Understanding the Theological Mysteries

We encountered the theological mysteries when Jesus tried to tell us who He is. At this point in his ministry, He is beginning to make a radical break with Judaism. His claims are running across the grain, reinterpreting and making outrageous reversals from what Jews were supposed to believe. This is when the charges of blasphemy are raised, and they began to plot against his life.

1. Baptism into the Kingdom
       - John 3:3-8 ~ transformed
       "... be born again of water and Spirit ..."

While Jews knew what a baptism of repentance meant, the idea was mostly reserved for when the whole nation was called to repent. For an individual, dunking yourself in water was for ritual purity, being "clean" in God's sight. This is why Jesus mocked them, saying that they washed the outside of the vessel but the inside was still full of filth and dead bones. The Temple sacrifices for sin did nothing for repentance or changing people's lives. So when John came to preach a baptism of repentance, it stirred up lots of people. They knew that God was planning to divide the nation, choosing a holy remnant to preserve, because Judaea was to be chastised. They came to listen, and to get right with God.

Then when Jesus started baptizing people, He added a new twist. Yes, it was for repentance, but the emphasis rested on the individual, and it came with a command: "follow me." This time, baptism became the door through which one would enter the Kingdom of God. This was meant to be such a radical break with the old ways, it came to symbolize a dying to the world and being raised to new life - leaving this old kingdom, and entering the Kingdom of God here on Earth. But Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is spread out upon the Earth, yet you do not see it." Something was still lacking ... for a while.

People were beginning to change, a few who were close, as they were getting to know Him. They listened and did what He said, and they tried to understand his stories of the Kingdom and how people are supposed to treat each other, but it was hard for them. They couldn't explain it to others. They still held fast to their own perspectives. They couldn't see things the way God sees. This was because Jesus had yet to fulfill the prophecy of John. He was not yet baptizing us with the Holy Spirit and zeal for the love of God and neighbor.

So when Jesus met to talk with Nicodemus, He told him the rest of the story. In order to truly enter the Kingdom, we must be born again. Not according to the flesh, but by water and the Spirit. It takes both, dying to the world and rising to new life, and being filled with the Holy Spirit so that we become compliant to God's will. And even so, it's still a learning process. Babies need to grow and learn to walk and talk, then to play and study, and finally to work alongside the parent, who spends years teaching them. It is the same with new Christians. That is why we need to have faith. We trust our teachers, even when we don't see the point of every lesson. Then one day, we may be given a task to do, and we have to remember how it should be done.

And what is that task? It is to follow the Father's will, implementing it here on Earth, just as Jesus followed the Father's plan. "Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven." And just like Jesus, it starts when we get baptized.

2. Establishing the Church
      - Matthew 16:13-17 ~ identity
      "Who do you say that I am?"

From the very start, the identity of Jesus has been a central, critical issue. John the Baptist did not declare that "He who comes after me" was going to be the promised Messiah. It was left for those who knew them, and were familiar with the Scriptures, to discern just how much faith to place in their messages. That is why, alongside his proclamation of the Kingdom, Jesus did signs and wonders, to show that the Father gave witness and authority to his mission. Even so, John sent his own followers to inquire of Jesus, "Are you really the One?" And Jesus told them to report to John what they had seen Him do and heard Him say. The message and the mission were meant to stand on their own for credentials. It was up to those who saw and heard to grasp the Good News by faith.

But now, with John so recently killed, Jesus would have to depend on his own disciples to tell his story. So he called them together and asked, "Who do the people say that I am?" And they answered, "John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah, or another of the prophets." "So then, who do you say I am?" And Simon spoke quickly, "I say you are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!" Jesus nodded, "Simon, no one has said this. You had to receive it from my Father. So now, I shall call you Peter, and upon this rock I shall build my 'church' (literally, a called-out community). The gates of Hades shall not stand against it, and I will give you the keys of the Kingdom."

But what, in Heaven's name, is Jesus saying here? Peter is the first to make the Church's declaration of faith. Jesus is the divine Son of God. Aside from referring to God as the Father, Jesus has not explicitly made this claim. Indeed, He keeps saying, "Don't tell," when He's healed someone. It's only after this that He decides to go public.

Now that his disciples have seen enough to understand, He starts to reveal some basic theological challenges to the established teaching of mainstream Judaism. From now on, his teaching seeks a deeper meaning that the Pharisees and Sadducees have pointedly ignored. They wanted a political Messiah, a leader to elevate the nation to prominence, while He reads all the way back to Exodus and Judges, where God Himself wants to be their King.

Yet even this twist takes second place to his mission to free us from bondage to sin. The very next thing He tells them is that He's going to suffer and die, and rise again. And Peter can't handle that. Not until he sees the resurrection does he really believe. But in the end, he does, and that is what Jesus was rewarding. Peter gets to decide what a real Christian is supposed to believe, and how the Gospel is to be spread to the world. He is the arbiter of the disciples' consensus for the story they will tell about Jesus.

3. Faith beyond understanding (move to #6)
      - John 6:57-69 ~ dividing
      "the Words of eternal life."

In the 6th chapter of John's gospel, Jesus declares something completely outrageous and unacceptable to Jewish orthodoxy. "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you." And many in the crowd concurred with the opinion, "This saying is too hard. Who can listen to it?" Many of His followers drifted away, presumably thinking He was mad. Then Jesus turned to his handpicked disciples and said, "Do you too wish to go?" But Peter spoke up, "Master, to whom should we go? You have the words of eternal life." They stayed with Him, but there is no explanation for his teaching.

"Eat my flesh, and drink my blood" stands as a mystery, totally contrary to the teachings of Moses. It is impossible to think of this literally without saying that Jesus was a false prophet. Jesus was in the habit of teaching those who couldn't readily understand by using simple parables and metaphors. This time, however, it was different. He wants to tell us something beyond our capacity to grasp, and He knows that we will never get it. This time, He just wants us to have faith, to trust Him.

We must trust that He knows what He is doing. Like a small child trusts a parent, or a big brother, to lead through a dark forest or across the dry desert, we assume that he is right. So when Jesus gives us this peculiar rite of the Eucharist, we decide to always "do this in memory of Me," whether we understand it or not. If Jesus says it, then in some sense it must be true. We cannot question it. If we do, we risk losing our trust. In some mysterious sense, it IS his body and blood.

It doesn't matter if we think of this as a miracle of "trans-substantiation," or some kind of poetic metaphor, or maybe as a symbol of his eternal resurrected body. We just don't know, but it's what He said we should do. We know that He has the words of eternal life, and we follow, wherever He is going. All we know is, it's not merely bread and wine. He said, "This is my body," and "This is the cup of my blood," which He sacrificed for us, and we shall never forget.

When Moses raised the bronze serpent on a pole in the desert to cure those who were bitten, there were those who were offended, but the ones who trusted were saved. It was remembered as a miracle, but it was simply a demand for trust. When we trust God, that is the "faith" He keeps asking us for, and He accounts it to us as righteousness. If it is hard, just remember how we followed Him for forty years through the desert, but those who trusted Him finally arrived in the promised land.


4. Revealing his Divinity (new #3)
      - John 10:22-42 (v.30) ~ Triunity
      "I and the Father are one."

This is actually a deep theological issue, related to the relationships of the Holy Trinity. When Jesus tells where his authority comes from, He says that the Father is his witness, as shown by the power of his signs and wonders. As the law requires two witnesses, clearly this establishes a distinction between the Father and the Son. But here, Jesus is saying that He is in complete agreement with the Father's will, doing nothing but whatever He is directed to say or do. Indeed, He goes so far as to eliminate all separation, saying that the Father is in Him, and He is in the Father. Just as we are supposed to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts, Jesus is claiming that the Father dwells within Him, and more, that the Father keeps Jesus in his own heart, as his beloved Son.

This is in fact a proactive validation of Jesus' sayings and actions. The Father gives the Son authority to describe their relationship in human terms, because He alone understands it so well that He can define what we otherwise could never grasp. And that is why the Jews reached down to pick up stones to throw, the very idea of any identity between a man and God was blasphemy. But Jesus was more than just a man, more than "a man after God's own heart" like King David. Jesus is God Himself, come to be King, to lead his people the way the Father wanted to lead the children of Israel after they left Egypt.

Jesus is the example for us to follow, as He follows the in the very footsteps of the Father, just as Moses followed the pillar of smoke and fire through the desert. He lives by the trust that God desires of us, and follows wherever He is led, saying and doing all that He is asked. And He does it without failing, because He loves the Father above all things, even his own life. Thus, the Father accounts his whole life, everything Jesus does, as true righteousness.

This is how Jesus abides in God's heart, because He keeps God abiding in his own heart, without going astray. If we would do that, neither would we go astray. If we would continually love Him, neither would we sin. But the human heart is fickle, and we do not always desire what we know we should desire, and we don't want what we want to want, nor do we do what we would wish to do. That is why we need to always take refuge in the promises Jesus made to us. We come to Him for forgiveness, as we know we have failed. And we continue to fail because we don't keep our eyes on Him, and we wander from the path in which He leads us through this world - this wilderness of Sin, where we are tempted to seek our own sustenance rather than trusting in God. But when we return to Jesus, we can trust in Him, because we believe when He says, "I and the Father are one, because I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me."

4. Institution of the Eucharist (moved here) 

5. Staying connected with Him
      - John 15:1-17 ~ abiding
      "If you abide in me, and my words ..."

These teachings from the Gospel of John, in chapters 14 and 15, are those which promise the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is by the power of the Spirit that we are able to abide in Jesus and to allow his Word to abide in us. It is because we love Him and desire to be with Him that we dwell on the things He said to us. We remember and keep his commands in our hearts, so we may endeavor to do them as He wished, and we meditate on his stories and sayings so that we might more nearly grasp what He was explaining for us. It is this helping us to remember that is the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus sent us the Spirit so we would not forget the many things He taught us, and so that we would be able to teach others about Him.

The Spirit also teaches us how to follow in Jesus' footsteps, and to listen as He did for the Father's voice. She is the sap that runs through the vine and into the branches, to pass on to us the life and power of Jesus, and to connect our prayers back to Him. Thus, whatever we ask in accord with the Holy Spirit, and in Jesus name, will be done for us, so that the Father may be glorified. It is by the power of the Spirit that we are both motivated and able to do good works for his glory, and to grow in Love.

She is the one who reminds us to love one another, to feel compassion for our brothers and sisters in Christ, so that we will find ways to provide for their needs, sharing what God has given us to sustain us. When we do that, we find that our sustenance is multiplied, going farther than we expected, just like when Jesus fed the multitudes on a few loaves and fishes. Indeed, Jesus said that we would do his works, and even greater, when led by the Spirit. We need only seek to love one another as He has loved us, to be willing to lay down our lives for their salvation, in order to see the glory of God manifest before our eyes and the miracle of faith enkindled in new hearts. Because we believe in God, let us also believe in Jesus, and in his promises.

It is because we were chosen and called out of the world by Jesus, and given the gift of the Holy Spirit that we are able to hear his Voice. We know what He taught us, and still listen to his guidance as He shepherds us according to the Father's will. The Spirit hears and helps us to recognize the Son's voice, so that we will not follow another. She defends us against those who would mislead us, and keeps us safe in the Father's arms. By her reassurance, we know that if we abide in Jesus, and his Words abide in us, we can ask what we will and He will do it, for the glory of God the Father.

Alternate Reordering: 

1. Baptism into the Kingdom 

2. Establishing the Church 

3. Revealing his Identity 

4. Institution of the Eucharist 

5. Abiding in Him 

The meditation on "the Words of Eternal Life" may be dropped, or used for an extra, if six meditations are needed.) 

Contemplating the Joyful Mysteries

This is a continuation of a series of short meditations on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. This week begins the Joyful mysteries, with the hope of the long awaited arrival of the Messiah. 

The Joyful Mysteries, pt. 1

1. Announcing the Conception of Jesus. 

The vision of the angel Gabriel given to Mary on the night she conceived her child must have been impressive. In the still of the night, she was awake, praying, and letting her mind rest on the Scriptures she had heard read in synagogue. And then, in her mind's eye, the room lights up and she can feel a Presence, there is a voice in her head, but it's not her own. "Hail, Mary, full of grace! The Lord is with thee." What is this, she is thinking, but the voice goes on. You will conceive and have a baby boy, and name Him Jesus. He will be the promised Messiah, and He will be King forever. Now she is praying, But how? I'm still a virgin, and not married yet. Then Gabriel said, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." Your child will be called the Son of God. And then the angel offered a sign, "Your cousin Elisabeth is also with child, in her old age, just so you know that nothing is impossible for God." Then Mary bowed her head, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word." And the first light of the early dawn began to lighten the sky.

Undoubtedly, Mary had a lot to think about. How can you imagine that you are the one chosen to be the mother of the Messiah? Has it even begun to register that God Himself is the Father? She has been picked for the mother of the one promised to King David, a thousand years ago, to be the greatest King ever for the Children of Israel. Honored is too small a word for it. How can she imagine herself worthy? "I'm not worthy," she decides. "This is all from the infinite grace and mercy of Adonai, because He knows that we need Him. Thanks be to God." 

But now she begins to wonder how she is going to tell Joseph, her betrothed spouse. He is a good man, but he's a widower, and already has children. "Will he still want me if he thinks I have been unfaithful? How will I be able to convince him that I'm not crazy, or lying about having a vision to cover up my sin? Lord, help me. And how will I ever be able to raise this child for God?"

Stop thinking so much. God is in control. Don't worry about tomorrow. Let Him work out the details. For now, I can go to see my dear cousin, Elisabeth. She's going to need help with her baby, at least until mine begins to show. I trust her advice. 

2. Mary goes to visit Elisabeth. 

"It's such wonderful news! God is with us once more! He has had mercy on us, to save us from our oppression. Hallelujah! And more! Elisabeth is pregnant, too! Oh, I can't wait to see her!" All these thoughts are racing through Mary's mind as she packs a bag for a journey of several days on the trails through the hill country. It's early morning when she reaches the road, waiting for a crowd to travel with, just to be safe. Never does anyone travel alone if they have a choice. 

The trek was hard, but she made it safely. Beit ha-Kerem is not far from Jerusalem, on the southwest slopes of Mount Moriah. They have beautiful vineyards there, and a sweet spring. Mary stops for a drink, taking her place in line with the local girls coming to draw the evening's water. Looking up, she sees Elisabeth, and calls out! Elisabeth turns, and the two embrace with joy! Both talking at once, and both reaching to touch the other's bellies. Mary, astonished, asks, "How did you know?" "As soon as I heard the sound of your voice, the child in my womb leapt for joy! You are so blessed! You believed right away, everything we were promised!" 

Mary is so full of joy to see it all confirmed, she immediately bursts out with a paean of praise! "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for He has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations shall call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his Name." 

Together, they collected the jars of water, and Mary carried them home, for Elisabeth is now obvious and tires easily. Mary, however, is young and strong. She takes over the cooking, and fusses over Zechariah when he is home. Mary watches over Elisabeth like a mother hen, making sure she is comfortable and gets plenty of good food. She even does the shopping in the market, and does a bit of gardening to discourage the weeds from taking over. 

Three months seems to fly by, and soon Elisabeth comes due. There is such joy in the house, with baby John needing care and feeding. Mary doesn't want to go yet, but Elisabeth tells her she must return before her tummy makes it difficult to travel. So Mary packs her bag again. The two women and Zechariah say a prayer for a safe journey, and an easy delivery, and Mary leaves. The return to Nazareth was uneventful, but now she has to tell Joseph her news. At first, he takes it hard. But a few days later, he relents saying he, too, has had a dream. It's going to be alright. God is in his Heaven, and He has a plan. 

3. The Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. 

When Caesar called for a census of the whole empire, Jews would have counted themselves as belonging  to the the town where their fathers came from. As both Mary and Joseph were of the family of King David, they had to go up to Jerusalem, and pass on to Bethlehem. From Nazareth, this trip would normally take about a week, but Mary would have needed frequent rest, due to the jostling of her donkey and the dust, and the many people on the road. At least, if they took the eastern way, along the Jordan river, they could have plenty of water, but the last climb up from Jericho was a hard way to go. Thankfully, it's not far from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. 

Then, when they arrive they need a place to stay. But finding a place willing to take care of a woman so near to giving birth is difficult. They can't afford a midwife, and any blood would make her room unclean, not to mention the risk of death. It's not surprising that they might be turned away. Even so, this fits in God's plan, and a friend offers them a place, in a grotto used for a stable just outside of town. Shepherds bring newborn lambs there to keep them safe. 

When they enter the shallow cave, it's not as bad as it sounded. There's clean straw, a fire pit with fuel handy, and a spring nearby for water. It will serve. Joseph can safely leave Mary here, while he goes into town for supplies, and to put their names on the register. Of course, she doesn't want him to leave her, but it's good to rest in the cool shade. They decide to stay a few days.

And while they were there, in the shepherd's grotto, Mary's time came to give birth. We may guess that her struggle wasn't too difficult, and Joseph was there to help. They cared for the baby Jesus the best way they could, wrapping Him in soft cloths to keep Him warm, and laying him in a feeding trough with fresh hay. It was good that Joseph had just returned with plenty of supplies, as now they would be staying for another week. Joseph built another manger for the animals to eat from, and tried to make his family comfortable. It was warm enough, with a small campfire and the animals resting around the room. It's not like home, but alright for now. 

And then, the visitors started arriving. The shepherds were expected, but they had this amazing story about angels, and they wanted to adore the baby. And then, a couple days later, a few foreigners, magi from Persia brought gifts for a baby king, and told us not to stay too long. Herod knows. 

4. Presenting the Baby Jesus in the Temple. 

In the Jewish tradition, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day. And if he is the mother's firstborn, a redemption offering, a sacrifice of two small birds, is owed to the Lord. When they come to the Temple, the parents also declare any lifelong dedication that they will teach him to observe. So of course, Mary and Joseph are going up to do their duty. It is a joyous occasion. Every family wants a son, to carry on the heritage, to follow his father's trade, and to study the Torah and the prophets. And yet, in these days when the legions of Rome are occupying their land, and interfering in their politics, the Jews have been begging God more than ever to send the Messiah He has promised. 

That day, there was an old man named Simeon, whom God had promised that he would live to see the birth of the Messiah, and he arrived during these ceremonies for Jesus. Moved by the Spirit, he came forward and laid his hands on the child, and spoke blessings. "Lord, now I can die in peace, for I behold thy salvation which Thou hast planned from the beginning for all to see: a light to guide all the nations, and the glory of thine own people, Israel. Look, this child is destined for the fall and rising again of many of our people, as a sign that shall be spoken against." Then turning to his mother, Mary, he said, "And sadly, a sword shall pierce thine own soul also, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." And as he departed, an old lady, who was very devout and spent all her time in the Temple, came close, and she too declared that this child, Jesus, was born for the glory of God. So when the ceremonies were over, Mary and Joseph marveled, and spoke little on the way home. But they pondered these things in their hearts. 

And so it has been, even up to this day. The Jews denied Him as their Messiah, so that the Gospel would become a light to the gentiles, but they were despised for it. Until now, when the last days grow nearer, now, there are many Jews in Israel who are  listening to the Gospel and embracing the Lord! As the nation is rising again, so are the people chosen by God to reveal his glory! The cross is still controversial, because it demands so much of us, but the story is coming out and being understood. Indeed, without the cross, not only would our debt not be paid, but we could still approach God with a legalistic and perfunctory atonement, still hiding our disbelief behind mere observances. But the cross cuts deeply, delving into our souls and demanding that we sacrifice our selfishness, offering our own lives. No one can hide their denial, or even their doubts from that. Only love and trust can follow Jesus when we have to carry our own cross every day. We do it for love, and we know how much Mary suffered to see her son put to death like a common criminal. 

5. Finding Jesus in the Temple 

We do not have any canonical stories about the childhood of Jesus. One imagines that he was given the best education that Joseph and Mary could provide, and that would include attending the local synagogue school whenever possible. Such schooling would give a fair background in the Torah, the prophets and the writings that the Jews held sacred. We may also assume that Jesus was an excellent student. He would have learned to respect authority, but also to have an opinion when He had considered a subject in deprh. And at thirteen, He would have been given the privilege to read from the Torah before the congregation. 

So when Jesus' family went up to Jerusalem, this was the first time that He would be allowed to enter the Temple on his own, and observe what was happening there. When He heard the rabbis and elders deep in their discussion of the Law, He naturally came over to listen. And as so often happens, they would have asked Him if He understood their talk. His answers then were surprisingly insightful for a young man, and they were impressed. 

But this discussion never ends, even though speakers come and go. Jesus, now totally fascinated, forgot to keep up with his family, and when evening came, they left without Him. He was enjoying this talk of God's Law, and happy when they asked his opinions. Indeed, unaware that they had gone, He assumed that Joseph would come for Him when it was time. He likely had a bit of money, and there were vendors selling food just beyond the outer precincts, and He could sleep in an out-of-the-way corner. It wouldn't have been that odd for someone to neglect to rent a place for the night. 

So, having found a way to take part in the life of the Temple, Jesus was content to wait. Thus it doesn't seem surprising how He reacted when his Mother fussed at Him. "How is it that you were searching for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father's house?" But then He accepted their consternation with humility, and obediently went home with them. He decided to be a model son, at least until He had to go out to fulfill his calling. 

End notes:

The first of Tishri, The Day of Trumpets is the first day of Rosh haShanah, and the first day of the reign of every Davidic King. On that day, September 11, in 3 BCE, the Moon was passing under the feet of Virgo, while Jupiter, the King of planets, and Regulus, the King star, were in close conjunction in Leo. And below Virgo, to one side, lies in waiting the constellation of the Serpent. This is the same imagery appearing among the stars as is described in the book of Revelations, in chapter 12. So, perhaps that could have been a record of the Star of Bethlehem, leading the Magi to seek for the King who was to be born. It was well known that the Jews had a prophecy foretelling God's gift of a King even greater than David and Solomon, a Saviour and shepherd for his people. So now, the Heavens were proclaiming the arrival of the King of Kings in Judaea, and just maybe, giving a clue to the time of his return.