Obediah 11-15 - Taking the Time to Understand

Recently, I received a wedding invitation from one of the couples in my small group and the first thing I noticed was that the grooms first name was not what I thought it was. I have always known him as Chase but I learned from the invitation that his name was Ming. The next morning when we were running I asked him about it and he shared that when he was finishing college and looking for internships, he was getting no response from his resume. A friend suggested that he use an American name on his resume...and suddenly the responses started coming in (some from the same places that had rejected his resume previously). I was shocked to hear this. Chase sounds and acts very Americanized and although it is clear he is of Asian descent, he is as American as I am and is a US citizen. I apologized that he had to experience this and expressed my disappointment that employers would get hung up on the name and not get past it on the resume. As I was mulling this over in my mind, he started to tell me a story...

He told me that he had been running/walking at the same beach that we run at the week before with his friend Brian and he also had his and his future bride's 10 month old son in his stroller. As they were going along the beach a woman in a passing car started yelling at them...and then pulled over and flipped them the bird. [I had to chuckle because I could see where it was going...two guys and a stroller...and the irony was that these guys were straight and it was only my friend's baby.] And Chase asked, if this kind of stuff ever happen to Thomas and I. I told him that of course it did. In spite of the fact that we live in Massachusetts near Boston, one of most accepting places in the United States Occasionally we have people yell and shout obscenities at us when we are walking down the street holding hands. I admitted that it is one of the reasons I am not in favor of a public place for our wedding; I would not want the beauty of that day and that commitment marred by someone who is unable to control their opinions. I told him we also have people stop and tell us how great and cute we are. He went on to express that he was scared when he and his friend Brian had experienced this woman. The woman was pretty mad and he and his friend are shorter than average; he was concerned about violence...

The rest of our run I continued to think about these conversations and how God would call us to act. As I thought about it, I was reminded that Jesus spent time with all kinds of people. We read about him in conversation with pharisees (Luke 7:36-50), we see him talking to women (John 4:1-38) and tax collectors (Luke 19:1-10). Jesus taught both in the countryside (Matthew 4:23) and the cities (Mark 11:27). Jesus knew many people, rich, poor, revered, and cast out and he spent time with them all. He took the time to know people. We too are called to know and understand people, being careful how we judge and treat them.

One of the places that I am reminded of this is in Obediah:

11 On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. 12 You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. 13 You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor look down on them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. 14 You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble. 15 "The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. 

 In this case, the prophet is reminding the people not take advantage of others' misfortune or look down on them, because circumstances can change and you might find yourself in that place. Obadiah was reminding the people to have compassion and treat others with dignity and respect, for all people will face God and have their actions examined. 

As I think about this in relation to my friend having to change his name in order to get responses to his resume, I think how foolish it is for someone to make a judgement based on a name. From a name, you can not possibly know if someone is qualified for the position. By ignoring that resume, the company could be missing out on an employee that would bring that company to new heights, all because they couldn't read past the name. What a shame. Possibly it was unconscious, possibly because they thought this person would be stealing a job from a US citizen, or possibly they thought there would be a language barrier...but these things would not have been true. 

When I looked at the experience my friend has with the woman, I can't help but think who was hurt by her assumptions...assumptions that were wrong. She was, because it caused her to feel great anger and I am sure that stuck with her for a good portion of the day. My friend experienced fear, so he was hurt, and I imagine if others witnessed it, it was uncomfortable and raised emotions in them as well. Ultimately, everyone was negatively affected...all for a wrong assumption. But even if she had been correct, what positive difference did she make? None. No one walked away feeling good and no one was moved to change their opinion or decisions to her beliefs.

As people trying to make good and right choices, as people who claim to know and want to share God with others, we must engage with those around us. We need to take the time to understand who they are and we need to focus our energy on loving. Loving does not mean agreeing and supporting everything, but loving works for the good of all people and leaves a path of understanding and respect.

Luke 7:37-38, 47 - A Beautiful Expression of Love

Last week, while I was in the middle of conducting an online webinar, one of my co-workers came into my office carrying a bouquet of flowers and put them on my desk. As I continued the session, I snuck a quick peek at the card which read, "Jimmy, You are Amazing! Love, Thomas". As you can imagine, my heart swelled in my chest and a tear escaped from my eye. These beautiful flowers were not for a special occasion, they were "just because". I felt special. These flowers were a true gift of love.

These flowers made me think of a story in Luke chapter 7. A story of a beautiful expression of love. Love that does not hinge on my behavior, but is given.

³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them...
⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

One of the first things that catches me about this story is the woman's love for Jesus. She comes and humbles herself, pouring expensive perfume onto Jesus' feet and wipes his feet with her hair. A couple things to note:

1. Perfume was very expensive and the amount this woman poured on Jesus would have cost a great deal. This was not an easy gift to give, it would have cost her much.
2. In Jesus' time a woman did not bear her hair in public. If she did people thought she was promiscuous. This woman gave up her dignity to give this gift to Jesus. The personal cost was great.

Clearly this woman had great love for Jesus. She gave up of her fortune and her dignity to lavish love on Jesus. She lavishes love on Jesus. Not because he did something for her but because of who He is. The flowers I received were like that. They were a lavish gift of love, not because I did something to deserve them, but because of who I am.

Jesus responds to this gift, pronouncing her forgiven and further explains that she is able to express this great love because she feels the freedom of forgiveness. The forgiveness was not a result of her love, an expression made possible by her forgiven state.

Jesus goes on to compare the love offered by the woman to that of his host, a prominent religious leader in the village who did not offer to wash his feet, did not offer perfume, nor greeted him with a kiss, all common courtesies of the day when hosting an honored guest.

The host did not see his need for forgiveness and therefore had no great expression of love, the woman did and her expression was beautiful and honored Jesus.

Are self aware of your shortcomings? Do you know your need for forgiveness? Do you have a great appreciation for the wholeness and grace given to you by God and others around you? What can be seen in your expressions of love?

Creating a Safe Place for Engagement

Last week, my friend Derek asked me if I was familiar with Andrew Marin's ministry and what I thought of him. I responded that I had heard about him, but I wasn't overly enthusiastic about him because from things I had read from people in the LGBT community he held the belief that homosexuality was a sin and that was underlying in his work.

Then this week, I got involved in a discussion with my small group about judgement and engagement. We were focused on the idea of Jesus reaching out to those around him, regardless of their background. Further, we discussed how the church could better reach those who were outside the church. Ideas such as, no judgement, a safe place, and engagement came up.


As I was thinking about both of these things, I started considering Jesus and his engagement with those around him and a few scriptures and ideas came to mind. First, Jesus engaged with all types of people:

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” John 4:9

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:1, 2

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” Luke 19:5

Jesus had people of all different financial backgrounds in his audience, all different education levels, city folk and country folk, and people of all different social positions in the community. Jesus engaged with all sorts of people. His goal was to reach out and touch the heart of each one. He offered God to each and left them to choose whether to accept the gift he had to offer. He made him self safe to each. We can see that all types of people felt they could approach Jesus.

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said... John 3:1, 2

 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” John 9:2 

 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, Matthew 8:5

Jesus was a safe place. Jesus listened and saw each person before him. he did not send them away or make them feel unwelcome. Jesus did not write them off for their past choices or their current attitudes. But the thing we need to realize is that Jesus did recognize sin in them and encourage them to change and choose relationship with good and live a life a love. He acknowledged faults and without making the people unworthy, and he offered a different path. He did judge them, but he offered them a path to wholeness and relationship with God.

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:14

She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. John 8:11

“I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” John 4:17, 18

Jesus loved people enough not to let them stay the way they were. He may have been harsh at times, but that was with the people whose sin lay in their righteousness, because they needed to realize their distance from God. For all, he met them in the place they were at and showed them a new path. And this is what we as the church need to be in order to reach people around us. We need to love them where they are at and offer them another path. Our love can't be contingent on them choosing the path we are offering them, it must be genuine love. In this way, we can create a space that is a safe place where we can engage. 

Walking away from my thoughts, I have some further realizations about my opening stories. With respect to Andrew Marin, I realize that he is doing as Jesus did, trying to love people where they are at and offer them a different path, one that he believes is of God. I realize that he and I just have a different idea of what God's view of homosexuality is. While he and I don't agree, I do respect his meeting people in the place that they are at with love. (So if you happen to be reading this Mr. Marin, I apologize for not clearly seeing the goodness of your methods because we see scripture differently on this topic. As for my small group, I think we need to remember that the key is loving people in the place that they are and offering (not forcing) others another path. It isn't a judgement-free environment, but it is a cocoon of love and acceptance.

Do you love people like Jesus? 

Luke 15:1-3: Are you a Prodigal?

Have you read the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke chapter 11? Do you relate to one of the characters in that story? It happens to be the topic of the study my small group is doing called Prodigal God written by Tim Keller. This week, we focused on the audience who was listening to Jesus when he told this story and how those people (and we) fit into the story:

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Then Jesus told them this parable: (Luke 15:1-3)

As we examined the characters in the story and how they were like the groups of listeners, we came up with the younger brothers or tax collectors and sinners and the older brothers or Pharisees. The tax collectors and sinners were on paths of "do what you want" but were now returning to God because they were lost. The Pharisees were standing on the moral high ground and were so focused on doing what was right that they failed to have relationship and were also lost. The problem for this group is that they were too proud to recognize and admit they were lost.

Of course that leaves one more character, the father, who is extravagant in his love to both his sons, just as God is with us. To the younger son, he gives him the inheritance that he asks for and then when the younger son returns having squandered that inheritance and recognizing that he is no longer worthy of sonship, the father gives him a robe and a ring, signifying that he has put him right back to his place of being a son in his household. Not only does he restore him to his place in the family, but he greets him by foregoing dignity and running out to him, not waiting for the younger son to approach him and apologize. For the older son, the father leaves his party and begs the older son to come in and join the festivities. He humbles himself and begs his own son just to celebrate. To both, the father lavishes an extravagant love.

This weeks discussion focused on the need to focus on relationship. In that relationship, we will find an understanding of what we are supposed to do and how we are supposed to love. We will not become lost.

I have had these ideas and thoughts rolling around in my head this week and thinking about how that plays out today, for me, and in the lives of others around me. I have also had my Google News notifications filling my inbox with news stories about Exodus International, which is an ex-gay ministry. Let me share a quote from one of the articles on CNN:

"From a Judeo-Christian perspective, gay, straight or otherwise, we're all prodigal sons and daughters," Chambers said. "Exodus International is the prodigal's older brother, trying to impose its will on God's promises, and make judgments on who's worthy of His Kingdom.
"God is calling us to be the Father -- to welcome everyone, to love unhindered."

The organization is shutting down and reforming under a new name, Reduce Fear, with a new mission:

"This is a new season of ministry, to a new generation," Chambers said. "Our goals are to reduce fear, and come alongside churches to become safe, welcoming and mutually transforming communities."

 I want to give credit to this organization for recognizing that they were lost and needed to take a different path. For seeing that the mission of Exodus International made them like the older brother and also congratulate them on the new mission, which is one worthy of the father. I pray my blessings on their faithfulness to this new mission and that they could impact churches to make them safe, welcoming and transforming communities.

Back to my small group, one of the parting ideas we discussed was a health check on how churches were at embracing the marginalized and what they needed to do to improve in this area. It seems that Reduce Fear is on a path to help churches to do this.

Each of us can probably relate to the younger or older son in the story of the Prodigal Son, and possibly both at different seasons in our lives; more focused on "doing it right" or on our "own desires" and neglecting relationship. But it is only in relationship that we have opportunities to spend extravagant love, love that the world would see as wasteful, but we know to be the essence of life.

Let us find ways to be a prodigal, like the father in the story, giving away love extravagantly, spreading it everywhere we go with abandon.

John 15:1,2 - Pruning: Painful Process to Perfection

Last night, at our small group, we were reading John chapter 15, which opens with this set of verses (1 &2),

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

The key to understanding this fully is in understanding how growing fruit works from a gardening sense. At the time, Jesus was talking to people who were familiar with agriculture and this illustration would have been meaningful to them.

Consider a fruit vine. There is the long vine that connects the roots to the branches.  When the person who cares for the vine inspects it, they are looking at the health of the branches. If a branch is dead or dying and bears no fruit, they remove it completely so that it is not draining the resources of the vine as a whole and taking away energy and food that the other branches could use to create fruit. Now if the branch is living, it is pruned back closer to the vine. This again reduces the energy needed to keep the branch alive so that all that energy can go into producing fruit. 

Now if you  consider that is a people sense. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches.  Jesus is saying that energy will not be wasted on those who do not bear fruit, but for those that do, they will be pruned so that they may bear more (sweeter and better) fruit. If you think about it, the process is not painless,  because pruning is involved for this to happen. As good as we are, and as good as the fruit is that we are producing in the world and people around us, we will be pruned. God is removing the parts of us that drain our resources and ability to bear good fruit: pride that holds us back from fully embracing another in love, anger that is used in the wrong way, stubbornness that prevents us from saying or doing what could turn a situation around. God is working to remove those from our character, and bring us closer to the person we were created to be.

As we were discussing this idea, I had to hijack my own lesson to share a video created by the Skit Guy called God's Chisel. This humorous and moving skit talks about the idea of God shaping us to improve us, but also reminds us that God does not create junk. We are worthy of God's time and effort to mold us into the persons we are created to be.
  
As you consider all of this, remember that being shaped and molded sometimes is painful, but the end result is better. Perhaps God is working on you in a way that feels painful and you wish you wouldn't have to suffer in the process. Think about the end result and how much better it will be. God promised that life with God would be better...not easy.

How is God pruning you today? Are you resisting or are you letting God take away the things that hold you back? 

P.S. I just couldn't resist the alliteration in the title...no apologies :-)
 

John 9 & 10 - Who is Jesus?

Is this an easy question for you? Difficult? If asked this in your workplace or someplace where the climate towards faith is unknown, how would you answer? Would the answer be related to how Christians in general see Jesus or how you personally see Jesus?

These are all thoughts that came up in a discussion this week when my small group and I were studying John 9 & 10. In these chapters (and the proceeding ones), Jesus is moving between Jerusalem, where many of the Pharisees are trying to figure out a way to "take care of him" and other places that are more remote.

Let me share a few related scriptures, this first one, from chapter 9 is a conversation among the Pharisees and with the blind man Jesus had healed (on the Sabbath).

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
¹⁷ Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

And a short while later, the former blind man's parents are brought in to the conversation.

²⁰ “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. ²¹ But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” ²² His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.

 And a little later Jesus and the formerly blind man meet again.

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
³⁶ “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
³⁷ Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
³⁸ Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Shortly after (in Chapter 10) Jesus says this about himself.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  

And the people were divided in their thoughts.

¹⁹ The Jews who heard these words were again divided. ²⁰ Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”
²¹ But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

As we discussed the different people's responses and the environment that they were in, we couldn't help but remember other responses to Jesus from other places in the Bible from Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Christ to the many other times Pharisees declared him demon possessed.

Some declared him openly and boldly whether in a positive or negative light and some were less out there. I am reminded of Nicodemus, a Pharisees who visits Jesus at night. He believes, and often when I read about Pharisees who pose positive assertions to their fellow Pharisees, I think of Nicodemus. He was a supporter but still walked in the ranks of the Pharisees, retaining his place of influence, in spite of the climate.

So I ask this again, what declarations would you make about Jesus in an unknown environment? Is answering that question easy or difficult.

For me, there have been times when this topic has come up and I have declared my relationship with Jesus and told the story of when I tried to commit suicide and Jesus saved me through his declaration of love for me. I have encouraged others to have an encounter with Jesus and to "come and see" who he is.

At other times, doors have been opened for me and I have taken a more subtle approach, posing questions and pointing to people and events in the world to cause the other person to consider Jesus without making a personal and definitive declaration myself.

And still other times, I have failed to walk through the door and make a declaration out of fear of how it would be received or because in that moment, I personally wasn't feeling all that close to Jesus and didn't want to take the risk.

Some days the question is easy, and other days it is hard, but everyday it is important. How would you answer it today?

John 4:1-30 - The Loving, Empowering Encounter

Have you ever met someone who just gets you? One conversation with them and you feel instantly understood and being around them feels comforting and relaxing; it gives you life!

I can't help but wonder if that is what the Samaritan woman feels like when she encounters Jesus. The thing that initially touches her about the encounter is that Jesus acknowledges her. He asks her for a drink, even though she is a Samaritan. The Jews looked down on the Samaritans and she expected that Jesus, as a Jew, would do the same, but he did not, instead he started a conversation with her.

Throughout their conversation, Jesus shows that he knows her, and cares for her, and wants her to have the best that is available; life abundant and in relationship with God. Jesus does not judge her, but after making it clear that he knows her good and bad, he also makes it clear that he cares and points her towards truth. He acknowledges her, accepts her, and challenges her to be better. Could anyone ask for a better friend?

It can be hard for us to get our head around Jesus as that kind of friend if we have never met people who show us what that is like, and in truth, that kind of person can be rare. People often fit one or more of those, but it is the rare person who fills all three; partly because we don't let someone know us intimately enough. To earn trust takes time, and sometimes it is never fully earned by another. We have those secrets we withhold; we believe we know how the person will react, we feel their judgement before it is spoken.

I expect the Samaritan woman was waiting to hear Jesus' judgement after he outlined her situation in life,

¹⁶ He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
¹⁷ “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. ¹⁸ The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

 Yet Jesus did not react with judgement, he continued his conversation with her and revealed himself as Messiah to her. He offered her spiritual life!

I have been blessed with a couple of people in my life that have been and continue to be this kind of friend to me (aside from Jesus and family members). One is my friend PC who has always loved me, maybe not all my choices, but definitely me and has always spoken truth to me; not to condemn me, but to grow me. The other is my boyfriend, Thomas. In spite of my past mistakes and bad choices and my grouchiness, he acknowledges the less than perfect areas of who I am and focuses on the beauty in me. He encourages me to be better and to reminds me when I am about to do something that I will later regret. He always has a hug for me, no matter what.

It is because of people like this in my life that I can better understand and be in relationship with Jesus and understand the encounter the Samaritan woman has with Jesus. She finds that she is valued, she is loved, and the encounter empowers her.

Do you have a person in your life that helps you understand what Jesus is offering you?

Be Present (Luke 10:38-42)

The last couple of weeks has been very busy for me (mostly at work). In addition to work and social commitments, I am trying to keep up with friends and family, stay active on the Gay-Christian Bridges page and in the group, as well as stay up on various games I play with people over my phone. I find myself grabbing every moment I can, while riding the T...while helping my cousin's kids cook, to catch up with these things on my phone. I constantly feel behind and often find myself trying to catch minutes to do these things while I am with other people. Just think about that...I am spending time with a person in real life and trying to multitask to play Words with Friends or check Facebook...

When I recognize what I am doing, I can't help but think of the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

I, like Martha, am becoming distracted by other things, when what I need to be doing is focusing on relationship with the person in front of me.


When Martha becomes so focused on other things, Jesus says to her,

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus reminds her to focus on what is important.
 
My boyfriend and I have a reminder phrase we use to help ourselves to focus on relationship and the person in front of us: Be Present. It is the reminder that we use to point out to the other know that their focus is split and it isn't where it should be. It started as something one of us would say to the other, but now, both of us find ourselves commented on our own behavior when we are not being present.

Not only can I have issues being present with those around me, but with God as well. This past week, my small group started a study on Jesus' prayers. One of the main points of the first teaching was that Jesus had a practice of prayer. It wasn't just a talk to God sometimes. It was intentional time spent with God. Jesus often went away from people and spent all night in prayer. He was very present with God and his power came from this close relationship. I feel challenged by this because it can be very easy for me to let busyness distract me from my relationship with God as well. I need the reminder of Martha and Mary of a regular basis.

Do you find yourself multitasking and tapping into social media, texting, games, etc while you are with other people? DO you find other thoughts encroaching on your time with God? Do you need to BE PRESENT more?

Take a minute to do a little self evaluation. Are you like Martha? Are you like Mary? Maybe you too want to adopt the phrase Be Present into your life.

John 14:6 - Black and White or Shades of Grey

So the last couple of days I have been thinking a lot about John 14:6:

Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Often I hear people quote this as a verse that  speaks to Christianity being the only way to heaven. And here is where I shock, possibly disappoint, or offend some of my Christian friends and audience...but I am just not sure about that. I have been considering this verse as a part of my search to better understand and possibly come to a more definitive answer on this. I want to share some of my journey on this.

I started by considering the language of the verse, particularly the word father. I had a suspicion that the word Jesus used for father was not the same as what was used in the Old Testament. In looking at a concordance to better understand this, I discovered that Father is only used 10 times in the Old Testament as a reference to God and Jesus introduces a term for Father that includes intimacy. The references in the Old Testament are along the lines of Father in the creative or in the protector sense. So this had me rolling around in my mind the following question: Is this verse saying that Jesus is the way to intimacy with God? And is this different than being able to go to heaven?

I then noticed something interesting about this verse, the phrase, Jesus told him. Looking at other versions, it says Jesus answered. I decided I needed to better understand what the question was and who asked the question. I believe that context is crucial to understanding the message of the Bible, and yet it can be often ignored. So I went back to look at the verses proceeding this one. In it Jesus is talking about preparing a place for the disciples where he is going (Jesus has just told them he would be betrayed and would be leaving them) and in verse 5 Thomas, one of the disciples asks a question:

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

So there is the answer to my questions. The person asking the question is Thomas and the question is how can we (the followers of Jesus or the disciples) know the way? Is this an answer then that applies to all people or is is an answer that applies to Thomas and the other disciples?

As I considered that, I can't help notice the phrase, no one. Now, of course this can be understood as no one period, or not one of the listeners (those the answer was given to), but I decided that it was time to be back to the concordance. Interestingly, I see reference to no one and not one, but I couldn't find an indication as to whether it was global or specific from a straight language perspective, commentaries vary in interpretation.

So what I find myself left with, and what I leave you with is a question of how to see this verse in the light of its context. I suspect that people will choose to see it in the way that supports their current belief, but maybe, this question will lead you to further study and to look at other verses to gain more understanding.


I find this to be a grey area. For me, I know that I can only understand God in very limited way, as human understanding is limited. I am reminded of the story of the elephant and the blind men. Each of these blind men experience a different part of the elephant and describe it through the lens of their experience. I often wonder if our experience and talk of God is the same, each one of us describing God as we experience God and through the lens of our experience and environment.

I believe in God and that Jesus is God and that He can and was a sacrifice that cleanses me from sin if I accept that gift. I believe that God wants us to be in relationship[ with God, and I live my life within that relationship. Can I stand here and say that what you describe as God is wrong and what I describe is right? No, I cannot. Even if I was in a conversation of only Christians, I would find we have different understandings, many areas are grey. I can not point to any definitive evidence that I am 100% right and anyone else is 100% wrong. All I can do is share my journey and invite others to experience the relationship with God that I experience (although theirs will be different because it is theirs).

Walk with me, and I will share my story. Share with me, and I will listen, and hopefully we will both come to greater understanding and love.

Bridge Building

One of the things that has been on my mind this week is the Matthew 28:19 commission of making disciples. I hear and read about  this command, and then I read about things like walking up to people on the street and asking them, "If you were to die tonight, do you know where you would go?" and all I can do is cringe. Have you ever been a part of this kind of evangelism? I have. Not that it was ever something I wanted to do, but I was part of a group that was going out and doing this. 

Recently, I have been thinking about that commission a lot. The more I think about it, the more I feel like some people have understood it wrong. They see it as a command to go to other people and tell them about Jesus. Now you may be saying, that sounds right to me, but please wait, while I talk a little more about this, because I believe that this commission was given for us to do, "Jesus style". I think it is important for us to understand this commission, using Jesus as the ultimate example.

So let's look at what Jesus did. Jesus traveled to different places to teach. While he taught in the synagogue or homes when invited, most often Jesus taught places that were informal, often in the countryside (Matthew 5:1, Matthew 14:13,14). When Jesus taught, he went to a place and taught. He went to a place, but the people came to him. I think that is a key point. Jesus made himself available to people. he didn't accost them on the street and force anything on them. He went to a place and then let people come to him if they wanted to hear him teach. Now some of those people heard his message and didn't understand at all, some heard and thought they understood and some heard and stayed to ask more questions. Now, you may point out some exceptions, but I think it is important for us to examine the whole of Jesus' ministry.

Ultimately, I think it is profound to note how Jesus operated. He went to a place and healed and taught. Those who wanted to see or hear him, came to Jesus (even in times when he would have rather have a time of rest). Many came, many heard, some understood.

Partway through his time of ministry, Jesus sent out his followers to minister (Matthew 10:1-15). In verse 14, He gives them this instruction, "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet." Jesus tells them, not to force themselves on anyway. If they aren't interested, leave and move on.

I think Jesus' model is important to remember when sharing teachings and understandings, not just in sharing the religious teachings, but in sharing all views. Imagine how you respond when some one comes at you with an opinion or idea and forcefully explains it to you until you either walk away or agree with them. Maybe it was a situation where you asked for their thoughts and it just went beyond sharing for understanding, or maybe their thoughts were unsolicited. How did you respond internally to this? If you are like me, it left a sour taste in your mouth, and either the desire to avoid this person, or to start hearing their ideas with a chip on your shoulder. (Well, maybe not the first time, but likely the more it happened the more distasteful it became.) 

I beleive that we are called to be bridge builders. We are called to share what we understand, but share it in the way that Jesus did. Let the people come to us. I don't think this is always easy to judge...but I think it is important to consider how you are sharing your message. Are you doing it in a way that offends people who have not chosen to to come hear you (the offensive sign you are carrying in public that a person did not come to see)? Or have you found a place to share your message where people can come to you if they want to hear it and not have to hear it if they have not chosen to come? 

If we consider how we are choosing to share our message and we work to share our message in love, we can be bridge builders. I choose to strive to be a bridge builder. Do you?