2022-09-22 A Meditation on Jesus’ Legacy

““These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.” (Jn 14:25–31 ESV)

Jesus alive with us today, the fruit of timeless, any century, discipleship after the emergency, emergency, of His death. His words a will that lasts beyond the grave, to us, creatures of the history books who have learnt: where two or three are gathered, there expect life beyond anyone’s grave. There, expect wondrous compassion, godly living, generosity, and nurture for tomorrow’s war. There, expect it all to ghost those words of His will and last testament, words gaining heavenly import and illuminating even we who, centuries later, remember so that this Man’s life was not lived in vain.

In futility an enemy tries to make a simple cipher or formula of it all: Yes, God the Father willed His Son’s death. Yes, God the Father was orchestrating a divine equation. Yes, don’t you see, in light of this, we can go around crucifying each other. No! Never shall we lose sight of the fact Jesus’ death was a tragedy. Never shall we lose sight of the bunker the night before, wherein He so illuminated us with kind and inviting words, thinking only to make us over as unto a dying leader and Man, or to others or in other times, practically speaking, a Woman exemplar, to make us over as the circumspect and allocated for, provided for, nurtured even by the sin sacrifice and dying Man Himself.

Yes, we treasure His words beyond the grave, and know He is alive with us today. Yes, we could wish instead for an ageless and undying prophet, priest, and king, but circumstance and fact is what we are given: in this case, in Jesus’ case, there was a dying, there was a sin retribution and proviso, a sin sacrifice, a trade-off between His worth as the Son and Daughter of God, and the higher thought that no exclusionary or withdrawn, extracted, isolated, sheltered outcome would suffice: this friend, as preeminent, is given over by Faith unto a world, as Incarnate, mocked, on display, fighting battles that might have been won with the cursory signature of the Father’s influence and office. If only we dreamed as big as God has dreamt up for us, for the human touch is paramount. Real people man real checkpoints and positions of leadership or influence.

For instead we see Him in each other reflected, the eve of, the night of His betrayal. Someone had ants in their pants or bees in their bonnet, and for selfish motives and awful judgments did trade our Savior and peer for a fee. Thirty pieces of money, and the voice beyond the grave: “This day, I convict you”. For even Judas knew spiritual war, and the coming to terms with what he had done. Even Judas was not beyond the reach of that Man’s words. Even Judas knew the somersault and inversion and flipped-on-its-head quality of the spiritual walk: all our steps are fleeting and confusing and alternating between better angels and the devil. Yet today we are those found to be the faithful, the myriad many who were only acquiescent. Yes, of course they and we too repent, but several we must imagine, like those at the foot of the Cross, were part and parcel of the Man’s outlay, His livelihood now poured out. So all life gives us such cheer, as well as such despondency. No matter, we cannot obsess over choosing the good path; we are no Judases if we do feel ourselves called and consecrated; we need not fear, knowing the Good Spirit does lead and guide us into all holy and healthy decision. We learn from the denial of Jesus, who asks us to use Him. All this in the companionship wherein Jesus is named, and we—His disciples—thrive, alive, risen, to great perspective and heights.