Reflections
November 1, 2009
Under the guise of scholarship, thoughtful individuals seek to know and explain the mysteries of life. Therefore, we know the why of rainbows involve ambient moisture and refracted light. Moreover, the Biblical concept becomes interesting upon finding the creation story is tied to a tradition five thousand years old and the earth is several billion years old. How then do we reconcile a six day creation?
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels because in tone, text, and tenor they have much in common. The Gospel of John however stands apart. John offers no birth narrative or manger scene. The Jesus in this Gospel is said to have been with God at creation. John uses imagery to describe Jesus. We are told Jesus is Word, Flesh, and Light. John shares the power of Jesus' ministry in teaching and through miracles, but especially in the stories of healing. Without equivocation or regard to status Jesus heals. Insider or outcast it makes no difference. The Sabbath or not, John tells us Jesus has no concern about convention, his care is for the hearts and souls of the people.
In Chapter 11:1-45 Jesus is called to heal his friend Lazarus of Bethany. He is the brother of Mary and Martha and they have sent word of need. Yet before Jesus arrives Lazarus dies. Mary and Martha alternate between chastising Jesus for coming too late to heal their brother, and celebrating what they assume is the final resurrection when Jesus tells them Lazarus will be raised.
The power of the story is found first in the depth of emotion Jesus shows when told of the death of his friend. Scholars can discern this because the word used for those who week with Mary in verse 32, and the words used for Jesus weeping in verse 35 are different. The first having to do with a public kind of expression the second having to do with personal sorrow. Secondly, the true power of this passing is seen not in the raising of Lazarus, but in the expectation Jesus shares and John records. Jesus expects believers to find life in him, and to share that life with others. The love of God intends for us to be engaged in a life that begets a loving creation.
So do things need to be explained? As a young man an incident happened that caused me to think I needed to explain it in detail to some people close to me. I sought the advice of my dad and he said never explain yourself to those who care about you because they don't need it, and those who don't care about you have already made up their mind. Speaking of my dad, he loved rainbows; as a child when I asked him where they came from, he said the Bible. They are a visual promise of God's presence with us. It should come as no mystery that each and every time I see a rainbow, my father, thought dead since 1985, is very much alive in my heart.
Where we get stuck as modern people is with the notion of resurrection. We want empirical evidence, and seek to unravel the mystery of how and why? John's Gospel does not explain; it simply tells the story. Lazarus slept. Jesus wept. The crowd unbound and wondered.
November 1, 2009
Under the guise of scholarship, thoughtful individuals seek to know and explain the mysteries of life. Therefore, we know the why of rainbows involve ambient moisture and refracted light. Moreover, the Biblical concept becomes interesting upon finding the creation story is tied to a tradition five thousand years old and the earth is several billion years old. How then do we reconcile a six day creation?
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels because in tone, text, and tenor they have much in common. The Gospel of John however stands apart. John offers no birth narrative or manger scene. The Jesus in this Gospel is said to have been with God at creation. John uses imagery to describe Jesus. We are told Jesus is Word, Flesh, and Light. John shares the power of Jesus' ministry in teaching and through miracles, but especially in the stories of healing. Without equivocation or regard to status Jesus heals. Insider or outcast it makes no difference. The Sabbath or not, John tells us Jesus has no concern about convention, his care is for the hearts and souls of the people.
In Chapter 11:1-45 Jesus is called to heal his friend Lazarus of Bethany. He is the brother of Mary and Martha and they have sent word of need. Yet before Jesus arrives Lazarus dies. Mary and Martha alternate between chastising Jesus for coming too late to heal their brother, and celebrating what they assume is the final resurrection when Jesus tells them Lazarus will be raised.
The power of the story is found first in the depth of emotion Jesus shows when told of the death of his friend. Scholars can discern this because the word used for those who week with Mary in verse 32, and the words used for Jesus weeping in verse 35 are different. The first having to do with a public kind of expression the second having to do with personal sorrow. Secondly, the true power of this passing is seen not in the raising of Lazarus, but in the expectation Jesus shares and John records. Jesus expects believers to find life in him, and to share that life with others. The love of God intends for us to be engaged in a life that begets a loving creation.
So do things need to be explained? As a young man an incident happened that caused me to think I needed to explain it in detail to some people close to me. I sought the advice of my dad and he said never explain yourself to those who care about you because they don't need it, and those who don't care about you have already made up their mind. Speaking of my dad, he loved rainbows; as a child when I asked him where they came from, he said the Bible. They are a visual promise of God's presence with us. It should come as no mystery that each and every time I see a rainbow, my father, thought dead since 1985, is very much alive in my heart.
Where we get stuck as modern people is with the notion of resurrection. We want empirical evidence, and seek to unravel the mystery of how and why? John's Gospel does not explain; it simply tells the story. Lazarus slept. Jesus wept. The crowd unbound and wondered.
Dr. Joey K. McDonald
First United Methodist Church, 4832 Tujunga Ave.,
No.Ho., CA 91601
First United Methodist Church, 4832 Tujunga Ave.,
No.Ho., CA 91601
