ALL SAINTS CHURCH

If one studies Christian art through the ages one is able to see a number of images of Jesus that in some ways emphasized one or another aspect of the biblical record.  The theologian and humanitarian Albert Schweitzer spoke about the search for the historical Jesus as people looking down a deep well and seeing their own reflection.  In other words he felt that it was impossible to really know the real Jesus. However incomplete our knowledge is, it is informed by faith, the tradition and the subjective questions our existence raises within us.

When I was younger, Jesus seemed to be more of a magical superhero figure that knew everything, could do everything and acted exactly as God wanted him to in all circumstances. Later the idea of symbolic action and communication became clear to me. Still later the idea of Jesus struggling with his humanity and his calling became appealing to me.  In each context there was something that I needed in my development that affected my hermeneutical stance or approach to the Gospels.  They don’t mean less to me, but more, because as I change and grow, my questions change and grow and the answers I find become newly relevant.

Lately, I have been thinking about how strong Jesus was as an individual.  I think in the past, I imagined that Jesus might have felt that his mere presence was enough to attract individuals.  Like the Episcopal Church, we know that we have a beautiful liturgy and that those who have eyes to see and ears to hear will appreciate what we are doing.  Like in the movie Field of Dreams, if we worship well, they will come.

Yet, now I am seeing in my readings all these instances, where Jesus approached people, challenged people and demanded that they dedicate their lives to something radically new and different.  Excuses were unacceptable, so too were partial commitments.  When people talked about needing to finish domestic business first, including a parent’s funeral, Jesus did not accept the delay in discipleship. Was this symbolic hyperbole? Perhaps, but it certainly illustrates a side of Jesus that was confident, urgent and insistent.  

We come from a church that says, “bring your questions” and “your doubts are OK”.  Perhaps as people walked along the road next to Jesus that was the ethic too.  But at a certain point, when the question intensified and became, “How do I make this real for myself?” Jesus’ response was bold and unwavering.

As the mainline church continues to give ground to secularism and fundamentalism, perhaps it is because we assumed too much and asked too little.  We like our truths to be self-evident, but at a certain point, Jesus calls each of us to say who he is.  As we say who he is, we are also saying a lot about who we are.  If we seek to do what Jesus did, i.e. make a difference in our world, we need to feel and act on the strength of our convictions.