HE CAME TO CAPERNAUM; AND BEING IN THE HOUSE HE ASKED THEM, WHAT WAS THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT AMONG YOURSELVES BY THE WAY. IN OTHER WORDS, JESUS KNEW THEY HAD BEEN ARGUING, AS THEY WERE WALKING THROUGH GALILEE, TO CAPERNAUM. BUT THEY HELD THEIR PEACE; FOR THEY HAD ASKED AMONG THEMSELVES WHO SHOULD BE THE GREATEST, AND HE SET DOWN AND CALLED THE TWELVE, AND SAID UNTO THEM, IF ANY MAN DESIRES TO BE FIRST, THE SAME SHALL BE LAST OF ALL AND SERVANT OF ALL.
AFTER A HURRIED TRIP THROUGH GALILEE, FOR THE LAST TIME, JESUS WAS ABOUT TO CONTINUE THEIR THEOLOGICAL TRAINING. THE HEARTS AND HEADS OF THE DISCIPLES WERE YET FILLED WITH THE FALSE MESSIANIC HOPES, AND THIS WAS THE MATTER THEY HAD DISCUSSED ON THE WAY AMONG THEMSELVES, DISPUTING ABOUT RANK, QUARRELING ABOUT WHO SHOULD BE CONSIDERED THE GREATEST IN THEIR MIDST. THE QUESTION MAY HAVE BEEN BROACHED AT THIS TIME BECAUSE JESUS HAD TAKEN ONLY THREE OF THEM ALONG TO THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION . JESUS KNEW OF THE DISCUSSION AND, BY HIS OMNISCIENCE, HE KNEW ALSO ITS TOPIC. THEREFORE THE LORD TAKES OCCASION TO TEACH THEM A BADLY NEEDED LESSON. WHILE HE HAD GONE BEFORE THEM, BUSY WITH THOUGHTS TO THE WAY OF REDEMPTION, THEY HAD BEEN ENGROSSED WITH THEIR VAIN THOUGHTS, HOW THEY MIGHT ENHANCE THEIR OWN GLORY. HE CALLED THE TWELVE BEFORE HIM, THAT THEY SHOULD, FOR ONCE GET THE MESSAGE. DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL. IF JESUS SAYS SOMETHING ALARMING, DON'T ASK WHAT IT MEANS, BECAUSE SAYING IT OUT LOUD MAKES THEM REAL AND SCARIER. IF JESUS ASKS WHAT YOU WERE ARGUING ABOUT, DON'T TELL HIM, SO YOU CAN PRETEND THE ARGUMENT NEVER HAPPENED. SILENCE: THE TIME HONORED " CHRISTIAN" RESPONSE TO CONFLICT, PAIN, AND FEAR. THE BEST WAY TO STOP LISTENING IS TO START TALKING. IT'S THE INTERMISSION THAT BRINGS SOME PEOPLE TO THE CONCERT. THE DISCIPLES STARTED THEIR OWN CONVERSATION WHEN THE ORCHESTRATED THEME OF HIS SACRIFICE PROVED TOO DISTURBING TO THEM. TO OVERCOME THEIR ANXIETY, THEIR ABILITY TO IMAGINE, THEY ATTEMPTED TO FORTIFY THEIR SPIRITS WITH TALK ABOUT THEIR OWN WORTH. REPLAYING FOR ONE ANOTHER THE ASSERTS EACH OF THEM POSSESSED, THEY ARGUED ABOUT WHO WAS THE GREATEST AMONG THEM. WHEN PERSONS SENSE THAT THEY HAVE MISSED THE MARK, THE EASIEST WAY TO RESTORE RESPECTABILITY IS TO COMPARE THEMSELVES WITH OTHER PERSONS. THE PHARISEE IN THE TEMPLE COULD FIND CHEAP ABSOLUTION IN COMPARING HIMSELF TO THE PUBLICAN. EACH ONE OF US CAN EASILY FIND SOMEONE TO COMPARE OURSELVES AND IN THE PROCESS MAKE OURSELVES LOOK GOOD. IT MAY BE TRUE OF ME THAT I HAVE LOVED THINGS AND USED PEOPLE, RATHER THAN LOVING PEOPLE AND USING THINGS, BUT LOOK AT HIM. HE'S GOT TWICE AS MUCH AS I HAVE. EVERYBODY HE EVER MET WAS USED TO HELP HIM ACQUIRE WHAT HE'S GOT. BY COMPARISON, I LOOK PRETTY GOOD,
THE DISCIPLES UNCOMFORTABLENESS IN MAKING WIDE CONVERSATIONAL DETOUR AROUND THE SUBJECT OF THE CROSS WAS EXPOSED BY JESUS QUESTION, " WHAT WERE YOU DISCUSSING?" NONE WAS WILLING TO SHARE WITH HIM THE SUBJECT OF THEIR CONVERSATION. THEY WERE INTUITIVELY ASHAMED. THEIR DISCUSSION HAD WANDERED INTO A VERY DISTANT PLACE, FROM THE AREA HE HAD SUGGESTED HE HAD HOPED THAT THEY WOULD REFLECT UPON HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION.
THEY WERE CONVERSING ABOUT GREATNESS WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE CROSS. THEY COULD NOT KNOW ON THEIR SIDE OF CALVARY WHAT WE KNOW BOUT IT FROM OUR SIDE. FROM OUR SIDE OF TIME., BUT THEY HAD BEEN WITH THEM LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW THE LIFE JESUS CAME TO BRING WAS TO BE FOUND IN LOSING LIFE ON LESSER TERMS. IF THEY WERE TO FOLLOW HIM, THEY WERE TO DENY THEMSELFS IN ORDER TO LIBERATE IT. JESUS BECAME A MAN NOT TO DENY OUR HUMANNESS BUT TO REVEAL IT. THEIR IS AN ANCIENT LEGEND WHICH TELLS OF THE DAY WHEN THE gods FELT THEMSELVES IN THE PRESENCE OF A THREAT TO HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR DIVINITY. SO A CONVENTION WAS ARRANGED ( AT THE HEAVENLY HILTON?) AND ALL THE gods WERE INVITED. THE AGENDA WAS FOCUSED ON ONE QUESTIONED, WHERE SHALL WE HIDE THE SPARK OF DIVINITY WHERE MORTALS CAN NEVER FIND IT ? THERE WERE ALL KINDS OF ANSWERS, BUT NONE SATISFIED THE CONVENTION. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA? HARDLY, FOR IT WOULD ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE HUMANS REACHED THE OCEAN DEPTH. IN THE FAR RESIDENCES OF THE GALAXIES BEYOND THE HIGHEST REACH?" WOULD THE SPARK BE SAFE THERE?" NOT REALLY, THESE MORTALS WHO HAD LEARNED TO OUT SWIM THE FISH, AND SOON WOULD OUTRUN THE GAZELLE, WOULD ONE DAY OUT FLY THE EAGLE. THE MEETING WAS ABOUT TO ADJOURN IN FRUSTRATION ( AS SO MANY CONVENTIONS DO!) WHEN ONE OF THE MORE TIMID DELEGATES SUGGESTED THAT HE THOUGHT HE MIGHT HAVE THE ANSWER." LET US HIDE THE SPARK OF DIVINITY IN THE HUMAN HEART." THE VOTE ON THE RECOMMENDATION WAS UNANIMOUS.
JESUS CAME TO REVEAL THE SPARK OF DIVINITY; NOT TO HIDE IT. IN HIM WAS REVEALED GOD'S POSSIBILITY FOR PERSONS. NO ONE COULD THINK OF HERSELF OR HIMSELF IN THE SAME WAY NOW THAT HE HAD COME. GOD KNEW WE COULD ONLY LOVE THAT WHICH WE COULD GET OUR ARMS AROUND; SO HE BECAME A BABE AND WAS WRAPPED IN SWADDLING CLOTHES. THEN PEOPLE COULD SAY, " THIS IS EMMANUEL . "THIS IS GOD WITH US".
JESUS MEETS PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE.
No comments:
Post a Comment