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Daniel highly recommends God Comes to Still the Wind
2014-05-18 Daniel Daring
(Comments welcome here)
Jesus, the
Way
Acts 6:1-7; 1 Peter 2:4-9; John 14:1-12
It
is a memorable experience to ask for directions in the Philippines:
Excuse me, Sir. Where is the market? There. Excuse me,
Miss. Where is the shopping center?
There. Excuse me, Sir. Where is the gasoline station? There.
Everything seems to be somewhere
“there” and this “there” is always accompanied by a characteristic
movement of head and mouth pointing towards a certain direction. It is up to you
to discover where this “there” really is. However, there are times when you
will be able to get a very precise direction: Excuse me, Sir. Where is the
Manila Hotel? Take the first to the right, and the second to the left. Cross the
light, go past the market, take the third on the right and the Hotel is right in
front of you. You will not only be forced to ask again for directions, but you
may find yourself arriving at the place you have just come from.
Life is a journey. There are the perfect ones who know perfectly well their destinations – their goals and aims - and the way that leads there. There are the childlike ones who do not bother themselves with profound philosophical questions about the sense and meaning of life. They travel without any directions, allowing themselves to be guided by the circumstances and impulses of nature. But, there are also the confused ones – perhaps the majority of us – who are stuck somewhere in the middle. We basically know what we want – a happy and meaningful life – but we do not know how to get there.
So,
we ask for directions. We first turn to our parents, only to discover that they
are also searching for the same thing. Then we ask our teachers, but they often
give bookish answers that cannot be applied to our problem. We turn to
celebrities and political leaders only to realize that they have very little to
say. Finally, we ask our spiritual masters, but to our disappointment, they –
if they are truly spiritual masters – do not give us any answer, they just
tell stories and leave it to us to find the meaning. “A disciple once
complained to his Master: 'You tell us stories, but you never reveal their
meaning to us.' Said the Master: “How would you like it if someone offered you
fruit and masticated it before giving it to you?'” (Anthony de Mello). We are
a bit like the disciples of Jesus: “Lord, we do not know where you are going.
How can we know the way?” (John 14:5). And Jesus' response to this complaint
is: “I am the way” (John 14:6).
The safest way to travel in the
Philippines is to have a friend with you who knows the place you are going to.
In that case, you will not get lost and you will surely arrive at your
destination. You do not worry at all, because your friend is your way. That is
how I also understand the saying of John's Gospel about Jesus being the way. For
the first Christians, Jesus became the way by journeying with them. He was not
just a distant memory, but a living reality, guiding them through the ups and
downs of life. “You are my friends” (John 15:14). He was that friend who by
knowing the way became their way. They did not miss the goal of their lives;
they did not get lost along the way. They did not allow their hearts to be
troubled, because they had faith in Jesus' constant presence and guidance. How
about us? Do we also have faith in Jesus' constant presence and guidance?
The great theologian, Paul Tillich
visited the University of Chicago Divinity School in the 50s. He gave a lecture
about the “Risen Lord” stating that the historical resurrection of Jesus was
a myth and concluding that all those who claim to have a relationship with the
“Risen Lord” are just deceiving themselves. The statement was particularly
directed at the black American spirituality that is deeply rooted in the
experience of the Risen Lord. The crowd went speechless. Who could dare to
oppose such a great theologian? Then an old black preacher with white hair stood
up and reached into his brown bag lunch and pulled out an apple. As he loudly
chomped and munched on his apple, he asked Tillich:
“Was this apple I just ate -- bitter or sweet?” Tillich responded: “I
can't answer that question because I haven't tasted your apple.” “And
neither have you tasted my Jesus," was the answer of the old black pastor.
(The story is based on personal experience of Rev. Jeremiah Wright; I am
retelling and quoting it from Sean Gonsalvez, AlterNet, March 25, 2008).
If
we are honest with ourselves we have to acknowledge that we haven't tasted the
Risen Jesus as well. For many of us He is just a distant memory, a figure of the
past that has very little to say about the dilemmas of our lives. So we replace
Him with other people who are supposed to have the answers to our problems. But,
can Jesus – our way to the Father – be replaced by somebody else? Could that
be the reason why so many of us feel lost in life? I suggest we stop asking for
directions and begin to walk with Jesus. It is time that we taste the Jesus of
the old black preacher and like the first Christians experience His living
presence in our midst. “I am the way” is the confession of faith of all
those who have found in Jesus the friend and companion through the ups and downs
of life. I hope and pray that we will join their ranks:
Jesus,
I lost my way; I do not know where to go from here.
I have asked so many people but they do not know the answer; they are searching
as well.
But I have heard that you know the way.
Let me follow you, Lord.
Let me experience Your constant presence and guidance, Lord.
Be my way. Amen.