A Shot in the Dark?

An assemblage of modern wisdom has us believe we are best served by being shrewd. Certainly the contempt we show would-be panders and promotion-ists self or otherwise is justified in most cases except that I find this Jesus fellow turning this notion once again on its head. Nicodemus was a notorious character in his day yet Jesus invited himself to his house for din-din, a no-no for devout practioners of his religion. The tawdry companions Jesus kept company with constantly gave pause to His more orthodox adherents so much so that John the Baptist who once exclaimed at His coming "Behold the Lamb..." had questions. Are you the one or should we look for another?" was posed to Jesus from prison by John destined to a martyr's death. Jesus not given to glib remarks to one so rightfully entitled to a response nonetheless answered with an invitation to hang around and see what happened to John's followers. After a few days he remarked to them go and tell John what you've seen and heard, i.e. the Messiah has given Himself wholesale to the wrong crowd to minister to unabashedly.

His intention was to establish the unmitigated fact that God the Father, of whom scripture records He referred to as Abba a colloquialism of the day not the formal Jewish idiom for God-Yahweh, cared deeply about the wrong people. It was not chance, happenstance, marketing or make-do polemics that brought Jesus to these folk instead of the religious establishment-it was purposeful compassion.

We moderns like to enshrine God in the Kabuki Theater of politics, religion, power, and access. We champion the beating of our pruning hooks and plowshares into swords in a do unto others before they do unto you gospel of might and human invention. Our powers that be spiritual and otherwise as well are self-congratulatory the numbers speak for themselves and certainly they must for God, He's pleased with us the polls tell us so.

Finally lost on us possibly is the story of the widow's mite. Jesus stood there and saw the wealth, the prestige, the caprice of the givers and yet the merest two cents caught His attention, for it was the abundance of the heart not the size of the gift that mattered then and now.

I grew-up as a Christian on the theosophy termed "The Lordship Message". A popular slogan was, "If Jesus is not Lord of all He's not Lord at all!" As an old fart I'm finding this truth about that ideal, most of us were taught to lie about ourselves to ourselves and others about our commitment when in fact we were far from His Lordship in deed, and most importantly in heart, only in name to erect a facade. I'll gladly pitch in my two cents of all that I have in the way of commitment and thank Him humbly for the opportunity to be called a disciple of a Messiah who seems more impressed with copper coined beggars than gold plated liars.

John