The Ken Read Podcast

0310 WHATEVER MEANS WHATEVER

WHATEVER MEANS WHATEVER

John 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

What a great single sentence to summarize what it means to be a follower of Christ! It is just a passing instruction in the midst of a wedding celebration, when His mother was urging Jesus to find a way to get more wine for the celebrants. Sort of a strange miracle in the first place. But this open-ended direction is very fitting: If Jesus is “Lord,” then his subjects simply do “whatever He tells.”

Whatever?

Whatever means whatever.

But Jesus’ mother tells the servants to do whatever her son says. That’s a command that has tremendous implications. 

I mean, what if he tells me to sell all my goods and give the money to the poor? Whatever means whatever.

What if he tells me to go wash in the pool of Siloam? Whatever means whatever.

What if he tells me to take up my cross and follow him? Whatever means whatever.

What if he tells me to be silent, but go immediately to a priest to verify my healing? Whatever means whatever.

What if he says no to my request for a healing? What if he says my grace is sufficient for you? Will that be enough? Whatever means whatever.

What if he compelled me to walk a mile with him, carrying his bag? Would I go a second mile? Whatever means whatever.

What if he says, “Come, follow me?” Whatever means whatever.

What if he says to fill these large jars with water and then draw some out and bring it to the host of a wedding? Seems like a pretty small ask, even though it doesn’t make sense. So, the servants do as Jesus had said. They fill the jars with water, then dip out some of the water and bring it to the host of the feast and the honored guest. He drinks and finds it to be wine. And not just any wine. It is the BEST wine! Instead of being humiliated for running out of wine, the host is honored for bringing out the best well into the celebration. Funny how it works sometimes, isn’t it? But Whatever means whatever.

Ironically, the sardonic use of the word “whatever” has become a common disrespectful criticism of the younger generation toward parents. “Whatever” means “your words are not important to me, and no matter what you say I will not try to argue because it won’t do me any good. I am trapped. But know that my heart is not with you, and even if I comply on the outside, I am rebelling on the inside.” That’s a lot of meaning behind the mere tone of a voice while saying a single word. 

But such is the nature of sarcasm. It means the opposite of what it says. Can you imagine Mary saying her instructions to the servants using that tone of voice? “Whatever he tells you, do it.” And the servants all say, “Whatever” and walk away to do something else.

But no. That’s not what happened. Whatever simply means whatever.

So let me encourage all of us: whatever he tells you and me to do, let’s do it. Without question. Without pause. Without delay. Without a word.

I would not be surprised if doing the “whatever” we are told to do, we will find a surprise blessing on the other side of it.

0311 ST. NICK AT NIGHT

NICK AT NIGHT
‘Twas the night before morning
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
Not even Andy (who was prone to wander about)
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a Pharisee named Nick, who was sneaky and scared
Well he came to Jesus and says, “God’s with You
For I saw all those miracles and such that You do.”
Then Jesus, He answered in riddles and words
“Unless you’re born again, you can never see God.”
Ol’ Nick scritched his head, then he scratched at his beard.
How can an old man be born again? That seems weird.
So Jesus replied, “It’s a spiritual thing
That water and Spirit make a man born again.
For Spirit ain’t something that can ever be seen.
You can tell where He’s been, like with trees blown by wind.
Then Jesus explained that new life He would make
When He’s raised on a pole just like Moses’ snake.
For God loved the world so much that He gave
His only begotten Son so we can have
His life everlasting by believing in Him
And no one will perish who’s no more condemned.
“You’re making my head swim,” complained Old Saint Nick
Who then disappeared from our story right quick.
But then shows up later, a follower of Christ, 
Saying, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
(Or was that the other Nick? Never mind. I’ll get it right.)

0312 EATING SMARTIAN FOOD

EATING SMARTIAN FOOD

Well, now, let me say this right off: There ain’t no such thing as “fast food” in Sychar. 

Unless you mean that you have to FAST until they finally get you some food. After forty days and forty nights, you just want to repaint all the signs in this town: “SLOW FOOD HERE!” I ain’t bitter. Just hungry.

So, if you went against my better advice and you are still reading this book, I’ll tell you, we’re breaking every rule of Jewish protocol by walking through S’marya, Jesus seems to think it's on our way. I suppose it could save us a couple days of walking time, but even so . . . 

And we come to a village called Sychar. 

Okay, I’ll admit that some of the delay was our own fault. We all came into the town of Sychar in S’marya around noon. We’d been walking through mountainous country since leaving Jerusalem yesterday, and only had some bread and water with us, which we finished up early in the morning. So when we got to Jacob’s well, we were happy to find a source of water. But more than that, we were twelve hambre hombres (that’s a little Spainish lingo there). You’d figure thirteen of us would hungry, but Jesus had that look that said His Spider sense was tingling again, and He was fixing to focus on Kingdom business. We were getting used to that look, I’ll tell you.

So, we say, “We’ll go on into town and pick something up for You, Jesus.” And He says that will be fine. So we head off to find the fastest fast food place in town.

Now, any time you get twelve men trying to find something, it ain’t a simple process. In the first place, we can’t decide on what we’re looking for. Some want this, some want that, most say they don’t care. They don’t care, until they see something, of course, and then they say, well, not that. We function like a congressional committee. Which means we make the opposite of what you might call progress.

Pete wants fish, of course. It’s all he ever eats. And he’s all set, looking for a “Fresh Fish” sign. Can I give you a little insider information? In the year A.D. 27, in the mountains of S’marya, twenty miles away from the nearest body of water, there ain’t no such thing as “Fresh Fish.” But you can’t tell Pete nothing. Some folks have got to learn for themselves.

Meanwhile, Matt’s feeling especially kosher today. Nate’s got a hankering for lamb, and Little Jimmy and Sy agree. Andy’s done wandered off again. But we all have got to stay with Judas, who doesn’t want any of those things, because Judas has the money bag. And he won’t stop until we find a kebab and falafels.

At last, Andy comes back saying he’s found us a dream come true: What they call a “Food Court.” Which, as it turn out, is where they apparently put food on trial. Today, they seem to be suing turnips. “Try Our Turnips” says a big sign. I was looking around for lawyers when my stomach reminded me of why we were there in the first place: To get something in our gullets before our belly buttons glued themselves to our spines.

By the way, in the trial, I think the food lost. It all looked pretty beat up to me. But it did the trick to stop the gnawing in our bowels. At last we all ate and were satisfied. And we collected up twelve baskets full of leftovers to bring back to Jesus, in case He wanted a little something. (I know, I know. We should have brought Him our firstfruits. Our spirits were willing, but our flesh was weak, you might say.)

All right. So, now we’ve got our leftovers, and somehow we have to retrace our steps and get back to Jacob’s well. We manage to do it as a group of real men, using our superior orienteering skills (rather than asking for directions like girly men). Okay, actually, there are tourist signs all over town, pointing the way to the well, and after half an hour or so of walking around, we saw one. We make it back to find Jesus sitting at the well, just like He was when we left Him. We offer Him some good leftovers and He says He already ate. That He had some food we didn’t know about. That doing His Father’s will is His food and drink.

While we’re still scritching our heads about that, Jesus points yonder to the town. Folks are coming our way, and Jesus says something about how others have done the work and here comes the harvest.

Sure enough, here come all these S’martian folks, each one with a dozen questions. At the front of them all is this woman. Frankly, she looks like she’s had a hard life. Anyway, she’s saying to all the folk, “Hurry! Come and see the One who told me everythin I’ve ever done!” (He’d done told her about her past love lives, and that got her attention, sure enough. There it is again, that one well-placed prophetic word. How does He do that?)

Let's discreetly say she'd been indecisive in her search for a life partner (5 times over!)

They all start asking questions about living water, about worship in Jerusalem and S’marya, and about true worship. Jesus answers their questions one at a time, and keeps going—for two days. Yep. You heard me right: two days! Amongst S’martians!

So much for saving travel time.

Maybe you’re already ahead of me in thinking about this. But do you want to guess whose house Jesus and us stayed at that night? That’s right: Mrs Mrs Mrs Mrs Mrs Miss S’marya herself. 

I reckon He didn’t eat our leftovers, on account of He’d been holding out to eat food from an idol-worshiping, non-kosher, compromised S’martian sinner woman. Didn’t wash His hands to get the cooties off or nothing. Acted like they were regular people people. But the bravest thing Jesus ever did? He ate the food of a woman whose cooking had been through five-and-a-half husbands. 

The rest of us ate our leftovers, just to be on the safe side.

0313 SATURDAY SWIM MEET!

SATURDAY SWIM MEET

Sabbath in Jerusalem! It’s a first for most of us,  and We’re visiting a synagogue that Judas knows about, and here we are in the center of the universe to experience it.  

And Jesus didn’t give a sermon, nor do any miracles there that day, which, to be honest, was a great relief to most of us. Seemed like every Sabbath Jesus had a way of stirring up something, and we were glad to not be the center of attention for a spell.  

For a Man that never sinned, Jesus sure does seem to be soft on sinners. He seems to break the Sabbath every week, as if He was just looking to draw a rise out of the Phar’sees. The surprise line of every healing seems to be, “And it took place on the Sabbath.” Man. There are six days for riling up folks. Why not give it a rest one day a week?

Anyway, we get done at the synagogue and come back to John Mark’s momma’s house for some after-church eating. One of us asks Jesus, “So what’s on the agenda for the rest of the day?”  

It’s a Sabbath, right? So we ain’t allowed to do much. But we’re in the Holy City. So long as we don’t wander more than about half a mile or so, we hope to do a bit more sanctified sightseeing, at least. Jesus doesn’t disappoint us. In fact, He surprises all of us by what He says: 

“I’m thinking we should all go to the pool.” 

Well, I mean to tell, He didn’t have to say the “P” word twice. Everybody runs off to get ready, a whooping and a hollering like little boys. 

We go about ten blocks over and take a left into the pool area, just a bit in from the Sheep Gate on the east side of town. Jesus and His posse of twelve clowns, chattering, shoving, and joking, come through the gateway and into the pool area. 

At first glance it looks like everybody here is sunbathing around the edge of the pool. But then you notice right quick that everybody here’s old or crippled or sick.  

Jesus zeroes in on one particular man and walks over to him. He stoops down and says, “Do ya want to get well?”

The man starts blubbering excuses right off: “I’ve been a paraplegic all these long thirty-eight years, and I have no one to help me.” (It’s his well-rehearsed beggar’s speech, I can tell. You hear them all the time.) 

Jesus gets him back to the subject: “Do you want to get well?” 

“I would be well, except that I am so alone in this world. No one will help me when the angel stirs the water, and so I have never been able to be first into the water.” 

Jesus speaks again: “Look: if you want to be well, then act on it. Take up that pallet of yours and go home.” 

“But I . . .” 

“That’s true. You never have before. But today’s the day.”

“You won’t fail. Just do it.” 

“What will I do for a living from now on?” 

“This will be a whole new start for you, buddy. You can stop being a victim and start learning responsibility. You can stop using your problems as your excuse to keep sinning. I know God’s been whispering to you that this is your time. Just get up. Pick up your mat and go home.” 

Well, can you believe it? That man, he up and done it. Stood right up. Bent over and picked up his mat and walked right out of there. Everyone staring in silence. 

Well, then, Jesus don’t hang around the pool. He straightens up, smiles at the man, walks over to the twelve of us, and says, “Let’s go on back home, boys.” Another man calls out as we’re leaving: “Hey! How about me?” And then some others echo the call. But this was the day for only that one man. That’s how it works sometimes. 

We leave the Pool of Bethesda in awed silence, 13 dry men, heading back home, having somehow had more fun than our boyhood swims ever gave us. 

What was that we just saw? It wasn’t some easy, name-it-and-claim-it, mail order miracle. It wasn’t some man being good enough or doing enough good to somehow earn a new lease on life. It wasn’t some hocus-pocus public show to gain prestige or favor or money or a photo opp. But all of us were thinking, whatever it was I just saw, I want that. 

Some call it faith. 

Oh, yeah. And it was on the Sabbath.

0312B STORM THE GATES (SONG OF THE WEEK)

STORM THE GATES 

(This song is from the same album as "Just One More," recorded by PAULINE WILLIAMS. I had forgotten about it over these years, but I really like the words, and the music is special to me, being one of those rare opportunities for jazz piano in a Christian song. Hope it strengthens your resolve and faith.)

Holy war. Losing ground.

A soldier of the Lord against the forces of the night.

Victorious Lord. I can hear His trumpet sound.

But still I cower back in sin and fright.

Woe. Woe.

I've seen enough!

I've had my fill of all the devil's killing.

He steals my peace and gladness and he

and he comes to take my soul

Gonna call the devil's bluff.

Defeated still. And I am unwilling

To let Christ win in heaven while I 

While I'm losing here below.

This means war! 

Give me the sword!

I need the shield of faith!

Prepare my feet with the gospel of peace.

The battle is the Lord's and it is mine to take.

I'll pray for peace. I'll take this fight.

I'll storm the gates of hell tonight!

Four billion souls are captive at this hour.

Waiting to be told. Waiting to find some piece of news.

Who will go? Who will share His holy power?

I'll get down on my knees and run

Run the devil into flight!

This means war! 

Give me the sword!

I need the shield of faith!

Prepare my feet with the gospel of peace.

The battle is the Lord's and it is mine to take.

I'll pray for peace. I'll take this fight.

I'll storm the gates of hell tonight!

 

0314 THE OTHER GOOD CONFESSION

THE OTHER GOOD CONFESSION

Most of us are familiar with Peter’s statement that is called “The Good Confession.” It says, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)

Peter also gives this confession. It is worded a little differently and is more thorough, but contains details that are worth scrutinizing and meditating on.

John 6:68-69 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Let’s break these confessions down and see their components. Jesus is:

1. The Christ. The word means the “anointed one.” Anointing is a word with a couple layers of meaning. There is literal anointing with oil, such as happened to Aaron the high priest. The oil was poured over his head, and it was symbolic of God’s special blessing on him. Remember the 23rd Psalm? “You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over.” Oil was a healing balm, often with a overwhelming, pleasant aroma. But there is another layer of meaning behind being anointed. It is that the Holy Spirit is the one covering, pouring over, bathing, christening (see the word Christ in that word?), and specially marking and empowering the one who is being anointed. It’s on an invisible, spiritual level that God is blessing the one who is anointed. Another detail of this is that he is THE Christ, not just AN anointed one, but THE anointed one. God has uniquely gifted this person to be one in a generation, or one in all of history. Not just A Christ, but THE Christ. He had been long awaited, predicted, expected, looked for, anticipated, prayed for, and speculated about. The single most important person in history is THE CHRIST.
2. The son of the living God. The son is subservient to the father. But the son is also of the same essence as the Father, and in a sense is also God. We know a Trinitarian formula, in which we refer to the “Father, Son and Spirit.” Jesus said, even in this chapter, that he and the Father are one. So that’s the Son of God. Again, there is one more little detail. The God of whom he is Son is living! There are plenty of idols and gods in the world. But only one is truly LIVING. So we are saying he is in this current time alive, and he is God. Especially after the resurrection, the detail that he is alive is of critical importance.
3. The words of eternal life. He has the words. John opens his gospel saying that Jesus actually IS the Word, the representation of God to mankind, the intermediary communication between heaven and earth. What’s more, he HAS the words. What He says comes from God Himself, and it leads to eternal life. If we heed what Jesus says, we live with him in heaven forever. And not just SOME words of eternal life, but THE words. Just as Jesus is THE way, THE truth and THE life. So we can absolutely trust what Jesus has to say to bring us eternal life.
4. The Holy One of God. Holy means set apart, sanctified, separate, above and beyond. The One. He is The One who is all those things. There is none like Him. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, full of wisdom and truth. And if he is THE one, then there is no other. And He is of God, not of the earth and not of the evil one.

Paul tells Timothy about “the good confession” in his letter. He tells Timothy that he made “the good confession” with regard to eternal life in the presence of many witnesses. He continues in saying that Christ Jesus “in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession.” The good confession that Jesus seems to have given was when He was asked if He was the king of the Jews, and Jesus said, “You have said so.” Paul goes on to say this about Jesus: “he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.”

To “confess” means to “say the same thing,” or to “agree with.” Con = with. Fess = say. When we say the same thing about Jesus that the Father says about His Son, then we are saved. Just as when we confess our sins, we say what God says about them. Confession and repentance lead to salvation.

Watch what you say. Your words could condemn or save you. Let us confess Christ with our words. Amen.

0315 BROTHERLY ADVICE

BROTHERLY ADVICE

One day in mid-fall, a group of young men came to Jesus in Capernaum. Walked into the house where he was staying and announced that they had a plan for him. The oldest one spoke for the rest: “Brother Jesus! We have come here today with an idea for you. We call ourselves The Little Brothers of Jesus, and we are here to help manage and promote your ministry. We have already created a for-profit agency for you to be the prophet who makes a profit. You like how that sounds? We are ready to sign you to a book deal where you can write your own memoirs and speeches, and we guarantee that you become a wealthy man overnight! Imagine it: No more living in obscurity and poverty, hopping from one small town to another up here in Galilee, begging for a living just to make ends meet. We will take care of your schedule and get you before the most important people around. Just sign this contract and head down with us to Jerusalem for the feast of booths. Now is the best strategic time to launch this new phase of your ministry, and we have just the right ideas to bless everyone while still protecting You.”

“Thanks, but no. My time has not yet come” answers Jesus.

“Consider this: Let all of your followers see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he wants to be known openly. If you are doing these miracles and signs, show yourself to the world!”

“You go on up to the feast. I’m going to stay in Galilee, for my time has not fully come.”

“We’ll leave you with this contract. It’s your chance to leave a lasting impact on the world, and to have everyone love you forever.”

“I think the world can love you boys. But the world hates me because I tell it that its works are evil. So, thanks but no thanks, Little Brothers of Jesus.”

“Suit yourself. We’re just trying to help. By the way, Mom says to tell you hi for her.”

“Tell her I love her, too, and that she is still most highly favored in the Lord’s sight.”

And the Little Brothers of Jesus headed to Judea to celebrate the Feast of Booths without their big half brother Jesus.

Then one of the twelve stepped forward.

“That does sound like a great idea, Lord. Think of it: if you charged people just one denarius for each healing, we could feed every hungry person in Galilee, and still make a handsome living for you and your followers. Charging a nominal fee would be good for everyone. Don’t you see?”

Jesus says, “If I have freely received from my Father, why not freely give?”

“Oh, but it DOES cost You, Jesus! It costs you in time and energy, and you deserve to be compensated for that.”

“Really?” says the Lord.

“Of course, really! You don’t want people to take advantage of you!”

“Why not?”

“Well, because. Because people will just take and take and then take some more. At some point, you have to have boundaries.”

“Who says?”

“I suppose God says it. Doesn’t it say somewhere, ‘Withhold gold from those who need it,’ or something like that?’”

“Does it?”

“Okay, maybe not directly. But the principal is there.”

“Is it?”

“I think–I think so, yeah. Anyway, Jesus, You know that people take for granted things they get that they don’t have to pay for. We’re only thinking of them.”

“Really?”

“OK, I’m also thinking of You.”

“Really?”

“All right! I’m thinking of us, as well. All of us who are sacrificing so much to follow you!”

“Truly?”

(pause. Silence.)

“Okay, okay, I’m mostly thinking about myself here. Does that make you happy?”

“What do you think?”

“Well, no. But listen to me, Jesus! You can’t do this itinerant ministry, serving others and bringing in no income for the rest of your life!”

“I can’t?”

“No, you can’t! You will burn out! People will only take advantage of You! You must shift the emphasis of your ministry to the movers and shakers of Judaism, if you want to have a lasting impact.”

“Really?”

“Sure! Influence the influencers. It does no good to pour yourself into a bunch of Galileeans and cripples and poor people. They will do nothing for you!”

“Nothing?”

“Well, next to nothing, I guess. They are pulling down your public image, Jesus! You change the world best by changing the power people. Instead, you have seemed to alienate those leaders at every turn.”

“Hmmmm.”

“Keep this up, and I’m telling you, someone will see to it that you are silenced and never heard from again!”

“Do you think so?”

“I know so! I only want what’s best for you, you understand.”

“I understand completely. Thank you, Judas.”

It turns out, Jesus did indeed go to Jerusalem for the feast of booths. But he went later, without drawing attention to himself. And the rest of the twelve followed along, scratching their pointy little heads in wonder.

0316 THE FIRST TRAP

THE FIRST TRAP

Yesterday, while Jesus and the twelve had been traveling toward Jerusalem, there had been quite the debate raging in the temple courts about whether He might be the Messiah or just a man. The Jewish leadership council was very divided on the matter, but it didn’t seem to be garnering too much momentum among the masses.

Early the next morning, Jesus comes to the temple and sits down and begins to teach those who were gathering. It was quite a crowd. It was, after all, the Feast of Booths, and thousands of zealous believers are already milling about the temple area, eager to talk about the things of the God of Israel and to worship in the temple. Every day during the feast, dozens of rabbis station themselves at one of the rabbi benches set around the courtyard, and folks congregate around them and participate in the discussions.

But today, some days into the feast, there is only one rabbi drawing a crowd. Though Jesus had come quietly and without fanfare, it turns out he didn’t need one. Hundreds of people drift over to just one of the benches to hear Rabbi Jesus speak, and eventually the other rabbis themselves give up and join in on the center of attention, the curious itinerant preacher from Galilee.

Apparently, whatever doubts the leaders had been trying to stir up yesterday had yielded the opposite results from what they had intended. More and more people pack into the courtyard to get a glimpse and hear a sample of the Nazarene.

It was time for those scribes and Pharisees to set their first trap with a bold move, guaranteed to split the crowd and dissolve the popularity of this young upstart rabbi.

Suddenly, there’s a bustle-and-noise from behind the crowd, and a whole mob of Pharisees and other religious leaders comes muscling into the middle of the group, half-dragging a woman behind them. She is sobbing and moaning, and is almost completely naked. Her hair is all astrewn like a stork’s nest, and what little clothes she had on had been torn. She had dirt on her face and tear streaks making tracks down her cheeks. Looks like she had been treated pretty badly by somebody. Anyone can guess who.

The teachers of the Law push her to the center, forcing her to stand there, sobbing and ashamed, trying to cover herself until she crumbles into a ball on the floor, struggling to make herself disappear. Then one of the Pharisees shouts the challenge: “Jesus, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery just now. Moses commands us to stone such a woman. What do You say?”

The crowd is stunned into an awkward silence. Looks like the trap has been set, and Jesus is caught in it. No matter what He says, He loses. He either takes a side against Moses and the Law itself, or He condemns a woman at her most vulnerable. The Jewish leaders are standing in a semi-circle around her, facing Jesus, with fists clenched and shaky breathing. They have brought a wall of angry energy designed to draw Jesus into a shouting match.

But Jesus says nothing. Slowly, deliberately, He stands and walks to the woman, to put himself between her and the angry mob of men. Then, just as slowly and deliberately, Jesus removes his outer cloak and drapes it over the woman. Her sobbing stops, and she huddles beneath the protection of His gift. Then He slowly bends down and starts drawing with his finger in the dirt.

After a while of this silence, the leader of the Pharisees can’t stand it any more. “Should she be stoned, or should she not?”

Jesus is in a real pickle now. Looks like this is the end of the line for His popularity, no matter what He says. A slight shifting begins in the back of the crowd as people wait to hear his answer. The opinion of the majority of the men has become one of holy indignation.

Some of the Pharisees lean forward to see what Jesus is writing there in the dirt. “other gods” “graven images” “name in vain” “Sabbath holy.” “father and mother.” “murder.” “adultery.” “steal.” “lie.” “covet.”

“Hey, you self-proclaimed hillbilly prophet! Does she die or does she live?” The mob of men begin picking up rocks, ready to show their love for God by carrying out His vengeance on this sinful lawbreaker before them. The only question is whether to throw them at the woman, or maybe at Jesus. The disciples scoot around to get out of the line of fire, just to be on the safe side.

Finally, Jesus straightens up. He makes careful eye contact with several of the men, and the mob grows quiet again. Jesus says, “If she’s guilty, then stone her, as the law says. But how about this idea: We let the man with no sin throw that first stone?”

Then He stoops down and starts to writing again. It soon becomes clear that He is adding to His list: “lust.” “greed.” “pride.” “judgmental.” The men in the crowd sort of glance sideways at one another and shift uncomfortably in place.

Then in big letters, Jesus writes a name: “Joshua” As He’s finishing the last letter, one of the young men gasps and drops his rock. Several men around him nervously glance over at Joshua, and one at a time it dawns on them what just happened. 

Then He starts writing down some women’s names: “Abigail.” There’s a sudden look of surprise on the face of the oldest man there. He drops his rock right there and slinks away. As Jesus continues to write, more and more men give up and silently leave. Before long, it’s just the twelve and Jesus there with this adulterous woman.

Jesus is kneeling down, half naked in the dusty courtyard. He stands up and turns to the woman, who’s still in a heap, with tears and snot just running down her face. Jesus gently places a hand on his cloak covering her back, and he walks around and squats to look her in the eye. He whispers, “Hey, lady, isn’t there anyone left to condemn you?”

She turns around and looks. “No . . . No one, sir!”

He looks her long in the eye so she grasps all that’s happening right now. Then He whispers, “well, then, I don’t condemn you, either. Now go on your way, and stop sinning.”

She stops crying. No, actually, she keeps crying, but it’s a whole different kind of crying, as you can imagine. She stands, gives Jesus a long and grateful hug, gives Jesus back His cloak, goes back to blubbering, and runs off a different way from the way she came.

Different.

Yep. A completely different way.

 

0317 THE FIRST APOSTLE

THE FIRST APOSTLE

over the course of three years, we seen Jesus heal a lot a folk. Sometimes He’d go into a village, n spend all day healin everybody in town. Or, sometimes He’d go outa His way just to find that one somebody He knowed needed healin. But one thing I can say about Jesus’ healings:  He never healed the same way twice. Ever’ healin was like a snowflake er a fingerprint, unique n personal for that one needy soul. I’m pretty sure He did it that way on purpose.

lack I say, we seen Him do a lot a healins: sometimes we seen Him just speak a word, n somebody miles away’d get healed at that very moment. Sometimes, He’d touch somebody, or somebody’d touch Him, or He’d spit or speak or tell a man to get up or to reach out. We even seen Him bring folk back to life.

but I think if we was takin a vote on which healin was the strangest, we’d all recollect the same feller: the first apostle, that blind man from Siloam.

i gotta tell you a story about Siloam. If’n you remember you’re hist’ry lesson, then you remember about how the Assyrians wiped out S’marya. Well, when Hezekiah was king of Judah, they was zeroin in on Jerusalem, too. Them Assyrians was the most fiercest, most strongest fighters in the world at that time. You might say the sitiation was as Assyrian as a heart attack. 

everybody knowed the routine: lay seige for months until the people is dyin a thirst n hunger, build ramps n then run over the wall n conquer the city, easy as pie.

well, Hezzy knowed the routine, too. So he decided to reroute the water supply to the city. ‘stead a havin a stream run outside the walls, he dug him a tunnel ’neath the city, n the water run there n gathered in the Pool a Siloam. Then he built him a second wall outside the city to enclose the pool.

pretty smart, huh?

so when them Assyrians come n lay seige to the city, they was having to haul water in from sumwhar else, whal the citizens was sneakin down through the tunnel n drinkin from the pool.

now, on account of that hist’ry, the Pool a Siloam had become something of a place a pilgrimage for folk.

in other words, it was a tourist trap. Folks’d come from miles around to drink from the well, n to get a tour through Hezzy’s tunnel, thankin God for sparin the city way back yonder.

you know it’s dark in a tunnel, right? who do you think would be the best guide in a pitch black tunnel? somebody with a light? well, yep. But what I was gettin at was two words:  “born” and “blind.” yes, I am aware that there are three words there. You gotta ignore the little one in the middle. 

I’m tryin to say that somebody who was borned blind  is as comfortable in of that tunnel as he were outside it. In either place, he’s countin steps n rememb’rin turns n such. Fact, through most of the tunnel, he can touch both walls, so he’s actually more secure there than most places.

so this feller is part beggar, part tour guide, n he’s somehow survivin.

only big problem for the pool a Siloam is, it’s at the foot a Mt. Zion, whal the city a David sits like straight above it. So it ain’t no walk in the park for nobody.

wellsir, this blind man hears that Jesus is in town, so he leads his final tour group of the day up through the tunnel, where they come out near the temple, an he spends the night right there. First thing in the mornin he starts lookin for Jesus. Which ain’t easy for a man what’s never seen. What would Jesus sound lack? how would he reconnize Him?

well, it just so happens that Pete catches a glimpse of that blind man, n he n the rest of us boys have us a friendly theologizin wager. Pete asks Jesus another of his deep theological questions: “Lord, see that man who’s been blind from birth? who sinned to make him like that? was it him, or was it his parents? me n the boys got a pool started up, n we figgur You know the answer. can You hep us out? I’m saying it’s his parents, since it was from birth.”

Little Jimmy’s voice cracks as he says, “n I’m saying it’s him, on account of God don’t punish a child for the sins of his parents.”

we all start in on our speculations, all talking at once. Jesus lets out a sigh, the kind He makes when we all done something stupid again. When He talks, we all feel like we’re back in kindygarden all over again.

“boys,” He says, “not ever bad thing in life is the result a sin. It weren’t his sin. It weren’t his momma’s nor his daddy’s sin. That feller was born blind so God could be glorified. Right now. Today. While I got a chance, I’m here to be light, n this is his time to see it.”

Jesus walks up to the man and don’t say a word. In silence, He spits on the ground n makes Him some mud. Then He smears the mud on the man’s eyes. (kids, don’t try this at home.)  then He says His only words to the man:  “go wash in the pool of Siloam.”

now’s where I come to callin that blind man the first apostle. The word “apostle” means “one who got sent.” the twelve of us was all called disciples, an soon we’d become apostles, but this feller was sent out by Jesus before we wuz. (now, don’t be gettin “apostle” confused with “epistle.” an epistle ain’t the wife of an apostle. It’s a letter, dontcha know. An what happens to a letter? it gits sent. That’s right. So, an epistle and an apostle is, uh, never mind.)  so Jesus sends the man away to wash his face at, of all places, Siloam. Now get this: want to guess what the word “Siloam” means? “sent.” that’s right. I’m not just makin this up, you know. 

what kinda strange healin is that? sendin a blind man off on a mission, with no clear word a what that mission is. Jesus never e’en toad the man that he’d be able to see if’n he washed.

well, we figgured we’d prob’ly never see that man again. An we was even more sure that he’d never see us, if you know what I’m saying. He went away, n so did we, scratchin our pointy little heads over what we just seen.

thar’s a whole lot more story to all this. But here’s the quick version:  shore nuff, it worked. The man went, he washed, n he saw. If’n he’d been a blind carpenter, i’d say he picked up his hammer n saw. But he weren’t. So I won’t.

what’s especially odd about this here story is that the man never seen Jesus, had barely heard His voice, n by the time he was healed, Jesus n him was long separated. for some reason, that’s the way this one had to go.

oh, yeah. The zinger:  “and it was the Sabbath.” surprise, surprise, as Pete might say.

so this feller not only is the first to be an apostle, but he also about to be the first martyr, of sorts. The Phar’sees is hoppin mad about him workin on the Sabbath. Mad at Jesus for making mud. Mad at the man for washin it off. Don’t seem like either of them acts was much work to me, but I ain’t no expert. They knows the rules.

Pete asks the Lord, “hey, Jesus? how come you up n break all them Sabbath traditions? is we supposed to keep that there commandment er not?”

Jesus answers, “Pete, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. We’s to keep it holy. That means takin a break from work once a week. It means givin extra time to prayer n doinggood. But listen: since the creation my Daddy’s always been workin, keepin the universe goin. Ain’t cha glad of that?”

“shore. But why not just say the word n tell that man to see, instead a drawin attention to makin mud and makin him walk n all?”

“Pete, if you had you a cow, n she fell into a gully on to Sabbath, would you leave er there til the next day?”

“i guess not.”

“so, do you think it’s better to do good for somebody on a Sabbath, or to do em harm? don’t cha know that if I don’t hep this man, I’m doinghim harm? besides, how much work do you think I did there?”

(ya gotta know that the Phar’sees had all the measurements for what constitutes “work.” it’s a tricky subject. for example, if you want to give a man some bread, ye can only do it if the man is in his house, n iffn he don’t reach out the winder to ya. You can reach in the winder to him. Then it ain’t work. Or how’s this:  if a chicken lays an egg on the Sabbath, you can eat that egg, but only if you kill the chicken, cause she done worked on the Sabbath. Otherwise, don’t eat no egg layed on the Sabbath. Got it? that’s why it takes a smart man with the rule books in hand to know whether or not the Sabbath’s been broke. Them Phar’sees is sorta like Sabbath umpires. Okay, now back to the story.)

so, they call the man n his parents in, and interrogate em. In the end, they kick the man outa the synagogue on account of he identified Himself as a foll’wer a Jesus. That’s how he got to be the first martyr, see.

a couple days later, Jesus sees the man in the temple. there, Jesus introduces Himself as the Messiah, n the man believes n worships Him. 

the Phar’sees could see, but they was blind as bats. The man hadn’t never seen nothin, but he saw clearer than all of em.

imagine that.

0318 ”I IS”

I IS

by this time, the Phar’sees is all pretty hot under the collar. They’s decidin that Jesus oughta be killt, on accounta He’s drawin some attention from the Romans. See, them Romans can get a bit testy about Jewish uprisin, n they was always lookin for an excuse to use them lethal weapons they carry round, just in case. Better that One Man get killt, than that a whole nation dies, says the high priest. 

 

course, that priest had no idea just how right he wuz. One Man shore was gonna die for a whole nation. But none of us seen it comin at the time. Don’t know why not. The evidence was all round us.

 

Jesus’d be walkin round, talking, n the Phar’sees would start up a theologizin argument. 

 

then Jesus’d say something about God bein His Father, or about His sheep knowin His voice, or about the Son settin folk free. Well, that’d get the Phar’sees’ loin cloths all up in a wad, n they’d argue til the cows come home.

 

funny how they could be so holy about some stuff, n so blind to their sin in other areas. Like, they revere God so much, they never say His name; then, when they fin’ly meet Him face to face, they plot to kill Him. Or, they’s so particular about the Ten Commandments that they don’t let nobody even do good on the Sabbath; then they plan to break the command not to kill. Yep. They loved to teach others all about God. Then they killt His Son.

 

they’s fussin with Him one day, n the Phar’sees say, “Do You think You are better than Abraham?” 

 

(now, Abe was considered the father of our faith, on accounta he obeyed God. Kinda a funny story, really. Abe was married to a woman named Sarai. That’s the name Sarah, only with one “i.” we callt her “one-eyed Sarah” when we was kids. Anyhoo, God says to Abe one day, “take your wife n leave Ur.” now, to a young boy, it sounds right peculiar to think that God would say, “take your wife n leave ‘er” like that. Then I got old nuff to read it for myself n realized that Ur weren’t the word “her.” true story. Now you know.)

 

Jesus says, “I’ll tell you what: ol’ Abe rejoiced when he looked ahead to see Me comin!  then he seen it, n he was glad.”

 

they says, “You aren’t even fifty years old!  How can you say You have seen Abraham?”

 

Jesus answers, “here’s the truth:  before Abe wuz, I is.”

 

now, that might not seem like something to get all riled over, but cha gotta unnerstand the grammar here. Grammar ain’t really my specialty; I write in koine Greek n all that. Whatever. It’s all Greek to me.  But I can tell ye this much:  when Jesus said them words that way, “I is,” it was like speakin the worst cuss words ever to them Phar’sees. If Jesus had said, “before Abe wuz, I wuz,” that woulda been bad, but because He said, “I is,” them Phar’sees all pickt up rocks to stone Him right then n there.

 

gotta explain a bit:  God’s name is so revered that the Phar’sees never use it. They never write it. They never say it. They got special ways round it, so’s they never break that commandment to never take the name a God in vain.

 

you know what God’s name is? “I is.” that’s right, God’s name is a verb. In Hebrew, it’s callt Yahweh or Jehovah. But when it’s translated, it come out, “I is.” God calls Himself “I is” cuz He’s always the Bein One. Never didn’t exist, you know.

 

back to the story:  so when Jesus says, “I is,” He’s cussin on two levels. First, He’s using The Name. Second (in case you didn’t catch this), He’s saying that The Name is Him!  to be honest, when He says them words, all a us took in a breath like we just all popped a peppermint into our mouths at the same time. We was lookin at each other, lack, “He just went there, didnt He?” or “did He just say them words?”

 

so, the Phar’sees all pick up rocks. N us boys get to runnin before the rocks start flyin. But Jesus, He just stands there in another one a them show-downs. Nobody throws a rock. N Jesus walks out right through the group.

 

later, when He finds us hidin, we ask Him why they didn’t throw nothin at Him. He just says it ain’t His time yit.

 

i just hope I ain’t standin directly behind Him when His time does come.

 

now, that claim wuz a doozy, but it werent the only time Jesus pronounced a bodacious “I is” claim.  believe it or not, over the course a three year, He made lots of em, n all of them claims got Jesus in hot water.

 

first, He sez, “I is the bread of life.”  sez He’s lack the daily manna in the wilderness from Moses, providin daily wisdom and power and sustenance.  sez we gotta eat His flesh and drink His blood, and we’ll get life in Him.  n a bunch a folk wuz offended n left Him then.

 

then He sez “I is the light a the world,” the light a life, n whoever fallers Him’ll never walk in darkness.  sez His word is a lamp, providin light for everbuddy, shinin in the dark.  sez He’s frum above, n He’s dun seed the Father’s presence.  n the Pharsees got ready to kill Him.

 

what’s more, He sez “I is the gate for the sheep,” n whoever enters thru Him’ll be saved.  only thru Him kin we cum in n go out, n find pasture.  He sez “I is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.”  sez all others wuz thieves n robbers, but that He knows His sheep n His sheep know Him n faller His voice.  that really burns the religious leaders, to be callt thieves n robbers.

sed “I is the resurrection and the life,” n that whoever believes in Him will live, even tho he dies.  sez He’s got menny rooms in His Father’s house, n He’s a-gonna prepare rooms for everbuddy, then cum n get us.  sez “I is the way, the truth, and the life.”  sez nobuddy cums to the Father ‘xceptin thru Him.  sez He’s in the Father and the Father in Him.  Sez “I is the true vine,” n we’s the branches.  that we can’t bear no fruit ‘xceptin’ we remain in Him.  sez apart from Him we caint do nothin.

i hear all them “I is” claims frum Jesus, n i think aint nobuddy ever made such bodacious claims bout Hisseff, ever.  not even Caesar makes all them claims.  now, THAT’S bodacious!

but then again: enny man that walks outa His own grave i reckon is exactly whoever He sez He is.