Sunday, January 15th, 2006
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said to Philip, “Come with me.” Philip then found Nathanael and said, “We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip answered, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said, “Here is a true descendant of our ancestor Israel. And he isn’t deceitful.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God and the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Did you believe me just because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see something even greater. I tell you for certain that you will see heaven open and God’s angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”
John 1: 43-51 (Contemporary English Version)
I wonder what Jesus saw under the fig tree. Who would break out into an acknowledgement of leadership just because he’d been seen before. This has the hallmark of someone’s actions being seen with insight into the most inner thoughts. Jesus must have seen something that showed integrity and cunning.
Israel, or Jacob, was known for being deceitful. He’s the guy who tricked his older twin brother out of his inheritance by impersonating him in front of his blind father. He’s the one who built up his flocks at the cost of his father-in-law by organising the livestock gene pool. So if Israel was deceitful, what was Jesus referring to by saying that Nathaniel was a ‘true descendant of Israel, without deceit.’ My hunch is that Jesus was referring to the knack Jacob/Israel had for doing business. The same business sense for which Jewish people seem to have acquired a reputation around the world through history.
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Monday, December 12th, 2005
John had not yet been put in jail. He was at Aenon near Salim, where there was a lot of water, and people were coming there for John to baptize them. John’s followers got into an argument with a Jewish man about a ceremony of washing. They went to John and said, “Rabbi, you spoke about a man when you were with him east of the Jordan. He is now baptizing people, and everyone is going to him.”
John replied: No one can do anything unless God in heaven allows it. You surely remember how I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am only the one sent ahead of him. At a wedding the groom is the one who gets married. The best man is glad just to be there and to hear the groom’s voice. That’s why I am so glad. Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.
John 3:23-30 (Contemporary English Version)
I grew up with the King James version of John’s phrase, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” At times I interpreted this as meaning I should be quiet and unassuming, not promoting myself or my ideas. The character of Jesus was to be seen in my life, not the personality of Duncan Macleod.
This has played out in my life in positive and negative ways. In my line of work I regularly speak to large crowds or write for wide readership. To talk to large crowds you have to be larger than life. To inspire people you have to be inspiring. To intellectually stimulate people you have to be thinking on the edge. Being quiet, unassuming and reluctant to share goes against all the requirements of effective communication in these settings.
John wasn’t aiming to become quiet and unassuming. He wasn’t planning to drop his up-front personality. But he was preparing his followers for the long term impact of his life. He wasn’t aiming to have his reputation grow at the expense of anyone else’s. His goal was to enhance the reputation of Jesus. He wasn’t so much concerned about what people thought of him. What counted was what people thought about Jesus.
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Monday, April 25th, 2005
Jesus said to his disciples:
If you love me, you will do as I command.
Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit
who will help you and always be with you.
The Spirit will show you what is true.
The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit,
because they don’t see or know him.
But you know the Spirit,
who is with you and will keep on living in you.
I won’t leave you like orphans.
I will come back to you.
In a little while the people of this world
won’t be able to see me, but you will see me.
And because I live, you will live.
Then you will know
that I am one with the Father.
You will know that you are one with me,
and I am one with you.
If you love me, you will do what I have said,
and my Father will love you.
I will also love you and show you what I am like.
John 14:15-21 (Contemporary English Version)
So did Jesus actually say all this? A large number of Biblical scholars are of the opinion that post-resurrection sayings of Jesus can not be attributed to the historical Jesus. These are the words of the post-Easter Christ rather than the actual Jesus. The Jesus Seminar takes this assumption and provides some kind of system for discounting these words as historical.
I believe it is valid to point out that our approach to historical record is different to the first century approach to history. However the assertion that we cannot rely on any post-resurrection words is based on an objection to the premise of a physical resurrection. “Because Jesus was dead he cannot have said these words”.
My take on this reading is that it’s a collection of sayings rather than a narrative.
So what’s the good news here? For me? For my neighbours?
Jesus is inviting his followers to move beyond a linear empirical approach to understanding God’s presence. “You’ll be able to see me but not in the way you’re used to.” He’s getting them used to the idea that God’s guiding presence will be available 24/7 no matter where they are.
Again and again Jesus’ words speak of relationship with God, available to his followers. 2000 years later I’m still able to access the presence of Jesus through the Spirit of God. Even though I don’t speak the language that Jesus did (Aramaic & maybe Greek) I’m able to be in conversation with God, the creator whose presence infuses every part of creation.
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