Month April 2014

Not the one

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To summarize previous posts, God’s Word, or expressed idea, became a man and lived for awhile among us. Everything God wanted us to know about himself and what’s important to him – he expressed in his Son. Now, in act one, the author starts not by introducing who “the Word” is – but begins with who he isn’t.

Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” (John 1:19-21)

The first scene in John’s Gospel starts with John the Baptist in the spotlight. The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem send priests and Levites to question John.

Threat Assessment
The Jewish leaders were probably members of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews in Judea. Judea at this time is a Roman province, ruled by the prefect Pontius Pilate who was appointed by the Roman Emperor Tiberius. The Sanhedrin, however, governed many of the affairs of its own people, so long as they continued to govern well in the eyes of Rome. Governing well meant, among other things, keeping peace in the province so Rome would not have to commit more troops. It was a charged political atmosphere, so the Sanhedrin needed to vet John the Baptist. They feared he might gather a critical mass of followers and lead an uprising or revolt.

The Levites were members of the tribe of Israel known for priesthood. They asked John if he was the Messiah, or Elijah, or “the Prophet.” The Prophet seems to be a reference to Deuteronomy 18:15-19 where it is prophesied that one day God will raise up another leader like Moses to lead his people. In each case John the Baptist said “No.”

Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” (John 1:22-23)

The delegation did not want to return to the Sanhedrin without a report, so they pressed for an answer. John replies that he is the forerunner for the Lord as prophesied in Isaiah 40. If you read the verse just after the one in Isaiah 40 he quotes, you find Isaiah announcing that the glory of the Lord is about to be revealed.

Now the Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:24-28)

Who do you think you are?
The delegation consisted of Pharisees as well. This Jewish sect was a remarkable one. They exercised an influence at this time that far exceeded their numbers. Rome’s Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote that there were never more than 6000 or so. We will learn more about the Pharisees in Chapter 3, but suffice it to say they were a sect known for its incredible dedication to keeping the Jewish law.

John the Baptist was an extremely popular preacher whose public ministry preceded and overlapped Jesus’ ministry for a time. His popularity, as well as his habit of baptizing his followers, alarmed the Jewish leaders. Baptism was known in this time for Gentiles wanting to convert to Judaism – but that was a self-administered baptism. John the Baptist personally administering baptism of his followers was seen by the Pharisees as him presuming a prophetic right. The time was a volatile one in Judea, and the Sanhedrin could not be too careful in following up on leaders who were becoming very popular with the people.

John the Baptist responds not by answering their question, but by making a point he wanted to make – one in keeping with his mission. He announces to this delegation that the one they are looking for, the one that he is the forerunner to, is actually here now “among you” even though he is “one you do not know.”

God’s Idea

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3)

Many writers begin their books by introducing their main character pivotal situation, and then gradually reveal context and details about the character over the first few chapters. The idea is to grab your attention so that as the reader you will be interested to read more about the protagonist – his history, friends, opponents, and motives – and how this intricate backdrop relates to the dramatic scene.

In this book, the author begins more boldly than any other. He fearlessly casts the lead character at the very inception of time – as the agent of creation!

Most versions translate the Greek word “logos” as “word” in this passage. But in some cases – and this is definitely one of those cases – the translation doesn’t fully reveal the meaning packed inside a word.

“Logos” or “Word” here means “expressed idea” (more). The Word is the expressed idea God has in mind for man – and for creation.

“Word” is deified in the passage above, and then immediately personified as “he.” You can’t miss the allusion to the Genesis record where God speaks the world and man into existence (Gen 1).

We love because

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“We love because…” – 1 John 4:19

Love is a response.

It’s a response to love from someone else. The response is natural. And like almost all behavior, it is learned through imitation.

In your first few years, you learn to love by watching and listening to the people who are most important to you, who first model love to you — probably your parents and relatives. You attempt to reflect similar loving behavior back, and watch eagerly for encouraging feedback. Hopefully, plenty of smiles, exclamations, and “pats on the back” are supplied.

As the first few years pass, and your brain and language develop, your discernment and other skills improve. Learning how to love becomes more sophisticated and nuanced. Hard lessons are taught: You cannot remain the center of attention. You need to share, help, and give to others.

As you grow older, you draw on the stores of love you banked from those who are most important to you, who loved you. You reflect that love back to other people, not merely your parents or family, and your group of most important people changes. You discover, however, that love isn’t always reciprocated. People you try to love sometimes, perhaps often, either ignore you, or respond negatively. It’s confusing, and it hurts.

You also discover that, unfortunately, you sometimes do the same.

As you build your independent world, you inevitably find three related axioms you must come to terms with:

  1. The people from whom you learned to love, were imperfect models. Some may have been very imperfect.
  2. You weren’t the best student.
  3. The first two axioms also apply to the people with whom you interact everyday — your spouse, your best friends, your boss, your customers, and your co-workers.

Generation after generation has repeated the cycle of imperfect modeling, and imperfect learning, of love. You are born into a broken world. You probably had your share of bad experiences. Someone you once deeply loved, respected, relied upon, and trusted has “done a number” on you. Nothing in the modeling of love you received, or learned, was able to compensate for the ensuing pain and broken trust. This consumes you because matters of love burrow deep into your core. It determines who you think you are, and what you believe you are worth, but it remains outside your immediate control. 

Your self worth, by definition, is what you think about yourself. But it’s a response. It’s a response determined by what you perceive the most important people in your life think about you. Do they love, value, and respect you? More important, do they convince you that they do?

You need the most important person in your life to be an ideal model of love, and you need to become the best student you can be, and believe them when they tell you that they love you, respect you, and forgive you.

— Perhaps place here, instead, paragraph about substitution —

Beneath the pain and layers of calloused cynicism it can cause, you remain hard-wired to love. As you search for it, you begin to notice ripples emanating from its distant wake everywhere. You’re moved by particular songs, poetry, or literature that comehow seem to hit resonant frequency down in your core. Combined with a distant memory, this moves you to lift your gaze in hope.

You notice head and keep searching. move us to begin a new search in hope… novels looking for that better model —

The more you search, the better you are able to recognize when a better love is extended to you. When you recognize it, you can respond to it. When you respond, you get to experience it. The better love has amazing healing and transforming power.

In following articles, we will be exploring the Gospel of John. The author of the book indicates that Jesus was God’s idea for man – the perfect model. In fact, the writer refers to himself in the book on a couple of occasions merely as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” There may be several reasons he does this. I can’t help but believe it’s because over the years his faith taught him that in the end – actually, in the beginning – that Jesus models God’s perfect love to us, and our job is to imitate and reflect that love to the world.

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us…” – 1 John 4:10

Join me in a journey through John’s Gospel. Look for the ways God loves you, and in the end – like John – you will know yourself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

Next: God’s Idea