Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent – March 20, 2010
John 7:40-53
On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet."
Others said, "He is the Messiah."
Still others asked, "How can the Messiah come from Galilee? Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David's descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?" Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.
Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, "Why didn't you bring him in?"
"No one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards replied.
"You mean he has deceived you also?" the Pharisees retorted. "Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them."
Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, "Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?"
They replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee."
Then they all went home.
I spent many years engaging in debate about Jesus. It was a fairly satisfying way to think about Jesus and to express what I believed about Jesus.
Plus, there was a lot of me in the debate, a lot of satisfaction that I could best someone else in a mental exercise and that I could articulate a position better or more persuasively than another person.
Looking back, it was a lot more satisfying to defend my intellect or to persuade others of my devotion than it was to point persons to Jesus. My manner of speaking on behalf of Jesus was counter to the very spirit of Jesus.
If you think about it, engaging in dialogue most always keeps us at least one step removed from engagement. As long as we keep issues and convictions at the level of belief and articulation, then we don’t have to be seriously engaged with them at a heart and life level.
In local congregations, it is common now for Sunday School classes and Bible study groups to want teachers who will facilitate group discussion. Everyone wants to speak, to have a voice, to give their opinion. So in classes we spend our time pooling our opinions, making sure that everyone says what they want to say, then we leave unchanged after an hour, satisfied that we’ve had the opportunity to speak our piece.
The Gospels don’t have any predisposition to everyone speaking their opinions and taking part in dialogue about God. Sharing opinions about God doesn’t open a person more deeply to God. There is no inherent merit in it.
Discussing theories about holy things doesn’t weave transformation into the fabric of our lives.
Being right about religious theories doesn’t guarantee that we’ll live lives of holiness that will change the world.
At the end of the day, John reports that the persons who debated and discussed and opinionated about Jesus simply “all went home.” Nothing changed. Nothing was different with them. They just went home.
But at least they had the opportunity to speak their piece!
On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet."
Others said, "He is the Messiah."
Still others asked, "How can the Messiah come from Galilee? Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David's descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?" Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.
Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, "Why didn't you bring him in?"
"No one ever spoke the way this man does," the guards replied.
"You mean he has deceived you also?" the Pharisees retorted. "Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them."
Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, "Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?"
They replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee."
Then they all went home.
I spent many years engaging in debate about Jesus. It was a fairly satisfying way to think about Jesus and to express what I believed about Jesus.
Plus, there was a lot of me in the debate, a lot of satisfaction that I could best someone else in a mental exercise and that I could articulate a position better or more persuasively than another person.
Looking back, it was a lot more satisfying to defend my intellect or to persuade others of my devotion than it was to point persons to Jesus. My manner of speaking on behalf of Jesus was counter to the very spirit of Jesus.
If you think about it, engaging in dialogue most always keeps us at least one step removed from engagement. As long as we keep issues and convictions at the level of belief and articulation, then we don’t have to be seriously engaged with them at a heart and life level.
In local congregations, it is common now for Sunday School classes and Bible study groups to want teachers who will facilitate group discussion. Everyone wants to speak, to have a voice, to give their opinion. So in classes we spend our time pooling our opinions, making sure that everyone says what they want to say, then we leave unchanged after an hour, satisfied that we’ve had the opportunity to speak our piece.
The Gospels don’t have any predisposition to everyone speaking their opinions and taking part in dialogue about God. Sharing opinions about God doesn’t open a person more deeply to God. There is no inherent merit in it.
Discussing theories about holy things doesn’t weave transformation into the fabric of our lives.
Being right about religious theories doesn’t guarantee that we’ll live lives of holiness that will change the world.
At the end of the day, John reports that the persons who debated and discussed and opinionated about Jesus simply “all went home.” Nothing changed. Nothing was different with them. They just went home.
But at least they had the opportunity to speak their piece!
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