Monday, May 16, 2022

16 May 2022 - proper context


Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us
and not to the world?

Jesus told his disciples that he would reveal himself to those who loved him and who demonstrated their love for him by their obedience to his commandments. But what of the world who also needed to hear? Surely Jesus was not implying that this revelation was a secret reserved for an inner elite.

Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.

Jesus was not excluding anyone by his teaching that love and obedience were requirements for the revelation of which he spoke. Jesus would receive anyone who would love him and keep his word. But keeping this word would not always be intuitive or easy, as when Peter said, "Master to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (see John 6:68) It was sometimes going to be necessary to hold fast to this word because of love and obedience in order to allow the understanding to catch up.  There were deeper experiential realities of the inner life of God that could not be understood by mere first exposure. They were the result of hearing the word and keeping it, burying it deep, in good soil, until it bore fruit. It was one thing to acknowledge the doctrine of the Trinity. It was another to have the experience of the Father and Jesus coming to make their dwelling in one's heart. Yet, unless one began with a loving response to the love of the Father and the Son, a receiving and keeping of their word, she would not be open to the deeper possibilities of such a relationship.

Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.

God so loved that world that he gave us Jesus to be our Savior and our eldest brother, the firstborn of many siblings in the Spirit. But he would only pour this blessing forth on those who would welcome it in faith. And it was clear that Jesus envisioned this experience of his presence growing over time as his disciples surrendered more and more to grace at work in their lives, by which they kept his word and obeyed his commandments. This is a hopeful message for those who have been walking the Christian path for many years. There is still more for us. The growth to which we are called is not merely for the sake of conformity to the group, or checking boxes on a list of good works. The growth to which we are called is meant to open us more to know the experiential presence of God in our hearts.

“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in my name --
he will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.”

We need help to keep the words of Jesus. Our own memories, even if they are good, are inadequate. Even if they are poor, they are not insufficient and do not disqualify us. We have been given a helper who delights to bring to mind everything that Jesus, said, did, and taught. He does so not to satisfy our desire to win at bible trivia, but rather to satisfy what our spirits need to hear, for our growth, and for the edification of those around us. The Holy Spirit is able to give us words when we are called to give testimony to Jesus. He is able to bring Scriptures to mind that demonstrate the degree to which they truly are living and active. Constantly seeking the Spirit we equip ourselves to keep the word of Jesus, and in keeping it, see him reveal himself to ourselves, and even to the world.

There is immense power in the Christian religion, so much so, in fact, that the pagans of Lystra were willing to believe that the gods Zeus and Hermes had come down in human form. But for the world to correctly understand the power at work they need the words of evangelists to give it context. They need the invitation, just as Paul gave, so that they might hear they word and keep it.

We proclaim to you good news
that you should turn from these idols to the living God,
who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.

There are many in this world who seem to have gone "their own ways", just as the Gentiles did. But unlike Judas they have not yet gone off to their own place in a final and definitive way. The people around us are still experiencing a time of God's mercy. It is a time during which the goodness of God himself is still at work, still awaiting a day when his presence will be seen and accepted.

yet, in bestowing his goodness,
he did not leave himself without witness

When we speak to others, relying on the Spirit just as Jesus taught, we speak to people who have all had, whether they realize it or not, some taste of the goodness of God. Whether they know it or not, the 'more' they desire is precisely for God himself. The absence they feel is meant to be filled by his presence. We do not need to start from scratch. All we need to do is to make this semiconscious desire conscious, and the Spirit will guide us in doing so.




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