I think I just changed denominations

So. I was raised Southern Baptist. At present (in theory, if my work schedule ever allows it again), I attend a Southern Baptist church.

But I grow ever more disillusioned with the SBC, from the denomination's first branching from the Baptist church (in part over slavery, and the word Southern in the title, taken together with the date it happened, may give you an idea of which side they were on) to the present, when crap like this seems to happen more and more frequently. Further, studying scripture has led me to conclude that Darwin was right, the first couple of chapters in Genesis are meant as metaphor and not hard reporting, and that homosexuality can be entirely compatible with Christianity, as taught by Jesus and even as taught by Paul. I'm also increasingly worried about the political alliances Evangelical Christians have been making, and have become more and more convinced that we aren't even in the ballpark, aren't even playing the same sport, when it comes to living up to Biblical teachings on social justice.

This has, of course, put me into a rather small minority in the Southern Baptist community. I suspect that in my Sunday School class, that minority consists of just me.


But after discoursing with a few Followers of the Way on different denominational paths, and reading some of this catechism, I think I haven't been turning into a defective Southern Baptist; I've become a nascent Episcopalian.

Which, if the Episcopalians I've talked to are a valid sampling of the group, means I'd finally be able to admit to drinking beer in Sunday School class.

John 5:15-30

16So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. 17Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." 18For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Let this silence the watered-down notion of Jesus as a good person who said sensible things. C. S. Lewis has, of course, belabored this point, and Josh McDowell has more recently gone on to misinterpret Lewis and abuse the argument, and I'm sick of the whole thing anyway at this point, especially when it gets phrased alliteratively, as in "lunatic, liar or Lord?" You want to know about the Trilemma, go ask Andrew Rilstone about it. But let it be said, Jesus is very definitely not talking like someone who is only a moral teacher.

He's talking now to the people who are angry about Him performing miraculous healings on the Sabbath, as seen in the last installment. And He is about to lay a series of bombshells on them.

9Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.

The son gives life. First off, He's telling them that God Almighty has given Him the power to not only heal the sick, but raise the dead. So far, so good, great prophets have done as much before. But Jesus' habit of talking obliquely about things other than what His listeners are expecting has been well-established by this point. The life that the Son gives isn't just the restoration of the meatbag corpus, it's the revivification of the dead spirit. That's bomb #1.

22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

Here's #2: The Son is the one to whom judgment is deferred. On the one hand, Christ as Judge is kind of a spooky notion if the Christ you're most familiar with is the gently smiling blond guy who often appears in soft-focus prints on Sunday School classroom walls.

Frank Miller, in his introduction to the excellent Batman: Year One, says "If your only memory of Batman is that of Adam West and Burt Ward exchanging camped-out quips while clobbering slumming guest stars Vincent Price and Cesar Romero, I hope this book will come as a surprise." (And how nerdy is it that I typed that sentence pretty close to word-perfect from memory, some years after last reading it?) Miller then proceeds to deliver a comic book featuring an intense, realistic, frightening Batman who might just punch you in the mouth if you even mentioned the words "Bat-shark-repellent." If you've seen Batman Begins, you get the general idea. The jump from Adam West to Frank Miller is quite similar, I think, to the shock that awaits someone acquainted only with the mild, genial Sunday-school Jesus when they look at the Gospel accounts of what Jesus actually said and did.

On the other hand, that Sunday-School Jesus (minus the blond hair, blue eyes and perfect Nordic features, about which do not even get me started) is certainly based in reality. So from another angle, here's a piece of comfort: the Judge in this courtroom is also our defense attorney. And he is not on good terms with the prosecutor.

And then there's bombshell #3, and this would be the blockbuster as far as the crowd was concerned. "He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him."

In other words, this man is the Son of God, God's Emissary and representative, and any insult to Him is an insult to the Almighty. The presumption of such a statement is breathtaking. Outrageous, disgusting blasphemy.

If the one saying it is just a man.

24"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

28"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. 30By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

This is by way of being the very crux (so to speak) of Jesus' message. It's a grand promise, too. Eternal life, free acquittal (and an undeserved acquittal for undeniably guilty parties, at that), and the breaking of the very bonds of Death. The bars are broken, the ropes cut, the charges dropped, and the uncrossable river has been bridged. This is the promise of freedom and mercy and life eternal.

It is also, by my count, the fourth time in the space of this one speech that Jesus has claimed divine authority. Again, for more details on this, just go read some C. S. Lewis or something, but this is a huge deal.

So that's four times in the space of one speech. And Jesus isn't done talking yet.

Next: The thrilling conclusion!

John 5:1-15

At last, an actual new update.

1After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

2Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.

3In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.

4For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

5And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.

A cool thing about living in the modern era is the wide ranges of scholarly advantage that can be easily had. Here, for instance, we have a whole verse that is omitted in most translations. Apparently, verse four is a later interpolation, and thus shouldn't have too much weight put on it. Which is good to know, in case you were thinking about building a whole sermon (or, heck, a whole new denomination) around the theological implications of this angel stirring the waters of this pool and giving it magical healing powers. Maybe the pool did heal people, and maybe it didn't (who am I to argue with a healing pool, if I believe Jesus healed the sick, cast out literal evil spirits who possessed people, and rose from the dead?) but either way the angel business is, as near as scholars can tell, a detail tacked on on later to help make sense of things.

6When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

7The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

8Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.

9And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.

Another miracle of Jesus. Another simple miracle, with little drama attached to it. First there is the question: "Do you want to be made whole?" It's not the no-brainer it appears to be. I have encountered addicts of various kinds, and persons much attached to various self-defeating or self-destructive behaviors and attitudes, ranging from a chronic inability to take any kind of personal responsibility to delusional beliefs in magnetic healing bracelets. Some of them were quite aware of the fact that they were hurting themselves. But they (and this "they" includes "I," for the record) cling tight to what hurts them. A lot of people honestly don't want to be made whole, it seems.

But to the man who does whole-heartedly want to be restored, Jesus says "pick up your bed and walk." And that's all there is to it.

10The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.

11He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.

This actually gets expounded on in detail later, but here's the overture of the "Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath" theme. His authority is such that it overrides the Law.

12Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?

13And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.

Another little touch I find interesting. Jesus has healed the individual, but shuns the crowd. I find in this a little object lesson about Christianity in general. Big crowds of onlookers are not where He can be found. Look for Him instead where lone broken individuals are being restored. This is part of why I feel more comfortable worshiping in someplace like this



















Than in someplace like this



















































14Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

A worse thing than crippling. I believe here Jesus, talking slantwise as ever, is warning him about the death of the soul.

Next: The Sabbath, Divinity, and New Life!

I'm going to post an actual update soon, I swear.

I've been kind of busy, since I now have an actual job that pays actual money. Not as much money as I might want, especially since it's a job that has me lying on the grimy floor sweeping dog food out from under display racks with a cheap broom. I am working for Wal-Mart, or as I prefer to call it, Babylon. I wasn't a big fan of the company before hiring on with them, although I do admit there isn't anywhere else I can get cereal, pants, a Star Wars Transformer and a DVD copy of The Satanic Rites of Dracula all together at 3 in the morning.

And since I'm now in exile in Babylon, this is what I find myself thinking of.

Psalm 137

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.

2 There on the poplars
we hung our harps,

3 for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"

4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD
while in a foreign land?

5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill .

6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
my highest joy.

More regular updates to follow.

In the meantime, one thought: somebody needs to do a really high-quality remake of Blacula.

John 4:43-54

This is a late update, on account of I had stuff to do this evening, to wit: introducing some people to the film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, a Christmas classic delivering the unprecedented spectacle of Santa Claus single-handedly thwarting a Martian robot that's obviously a guy in a cardboard costume. This, of course, has but little to do with the Gospels, especially as the means used by Claus to conquer the Martians are materialism and areligious seasonal cheer.

Be that as it may, Jesus and His disciples were in Samaria when we left them last installment. But that is about to change.

3After the two days he left for Galilee. 44(Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 45When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.

This is interesting to me. After some four hundred years of the Bible being readily available in English, "a prophet hath no honour in his own country" has been firmly embedded in our language. And it is a true saying. The evidence of it may be seen in Jesus' own story, later on. More generally it holds true elsewhere. I have seen with my own eyes the proof of it in Cross Plains, Texas, home of the great Robert E. Howard (all due respect to Project Pride, who've done great things), but that is a matter for another time and probably another blog.

However, it says here that on arrival in Galilee Jesus was welcomed, by folks who were impressed by his various feats in Jerusalem.

A few minutes bopping from translation to translation on BibleGateway.com shews that most translations either have a full stop between "without honor in his own land" and "when he arrived in Galilee" breaking it into two separate thoughts, or else bridge the two sentences with either "yet" or "so." "A prophet is without honor in his own land, so the Galileans..." "A prophet is without honor in his own land, yet the Galileans..."

The one I like is the Message, which paraphrases it thusly:

43-45After the two days he left for Galilee. Now, Jesus knew well from experience that a prophet is not respected in the place where he grew up. So when he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, but only because they were impressed with what he had done in Jerusalem during the Passover Feast, not that they really had a clue about who he was or what he was up to.

There's actually quite a bit I like about this version. For starters, it bridges the two thoughts (prophets are without honor, Galileans welcomed) in a logical way. Jesus was welcomed because He could do impressive tricks. Second, I really like the phrase "what he was up to," which implies a certain sneakiness, or a hidden agenda. Finally, it makes the attitude of the Galileans explicit: they thought Jesus was impressive, but they certainly would not be happy if they knew what He was really all about.

Dare I say, how many of us today are the same way?

46Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

48"Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe."

49The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

Here's how I read this: Jesus is riding a wave of popularity just at present on account of He can work wonders. Right there in Cana He had turned water into enough wine to intoxicate pretty much everyone in town. In Jerusalem, as these folks had either seen with their own eyes, or heard from people who saw with their own eyes, or maybe heard from people who heard about it, Jesus did far more than that. But all that, in the end, is unimportant. Jesus didn't want them to look at His miracles, He wanted them to believe what He taught. As I take it, His initial stern response is to get rid of anyone looking for more supernatural parlor tricks.

The man's answer shows he's not one of those. He's not there to see signs and wonders.

He just wants his son to live.

50Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live."
The man took Jesus at his word and departed.

Here's proof of it. The man took Jesus at His word and departed.

Took Him at His word.

And departed.

Consider, an' thou wilt, the kind of faith this nobleman had. No questions. No hesitation. No need to see Jesus draw mystic sigils in the dust or scribe letters of fire in the air or speak the hidden names of Hashem and in general work the kind of magical mojo that might be expected from someone bringing a sick boy back from the edge of death. Jesus doesn't even slick his hair into a giant pompadour, grab the kid's head and shove him forcefully backwards while intoning "in-a the name of almighty GOD-a!" Jesus says the thing's done, and that's good enough. Here's a man who is not after a miracle. He's after a healing.

51While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour."

53Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he and all his household believed.

54This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.

John 4:27-42

It is at this point that the Disciples, Jesus’ not-too-bright Greek Chorus, make their appearance. It may or may not be a coincidence that the woman’s departure coincides with the arrival of a gang of uncouth blue-collar Galileans, some smelling like fish and all of them most likely ill-disposed towards Samaritans on general principle.

27Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"

28Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29"Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

Having encountered Christ, the woman’s first instinct is to go and tell. Later on, this instinct will be adapted by Jesus into His final instructions. Having realized that she was thirsty, and having found the Water of Life, this woman wants to tell people about it. She’s excited. She is also, O my brothers, not being a jerk about it. Having met Him, she doesn’t go print up some tracts explaining why her neighbors are about to go to Hell. She does not pass out said tracts on the street corner in her Sunday best while giving the unwashed heathens passing by severe looks. This is more like a starving street dog, having found a dumpster full of steaks, letting up a howl so the rest of the starving pack can share the wealth. It’s the difference between “you look like you ought to be hungry. I run a soup kitchen,” and “I was starving! If you’re starving too, come see where I found food!”

Meanwhile, the Chorus are being their usual thick selves.

31Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something."

32But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."

33Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?"

You’d think, after the fourth or fifth time, they’d start to figure out when Jesus was making one of His oblique shifts into metaphor. But then, if they got smart, they’d no longer serve their vital literary function of emphasizing Jesus’ metaphors. And this metaphor is a particularly good one.

34"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. 38I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."

The harvest. Souls stand like wheat, ready to be gathered in. It’s a figure of speech that’s solidly taken hold, all the more so in times and places where talk of sowing and reaping isn’t just a figure of speech. Flip through a hymn book sometime, especially an older one, and you’ll most likely see the proof of it.

One sows and another reaps. And the reaping time is here. Now. And what happens to the grain that isn’t harvested?

39Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41And because of his words many more became believers.

42They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

The visit to Samaria was a successful one. And it serves to illustrate the rather vital point that Jesus is interested in more than just Israel. And, who feels it knows it, He is the Savior.

john 4:1-26

Okay, check it out. From now on, I'll be updating this (or trying to) bi-weekly, Mondays and Thursdays.

I’ve put off trying to tackle this passage for a while, because it’s important and because there’s a whole lot of stuff to cover. This is the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well, and it’s where Jesus says a lot of seriously heavy stuff.

Jesus and his disciples have left Judea, apparently because the Pharisees were taking an interest in their activities there. They’re heading home to Galilee, a trip which takes them through Samaria. And Samaria was a region occupied by half-breeds who worshiped differently than the Jews, who therefore tried to avoid associating with them.

5Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.

7There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

8(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

9Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Here’s the first lesson of the story. Jesus doesn’t care about status or cliques or other dividers. He deals with people just as people. This was the early Church’s greatest strength, its willingness to reach out to those forsaken by all others. It may be the modern Church’s great weakness, that we’ve lost sight of this.

10Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

11The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

12Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Here we have another example of Jesus’ tendency to abruptly segue from temporal to spiritual matters in conversation. His interest is not in ordinary water.

Living water. This is a truly grand figure of speech. Cleansing, refreshing, purifying, life-giving. Never-ending, always flowing, a fountain springing up into eternal life. And here’s the second lesson of the story. This is what Jesus is offering: not just miraculous healing and moral teaching about being nice to each other. He’s here offering the cleansing and quenching we all need.

And presented with this idea, the woman forgets about ordinary water as well.

15The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

16Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

17The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

18For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

19The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

And here, the third lesson: He knows. Behold and wonder at this: Jesus sees you, all of you, all you’ve done, all you keep hidden, all you’re ashamed of. He knows. And, even knowing all that, He still offers the Water of Life.

20Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

21Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

22Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

23But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Knowing herself now to be in the presence of a prophet, the woman inquires about the religious division between Jew and Samaritan. Where is the right place to worship, the Mountain, or the Temple? The answer is “none of the above.” The where isn’t important, it’s the how. In spirit, and truth. Ritual, empty liturgy, is insufficient whether in the Temple or out of it. And that is the fourth lesson.

And this is the fifth:

25The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.

26Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

Next up: the Samaritan Adventure continues!

John 3: 22-36

22After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.

23John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized--

24for John had not yet been thrown into prison.

I say this a lot, but I really am hugely impressed with John’s literary style. That line, “for John had not yet been thrown into prison” is genius. John the Baptist is a secondary character in this story, and about due to drop out of it altogether. John’s gospel doesn’t even tell the story of how the Baptist lost his head. But this offhand reference simultaneously tells you

1) John’s going to end up in prison.

2) But he’s not there just yet.

There’s a subtlety to it, telling John’s ending this way. It also adds a poignant weight to this passage, which the gospel-writer gives us as John’s last pronouncement.

25Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification.

26And they came to John and said to him, " Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him."

The followers of John seem to be concerned. Concerned, specifically, with Jesus baptizing, and the fact that He was the one everyone was coming to. He was stealing John’s thunder.

So this is what John tells them:

27John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.

28"You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.'

29"He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice So this joy of mine has been made full.

30"He must increase, but I must decrease.

31" He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth He who comes from heaven is above all.

32"What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.

33"He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true.

34"For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.

35" The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.

36"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

There are a couple of points John makes.

It’s okay. Everything we have, God gives us. As such, of course, it makes little sense to complain when we lose it.

Jesus taking precedence, that’s the whole point. “He must increase, and I must decrease.” In other words, John is very aware that his job is done, his role performed. The man who heralded a new age, John’s destiny is not to be a part of it. There is a parallel here with Moses, who led Israel to the borders of Canaan, but never entered the Land himself.

More recently, Tolkien borrowed the emotional impact of this passage in The Lord of the Rings. The Elves, Gandalf and Frodo all fought the darkness, and ultimately triumphed. And, having saved the world, they found that there was no place for them in it, and so they passed into the West.

John the Baptist meets his final end at the hands of a cruel king and a spiteful girl, but even before then, he’s aware that he’s no longer part of the main story.

John 3, verses 1-21

It's been a while (this passage is a tricky one to get a hold on) but I'm back. And a word to all of you (at present count, somewhere between none and 2) that read this, I would like some discussion on these matters, and the comments seem like the place to do so. Just click "leave a comment" and tell me how wrong I am. Or, y'know, how right I am. As you will. I aim to update this puppy at least twice a week for a while, so stay tuned.

On with the show:

John 3:1-21

¹ Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

² the same came unto him by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him.

Jesus, evidently has been successful in establishing His credentials. And so Nicodemus comes to Him. Comes by night, implying a stealthy visit. A man of high status in the religious community, he seems unwilling to be spotted conversing with a Galilean street preacher, especially one who recently stampeded the businessmen from the Temple. But in any case, he’s recognized that Jesus is for real, and want’s to know what’s up. Jesus tells him, and it totally blows Nicodemus’ mind. I can’t blame Nicodemus. I have a head start, since I’ve read this passage before, and heard many’s the Sunday school lesson on it (and of course it contains the most-quoted verse ever, though the least quoted-in-context), and it continues to blow my mind.

³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God!

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born anew.

⁸ The wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

So. As you are, you cannot enter. The only route is rebirth. This, certes, is a hard concept to grasp. Nicodemus jumps to the literal conception, a grown man emerging from the womb a second time (not unlike Kenny in that one episode of South Park). Jesus clarifies: water and the Spirit. We’re already born as human beings, which is to say: talking animals, pants-wearing monkeys, skin-bags, flesh-piles, or meat puppets. All well and good. But there’s something beyond that. Rebirth.

The birth of water, I admit I’m somewhat baffled by. A quick consultation with Google indicates that this one’s been a stumper for a while, and that some interpretations are: the birth of water is the first (or “meat puppet”) birth, the birth of water is the same thing as the birth of the spirit, it’s a spiritual cleansing, or it’s a reference to baptism (guess which interpretation got pushed hardest in my childhood as I heard this story in a Baptist Sunday school?). This issue is addressed over at this website here. They come down on the side of water baptism.

The birth of the Spirit, on the other hand, is rather more straightforward. This is where the breath of Almighty Jah comes down and fills you with an everlasting fire. Rebirth. Awakening. Becoming a new thing. Seeing with new eyes. Being purged, too, and refined.

These are wondrous things. They are Mysteries, as once we used the term. Nicodemus’ reaction is a natural one.

⁹ Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

Jesus, as was His wont, answers this question with a question.

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou the teacher of Israel, and understandest not these things?

¹¹ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that which we know, and bear witness of that which we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

¹² If I told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things?

I’m not sure, but I think this may boil down to “you think that’s a mind-bender…”

¹³ And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, [even] the Son of man, who is in heaven.

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up;

¹⁵ that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life.

Here John has Jesus announcing Himself for what He is. Descended from Heaven, soon to ascend to Heaven. He’s not done at that, though. Not nearly. More than that, He shall be lifted up like the serpent in the wilderness, which is to say, raised on a pole to relieve the suffering of the afflicted whose sins condemned them.

Exodus is vague on the subject of what was done with that snake. The Israelites at the time seemed rather more concerned with the fact that they weren’t suffering from snakebite any more. A similar cavalier attitude may be seen in regard to the lambs offered up as sacrifices. Just a thought.

In any case, this leads up to Jesus’ Big Line, the summation of all He said just as “to be or not to be” is the summation of Hamlet. At any rate, it’s the bit everyone remembers, especially the ones whose knowledge of the source material is entirely limited to that one quote. Of course, it’s our fortune now to see this gem in context. We’ve seen what comes before. Now let’s see what comes after.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁷ For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him.

¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God.

May I say that I find this bit interesting? “He that believeth not hath been judged already.” John is clear on the point, beyond question, that failure to believe on the Son (not in, even the devils below can claim that much, and being lost to salvation is part of what being a devil means) is a doom. Exactly what this means, however, is a topic much debated. I personally like the way C. S. Lewis envisions it in The Great Divorce and The Last Battle. Jesus is standing at the open door, and that door remains open. Going through it is up to you. The thing I like about it, I suppose, is that you get confronted with this open door at some point whether you’d ever heard of Him before breathing your last or not. But that’s a subject for another time.

¹⁹ And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.

²⁰ For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved.

²¹ But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God.

Detail on the judgment. When given a chance to embrace the light, you continue lurking in the dark. In this way, we damn ourselves. It’s not the Narrow Bridge of the fervent Calvinist. The light is not limited in scope. But it’s always possible to turn away from it. Turn your back on the light, and your face will be cast in shadow.

It’s early yet in the story of Jesus, but we’ve just come to the crux of things: we are lost. Moreover, deep down we know this. And given a chance to be found, some of us will prefer not to. For those, the darkness they choose is the darkness they will remain in.

Next: The return of John the Baptist!

John 2

The first chapter of John is all prologue. In chapter two, he begins to actually tell us about Jesus, and the things He said and did.

The Four Evangelists each chose to arrange the incidents of Jesus’ life in a different way. John, as we’ve seen, skips the birth story entirely. And now, we see the first stories of Jesus are that John chooses to tell.

This chapter is a double feature. First, the opener:

¹ And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

² and Jesus also was bidden, and his disciples, to the marriage.

³ And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

⁴ And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

⁵ His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

⁶ Now there were six waterpots of stone set there after the Jews' manner of purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece.

⁷ Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

⁸ And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the ruler of the feast. And they bare it.

⁹ And when the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and knew not whence it was (but the servants that had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast calleth the bridegroom,

¹⁰ and saith unto him, Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when [men] have drunk freely, [then] that which is worse: thou hast kept the good wine until now.

¹¹ This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

This is an interesting story, and one that can cause much awkwardness when you bring it up around people who’ve bought into the aberrant teetotaler notion that God despises alcohol, of all kinds and in all forms. And as it’s the first of Jesus’ adventures to be related, let’s look at what it says about Him.

Imprimus, Jesus and his posse are attending a party, possibly invited because of His mother. Evidently, Jesus and his pupils aren’t quite the monastic ascetic type. How much actual reveling they did on this occasion (and for that matter, on other occasions) is not recorded. But they were, at any rate, definitely in attendance at a first-century Jewish wedding, one of the liveliest kinds of celebration around.

Secundus, we meet Jesus’ mother. As John took no interest in Jesus’ birthing, she hasn’t come up before, and appears now asking Jesus for a favor. His response is interesting to me.

On the one hand, he says “woman, what have you to do with me?” Which seems a bit cold. He further says that His hour has not yet come.

But even so, He does as she asks, and uses His power to provide a substantial amount of wine for a party where they’d just finished depleting the wine they had. I have, of course, talked to people who maintain that Jesus’ miraculous powers turned the water into good, wholesome non-alcoholic grape juice, but this seems to me improbable. Mine host remarks “you’ve kept the best stuff till last.” Two chapters in, and already teetotalism, one of the mighty pillars of my Southern Baptist upbringing, has been shaken.

Of course, there’s still plenty of scripture that advises against drunkenness. And this is certainly not to be disputed. Consuming, for instance, a very large vodka-and-sprite on the heels of a rum-and-lemonade and some beers can jack you up. I have heard. Moderation, then, is the watchword.

Natheless, it certainly seems like this Jesus is by no means opposed to some good honest partying.

The real point, however, is that this is Jesus working signs and wonders, thereby establishing His credentials and impressing the disciples.

The scene now shifts, and we come to the second tale of Jesus and His deeds.

² After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and [his] brethren, and his disciples; and there they abode not many days.

¹³ And the passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

¹⁴ And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

I must admit, this is one of my favorite Gospel stories. Because Jesus, Jesus does not like what He found in the Temple.

¹⁵ and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables;

¹⁶ and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise.

I cannot help but feel, in this case, that the Bible might be well-served by the presence of some exclamation points. Jesus, whose official ministry is at it’s very beginning, who said a few verses earlier that His time has not yet come, kicks off His trip to Jerusalem by stampeding cattle, kicking over tables, dumping other people’s cash on the ground, and yelling at them.

¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for thy house shall eat me up.

It is, of course, entirely possible that the disciples present were in fact remanded of that scripture at that moment. But this aside’s also a pretty good literary device, a way for John to say “and by the way, reader, Jesus is fulfilling prophecy here.” I also like the phrasing. Zeal for Thy house has eaten me. Zeal, of course, as in Zealots, the radical guerilla revolutionaries who were at the time running amok in Judaea. Wycliffe’s Bible, alternatively, gives us the term “fervent love” in place of “zeal.” But what’s universal is the statement that this zeal for the Temple has eaten Him. Jesus is consumed by a passion for the House of God. What He’s doing here, He’s doing passionately, in a wild fury. He sees something He loves being profaned, and His immediate response it to grab a bullwhip and start kicking over apple carts. Jesus, in short, is mad.

This will be a recurring theme, actually. The one thing that is guaranteed to get Jesus hot under the collar, the thing that will get Him hurling mighty invective and damnation, is religious hypocrisy. Being focused on money-making where you should be focused on praying. Being focused on people seeing you pray when you should be focused on being humble before God. Being focused on the rules, and not the love behind them.

But more on that later. Meanwhile, in the Temple, the onlookers are naturally curious about who gave Jesus the right to go around busting up the place just because He doesn’t like the way things are run.

¹⁸ The Jews therefore answered and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

“Hey, you got some kind of credentials, pal? Like, maybe some miracles you could do to demonstrate that you’re a legit prophet or something?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Not the kind of answer, I think, that they were looking for.

²⁰ The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days?

²¹ But he spake of the temple of his body.

²² When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he spake this; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

Jesus, as is not uncommon for Him, was talking about something other than what they wanted Him to be talking about. He had other things on His mind. I might also note that this is some excellent foreshadowing. We who’ve grown up in the church lose sight of these things sometimes because we already know all these stories, but here at the beginning, John’s telling us how it will end. Here’s what these verses reveal:

Jesus has a mighty passion for the things of God, and does not tolerate the profanation of that which is Holy.

Jesus is interested in matters beyond the ken of His audience. They want to see a miracle or hear an explanation of just who He thinks He is, and He starts talking about coming back from the dead, in a way that only makes sense in hindsight. He is, in short, not talking to the people in front of Him, He’s talking for the benefit of the disciples three years from then.

Jesus is going to die. But more importantly, He’s going to come back. And when He does, the things He said and did take on a whole new weight.

The epilogue to this tale:

²³ Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, during the feast, many believed on his name, beholding his signs which he did.

²⁴ But Jesus did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men,

²⁵ and because he needed not that any one should bear witness concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.

Jesus stayed in Jerusalem, and observed Passover, and He evidently continues to do miracles, and a following develops around Him. But, Jesus does not trust Himself to them (again, there is some foreshadowing here). The most important of these verses, it seems to me, is the last. Jesus doesn’t need anyone to tell Him that people can’t be trusted. He knows that already. He knows, because He’s a man. Wasn’t it King David who said “my heart has shown me the wickedness of the ungodly?”

Next up: Jesus gives His first sermon, explaining to a man in the shadows who He is and what He’s doing.

John 1, verses 28 through 51

John 1, continued.

²⁸ These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

²⁹ On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!

You know something? I love that line. Maybe it appeals to my sense of drama. Behold! Or, in the vulgar tongue, “check this out!” See this. Take a good long look, because this is important. Behold the Lamb of God. This instant, right here, is significant for a few reasons. Here’s one: Jesus, subject of this history, has just appeared onstage. Here’s another: John, the voice crying out in the wilderness, Herald on the Word, is in this moment doing the thing he was put on earth to do. If you were to reduce his life to a single purpose, a single goal, this would be it. He’s announcing the coming of the one who cometh after him. After this scene, his role in the chronicle seems to be pretty much over. This is his moment, the thing he was born for. Maybe Neil Armstrong felt the same thing, stepping on to the Moon’s surface. Maybe Emperor Norton felt it the day he knelt in prayer before an angry mob (but you don’t know that story, do you? Another time, then.) Quite possibly Stephen felt it when they dragged him outside Jerusalem and gathered up their stones. In this moment, your purpose is fulfilled.

But beyond that, look at what it is he’s proclaiming. The Lamb of God. Who takes away the sins of the world. Earlier John quoted Isaiah: “Make straight the Way of the Lord.” Well, now the Lord is here. And He’s come to take away our sin.

John continues his introduction:

³⁰ This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man who is become before me: for he was before me.

³¹ And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing in water.

³² And John bare witness, saying, I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven; and it abode upon him.

³³ And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit.

³⁴ And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.

John is a Herald, and he is here to bear witness. His statement is thoroughly unambiguous: This is the Son of God, God’s Spirit is upon Him, and He will baptize with it. The Holy Spirit, when it shows up in the Book of Acts, descends one day upon everybody like fire. Now that Christ is here, we will be washed in righteous fire, so Jah seh.

³⁵ Again on the morrow John was standing, and two of his disciples;

³⁶ and he looked upon Jesus as he walked, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God!

³⁷ And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

John the Baptist, like John the Evangelist who wrote this Gospel, is hammering the points home. And now, Jesus has two followers.

³⁸ And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? And they said unto him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), where abideth thou?

³⁹ He saith unto them, Come, and ye shall see. They came therefore and saw where he abode; and they abode with him that day: it was about the tenth hour.

⁴⁰ One of the two that heard John [speak], and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

⁴¹ He findeth first his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah (which is, being interpreted, Christ).

⁴² He brought him unto Jesus. Jesus looked upon him, and said, Thou art Simon the son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter).

⁴³ On the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he findeth Philip: and Jesus saith unto him, Follow me.

⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.

⁴⁵ Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

⁴⁶ And Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

⁴⁸ Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

⁴⁹ Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art King of Israel.

And now, four or five. And one of them is Peter, of whom more later. Jesus here demonstrates a knack for knowing things he couldn’t, by ordinary means, have known. As miracles go it’s pretty much a parlor trick, but again in other Gospels they haven’t even gotten to Jesus’ birth at this point. Signs and wonders come later.

⁵⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee underneath the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

⁵¹ And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

See? There’s more to come.

John 1, verses 1 through 28

This is my blog. In it, I read and comment upon the four Gospels. I'm starting with John, because I find his style to be exciting, and a good place to start.

On with the show.

Chapter 1

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

² The same was in the beginning with God.

³ All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.

⁴ In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

⁵ And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.

This, o my brothers, is the work of a man who knows how to start a book. Matthew’s genealogies are all very well once you’ve already made the decision to read it, and now you want some proof that Jesus was descended from the Line of David, but John knew how to hook you. On the fence about reading this slim volume about this man Jesus? Bam! In the Beginning! Was the Word! This is exciting stuff, heavy ideas getting thrown around all over the place. First, there’s something at the very beginning, part of God, YHWH, Tetragrammaton, Hashem, He Is That He Is. And this thing that is the same thing as God is also something different, different enough to have its own name, the Word, Logos. This Word, God-and-with-God, all things were made through him. If it exists, He (He and not It) was the cause of it. And in this Word is life, and this life is light. Four verses in and we’re already just “Way” away from having a complete set of the Christian Magic Words. And this light which is life which is in the Word which was with and was God, this light shines in darkness. This is heavy, mystical stuff, and just the kind of thing that gets my juices going.

⁶ There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.

⁷ The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him.

⁸ He was not the light, but [came] that he might bear witness of the light.

No messing around here. John’s getting right at the point from the get-go, with no beating around the bush with lineages (however important they may be if you want to establish a claim to Messiahdom) or origin stories (however rife with signs and wonders they may be), he goes right for the throat: Word-God-Light-Life-Man named John. This John is not the light, but he does bear witness. He bears witness, but is not the light. This point is important, because it’d be a big mistake to confuse the herald with the one being announced. A feature film with Laurence Fishburne is probably going to make that point this very summer.

⁹ There was the true light, [even the light] which lighteth every man, coming into the world.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not.

¹¹ He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not.

¹² But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:

¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.

The light, the Word, is coming into the world. And it is reiterated here that the world was made through Him. Even so, the world does not recognize Him. The world, let it be said, has forgotten the face of its father.

But there’s more. By this, some do recognize, and receive, and those that do, they get something very special. Children of God. We who are Christians have managed to make a cliché out of this, and though like most clichés its true, its status as such has robbed it of its power. This is a mighty thing. This is magic and lighting and fire on the earth. And mixing in with this fire, John hits us with some more of the heavy philosophy. Born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. What is that? What does this thing mean?

Something new.

And the Word, let him with ears hear it, became flesh, and dwelt among us full of grace and truth. And we beheld Him. And now, just fourteen verses in, we’ve come to the beating heart of things. God, or God’s begotten, begotten from the very beginning of things and shaper of worlds and realities, has been cast in meat and put on this planet’s dirt and we saw and recognized Him.

This is some heavy stuff.

⁵ John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that cometh after me is become before me: for he was before me.

¹⁶ For of his fulness we all received, and grace for grace.

¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

And the man who is the light which is the life which is the Word which is with and is God, He has a name, and John Baptizer is calling it out. And, further, those who embraced Him became Sons of God.

Man, this deep into Matthew Jesus isn’t even born yet. This deep into Luke, He isn’t even Conceived yet.

¹⁸ No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].

¹⁹ And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou?

²⁰ And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ.

²¹ And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No.

²² They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

²³ He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.

Like Jesus, down the line, John gets hit with the question “who are you?” It might be possible to craft a sermon out of speculation as to why they asked this, and not “what are you doing, and why?” but skip it.

He starts out by telling them who he isn’t. When they pin him down, he invokes Isaiah, and tells ‘em “God’s on His way.”

²⁴ And they had been sent from the Pharisees.

Another thing John gets in ahead of the competition is the foreshadowing. Matthew’s still on baby pictures, Mark, skipping all the heavy stuff and sticking to just the facts, has Jesus starting his ministry, and Luke is working on how John got conceived. John, meanwhile, has already begun to set up for dramatic big finish.

²⁵ And they asked him, and said unto him, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, neither Elijah, neither the prophet?

²⁶ John answered them, saying, I baptize in water: in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not,

²⁷ [even] he that cometh after me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose.

²⁸ These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Pharisees: “Okay, screw that guy who was thinking about making a sermon about the questions we ask, why are you doing this?”

John: “Again, boys, stuff is about to go down.”

To be continued…