Eye of a needle

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Eye of a needle

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

John 8:51

Jesus said to the Jews, “Whoever keeps my word will never see death.”

The dialogue in John 8 between Jesus and his pursuers is nearly complete.  They chase him into chapter nine, which is taken up entirely with the story of the innocent man born blind, and how Jesus both healed and defended him.

Jesus insists throughout the gospel of John that heaven is here, not there.  Heaven is now, not then.  Whatever we might think is death, is not.  Our lives with Jesus are eternal and death has no dominion, no sting, no victory.  He gives us living water, and we need nothing more to drink.  Ever.

Jesus sounds crazy to his listeners, who are settled into their bodies.  They have sorted themselves into body and spirit, and find it difficult or impossible to re-member the two into one.  Now, that’s a problem that I’m familiar with!

So Jesus sounds a little crazy to me too.  I think I understand the idea that when my body dies, my spirit is liberated and goes to heaven.  But that doesn’t seem to be what Jesus is saying.  He is inviting my spirit to be liberated now, along with and within my body.

Knowing how this turns out, that Jesus’ body will be mutilated and tortured and destroyed on the cross and then restored in resurrection just a few days later, I think he’s telling me to expect the same.  Death of some kind is bound to come.  But do not be afraid of what looks like death, because it isn’t.  It is the doorway to life.

This “doorway” isn’t just physical death; it isn’t even mostly physical death.  It is the result of what Jesus calls “keeping my word:” serving others instead of myself, being last instead of first, moving downhill instead of up without trying to reverse the engines, letting God be God and loving him.

When I’m made small enough to fit through the eye of a needle, Jesus says, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Lord you mold me into what you’ve made me to be, and I resist.  Forgive me, Father.  Let your shape for me become the apple of my eye. 

http://www.christiancounselingservice.com/archived_devotions.php?article_id=1271