A few moments ago as I sat in my lawn chair out back I was thinking, praying, meditating about how the kingdom operates. Here's what occurred to me; Jesus doesn't manage, He reigns. As indisputable monarch of God's Kingdom, Jesus does as He pleases.
He does things from his divine nature and from his humanness that is untainted by sin, co-equal, co-existent; part of the Trinity has human DNA in it. Ok so where ya going with this one John? I believe accountability is a two-way street. For instance if in my holding you accountable I make it so difficult or unbearable for you to be obedient then I'm accountable for that. I'm a fallen human with fallen motives. Jesus however has divine motives His experience of suffering all things and enduring all things uniquely qualify Him as an advocate for us with the Father as intercessor.
Jesus knows of the human condition, of being tired, irritable, sad, lonely, happy, aroused sexually and otherwise. His emotions were in full sway when He cleansed the temple, driving out the merchants and opportunists as a judgment some say on Israel's faithfulness. It says in scripture that we won't be tempted beyond what we can bear, yet we still fall. Our accountability to Him isn't based on a juridical quid-pro-quo, but on our relationship with Him. Because of this He makes our failing bearable, our falling short not a place of isolation but of communion.
Because of His divinity there is part of the Trinity in us. God has chosen to make His abode in us. We are called by Him to make our abode in Him as well. How's this done? We learn to trust as Nouwen says our inner voice. I'm in a struggle in my church that I attend at present, my inclination for self preservation is to fight, to argue, to gossip and build a case and if all else fails trump them with the finality of "Adios Amigo".
I've had days of inner dialogue of conversations with the person I'm struggling with and in the meantime trying to pray, to hear that inner voice. I sat out in the backyard this morning and resignedly told Jesus, "You allowed this to happen." Not in an accusation but a resignation to the fact, the usual course is to ask what the reason is, what do I learn from this, what didactics are at play here. The thought came to me Jesus rules, he doesn't manage, what's that mean I asked. Silence, more silence, I pace, I fidget, I get on line, I get something to drink, I sit down and still silence.
Ah, silence, "don't just do something stand there". When Jesus slept in the back of the boat as it swamped for Him there was silence, for the others there were pragmatics, solutions, seamanship, they sought to manage the problem. When aroused Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves, the "managers" of the boat just quaked in their boots (or sandals as the case may be) now more afraid of Jesus than the storm. They wanted a managerial solution from Jesus, He swept the storm aside and on azure calm seas He rebuked them for their lack of faith.
Not to end our session on a flannel graph note of ascetics, and approbations of faith but Jesus hasn't called us to manage our lives. It is foreign to Him to consider doing anything else but reign. We've heard countless imprecations by some authoritarian Pooh-Bah on our lack of faith for not being in control of the situation. Nothing further from the truth of reigning could be said about needing to be in control.
Jesus responded to Pilate's query don't you know who I am, with a similar question. The difference being that Jesus actually knew who He was and it didn't come from a signet ring or a Procurator’s banner as a symbol of power. Jesus didn't need a seal other than the seal of His blood, it held in it the power of His being; both divine and human, co-equal, co-existent. It's still silent on my inside; the voice of my inner self says "be quiet" and watch. No running around grabbing the tiller, dropping the sail even bailing water, just hang on and watch, watch Jesus, watch the Lord Jesus.
John
He does things from his divine nature and from his humanness that is untainted by sin, co-equal, co-existent; part of the Trinity has human DNA in it. Ok so where ya going with this one John? I believe accountability is a two-way street. For instance if in my holding you accountable I make it so difficult or unbearable for you to be obedient then I'm accountable for that. I'm a fallen human with fallen motives. Jesus however has divine motives His experience of suffering all things and enduring all things uniquely qualify Him as an advocate for us with the Father as intercessor.
Jesus knows of the human condition, of being tired, irritable, sad, lonely, happy, aroused sexually and otherwise. His emotions were in full sway when He cleansed the temple, driving out the merchants and opportunists as a judgment some say on Israel's faithfulness. It says in scripture that we won't be tempted beyond what we can bear, yet we still fall. Our accountability to Him isn't based on a juridical quid-pro-quo, but on our relationship with Him. Because of this He makes our failing bearable, our falling short not a place of isolation but of communion.
Because of His divinity there is part of the Trinity in us. God has chosen to make His abode in us. We are called by Him to make our abode in Him as well. How's this done? We learn to trust as Nouwen says our inner voice. I'm in a struggle in my church that I attend at present, my inclination for self preservation is to fight, to argue, to gossip and build a case and if all else fails trump them with the finality of "Adios Amigo".
I've had days of inner dialogue of conversations with the person I'm struggling with and in the meantime trying to pray, to hear that inner voice. I sat out in the backyard this morning and resignedly told Jesus, "You allowed this to happen." Not in an accusation but a resignation to the fact, the usual course is to ask what the reason is, what do I learn from this, what didactics are at play here. The thought came to me Jesus rules, he doesn't manage, what's that mean I asked. Silence, more silence, I pace, I fidget, I get on line, I get something to drink, I sit down and still silence.
Ah, silence, "don't just do something stand there". When Jesus slept in the back of the boat as it swamped for Him there was silence, for the others there were pragmatics, solutions, seamanship, they sought to manage the problem. When aroused Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves, the "managers" of the boat just quaked in their boots (or sandals as the case may be) now more afraid of Jesus than the storm. They wanted a managerial solution from Jesus, He swept the storm aside and on azure calm seas He rebuked them for their lack of faith.
Not to end our session on a flannel graph note of ascetics, and approbations of faith but Jesus hasn't called us to manage our lives. It is foreign to Him to consider doing anything else but reign. We've heard countless imprecations by some authoritarian Pooh-Bah on our lack of faith for not being in control of the situation. Nothing further from the truth of reigning could be said about needing to be in control.
Jesus responded to Pilate's query don't you know who I am, with a similar question. The difference being that Jesus actually knew who He was and it didn't come from a signet ring or a Procurator’s banner as a symbol of power. Jesus didn't need a seal other than the seal of His blood, it held in it the power of His being; both divine and human, co-equal, co-existent. It's still silent on my inside; the voice of my inner self says "be quiet" and watch. No running around grabbing the tiller, dropping the sail even bailing water, just hang on and watch, watch Jesus, watch the Lord Jesus.
John
posted by John R. Jones at 5:56 AM
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