"Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" John 14:22

I have a friend, Tony Newby, who was my Greek student assistant in college. Tony later became a Professor at Ozark Bible College in Joplin, MO. Tony has a pithy little saying that he calls a "Newbyism" that says, "God can be no closer or further away than He is right now." I know Tony is right, but there are sure times when it seems like God is about as far away as the star Sirius (one of the nearest stars at 8.9 light years or about 13,300,000,000,000 miles away).

There are other times when I feel like Judas. That I'm part of a private club who has exclusive access to God. Of course, Judas didn't understand the full picture. He hasn't had the experience of seeing the risen Christ, and he hasn't had the Pentecost experience of the arrival of the Holy Spirit, so you can't blame him much for his question. Like me, he was being very literal.

But it is a good question. Why would Christ only reveal himself to his disciples and not to the world? I mean even 2000 years ago, it would have been a media event. Even today, if someone sees a piece of toast that is browned in a way that someone could purportedly see a face that fits what our impression of what Christ may have looked like or we see the moisture formation in a window that looks like a face, it is all over the news. If Christ had revealed himself to the world would it have had more of an influence on those around at the time?

I don't think so. Remember the guards at the tomb? They were the first witnesses to the Resurrection. I don't believe they saw the risen Lord, but I do think they knew something major was going on before they blacked out. When they reported the event of that Sunday, they created a story that said the disciples had stolen the body. They weren't going to believe it anyway.

I've read ahead, Christ has more to say on the subject later...

Father, I often have more questions than answers. Like Judas, I often wonder, why have you chosen word of mouth advertising when you could choose to have a media spectacular? I think it comes down to my commitment to you. If I really do love you, I'm going to tell everyone about our relationship. If I really do love you, I'm going to honor your wishes. I anxiously await the day that you will return. Don't wait too long, ok?

- posted by Steve R. @ 8:58 PM

 
"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." John 14:21

Marcia and I are back from our vacation and we had a wonderful time. Since I'm on the road some 320-340 days a year, time with my wife is a precious opportunity. While we were gone, we were able to get some shopping done... We bought the mandatory fridge magnets for all our friends. I also took almost 300 pictures while we were gone, and we saw sights that I never thought I would see: The Panama Canal and the Mayan ruins at San Gervasio. We snorkeled with stingrays in the Grand Caymans and bought Spanish language books at a Christian Bookstore in the Honduras. And saw one of the most beautiful moon rises over the bay in the Honduras that I've ever seen.


Moonrise over Roatan, Honduras
Click to enlarge


One thing I realized on this trip is how much my wife loves me. Don't get me wrong, I already knew it... But somehow it really clicked. I think it was because for the first time I realized how she looks to my lead and guidance for our family. She's no wimp, mind you... She can hold her own with my father and that's not always easy. I mean that in a loving way if you are reading this, Dad. But they do tease each other unmercifully. During the trip, if I even would make a suggestion that there was something that I would like to do... She was all for doing it. There were times when she was exhausted, but she hung right in there with me. It's pretty amazing when someone loves you that much. By the same token, I would do anything to see a smile on her face that comes from her experiencing something new even if it was something I had done before. And when it came to shopping, she didn't even have to ask... All she had to do was think it and I would have purchased it for her, and visa-versa. Why? Because I love her and she loves me.

That seems to be the picture of the relationship we have with Christ shown in this verse. Jesus says that if I love Him, the Father will love me in return. All I have to do is prove my love for Him. How do I do that? By keeping his commandments. I know that I can't earn my salvation, but he does ask me to show my love by doing what He has asked of me. It's not a matter of having to obey Him no matter what... It's a matter of wanting to obey Him because of my love for Him.

You know, I would be really hurt if Marcia chose to totally disregard my desires, as she would be if I disregarded hers. I wonder if Christ is disappointed with me because of my disregard of His wishes?

Father, I know that there are times when you must think that I don't love you based on how I treat you. I do love you, and I know that you know that... But I really do need to take a look at how I show that love to you. Thank you for understanding... Thank you for loving me before I ever loved you.

- posted by Steve R. @ 7:49 PM