What
is a true story? We look for facts that can be proven, but we know that the
storyteller can choose facts to create a story that turns one way or another.
We were all expecting a terrible blizzard and we didn’t get one. Did the news
tell a lie? We want to know what will happen. We see the future as something
mysterious and dangerous. We hold in high esteem anyone who can give us a
glimpse of what will be so that we can be prepared – so that we can have some
power over what will happen to us.
This
is an illusion. We are as wise as the last weather report. We have no control
over the future and perhaps we would be wise to acknowledge this. What we have
is this present moment. It is in this moment that we can laugh with joy, or
comfort a friend. What we need to know is not what will happen. We need to know
how we will choose to live.
Moses
tells the people to expect a prophet. We think of prophets as having a kind of
inside knowledge about God (they do.) Mostly, we are amazed at their ability to
know the future. They know when the world will end, or when the messiah will
return. People are willing to follow the wisdom of prophets, but is this what
they are sent for? Moses describes a person who speaks God’s words. Once in a
while, God speaks a message about the future through a prophet. Mostly these
are words of comfort or warning. The words are not about dates or times. God is
not interested in us knowing the exact deadline. God wants us to change, so
that we might live good and faithful lives. The warning comes to motivate our
change, not to give faithful believers insider information.
The
test of the prophet is the truth of what happens. This may be as simple as
correct details. The work or the prophet is greater – to tell us how to live.
If we are faithful, we live in relationship with God, and we are blessed. If we
move away from God, we are lost and troubled. This is the truth of the
prophets. In Moses’ time as in our own, there are always “prophets” who are
willing to tell us what we want to hear. There are endless commentators and
pundits who will tell a story to make political friends or to gain an audience.
I fear they often set truth aside to tell a story that they know will be
accepted.
Jesus
speaks the truth about God. He does not appeal to ancient commentators or the
wisdom of those who came before him. He does not appeal to popular sensibilities.
In this sense he is not like the speakers of our day. He speaks what he knows.
We might admire his frankness and I believe that this is the attitude of many
of the crowd who heard him. Jesus doesn’t speak truth to shake things up or to
make people pay attention. Jesus speaks directly to show us that we too can
have a direct relationship with God.
Jesus
speaks truth in a way we recognize. He doesn’t report facts. He doesn’t even very
often make a convincing argument. He speaks truth directly to our hearts. He
speaks what is true. He tells us what we really need to know. He shows us the
way to live into this truth.
In
the middle of teaching and healing, a man with a demon – an unclean spirit –
rebukes Jesus. We don’t know what this means. It could be demon possession,
madness, or some kind of other worldly manifestation of evil that is alien to
us. This demon knows who Jesus is. In that world of magic, the demon tries to
hold power over Jesus by knowing his name and knowing his source. It won’t
work. Jesus is not bound by any arcane rules of magical power. Jesus is the Son
of God. He defeats the strength of darkness. With a word the man is cured.
We
think we have no part in this. Jesus is the healer. He has the power and wisdom
to speak God’s words and to transform the world. We are not divine – we are
creatures of God’s making. We know the story yet we forget our part in it. We
are also disciples. We are also children of God. We have received God’s spirit
in just the way that Moses wished for his people so many years before.
We
live in a time of half-truths and ignorance. We wonder if anyone will tell us
what is really going on. We forget what we already know. In the letter to the
Corinthians, Paul doesn’t appeal to what is right or what is wrong. Paul urges
the church to do what they know to be right. The church in Corinth was full of
strong believers. One source for food was the local temples – food that had
been offered to idols was sold again to anyone who would buy it. Many
Christians knew it was only food. Some believers who had recently been converted
still struggled with giving up their idols. Paul does not argue the theology.
Paul urges the strong Christians to take care of the weak and not do anything
to hurt their sisters or brothers.
We
are responsible for the truth of our story. We are responsible for the truth of
our speech. Jesus has saved us. Jesus has also empowered us to live the true
life. This is what it means to be righteous. We live our lives as close as
possible with the ideal of God.
This
seems impossible for us. We cannot correct ourselves in such a way that we are
perfect. What we can do is live our lives in relationship with God, seeking the
truth and seeking to follow ever closer as the way is revealed to us. The test
is how the story comes out. Is it true? Do our neighbors know the truth of
God’s love by the way we live? Do we encourage and help one another along the
way. Are we transformed into God’s love?
There
is no test we must pass. We are simply living the life of faith. We love, we risk,
and we try again. We discern God’s way and as we follow we show the truth of
it.
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