Coronavirus Talk 13
Let’s begin with an Our Father
One of the characteristics of all the best teachers we have had in our lives, I would bet, is they not only taught with words, they taught also by example. We probably remember their example more than their words, so although we should not discount or ignore what they have said, it is what they do to make their words live that is even more lasting.
This is so true of Jesus. Which teaching is stronger and more compelling: his words, “You know how the Gentiles make their authority felt among themselves. That cannot be with you. Whoever wishes to be the first must serve the needs of all” or Jesus kneeling to wash the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper?
And yet, Jesus is not always understood, accepted, or believed. Part of this is because what Jesus is teaching about is life and truth and the possibility of life with God. Jesus teaches about the mystery that underlies and surrounds our lives. And that is the problem: mystery cannot be fully understood or captured, especially all at once. That is why we keep trying to get hold of it over and over in prayer, in worship, in service, in community. We never really touch bottom with faith, and we are often impatient with the process of growing in faith and are tempted to get out of the pool too soon.
We are never really finished with the parables and will get different and deeper insight into them the more we chew over them. This much is for sure: Jesus’ teaching will always be something that appeals to us while, at the same time, it baffles us.
I wanted to share some reactions of men and women from recent times, to Jesus’ teaching and the effect it had on their lives.
“I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are not like your Christ.” – Gandhi
“Those who meet Jesus always experience either joy or its opposites. Not everyone who meets Jesus is pleased, and not everyone is happy. But everyone is shocked.” – Peter Kreeft
“I testify that Jesus is incomparable in what he is, what he knows, what he has accomplished and what he has experienced. And yet, movingly, he calls us his friends.”- John MacArthur
“Live as if Christ died yesterday, rose today, and is coming back tomorrow. – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
It seems important that, part of learning about Jesus involves paying close attention to what Jesus said about himself, and that is tonight’s theme.
In the gospel of John, there are no parables, but scattered throughout the gospel of John, are eight clear and understandable statements Jesus made about himself that tell us clearly who he is and who he hopes we will let him be for us.
In John, chapter 6, he says: “I am the Bread of Life.” Just as bread sustains physical life, so Jesus himself sustains our life in the spirit. Here, Jesus is saying, “I can fill you; I can satisfy all your hunger.”
In John, chapter 8, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” Lighthouses make no noise, they only shine. For a world that is lost in darkness, Jesus is the sure guide. When we have no light, we will surely stumble and fall.
In John 10, Jesus says: “I am the door.” Just as a door is a point of entry, so Jesus gives access to the kingdom of God. Jesus is the only door to the kingdom, a door that is always open, and the only means of gaining access to God.
Also, in John 10, Jesus says: “I am the good Shepherd.” Rather than abandon those entrusted to him by the Father and allow them to be scattered, Jesus is committed to fulfilling the duty of the shepherd: to lead the flock, to feed the flock and to protect the flock. And because he is the good shepherd, he is willing to lay down his life for those the Father has given him. And he did!
In John 11, Jesus says: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” Jesus says he is the guarantee that death does not have the final word. “Even if you die, if you believe in me, you will live.” This resurrection for us is not just once, but whenever we experience death in our lives through sin or rejection or failure or disappointment, Jesus raises us to new life.
In John 14, Jesus says: “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Without the way, there is no going. Without the truth, there is no knowing. Without the life, there is no living.” Jesus does not teach us the way; he IS the way. Jesus is not one version of the truth; he IS the truth. He is not one version of living; he is life itself.
In John 15, Jesus says: “I am the vine, you are the branches.” As long as we are attached to Jesus, his life flows in and through us. As long as we are attached to him, it is impossible for us not to bear fruit, fruit that will last. Later in the chapter, Jesus says: “I am the true vine.” The implication here is that there are false vines that we can, or may be, connected to and continue in. Because he is the true vine, Jesus encourages us to “live, remain in, and make your home in me.” This invites us to have an ongoing, active, and fruitful connection to Jesus and become even more like him.
These descriptions Jesus gives of himself are astounding claims. They are evidence of either incredible self-knowledge and self-possession, or they are the ravings of a madman.
Some of these descriptions, like all of Jesus’ teaching, are hard for us to hear.
As Peter Kreeft said in the quote above, not everyone agreed with Jesus and some did not like what he said at all. He did not make everyone happy but shocked everybody he met.
But underneath the shock is the inevitable question Jesus asks every person he encounters, including each one of us: Do you believe me?”
After Jesus called himself the bread of life, after he told the people: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will have no life in you,” John records a definite split among Jesus’ listeners. Some of those who were following him said to one another: “This is a hard teaching! Who can take it seriously!” And then John observes that: “Many of his disciples went off back home and no longer walked with him.” They wanted out of the pool.
Instead of calling them back, Jesus let them go. What he did not do was focus-group the ones who left and try to get them back by trying to identify what precisely they did not like so that he could tinker with it until it was acceptable to them. He did not change his teaching because they were unhappy with it. You and I, because we believe there is safety in numbers, might have done that.
In fact, Jesus turns to the 12 and asks them: “Do you also want to leave?” They were, we are, always free to leave. We are never compelled to be a follower of Jesus. So, Peter, speaking for the others, says: “Where would we go? You have the words of eternal life.” And there it is.
We will always hitch our wagons and go where we believe we will find everlasting life. Some will follow the road to riches, some to prestige, some to power, some to unbridled selfishness.
But for us who want to follow Jesus, to give over ourselves and the way we live our lives and our understanding of what our humanity is and what it is for, to give over our thinking and our dreaming to such teachings, and to such a teacher, is not easy. And it is not cheap, there is no such thing as cheap grace. Grace costs and the cost is high.
To be taught by Jesus is to be taught about life and the meaning of life and the fulness of life. It is to be led to joy and peace; and it is also to be taught the way of the cross, the way of sacrificial love, the way of surrender, the way of losing our life so that we can find it.
Jesus never said it would be easy, but he did say it would be worthwhile. After all, he did promise us eternal life. I would say that getting eternal life is worthwhile. What do you say?
Tomorrow we will let Jesus teach us about God the Father.
So, let us end tonight with a Hail Mary and a blessing.