Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after He was raised from the dead.

—-They knew. They were still a bit terrified. He keeps appearing, and in different guises. This is a whole new side of Jesus. They didn’t have any warning that he was going to appear anywhere and everywhere and look different every time.

Then, lastly, in John 21:15-17, Jesus talks just to Peter, who he had said earlier was the rock upon which his church was going to be built.
15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.” “Feed My lambs,” He told him.

—-Feed them. I take “feed” to mean food, of course, but also to nourish in other ways – to educate, to heal, to support. Shepherds take care of their sheep in many ways.

16 A second time He asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.” “Shepherd My sheep,” He told him.

—Peter has to be wondering why Jesus keeps asking the same question.

17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” He said, “Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You.”

—-Peter is really hurt. Of course he loves Jesus. But that isn’t the point. Jesus wants to make sure he hears what he needs to do to prove it.

“Feed My sheep,” Jesus said.

So, from all this, I get that Jesus appears in many forms. So treat everyone as if they are Jesus. I believe that if everybody does this, then we will truly see healing and love in this world. If we treat every single person we meet – whether friend or stranger – as if they are Jesus, then the world will know peace.

I tell you that if we don’t do this, Jesus will walk on by, just like he was going to do to the disciples on the walk to Emmaus.

What’s in a name?

Posted on by | Leave a comment

God always has been. There is no beginning and no ending with God. God says “I am the Alpha and the Omega” as a way of illustrating that, but a better illustration is simply God’s name when Moses asked on Mt Sinai who he was talking to, and God said “I am”. The abbreviation for God, YHWH (or YHVH) has within it the letters for these Hebrew words – “is”, “was”, and “shall be”. How awesome is that?

Our human brains can’t really understand this. We can’t understand how something could exist before the Big Bang. We want beginnings. We can’t comprehend eternity. But just because we can’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t so.

Then again, “Jesus” isn’t Jesus’ name. That is the English version. The closest way of saying his name as it was pronounced is Yashua. There are several variants, including Yeshua and Yahshua. Why it got changed to Jesus when there is a perfectly acceptable English equivalent of Joshua is beyond me.

When I was very young we had a dog that I got to name. I was three. I don’t remember the dog at all, but I do remember the name. I named him “Joshuma,” and I can only assume that name came to me from God. I can only assume that was a three year old’s interpretation of “Yashua”. Or perhaps I did say “Yashua” to my parents and “Joshuma” is what they understood. It was pronounced JOSH-you-muh.

This is a perfect name for a dog for a child. Dogs are best friends. Dogs are protectors. Dogs teach unconditional love. These are all the same qualities of Yashua, also known as Jesus.

Here’s the funny part. Sometimes when I’m typing quickly on my Kindle, it will autocomplete. Very often when I try to type “Jesus”, my Kindle supplies “He is”.

Make of this what you will. These were my thoughts early this morning.

Healing in secret – Mark 7:31-37

Posted on by | Leave a comment

Jesus was forever healing people and telling them not to tell. They rarely listened to him. Here’s one of the readings for today that illustrates this.

“31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” (NRSV translation)

Now, let’s look at this more closely.

“32 They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him.”

The man is deaf and also has a hard time talking. He probably isn’t mute. These are probably his friends who have brought him. People were constantly bringing sick and infirm people to Jesus. Sometimes people came on their own, and sometimes Jesus came across them. I find it interesting that they felt that physical proximity was necessary, or even that he had to touch him. Jesus touched a lot of people to heal them, but in some cases he just said a word and they were healed. There wasn’t one particular way that he healed – he just healed.

“33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue.”

I find it interesting that he took him aside to do this. He didn’t heal him in front of everybody. He wasn’t trying to get attention. He just wanted to heal the man and not make a big show of it. I’m not sure what the spitting part is about – I don’t recall Jesus doing that with any other healings. Now, here’s an interesting point – he couldn’t have been truly alone, because otherwise how would we know what he did in such detail? I suspect his disciples were there with him.

“34 Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”

I love the fact that he sighed. I can only imagine that Jesus was getting tired of being called on all the time to heal. I wonder if that was what he thought he was going to do all throughout his ministry? Perhaps he planned on just telling people that the Kingdom of God was near, and that all their sins were forgiven. Perhaps he didn’t realize how many people would be hounding him for healing.

It is significant that he looked up to heaven. He’s calling upon God. He’s connecting with the Source of all healing. He did this before both examples of the loaves and fishes miracle too.

“Be opened” is a good meditation for any time we feel stuck. By opening ourselves, we are allowing healing to enter us. Also, it is helpful to remember that the broken spaces in our bodies and in our lives is the way in for God. This way of thinking actually sanctifies our pain and brokenness.

I find it interesting that this is one of the few times that the word that Jesus spoke is included in the Gospels. In the English translations they don’t usually put his actual words. Why this one, especially when it is a hard-to-pronounce one?

“35 And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

Now, this is kind of funny to me. Why bother to tell the man he just healed not to tell people that Jesus had healed him? They are going to figure it out really soon. They brought him to Jesus when he was deaf and had a speech impediment. The two of them go away, and now he can hear and talk normally. Of course Jesus healed him. Well, God healed him, through Jesus. But the crowds aren’t going to get that. They are just going see the healing, and see Jesus, and figure it out. So it can’t really be a secret for very long.

There were certainly plenty of other times where Jesus healed people and there weren’t crowds around. He told them to not tell, and they did anyway. This only made it harder for him to travel or get any rest.

Now, this calls to mind the present-day idea that we are supposed to give credit to Jesus when we are healed. It seems from reading the Gospels that this is the last thing that Jesus wants.

Meditation on mindlessness.

Posted on by | Leave a comment

Every now and then I get stuck in a loop. I find myself doing something that I don’t want to do, and I’ve been doing it far longer than I should. It doesn’t make any sense. I’m an adult. I’m in charge of my life, right?

It sure doesn’t feel like it to me sometimes, and I suspect you might know what I’m talking about.

There are habits that I fall into that don’t do me any good anymore, if they really ever did to start with. Doing the same thing over and over feels safer than trying something new, even if the old thing is a dead end.

This is how I’ll end up eating a whole bag of potato chips in one sitting. This is how I’ll spend two hours scrolling through Facebook to see if anything is happening. This is how I smoked clove cigarettes and pot for ten years.

Mindlessness. It’s all mindlessness. It’s being on auto pilot. It is worse than death because at least with death I don’t have control over my actions. I’d like to think when I’m alive, I do.

The bad part is that when I get in these loops I usually know it. I’m aware of how badly I don’t want to be doing this thing but I’m still doing it anyway. Ten minutes later I’m still doing it. Ten minutes more and I’m still there.

It’s how I end up plodding through books that I don’t really enjoy. They aren’t for a class. They aren’t assigned. Most of the books I read I got for free or really cheap too, so it isn’t like I’m wasting money if I stop reading a book that is going nowhere.

Sometimes when I am stuck in a loop, I start to think like this and it helps me so I offer it to you:

Would Jesus be spending his time like this? What if he were here with me? Would I be doing what I am doing?

It works for food too – would Jesus be eating this? Is it healthy? Would I serve it to him? Wouldn’t I serve him good food, something healthy and tasty?

As for the state of my house, would I be embarrassed to have him over? Is it welcoming, or a mess? And what would we do? Would we sit around watching tv or checking updates on Facebook?

So, if I wouldn’t treat Jesus like that, why am I treating myself like that? I need to show myself the love that Jesus showed.

I sometimes get Scott to let me do something nice for him by talking him into the idea that it benefits me. I’m trying the same trick on myself. Instead of thinking about my own needs, I’m imagining what if Jesus were here. Would I be doing this?

Would I be treating my body this way? Would I be spending my time this way? Would I be talking to myself this way? Would I be living this way?

Now, understand that I wasn’t raised with a guilt and gloom image of Jesus. Jesus enjoys a glass of wine and playing board games. But he also values doing the real work too. It isn’t all fun and games either. There is a balance there.

What would Jesus do, indeed. I always hated those rubber bracelets. They seem so cheap, so trivial. I felt that the people who wore them didn’t have a grasp on the real Jesus anyway, because their Jesus was anti everything. The Jesus I know is about love.

I feel like Jesus wouldn’t waste his time but then I remember that he spent a lot of time alone, hanging out talking with God. So there was certainly some down time, but I can’t compare that to surfing the internet mindlessly or reading boring books or ignoring things that need to be done around the house or eating junk food.

I think what I’m trying to do is use Jesus as a reminder to be mindful. I’m not giving Jesus control. That isn’t what it is at all. I’m not trying to guilt trip myself into doing or not doing anything. I’m trying to come up with a trick that helps me get unstuck from a groove, a rut.

So far, when I remember to do it, it works.

Jesus in a box.

Posted on by | Leave a comment

They’ve locked up Jesus.

This isn’t just symbolic. It’s for real, on so many levels.

Look at this.

10

For those people who weren’t raised in a Christian tradition that does this, I’ll explain. This is a box for the reserved sacrament. This is the extra Communion wafers and/or wine. They have extra so that people who take Communion to homebound church members have something that has been blessed by the minister.

They put it in a special box after it has been blessed because they honestly feel that the bread and the wine actually become the body and the blood of Jesus. Literally. Yeah, I know. Kind of creepy, but there you go.

Now, the box has a lock on it, so not just anybody can get to it.

11

These are the same people who put limits on who can take communion. You need to be a member of that denomination or at least baptized as a Christian. They don’t quite get that Jesus didn’t make any such rules.

Jesus is available to all, for free, everywhere and at all times. He isn’t limited or locked up.

The reason they control access is because they want to control Jesus. They think they have some sort of exclusive arrangement with Jesus, that they are “in.” They don’t get that when they start putting limits on who is worthy of receiving Jesus, they aren’t “in” at all. They are as far out as possible. They haven’t gotten the message that Jesus makes everybody equal. With Jesus, everybody is in.

Maybe they are afraid of that. Maybe they fear that if they let “those people” in, whoever they are defined as that week, then that will take away from their own worth. Like the only thing that makes them special is that they make others not special by excluding them.

But this isn’t Jesus. It isn’t who he is. You can’t put limits or locks on Jesus, because he’s so much bigger than that. Death couldn’t stop him. Neither can silly rules.

Imagine their surprise when they realize that Jesus isn’t in the box at all. He never was. He’s out, in the world, in disguise as a shoe repairman, or as a car mechanic, or as a teacher, or as a lawyer. Jesus is hiding in plain sight in every single person who has made a space for Him in their hearts. Jesus is here, right now, with us.

How’s that for thinking outside of the box? There is no box. Jesus is the ultimate escape artist.

Command – on distractions and religious observance

Posted on by | Leave a comment

I’m at a silent retreat. I don’t have to do anything. I don’t have to Not do anything either. I could check email. I could check Facebook. One of the nuns even told me I could go watch TV in their communal TV room. Normally that room is off limits to visitors. They have to have some areas that are theirs. We are basically in their home, after all.

But I won’t do anything that involves the outside world. These things aren’t part of the “rules” of the retreat, but they are part of my rules for retreats. I think it is important to unplug and stop long enough for God to get a word in edgewise. Maybe if I’m lucky, maybe if I’m quiet enough, God won’t even have to sidle up to me and can talk to me straight on.

At retreats I also make sure to be vegetarian, or at least pescatarian. When food is prepared for me I don’t always have that choice, but I try. I think it helps keep me mindful.

I’m reminded of Daniel, who wanted to keep kosher, but found that it was impossible to do so where he was. He asked for a vegetarian diet because that was the simplest way to keep kosher. I don’t keep kosher, but the idea is the same. I want to make intentional choices, and one of the easiest things to do that with is food. I want to stay all the time in that space that says “Here I am God.”

I want to go online. It is such an itch. But I know if I scratch it, it will get worse. I don’t have to give it up. All I have to do is be silent. But if I go online I’ll be wasting this gift of time.

So I pray. Jesus, I give this craving to you. I can’t handle it. I’m weak and you are strong. Help me give it up so I can get closer to you.

I’ve come through so many other addictions before this, so many distractions and temptations. Life is a series of these. So many obstacles. Yet they strengthen me, the more I notice them and consciously take myself away from them.

I think just noticing them is a big deal. How many times have I gone on autopilot and just reacted to something or someone without being mindful?

And then there’s Peter, telling Jesus to command him to get out of the boat and walk on the water towards him. He’s giving Jesus control. But how much control does Peter have, when he was the one who asked to be commanded?

It is a bit of a mindbender.

It reminds me of when I’d want to learn more about a topic, so I’d volunteer to teach a class on it. Nobody was forcing me to do anything. Nobody’s forcing me to give up anything on this retreat, other than being silent. I’ve added in all this other stuff. But I think it helps.

It is kind of like any religious observance. If wearing a head covering gets your head in the right place to remember to worship – great. If wearing a certain style of clothing does it, great. If eating certain foods do it, great. It isn’t the head covering or the clothing or the food that does it though. It is the fact that you have decided this is going to be your reminder. You’re using that outside stimuli like a bell, to call you to prayer.

(Written on retreat, around 10 pm, 1-17-14. Added to 1-22-14)

Wrench

Posted on by | Leave a comment

I had a meeting with a different spiritual director while at the retreat. She is the lady who is hosting it. I scheduled for just thirty minutes in the afternoon. I figured by then I’d be a little antsy and want a break from the whole silent thing.

Last time I was going stir crazy around 2 pm on Saturday. This time, not so much. This time I feel like I’m almost overscheduled. This time I don’t have a four hour block of time with nothing specific to do. Some of that is because I’ve got to keep going into the conference room and check on the prayer bracelet station. I’ve got to tie them and make sure the supplies are stocked.

I feel oddly calm and yet there’s more I can’t quite name. Maybe because I’ve done this, here, before. I brought stuff to work on. I know it isn’t like Cursillo. I know where everything is. I know the schedule.

But I digress. This usually means I’m trying to avoid something. So, let’s plunge on in. The best way to confront a fear is to face it.

She asked me what had I intended for this retreat. What was I trying to get out of it?

I had decided not to intend anything. I think that is part of my problem. I plan, and then either I’m disappointed or I only look for that intention.

I will set an intention before yoga and by the time the class is over I’ve learned something entirely different. I’ve received a different gift, and it wasn’t what I expected.

The last time we were together, my usual spiritual director had asked me how would I feel if I knew Jesus was standing behind a door with his arms full of gifts for me. Would I open the door?

So this lady went with that. She told me to imagine that Jesus has a gift for me right now. What is it?

We closed our eyes and I imagined this.

Here’s Jesus, all smiles, and he has a gift. It is wrapped up in shiny blue paper. No bow. Tidy wrapping job. I take off the paper. I’m pretty excited. This is a gift from Jesus, so it has to be good, right? He knows me better than anybody, and has my best interests at heart. It’s going to be awesome.

It’s a wrench. It is a used wrench, in fact. There’s oil on it. Not on the handle, but on the adjusting part.

Confused? Sure. Crestfallen? Definitely. I’m a bit hurt. What the heck am I going to do with a wrench?

Uh, thanks, but no thanks, buddy. It is this kind of thoughtlessness that is the reason I hate Christmas.

So the director asked me to sit with this feeling a bit. What does this mean? Ask Jesus why he gave me a wrench.

“It is for your heart” he says. To loosen it up. To stop being so tight and rigid. To be more playful, more childlike. To not have so many rules and limitations.

The more I decide how things have to be, the less I’m allowing them to just be the way they are.

It is like a bonsai. The more you force a plant into a certain shape, the less you are letting it grow the way God wants it to grow.

Something about organic and trust is in there. Not resisting. Acceptance. Being open to possibility.

I wasn’t really happy about this to start off with. Jesus should love me as I am, right? This sounds a little mean, giving me a wrench. I felt it was like going up to a friend and saying that she isn’t pretty enough, so here’s some makeup.

Nope, it isn’t that at all. True friends want the best for you. They want you to grow into your full potential. They challenge you. They call you on your BS too.

If I truly believe that Jesus is my friend, then I have to believe that he wants the best for me. I have to believe that this is an awesome gift, and exactly what I need, and in fact exactly what I’ve been looking for but I just didn’t know it.

So, a wrench. Why? I asked.

Because a seed doesn’t grow into a flower unless it is watered. It needs work. The seed is great as a seed. Jesus isn’t saying that I’m broken. He’s just saying that if I want to be better, then here’s the tool, and here’s the part that needs work.

So why is it oily and used, I asked?

Because he’s already broken it in for me. It is ready to go. Smooth action.

Then I get silly and realize that wrenches are used on nuts, which are just beads after all. They are hexagonal metal beads, with spiral holes.

Now I want to make a bracelet with nuts and wire.

But it isn’t about that. It is important not to iconize this. It isn’t about the symbol but what the symbol points toward.

While writing this I got a snack of hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows, and honey graham crackers shaped like teddy bears. I think this is a good start.

(Written on retreat, around 3 pm on 1-18-14)

Bucket at the well

Posted on by | Leave a comment

I’m at a retreat, and the theme of it is the story of Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman. This is found here –

John 4:4-10 (the Message translation)
4-6 To get there, he had to pass through Samaria. He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was still there. Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon.
7-8 A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)
9 The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”

In the retreat, we were asked to put ourselves in the scene. Pick a person or an object, and see things from its perspective. The words we were given were the town, the field, the well, the disciples, the Samaritan woman, bucket, and living water.

The word that stuck out when I was reading that list was “bucket.” What a funny word! Who would ever think of the bucket? It isn’t a character, certainly. But it is. Everything matters. So even though it seemed silly, I worked with it.

We were to think about how we need to nourish ourselves too, and refill from the well that is Jesus.

I’m the bucket by the well. The water is on me, soaking into my wood, slowly rusting my iron bands. I’m glad that the cooper made me so well that I don’t spill a drop.

I’m constantly giving out water, and I’m never drinking it myself.

I love it when I get forgotten. I love it when I’m at the bottom of the well and I’m resting in the water. I love the safety of the rope, ready to pull me up to the bright sunlight again.

Yet I can’t stay in that water too long. My wood will swell. The iron bands that hold me together will corrode past a point of ignoring. In short, I’ll stop being a bucket. I’ll start being something other than useful, something other than needed.

Is that a problem?

What if I go too far, soaking up the water that is God?

I’d love to live in this world. I’d love to stop wading in the ocean that is God and just jump right in.

Well I say that and then I remember that I don’t swim very well. If I was confronted with a hypothetical lake I’d pray for an actual boat to cross it.

I forget that babies breathe liquid. They are liquid. The percentage of water in the human body is the same as the percentage of water on Earth.

There has to be a way to be a mystic in the world. If I retreat fully from the world my husband would have to take on the responsibility of the house all by himself. That isn’t fair.

Jesus didn’t call us to escape from the world. He called us to live in it, to be healers, teachers, repairers. Now, he spent a lot of time alone too. Maybe that is the secret. Do both. Schedule time away, to listen, to replenish, to revive.

How can you constantly give if you aren’t also constantly receiving? You’ll run dry.

In Jewish tradition, water is seen as Torah. Every time water is mentioned it really means Torah. Water is life.

Then I remember my favorite animal is a salamander. It was born in water, but lives on land. It has to stay near water to live. This symbol means more and more now. In order for me to be who I am, I have to stay close to the Water that is Jesus. I have to replenish my soul. Yet to immerse myself fully in that world isn’t healthy either. Salamanders drown. I’d drown.

Balance is key. Return to the well regularly. Remember my roots. Don’t fall in. I’m a little bit of both worlds, all mixed up. Accepting my difference is a good start. I can’t define myself by normal rules.

(Started on retreat, 1-17-14, around 8 p.m. Finished 1-20-14)