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Understanding in a neutral keyFriday, December 11, 2009
Matthew 11:16-19 He redefines how I can see my life, how I can see the world, how I see God. As in Isaiah (43:19), he says, "Behold I will do a new thing; now it springs up. Do you not see it?" (This prophecy too comes true "in their hearing".) But can anything good or new come out of Nazareth? I tend to live as if life goes on as it always has and always will. Nothing new under the sun. Including Jesus: underneath the miracles Jesus is one of us. Jesus begs to differ. I cannot relate to him as I relate to others. All the joys and griefs of my relationships are personal: they depend on how I see things, as well as on the levels of dopamine, GABA, serotonin and norepinephrine in my brain. They depend on whether me and my friends are winning or losing, living or dying. They depend on the time of my life and the warmth of the sun. Not so Jesus. "Behold," he says (Rev. 21:5-6). "I make all things new ... It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Now here's the thing: Jesus wants his people to make the leap with him, from changing to always. Jesus lives in Now, and he invites me to live there too. He will not be like me, but he insists that I become like him. He is not one of us, but we can become one with him. Lord, you bless me when I follow you, when I delight in your truth and meditate on it. You plant me and prune me and water me like a tree, and know that I'll bear fruit. You are confident in your work, and I will be too. (Psalm 1) |
Jesus names things. He doesn't let me call a spade a spade, unless it really is a spade. He's the ultimate scientist. Jesus will not settle for anything less than words that are true.