I love John's writings. He doesn't just tell the story. He takes us deep into the heart and the intimate life of the main character of the story. He helps us make that intimate connection with our Savior. He takes us into the fire...deep into the intensity of God's few moments on the scene...incarnate...real skin...real blood...real breath...real heart...His feet touching...imprinting the soil of the earth, the mystery of the Divine embodied! He helps us peer into the eyes of our Savior and see love, real love between Jesus and John and the other disciples…he helps us see love without condition, stipulations, demands of performance...no payment necessary...Jesus takes care of that. Jesus takes care of everything.
John brings us close enough to see Jesus, to touch Him, and to see his radiant smile, His glorious countenance. Close enough for His peace to wrap around us and hold us. He helps us to gaze and behold the mystery...the mystery of God...that came to die. He helps us find our way to Christ's side...to that place that allows Him to put his arm around us...walk alongside us...that place that allows us to lean into him...take a few deep breaths...and feel the beat of the heart that conducts the universe! John helps us to see Him intimately, and he records the deepest, most profound words ever put to print. Words that unite flesh with wood and soil and Spirit...words that unite suffering and sorrow with resurrection and eternity...humanity with Divinity...the cross with mankind.
"He then lying on Jesus' breast said unto him, Lord, who is it?"
"So she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved"
Who was this man that was granted the privilege to lean upon the breast of Jesus and walk so close to Him that he would be called the disciple whom Jesus loved? Scribe, mystic, philosopher, simpleton, disciple, passionate lover of God, sinner, saint?...what made him different? Who was he? How did John know a love so deep, so immense you could almost see as you read his words, eternity surrounding Jesus and His closest ones as they walked through those few years together? You can almost see divine light, divine depth, heaven's architect dance in their midst as you explore the chapters of John's books. You can almost see the mysterious, marvelous light of His kingdom surrounding them....enfolding them along their pilgrimage. How did John get to know our Lord...our Jesus like this?
Probably most of us have or have had those one or two friends in our lives that when you get together, you chat for awhile, catch up on things, and soon something changes. The atmosphere changes. The dialogue changes. There’s nobody around you...nothing around you seems to exist....or at least it fades immensely in importance. It’s just you and your friend...sharing the deepest concerns of your hearts...nothing else matters...and you talk late into the evening. No need for sleep. There's too much to say. The air is thick. Your hearts are locked...engaged. Every word of your friend is so important it seems to hold eternal weight and every one of your words holds the same weight with your friend. And the trials of the day seem to fade a bit... The moment is sacred.
Can you imagine if this is what Jesus and John shared? I want that!
I believe this is God's message through John's writings. It's the message of I AM...of who I am…a person...a God who loves you...intimately. It's not just the story of His life, although that's critical...it’s about knowing Him deeply...it's here I am...come and know me...really know me. I am the great I am. I am the Resurrection and the Life, the Vine, the Bread of Life, the hidden manna, the Good Shepherd, I am the way, the truth and the life, I am He who came down from heaven to give life to the world. It’s about who I AM....And it's about come and dine with me...sit with me...let's talk through the night...let's chat for a minute…but then let's really talk.
I often think about the agonizing days when I was in the hospital. I see Him all through it. I see Him holding my head as I'm locked in terror between those walls. I see Him holding me night after night...intimately caring for and carrying me the whole way. This is real life...it's good and its bad, it's up and it's down and I see Him now....in the present…He is there...Jehovah Shamah. He is there...intimately. He is here walking with us...beckoning us to go deeper, walk closer. This world and its trials are passing...come and know me...in every moment.
"He then lying on Jesus' breast said unto him, Lord, who is it?"
"So she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved"
Who was this man that was granted the privilege to lean upon the breast of Jesus and walk so close to Him that he would be called the disciple whom Jesus loved? Scribe, mystic, philosopher, simpleton, disciple, passionate lover of God, sinner, saint?...what made him different? Who was he? How did John know a love so deep, so immense you could almost see as you read his words, eternity surrounding Jesus and His closest ones as they walked through those few years together? You can almost see divine light, divine depth, heaven's architect dance in their midst as you explore the chapters of John's books. You can almost see the mysterious, marvelous light of His kingdom surrounding them....enfolding them along their pilgrimage. How did John get to know our Lord...our Jesus like this?
Probably most of us have or have had those one or two friends in our lives that when you get together, you chat for awhile, catch up on things, and soon something changes. The atmosphere changes. The dialogue changes. There’s nobody around you...nothing around you seems to exist....or at least it fades immensely in importance. It’s just you and your friend...sharing the deepest concerns of your hearts...nothing else matters...and you talk late into the evening. No need for sleep. There's too much to say. The air is thick. Your hearts are locked...engaged. Every word of your friend is so important it seems to hold eternal weight and every one of your words holds the same weight with your friend. And the trials of the day seem to fade a bit... The moment is sacred.
Can you imagine if this is what Jesus and John shared? I want that!
I believe this is God's message through John's writings. It's the message of I AM...of who I am…a person...a God who loves you...intimately. It's not just the story of His life, although that's critical...it’s about knowing Him deeply...it's here I am...come and know me...really know me. I am the great I am. I am the Resurrection and the Life, the Vine, the Bread of Life, the hidden manna, the Good Shepherd, I am the way, the truth and the life, I am He who came down from heaven to give life to the world. It’s about who I AM....And it's about come and dine with me...sit with me...let's talk through the night...let's chat for a minute…but then let's really talk.
I often think about the agonizing days when I was in the hospital. I see Him all through it. I see Him holding my head as I'm locked in terror between those walls. I see Him holding me night after night...intimately caring for and carrying me the whole way. This is real life...it's good and its bad, it's up and it's down and I see Him now....in the present…He is there...Jehovah Shamah. He is there...intimately. He is here walking with us...beckoning us to go deeper, walk closer. This world and its trials are passing...come and know me...in every moment.
I wonder what the Church would be like if we could somehow lay hold of this...to desire to walk intimately with Him like John did...like he communicated. What if we wanted nothing more than to be like John, the disciple whom Jesus loved and to lean upon His breast...to be His closest confidante? What if we really wanted nothing more than to live deep in the fire of His presence and His love...to be part of His body that was broken and to share that with the world?
He always beckons us to go deeper, but do we hear it? I think we usually do, but we become paralyzed by fear. Fear that if we take too much time the boss might notice, we might not be able to watch our favorite TV show, or we carry the perspective that this is less of a priority "FOR NOW". But would you ever make your best of friend wait for your selfish endeavors, especially someone like Jesus who has given you everything and you are inspired to spend every waking moment with. I can't imagine what this world would be like everyone had the heart of John! How does such an epidemic get started?? - Keep it up Sean...you're doing it!
ReplyDelete"I often think about the agonizing days when I was in the hospital. I see Him all through it."
ReplyDeleteMe too, my brother. Me too.
I think our families paths have crossed to infuse this "epidemic".
Looking forward to many more "sacred moments".
Passionate for Him....YOU are! Now, go hug Carol!
One has to take off their own shoes before they can take a walk in someone else's moccasins, and similarly, when it comes to a case of The Bible vs. Tradition, one has to be willing to let go of the traditions of men in order to see the truth that is hidden in plain sight in the text of scripture.
ReplyDeleteTheDiscipleWhomJesusLoved.com has a free eBook that compares scripture with scripture in order to highlight the facts in the plain text of scripture that are usually overlooked about the “other disciple, whom Jesus loved”. You may want to weigh the testimony of scripture that the study cites regarding the one whom “Jesus loved” and may find it to be helpful as it encourages bible students to take seriously the admonition “prove all things”.