"No-Joke Jesus"

 

Hey, Cobblestone,

     Allow me to introduce you to No-Joke Jesus. You met him in your Bible reading this week, but may not have realized who he was. Oh, he’s no more/less/different than before, but a new awareness should have been awakened in you, beginning with the seventeenth chapter of Matthew’s Gospel:

     And (Jesus) was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light… and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matthew 17:2, 5).

     Listen, indeed. The original instruction was to Peter, James, and John, who were with Jesus during the transfiguration. And the voice in the cloud booms down through the centuries. Take a moment right now to feel its reverberations – “Listen to him.”

     The Transfiguration signals a turning point in Jesus’ mission of initiating the kingdom of God on earth. Immediately afterward, he lit out on his last journey to Jerusalem before his crucifixion. Time was short. The conversations were very direct. Even the parables became edgier. Coming down the mountain that day, he found the rest of his disciples unable to heal a boy oppressed by a demon – even though he had given them authority over demons (see Matthew 10:8). And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?” (Matthew 17:17). Gentle Jesus, meek and mild? Hardly.

     So here we are, Church, twenty centuries beyond the Transfiguration. Those first three disciples were told not to reveal the vision until after Jesus’ resurrection. So here we are again, twenty centuries beyond the Resurrection. It’s OK to reveal the vision. And it’s always been OK to listen to Jesus.

     In the New Testament, every letter from the apostles urges every believer to live as if the Lord’s returning could happen at any moment – which, of course, it could. I think you know that I am by no means an end-times expert, but here’s an unassailable fact to deal with: today is one day closer to the Second Coming than yesterday was, and if it doesn’t happen today, tomorrow will be one day closer still. Therefore, it is incumbent upon our generation to listen to Jesus better and closer than any generation before. I’m not asking y’all to become eschatological eggheads; I’m asking you, as a pastor and as your brother in Christ, to listen to Jesus better than ever – especially since his message and culture’s message are diverging at a rate never before matched in history.

     Jesus did us all a tremendous favor by revealing his No-Joke side. And we can feel free to apply this new info retroactively. All that stuff he said about the merciful obtaining mercy and the meek inheriting the earth – he meant every word. Authority over demons? Legit. We can feel free, also, to hear the voice of No-Joke Jesus in the coming chapters of Matthew’s Gospel. Peacemaking – the only useful tactics are those that closely resemble what Jesus specifically gave (18:15-20). Marriage – Jesus speaks truth on the subject (19:3-12)… figure it out. Judgment – he wasn’t fooling around (25:31-46). The gentle voice of Jesus is no less real than ever; his No-Joke voice is more helpful for clearing the air.

     The No-Joke voice of Jesus is most helpful in the moment when many other voices around us are saying one thing, and Jesus is saying another. What do we embrace and what do we throw overboard – or oppose? Catch up with Jesus – the Jesus who, during his first appearing, was on his last hike to Jerusalem. His stride is long, his pace determined – but he will lengthen your stride and quicken your pace. He wants you to hear and understand. Many people lament the amount of polarization in our day, and at times so do I. Polarization is the enemy of unity. But unity gained by ignoring truth is no kind of fruitful unity. Jesus has truth. Jesus is Truth. Go with Jesus – if polarization happens, that’s a separate matter altogether. Our calling is to get truth, live truth, and invite others into truth.

     If your perception of Jesus is rattled right now… well, the affectionate pastor part of me is a little sorry for being the one to have to rattle you. On the other hand, it needed to happen sometime. Rest assured: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end (Lamentations 3:22). Jesus will always have the perfect combination of compassion and discipline, parable and directness – for you and for all his brothers and sisters. But please be advised: at no point is he ever kidding.

 

“Listen to him.”

 

 Grace and Peace (and Holy Spirit ears to hear),

 

John