February 6 - Witness

 I was a young man, in Junior High (we didn’t have middle schools back then), when Elvis Presley rocketed to popularity.  I still know all the words to “Heartbreak Hotel,” and, “You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog.”It was heady fare. My father, a frustrated musician, refused to listen to Elvis, or to allow his music on the radio in our house. With scorn, he would rant that whatever Elvis was putting out, it wasn’t music. His mind was closed. Completely!

I keep thinking that Jesus was like a rock star in his context. Followed by crowds, loved by the people, sparking resistance to the establishment. Like my father, the Pharisees wouldn’t even listen to him, or explore his claims. I’m not sure how they dismissed the healings, but they did. Their minds were closed. Completely!

In a very public setting, where we left him yesterday, Jesus addressed their unbelief citing 3 forms of truth that bore witness to him. First, he reminded them of the direct and unambiguous witness of John the Baptist that Jesus was the “blessed one of God…the Lamb of God, come to take away the sin of the world.” Second, he reminded them of the testimony of scripture. “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” you can just hear his voice dripping with frustration. And third, he cited his teachings and his miracles. “My father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me.”

In all my years in the ministry I learned that unbelief is as much of a choice as belief is. What makes it in many ways more appealing is that whereas to believe in something requires some measure of understanding and effort, not to believe doesn’t require much of anything at all. It is the maintenance of the status quo, the preservation of old wineskins.

Prayer: “Great Father of miracles, keep my mind supple and open. Speak to me in new ways so that I do not become so set in my old ways. Grant to me new relationships, new questions, and new doubts to help me grow stronger in faith. Keep my eyes open to the complete wonder of this life, so that I might constantly overflow with thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”