Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent - March 27, 2012
John 8:21 - 30
Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”
This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”
But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
“Who are you?” they asked.
“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”
They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.
Jesus' speech was most always layered speech. To "get it" on one level may be to miss it on all other levels.
Those who heard him speak were confused. They often had difficulty finding his point of reference.
Likewise, it is arrogance for modern folks to feel as if they can nail down Jesus with certainty, to know all the nuances of his speech. To pretend we can get to full understanding of his teaching is delusion.
Contemporary Christianity has made a cottage-industry of Bible study, for instance. I've been a part of that. And there is no doubt that Bible study is important.
We assume, though, that if we can just figure out what the words mean, we can be right with God. Or if we can get back to the original intention of the scriptures, we can be right with God. Learning about God is equated with knowing God. Right study of God leads to right belief in God.
But honestly, there are some things Jesus said that we will never understand by studying them. And there are many, many other things he said we will never know in our heads unless we have a lived experience of their truth. Belief that stays in our heads has little power to transform our lives. Belief that lives in the head most often is not lived out in our experience.
We will only fully understand Jesus when we open our lives in such a way that the things he said become a part of our lived experience, as they were a part of his.
For today . . . what is your favorite Jesus-story or Jesus-saying? Take a minute to choose one that is a favorite for you. As you hold that saying for a moment, ask God to show you how to get it into your living today. What difference does this saying or story make in who you are today? in the way you live today? You'll need to ask for God's help in your prayer as you make that story or saying a part of your life today.
Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”
This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”
But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
“Who are you?” they asked.
“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”
They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.
Jesus' speech was most always layered speech. To "get it" on one level may be to miss it on all other levels.
Those who heard him speak were confused. They often had difficulty finding his point of reference.
Likewise, it is arrogance for modern folks to feel as if they can nail down Jesus with certainty, to know all the nuances of his speech. To pretend we can get to full understanding of his teaching is delusion.
Contemporary Christianity has made a cottage-industry of Bible study, for instance. I've been a part of that. And there is no doubt that Bible study is important.
We assume, though, that if we can just figure out what the words mean, we can be right with God. Or if we can get back to the original intention of the scriptures, we can be right with God. Learning about God is equated with knowing God. Right study of God leads to right belief in God.
But honestly, there are some things Jesus said that we will never understand by studying them. And there are many, many other things he said we will never know in our heads unless we have a lived experience of their truth. Belief that stays in our heads has little power to transform our lives. Belief that lives in the head most often is not lived out in our experience.
We will only fully understand Jesus when we open our lives in such a way that the things he said become a part of our lived experience, as they were a part of his.
For today . . . what is your favorite Jesus-story or Jesus-saying? Take a minute to choose one that is a favorite for you. As you hold that saying for a moment, ask God to show you how to get it into your living today. What difference does this saying or story make in who you are today? in the way you live today? You'll need to ask for God's help in your prayer as you make that story or saying a part of your life today.
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