Stay faithful, my friends. - September 8
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 45; PM Psalm 47, 48; Job 29:1-20; Acts 14:1-18; John 10:31-42
In John 10, Jesus is preaching and teaching among the people from Judea and some of the Hebrew people are disturbed by his words. Division and disagreement are bubbling up and spilling over into threats of physical violence against Jesus. The crowds want to know who he is, and the answers they hear are unsettling. Jesus tells his listeners that he is the good shepherd: tending his own flock, caring for all, and going to extremes to gather those lost. Continuing the metaphor, there are other sheep who will be incorporated into the one flock, under the protection and care of one shepherd. Then, he states that he is that shepherd.
In the same breath of naming his role as the Good Shepherd, leader and protector, he speaks to his willingness to die for the love that God has imbued in him. The ministry of Jesus isn’t just a martyr situation, because, as John writes it, Jesus is willing to sacrifice his life in order to gain new life. Even more stunning, Jesus has agency over what happens: “I lay [my life] down of my own accord…and I have power to take it up again.”
Other traveling faith healers may operate by sleight of hand deception, yet the source of Jesus’ life and ministry is grounded in God’s own power, for “The Father and I are one.” This becomes the boiling point: blasphemy. Jesus is seen as human and not divine, so to claim that he is God is sacrilegious. The punishment for blasphemy is death, according to Leviticus 24:16 - “One who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer.”
In the face of substantial doubt and angry opposition, Jesus responds that his actions are not profaning, but glorifying the Lord: “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe in me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe in me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” And then, Jesus evades arrest and retreats across the Jordan to continue ministry with a different, more receptive audience.
Folks, this is all very intense. By retelling the life and ministry of Jesus, the goal of John’s gospel is for all who hear those words to believe that Jesus is the divine Messiah, Son of God. What becomes apparent to me is that hearing a different point of view – though honest and true – is a hard voice to listen to and understand. As the conflict unfolds, Jesus is proposing the grace and care of God in hope; the synthesis and fulfillment of the legacy created by of the Law and the Prophets. This new thing – while amazing – is upending. The Judeans, and we today, have moments of crises when our faith is shaky and we don’t know where to go next. And so, Jesus asks all who listen to be non-reactive and simply exist in the discomfort of His divine truth. He asks us to stay connected, keep praying, keep watching…for in watching the actions, the law, love and power of God will burst forth. Jesus is a testament to that – his works of healing and compassion point to the love of God. Isn’t that what Presiding Bishop Michael Curry says? If it’s not about love, then it’s not about God. Is it easy? No. Is it possible? Yes. Stay faithful, my friends.
-- Katherine+
Questions for Reflection
What about John 10 is challenging to you? Where do you find yourself saying yes, and where are you hesitating?
Daily Challenge
Take time in prayer today. Pray about a space of discomfort and sit in it. Ask God to lead you to others who can be an example of hope in the face of division.