Reflection - More

By Steve Hall

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040222.cfm
Jeremiah 11:18-20
John 7:40-53

The Nazarene

The Man From Galilee

The Son of David

The Teacher

The Prophet

The Christ

Opinions today are just as diverse as those in the current Gospel reading. There are still those who would enthrone him. There are still those who would crucify him. His followers are dismissed by those who are in the ‘know.’ The powers that be still roll their eyes at the ignorance of so many. And so the question follows him down through the ages. Who is this person known as Jesus, the Christ?

Some of the references which may provoke discussion — such as his origin in Bethlehem, Nazareth or Galilee — are not really matters of spiritual significance for us today. Their value in a Scriptural context derived from whether or not they fulfilled the words of the prophets. Even though issues like ‘born in Bethlehem’ or ‘Son of David’ may strengthen our faith when understood in the context of their importance in the Scriptures; it is unlikely that, of themselves, they give us reason to believe. So let’s ruminate a bit on what does seem to matter.

Believing in Jesus as a great teacher is hardly challenging even for those with no faith at all. Whether people agree or disagree with his teachings as they are recorded in the New Testament, only a few are skeptical about placing him in that ‘great teacher’ category which might also include such men as Confucius or Buddha or Mohammed.

The list of believers shrinks a bit when we go to the title of prophet, I.e., one who speaks correctly about what God is doing or will do in the world. The reason this list shrinks is that it has two pre-requisites: first, that there is a God who is active in the world and second, that someone can legitimately speak in God’s name. Now if you’re willing to concede these two points you may choose to place Jesus in the prophet category.

However, neither believing in Jesus as a teacher nor believing in him as a prophet takes us beyond the common recognition of human judgement and history. The next point, however, is not so prosaic as it concerns the title of Messiah. A people anticipating one who would save them from the oppression of a foreign power is easy enough to imagine. It is also expected that such a claimant to the position would be carefully scrutinized, especially by those with something to lose. 

Eventually his success or failure would determine his acceptance. On the other hand, a people anticipating one who would save them from sin and it’s consequences would get a somewhat different reception. Like the one who claims to bring salvation from the oppressor, he would be seriously vetted; but his ultimate acceptance by others would be entirely dependent upon faith.

At this juncture the whole issue has shifted; it has departed the realm of the purely human. The criteria from human history and experience that could be brought to bear have lost their value. Moreover, in today’s world the perspective has changed and people believe that either the Messiah has come or he has not. His eminent arrival was a vital spiritual matter for God’s people in the past; but today his arrival is accepted by believers as a given. It should also be expected, it seems, that such belief is primarily an academic or intellectual belief.

Jesus was a man born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. He became well known, particularly throughout Galilee, as a teacher, a prophet and healer. While he lived, many came to the conclusion that he was the long awaited Messiah. On the third day after his crucifixion and burial his disciples claimed that he rose from the dead and he was purported to have been subsequently seen by hundreds over the next forty days. Eventually they would call him the Son of God and Savior of the world. 

All this happened in the early part of the first century in a small, insignificant province of Imperial Rome. Now is two thousand years later and we, like Thomas, are among those who have not seen.

So when does faith become personal? When does intellectual assent morph into something with a life of its own?

There is the story of the rural pastor whose farm congregation desperately needed rain for their crops. Week after week they all prayed together for rain at the end of every Mass. Then one Sunday the pastor called upon each in the congregation to bring some sign of their faith that God would send them rain when they came to next Sunday’s Mass. The day came. Some brought bibles, rosaries, missals, prayer books, religious statues and many other things. The priest began a survey of the congregation asking what each had brought. As different people reported there were murmurs of approval. Eventually he got to a young boy who, like the others was asked to show what he had brought. The congregation was silent as he opened his umbrella.

Expectation of God is certainly a sign of faith; but what makes it a living faith, a vibrant faith, a source of life within me? I struggle here with suggesting an answer. So prepare to offer help.

Faith transcends the intellect. It is a free gift of God. The gift is given when God calls my name, for even from my mother’s womb he has known me and he has chosen me. I may not hear him til later in life, but his call is constant. Because of this gift I can know in my heart that Jesus is his Son become man. That Jesus has saved me from the death of sin and has brought me the possibility of eternal life. These truths are important to our faith; but there is more. Because of what Jesus has done for us we — each one of us — can become a new creation with divine life. We can be more than we are. No matter where we are in life or what our standing within our community, we can be more than we are.

This is difficult to accept when we are comfortable with what success has come our way. But the problem lies in a culture which would define the pinnacle of our success by a well paying job, a happy family, a comfortable house, a big boat, etc. etc., etc.

The more that I can be is found in living life as a true son/daughter of God, living as a free being without the shackles of the law, sharing not only in the divine life but also sharing in the protections and provisions that come with being part of the family. We miss what possibilities are offered when our faith is limited to truth. Our ‘more’ is found in the family of God; and truth is secondary to the persons.