I had a friend who grew up in Springfield, Missouri and went to high school with Brad Pitt. I’m sure it’s a huge deal whenever he comes back to visit family. “We know this guy!” people think. “He’s one of ours.”
Everybody grows up somewhere, goes to school, plays sports, makes friends – and enemies. For Jesus, that somewhere was Nazareth, after he and his family returned from exile in Egypt. And his townspeople were pretty sure they knew him. Even as he manifested a very different skill set than the one needed for carpentry, and as his fame grew, they were pretty sure they knew him.
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” (This Sunday's Gospel passage is here.)
Joseph’s son was how they knew him. Joseph’s son was predictable. But this man had another father, and that paternity was now being revealed. “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” reflects Jesus owning his divine identity, his messianic mission. That life would not prove so predictable.
Do we ever feel proud of Jesus? Do we feel we know him? It can be hard to feel gratitude or pride when we’re just so used to him being around. Those who have grown up in the church have heard about this guy our whole lives. We know his life story, his teachings, his miracles. He’s a stained glass window in the background. How can he surprise us now?
My approach is this: I always go back to the beginning. As many glimpses as I may have caught of Jesus over the years, I know I don’t have a clue. So I pray, “Let me know you, as you know me.” Occasionally I get words in my mind which I feel are him speaking; they reveal a little. I ask him for inspiration in ministry, and sometimes am flooded with ideas. That shows me a little about who he is. Prayer, ministry, worship – these are some of the best ways we have of getting to know Jesus. What's your strategy?
This Jesus, who lives in us and through us and around us, is not completely knowable in this life, and yet is much more than a cardboard saint. “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened,” he promised (Luke 11:10). As we seek him, we find him, and he isn’t anything like what we expected.
No comments:
Post a Comment