The Different Images of Jesus - November 15
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 89:1-18; PM Psalm 89:19-52; 1 Macc. 3:1-24; Rev. 20:7-15; Matt. 17:1-13
For some reason, reading today’s Gospel reminds me of the hilarious prayer scene from the Blockbuster movie “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” This might be on my mind because somehow the staff has talked me into watching this movie together at the conclusion of our staff visioning retreat on Thursday. I think the underlying premise is that it would be good for the soul for all of us to laugh together, and somehow this was the solution offered up by our staff. But all of that is for another day.
In an early scene where Ricky Bobby is offering a prayer for the food that is before them, a bountiful feast of Dominos, KFC, and the always delicious Taco Bell, an argument breaks out. Ricky Bobby likes to imagine Jesus as a newborn child, and this becomes frustrating to some at the table. The uncle has to remind everyone that Jesus was also a full-grown adult. Ricky Bobby’s best friend then begins to share his favorite image of Jesus. Spoiler: He likes “to picture Jesus in a tuxedo T-shirt.” It’s a ridiculous movie and here is the scene if you need a good laugh too.
The movie is on my mind because I am reading this passage this morning in dialogue with the resurrection account in John’s Gospel. When read side by side, these two stories are such drastically different accounts of how people experience Jesus. Today’s reading is the transfiguration, where Peter, James, and John go up a mountain with Jesus and have a rather mystical experience. All of a sudden, Jesus’s clothes become dazzling white and his face shines like never before.
In the twentieth chapter of John’s Gospel, Mary is weeping outside of the tomb, and she meets a man that she imagines to be the gardener. The description is so ordinary: the gardener. In this account, it is the opposite of a transfiguration. There are no radiant clothes or a dazzling face, just an ordinary man who she slowly begins to recognize as her friend Jesus.
I’m struck by the vast difference between the two experiences. One is the most ordinary of men, while the other is a truly extraordinary experience. I suspect that some have found the comfort and healing of our loving God in the simple hospitality of an ordinary stranger. For others, maybe you have come to know Jesus through a mountain top experience such as Happening, Cursillo, or any other of the amazing events that are impossible to reproduce. The gift of reading these stories in dialogue, and really any differing stories in dialogue, is to expand the possibilities for how we might encounter Jesus.
Where have you met Jesus? Was it a teacher, a friend, a stranger, an immigrant, a small child, a grandparent, a prophetic voice, an artist, or a companion? Was it through a mystical experience like Peter, James, and John had on top of the mountain? Maybe all of these hold kernels of truth, but the real truth is we never know when and how Jesus is going to show up. Our job is to be open to infinite possibilities. Maybe even in a dude in a tuxedo T-shirt.
John+
Questions for Self-Reflection: How do you imagine Jesus? Does this impact your prayer life? What could you do to be open to seeing Christ in more ways and in more people?
Daily Challenge: If you are interested in learning more about one of the weekends named above such as Happening or Cursillo, please reach out to one of our clergy or read about Cursillo here.