Friday Focus: Learning and Loving

Jesus left the synagogue at Capernaum, and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons. - Mark 1:29-39

Sometimes scripture tells you as much by what it does not say, as it does by what it does say. This morning’s gospel is a prime example. Jesus is still a relatively new acquaintance of the disciples. We have seen him acclaimed as the Messiah. But the full meaning of that acclamation is still unclear. We have read accounts of his wonders. But uncertainty remains. Exactly who is this guy?

It looks like dinner is going to be cancelled because Peter’s mother-in-law is ill. Presto, Jesus cures her and she is quickly whipping up a meal for him and the disciples. After dinner the whole neighborhood shows up begging for miracle cures and instant exorcisms. And once again Jesus obliges them. And here’s where we must read between the lines.

Next morning, Jesus rises earlier than usual. Was his sleep troubled? Jesus goes off to pray to the Father. What were those conversations like? One thing we do know, in all things Jesus sought to do the will of his Father. We know too that once having prayed, Jesus was sure of what he must do…not stay and amaze the locals, but preach his message of repentance and redemption far and wide; establish a new covenant for Israel and proclaim the Father’s love for all creation.

As subsequent events reveal, both to us and to the original disciples, Jesus is true God and true man. But at this point, that is yet to be seen and understood. And from what is said and unsaid in this first chapter of Mark, the fully divine nature of Jesus has yet to be fully revealed and appreciated, perhaps even by the fully human nature of Jesus himself. This is a vitally significant point in understanding the life of Christ as he initiates his ministry and begins his inevitable journey to Calvary.

Over the centuries many, many well meaning Christians have gotten lost in the theological weeds trying to understand this relationship between the divine and human natures of Jesus. The Gnostics, the Nestorians, the Arians – big chunks of the early church were never reconciled to the true nature of Jesus as totally and concurrently God and man. This is not a theological footnote. It is the crux of Christianity. The God, who created the universe, became fully human in the form of Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. Jesus is not another god or even a junior varsity version of the real thing. Jesus Christ is God… another aspect of the one, only and true God. In the words of the Creed: “He is one in being with the Father.” If the concept makes your head spin, you’re not the first and you won’t be the last.

Luke tells us: he grew in wisdom and age and grace. I suspect that process did not end with his coming of age. Rather it continued throughout his public life right to the cross. His awareness of his divinity inexorably unfolded. It enabled him to plead from the cross: Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. To the end, obedience to the Father empowered the human Jesus to align himself with the divine. It gave him the power to do extraordinary things, like the miracles in this morning’s gospel. And ultimately it gave him the power to do the most extraordinary thing ever done from creation to our present day. It made him the vehicle of our salvation, the channel of God’s grace, our hope of eternal life. We are still in the first chapter of Mark, like Jesus we have far to go and much to learn.

In previous reflections on this page, we have concentrated on very elemental, very visceral responses to the gospels. This week we have attempted to be more thought provoking. The reason is simple: the more you study and think about Jesus, the more you learn. The more you know about Jesus, the more you love him and the closer you follow him. With Jesus, learning leads to loving; more learning leads to more loving.

This is particularly true in our Anglican faith tradition. We allow for a wide latitude of conscience-formed theological conviction. As such, Anglicanism has been described more as a path to belief than an iron-clad theological system. And that path is through prayer. In theological jargon: Lex orandi, lex credendi. Praying shapes our believing. The fully human nature of Jesus evolved with his understanding of his divine nature and divine mission. And that understanding was shaped by his constant prayer conversation…seeking always to know and to do the will of the Father. Our path is clear. Like Jesus, let us pray ourselves nearer and nearer to an intimate understanding of the will of the Father. Through prayer let us too grow in wisdom and age and grace.