The Enigma of God

We often say, “Jesus said…” or “The Bible says…” and we repeat the words hoping that somehow those words will help us or help someone else to understand how we are called to live and to be.  I’ve been doing that for most of my life—repeating the words of Jesus and sharing the words of Holy Scripture.

This morning, however, I find myself pondering not only the words of Jesus, but also observing his  actions and behavior in various circumstances.  We say actions speak louder than words—but as I’ve written before, words are actions (deeds), too.  Indeed, without words we would know little about Jesus himself—all that he did and did not do would not have survived had not somebody’s words—like Matthew’s, Luke’s and Mark’s words—been written.  Words and actions go together.

When James and John wanted Jesus to bring down fire upon a Samaritan village that would not receive them—Jesus, by both word and action, suggested that was not the way.  When Peter lifted his sword in the Garden of Gethsemane against those who were coming for his Master, his Master told him to put the sword away and then meekly let himself be led away.  When standing before Pilate and suffering the cruelty and mockery of the soldiers, Jesus was silent and said nothing.  This was not what was expected by Jesus’ disciples and, in fact, Peter, and most of the others found it totally unacceptable.  

What Jesus didn’t do baffled them as much as what he said.  In his behavior and bearing there was no resentment, no striking back, no violence or bitterness that most of us act out when we are hurt, or misrepresented, or rebuked, or criticized, or put down.  

Jesus was different.  He did not conform to the religious bent of his day, he did not fit the normal.  He seemed not to be surprised, or hurt, or resentful, when people found his “difference” intolerable and unacceptable.  We call Jesus’ way visionary, because  we know that to behave and act as he did (differently) goes against the grain.  And who wants to go against the grain and suffer the consequences?  So it is that we, like the disciples of old, find that what Jesus didn’t do baffles us as much as what he said.  His reactions just can’t survive in the real world, we say.  Thus we go on being James and John, wanting to “do in” those who are different or who reject us, and like Peter, wielding our swords against all whom we perceive are coming at us.