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REVIEW: ♥ Jesus was always loving all the wrong people for all the right reasons! ♥ Although the kingdom (the advantaged life according to God) would be available to all, it would be embraced by relatively few. ♥ The language Jesus often used seemed to contrast the radical inclusion (welcome) of the kingdom with the limitations of choice. John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life…” Add this to the list of all the things that Jesus said that makes me nervous! * I’m not sure that any single statement Jesus made has been met with more controversy. To assert that Jesus is THE way is to invite such labels as “fanatical”, “bigoted”, “intolerant” or “narrow- minded”. * I’ve determined that the height of arrogance is humanity altering the claims of Jesus for a more palatable, less controversial approach! (I wonder how God feels as we convene conferences to debate his existence?!) * As I was cleaning out my closet this week in preparation for the Auxiliary Fire Sale, I was reminded that I usually have (3) different sets of clothes in my closet (which is analogous to my life): Skinny clothes- represent IDEALISM… the way things “could be” (I refuse to get rid of them!) Clothes I’m currently wearing- represent DISILLUSIONMENT… it’s just the way things “are”! (daily reminder of my failure to realize a preferred-future). Fat clothes- represents DESPAIR… the way things “always will be” (succumb to hopelessness). * In a sense (among a very distorted example!), followers of Christ through the generations have faced similar challenges: IDEALISM: God was always attempting to paint for them a picture of a preferred-future; the way things could be (much of which would be determined by their own choices). The hope that things can be different is what allows us to persevere. DISILLUSIONMENT: that for all their hopes for life to be different, they found themselves captive to their own self-destructive way of life; a condition in which things stayed pretty much the same. DESPAIR (and its emotional companion, DEPRESSION): the sense of hopelessness that comes from sensing that this is just the way it’s always going to be! * It is into this dilemma that Jesus comes announcing the “kingdom”. That the life that they have always longed for (the way life “could be”) was now breaking in. That the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was acting decisively to bring Israel’s story to a climax (fulfill), and that by doing so, he would fulfill his dream for all people (regardless of ethic decent, or gender, or socio-economic status) to “belong”… to be with Him and each other! * The kingdom, you might say, was not only what IS, but what IS TO COME! AND, that hope was tied specifically to the person and actions of Jesus. * People seem to have (3) fundamental needs, all of which Jesus addresses in this very brief, yet profound and controversial statement in John 14:6… “I am the way, the truth and the life”. People are desperate for… WAY (journey; course)- At some point in everyone’s life, we are confronted with this sense of inner-turmoil that is the result of disillusionment; it says, “Something’s missing.” A MEANS TO RECONCILE THE INNER-TURMOIL FROM DISILLUSIONMENT. * Questions posed to this culture by pop artists Sheryl Crow and U2… “If it makes you happy, why the hell are you so sad?!” “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”. TRUTH (meaning; significance)- It addresses the issue of significance and meaning; purpose beyond mere existence. Only something greater than pleasure could possibly offer our lives the purpose we seek and motivate us to abandon ourselves in order to find it. Someone to help us make sense of our lives and our world. A VIABLE REPRESENTATION OF THE WAY THINGS REALLY ARE. LIFE- The need to possess a system of beliefs/values which gives us a proper perspective on life; one that allows me to connect with the “transcendent”. AN APPROACH TO LIFE THAT ALLOWS ME TO CONNECT WITH GOD AND OTHERS IN SUCH A WAY THAT I BECOME MORE FULLY HUMAN (more fully the person that I was created to be). If there is no… WAY- life is confusing. Where do I go for answers when I can’t find them within myself? TRUTH- life is pointless; uncertain; uncertainty leads to chaos. There’s no “story”; no “conclusion”. All that’s left is contradiction. LIFE- life has no intrinsic value; there’s only existence (If this is all there is, what’s the point?) “Was Jesus really exclusive?” Or, could it be that we are just not hearing him right? (as is/was the case with so much of what Jesus said) * When we think of the text, we often interpret it as Jesus’ way of excluding those who refuse to believe. I think that Jesus’ statement would have sounded differently to his initial audience. John 6:37, 40 “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life,…” John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life…” John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” Reflections… ►If we are not convinced that Jesus is the way, we will be unable to pursue him with the “all or nothing” passion that a relationship seems to require. Because, we will always wonder about the possibility of another love… another way (options). In case we are disappointed and dissatisfied. Devotion- considering no other options! We hesitate to give ourselves fully to anyone we don’t know (“If you knew me… you still don’t know me”). ALL OR NOTHING- When we say “yes” to Jesus, we are also saying “no” to everything else upon which we might depend for life. The moment that we have the most to gain, we also have the most to lose! At this point, Jesus is saying that having given him “all”, you have nothing to lose! Following him will be “risky”, but he will never put your trust in him at risk! ►It seems to me that if there was a God who wanted to engage us, he would do so in a manner that was unique (since he’s God!), identifiable and accessible (open to all). It’s absurd to think that God would allow for such ambiguity; to leave such a pursuit to our own discretion. FREEDOM GUARANTEES THE RIGHT TO BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU WANT, BUT DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IS RIGHT! ►Jesus was always helping people IN, not trying to keep them OUT! Admittedly, the church has often been arrogant in its handling of such truth, but Jesus’ words were always wonderfully “inclusive”. Jesus was making sure that no one who pursued him would be denied accessibility. Far from being ‘narrow’ or ‘intolerant’, Jesus’ was wonderfully eliminating any obstacles that might keep people away. ►Jesus’ words were not meant to be dismissing, but defining. What appears to be restrictive is really meant to offer clarity and provide direction (“narrow” vs. “broad”). * To say that “all roads lead to God” sounds wonderfully PC, but frighteningly vague. When it comes to such essential life-questions, the answer cannot be “(D) All of the Above”. ►I have found that it’s not hard to understand, just hard to accept! * It’s my appreciation for diversity that allows me to celebrate your right to choose, but it’s my infinitely greater appreciation for God’s love toward me (and the love that it prompts for you) which prompts me to declare my belief that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and it’s not just what “works for me”; it has to also be what works for you!
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