Daily Liturgy and Scripture

What is it like to hear the Shepherd's voice? It's interesting that Jesus doesn't say, "They will know I'm real because they will understand everything I say," or, "they will be mine because I will convince them." Knowing someone's voice is without regard to what they say, it's a familiarity with what they sound like. How do we do that? By listening often.

In the face of the miraculous, there were still those who insisted on finding fault. Jesus had given a man his life back, but the religious leaders insisted on controlling the situation. Why couldn't they just celebrate with the man? Of course, this miracle was unheard of. Hopefully, we will be willing to have our eyes open to see the things that really matter, and not be caught up over our own biased version of the truth.

Today, we celebrate the Confession of St. Peter in the church calendar. The most fascinating part of this passage in Matthew to me is that Jesus asked his disciples if they knew who he was, and Peter got it right, and Jesus said, "Great. Now don't tell anyone." Even in the life of Christ, things happened in God's time and not according to a human definition of success and progress. Hopefully, we have both the realization of who Jesus is also... and the faith in God's time.

Jesus didn't just appear out of thin air, dispensing good advice and miracles like a spontaneous Middle-Eastern Confucius. There was purpose in his coming. He had always been in fellowship with the Father, and he continued that fellowship throughout his time among us. To see Jesus and hear Jesus was to see and hear the Father.

One of the best-loved stories from Jesus life: his treatment of a woman caught in adultery. It is paired with Abram and Sarai deciding to take the whole, "I will give you many descendants" thing into their own hands, and are those stories so different? In one, religious leaders get egg on their face because they find themselves on the wrong side of religion, using it to humiliate a powerless woman. In Abraham's case, he and Sarai find themselves on the wrong side of God's plan, thinking he needs their help. In both cases, God is doing something that people just can't quite wrap their minds around. Both are learning opportunities, and both become conduits for those who witness the happenings to see that God's ways are truly higher.

Two events of immense significance are taking place in today's scripture. God is making the covenant with Abraham that will culminate in the coming of Jesus, and Jesus is declaring openly and loudly what he offers a Savior. It's not the beginning and end of the story, but it's kind of the beginning and middle. What God started with Abraham, he completed in Jesus.

You sometimes have to wonder who was really on Jesus' side. Followers left when he wouldn't do the right tricks, religious leaders plotted his death, and his own family thought he was nuts. And in the midst of this, he has a ragtag group of fishermen and other rabble who somehow stay with him. Maybe it was their simple understanding that made the difference, or maybe the simple truth is that the closer you get to Jesus, the more miraculous it all seems.

Today, Jesus finishes his explanation of what his sacrifice means, still trying to help those who had eaten the physical bread he provided to understand that he was the Bread of Life. It wasn't easy. Maybe some thought he was being too morbid, or maybe they weren't sticking around if there wasn't a free meal. Either way, many people deserted Jesus. His disciples got it, though. Where else could they go? He had the words of life.

When working with children, it's sometimes difficult to help them understand which thing is more valuable from a few options. Jesus faces the same thing. He has just performed a miracle, and yet the crowd tells him he still needs to do more tricks if he wants them to believe in him. They have missed the point. It wasn't that Jesus could do miracles, it was that the miracles point back to the most important thing: him, himself. Missing that is missing everything. Just like a child who gets a bicycle but would rather play with the box it came in, we often miss what God is doing for our preoccupation with what we wish he would do.

It's amazing what Jesus can multiply from so little. When we show up and give him our small contribution, he can make so much more of it than we ever dreamed of. When Jesus multiplies things, the result is a greater Kingdom and  a stronger community who have learned a deeper dependence on his providence.