The Jesus of the Movies

In preparation for my upcoming Wednesday classes that I talked about in my last post, I watched the movie, “The Gospel of John” which is a word for word rendition of that writing. Although the movie was done well, there were some things in it that continue to seem to be the purview of religiously-oriented films and videos. And they just drive me nuts.
First, when crowds are gathered, no one talks, it seems, in the crowd. Most normal crowds of people will have at least a low-buzz of murmuring and quiet talk. People just don’t stand in a crowd when no one is commanding their attention and not say or do anything. But in religious movies, it seems that’s what they do.
Second, religious actions seem to be artificial. Jesus folded his hands and held them to his face when praying, just like we teach children to do sometimes in our culture. I don’t know how Jesus prayed, but I venture a wild guess he didn’t do that.
Third, events of monumental importance and significance receive a dearth of emotion from those witnessing them. We saw walking on water and the raising of Lazarus in this movie. In both cases, there was a generally non-emotional reaction to these events. And what emotion was shown was artificial, in my view.
I can only imagine the chaos in the boat when they saw this figure walking on the waves. And I can surely hear the shouts, the cries, and the human noise of utter disbelief when Lazarus came floating out of the tomb (His hands and feet were bound together, it says…how did he get out of the tomb? I’m not the only one who believes he may well have “levitated” out. Many serious Biblical scholars and commentators agree.)
And Jesus himself was rather short and unimposing. I suppose that could indeed be true; however, I have to believe that God would have His Son to be a fine human specimen, and that He would have had the presence and command of his environment to have chased out the money-changers, elude would-be captors, and make the soldiers who came to arrest him fall back in fear.
Besides, Jesus had command and control of his disciples. I know he could well have done that through divine means, but these guys were sailors, tax collectors, zealots, and other miscellaneous “lower class” life. I’m not sure a wimpy Jesus would have made the impression on them that he did. And what of Jesus’ appearance to John in Revelation chapter 1? Was that a wimp who appeared to him? I hardly think so, given that John fell to the ground as a dead man.
I had anticipated better from this movie. Maybe I shouldn’t do that; I only become disappointed when things aren’t the way I envision them. One of these days, though, someone will make a movie and cast a Jesus who is as I imagine him to be…THAT’LL be the day.

The Life

A couple of weeks ago, I asked if I could teach the Wednesday evening adult class at church in a three-week mini class. We would watch the one-man play “St John in Exile”, presented by Dean Jones (made several Disney movies and other films). In the play, Jones is John the Apostle, living in exile on Patmos Island Penal Colony. He recounts his recollections of his time with Jesus of Nazareth in a way that is amusing at times, yet very powerful. The class coordinator, not being used to people volunteering to teach, decided to schedule me quickly before I changed my mind. So I will be teaching for the next three Wednesday evenings.
In preparation for the class, I have watched the play yet one more time. First having seen it about 20 years ago, I have watched it probably 25 times or so. Each time I see or hear something in the play that I’ve not seen before, and the play remains fresh to me even though I know much of the dialog by now. There’s just something about seeing Mr. Jones as John the Apostle that bring s a realism and even life to the words of his gospel.
Actually, that’s one of the things I think John is trying to convey in his writing. He talks several times about Jesus and the Life that is in him. He quotes Jesus saying, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He talks in the play of the life that was in Jesus following his own resurrection. He talks of the eternal life that is promised in John 3:16. There are other places as well, but you get the picture.
I’ve often wondered just what this “life” was, how it manifests, and what it looks like. Oh, I know that there are myriads of living creatures on this planet (and perhaps other planets somewhere). And I know the difference between a living person and a dead person. I know all of that. But there’s something different about the life that Jesus talks about, I think.
Jesus seems to be talking about a life that is special…that is unique…that is a gift only God provides. It transcends mortal and physical life, although it certainly includes it. It is a life that is at once eternal, yet in the here and now for those who know God and know His only Begotten Son.
I don’t understand it all, but each time I hear the play by Mr. Jones, I have a little better appreciation for the Eternal Son and what he has done (and continues to do) for us all. Truly, if Jesus is not a liar or a crazy man, he is God Himself and embodies that Life which is made available to all who will accept the gift.

Why Do You Pray?

We had an interesting thing happen yesterday (Sunday) at our church. One of our brother-members has been in the hospital for the past week or so, with one unexpected problem after another. He went in initially for surgery on his esophagus, but had at least three more unexpected surgeries, ending with one that removed some of his colon and small intestine due to a diverticulum which ruptured. On Sunday morning, when they were about to go in for the fourth time in a week, he was on total life support and the doctor gave him virtually no chance at survival.
They did that surgery on Sunday when the church was meeting. We stopped the service and had a special prayer for him, as they were working on him at the hospital. The prayer was sincere, humbling, and honest. There was no doubt in the one leading the prayer that God could intervene, and he conveyed that hope to the rest of us in good fashion.
We found out on Sunday evening that not only had he survived the surgery, but he came through it so well and looked so good that the doctor now is saying he has a chance to go home and live a normal life. The doctor is also quoted as saying that it shouldn’t be this way…that he should not even be alive; yet they are now talking about possibly going home and living rather normally.
They have one more surgery to do. That is tomorrow (Tuesday). If he comes through this one as he did the one on Sunday, they will sew him up, put him back in ICU, and work to get him out of the hospital and on the long road to recovery.
I remember thinking during the prayer Sunday morning, unlike many times when I’ve participated in such prayers, that God indeed can and does intervene in these kinds of things, and that the prayers of His people do matter. Oh, I know He doesn’t always do what we ask, but does that make God any less of a prayer-answerer?
When you pray for someone, whether for healing, for comfort, wisdom, or whatever, what do you think of? Are you going through the motions? Are you doing your duty? Or are you petitioning the God of the universe to intervene in a situation because you are asking Him to do so, believing that He can and does work in His creation?

Semper Fi

Well, it's over. The funeral for my father in law was yesterday morning. It was a fitting tribute to a plain and humble man, wounded Iwo Jima veteran, and patriarch. Six Marines from Wichita provided an appropriate service at the graveside. They played Taps, folded the flag, and fired volleys in honor of a fallen hero and fellow Marine. Several Legionnaires paid tribute as well, forming a corridor outside the church and at the cemetery. The funeral itself could not have been better or more fitting.
Several of the family spoke at the service. My niece gave perhaps the most eloquent, although no more passionate, tribute. The only thing Grandad would not have wanted was the salute at the end of her talk. She is active Air Force along with her husband. They stood at attention at the casket after she said her piece and gave a salute to the decorated soldier and lifelong Marine who always said that the real heroes were the ones who never made it back home alive.
A member of “The Greatest Generation”, Grandad assimilated back into society following his wound and discharge, raised a family, worked hard, paid his bills and his taxes, griped about the government and politics, and loved his offspring and their issue. He had a rather simple philosophy of what was right and wrong; if it looked or sounded cock-eyed and obtuse, it was probably wrong. If it fit with the philosophy of loving one's neighbor and doing the right thing, it was probably right. He didn't have many things that he hadn't already placed in one category or the other long, long ago.
As a pumper for an oil company, Grandad worked hard and put in a full day's work for a day's pay. He had little use for anyone who wouldn't or couldn't carry their own weight in the oil field, or any other work environment for that matter. “Can't use you,” was the kiss of death when Grandad said that to someone working for him. It meant that you weren't pulling your weight and might as well pack up and go home.
In later years, he became more frail. Although he managed to live at his home until the end, and remain active in the community as well, I think he was ready to go long ago. His wife died fifteen years ago, and I think he was ready to be reunited with her. What happened, happened, and it is all part of life and living.
The family tree will continue to sprout new branches and leaves. It will continue to grow by both direct descendancy as well as by grafting in (marriage and adoption). It has had a good root system, which remains alive and vibrant, even though the one providing the anchor is no longer here. Someone else will step in to fill that void, and life and living will continue.
Semper Fi, Grandad.

A Privilege

Right now, we are dealing with the somewhat unexpected demise of my father-in-law. He was advanced in age, but was in fairly good health for his age and had no immediately life-threatening medical issues that we knew of. Nevertheless, we found him dead in the garden of his daughter, apparently from a fall, whether caused by some sudden medical condition or not.
I am an in-law in this situation. I’ve been through the drill with my being in the middle of things with my mother and dad. It’s interesting to kind of sit back this time and just watch and absorb. I also know that I can say some things some times and what I have to say will be welcome. The children may or may not take my advice, and that’s as it should be. I’m just glad I can feel like I can offer it.
I’ve been with this family for over 35 years. I know them all pretty well. I’ve not been surprised to any great extent by anything I’ve seen in the past couple of days, and I don’t expect to be greatly surprised by anything I’ll see in the next couple of days. Nevertheless, as a student of people and their behavior, I am intrigued.
The family has grown considerably since I first came into it. There are cousins and such that I’m not sure I would recognize if they appeared at my doorstep. There are other cousins that I’m not sure I could say their names. But it’s the siblings that are on center stage, so to speak. I’m married to one of them.
To those of you who know of our family and our situation, and have expressed sympathy; thank you. To those who don’t, that’s OK. We’ll come through this and will be all the stronger for having passed through this valley. I’m privileged to be part of this family.

Until Next Time

We had dinner with friends from Topeka this evening. They had flown out to Las Vegas, rented a car, and drove to the Pacific coast for a vacation. They spent a night or two in Vegas coming and going. They marveled at how much things cost there and the fact that one cannot do very much there at all without spending money to do it, even to the point of sitting on a lounge chair at the hotel.
I’ve never been there. I don’t intend to go anytime soon. It’s not on my list of things I want to accomplish before I die. If I get to that part of the country, I’d much rather see Hoover Dam and perhaps the Grand Canyon for the second time. Northern California wouldn’t be a bad place to visit, and there are parts of Nevada and Utah that are stark, breathtaking, and drop-dead gorgeous. Vegas isn’t one of those places, in my mind.
There are other places where money greases everything. Cruise ships are one of those places. My heavens, you can’t sling a dead cat (as my brother would say…please don’t send PETA after me) on a cruise ship without hitting an attendant waiting to sell you something. Mostly they want to sell you drinks, but they also sell bingo cards, souvenirs, and other trippy trap stuff.
Branson is lubricated nicely by money. As in many of that type of place, it takes dough to flow.
But there are things one can do that don’t require money, or at least much of it. Sometimes those are good deals, sometimes not. But most of those things are at least worth looking at and perhaps going back to.
I’m glad we spent time with Chris and his family. We were able to re-connect in a good way, and managed to send them on their way with a full tank and filled stomachs. Until next time…

Well Rested

Today hasn’t been a great one. During the night, I felt one of the vertigo episodes that I’ve been plagued with for many years coming on. I managed to get to the bathroom and down some medication that kept it from becoming a full-blown disabling thing.
Now all day today, snowed by medication, I haven’t felt like doing anything. Finally this evening I ate some soup (chicken, dontcha know!!) and feel better. I’m letting the medication go and will see how I do this evening.
What is it about a day like this when one looks around at the things that need to be done, can’t do them, and feels guilty about not getting any of them done? If we had been gone all day visiting friends or relatives, none of this would get done either, but I wouldn’t feel guilty about wasting the day.
Instead, I sit here and see the full trash cans, the laundry, the dishes, and other things and wish I would have felt well enough to have taken care of some of these chores. I wonder if I should get up and get busy, or just be happy that I can sit upright and not have the world spinning around my head.
I’ve always had a problem with just doing nothing, unless I really felt crappy. Laying on a beach all day, sipping some kind of fruity drink doesn’t rank very high on my list of things to do. Instead, I at least like to think I’m somewhat productive, even if the productivity quotient is a little nebulous and the quality of productivity is some lacking.
Tomorrow will be another day. However, tonight will be rather long as I have slept a lot of the day. I should be well-rested.

A Radical Idea

It started years ago. First one or two, then a few here, a group over there. Now it has become a torrent; one that seems about as unstoppable as the water in the proverbial thumb in the dike leak story. Oh, I never said what I was talking about. I don’t know if it even has a name or not, but what happens is that Christians give up on church and religion in favor of living lives of service and devotion to God.
“Wait,” you say. “That can’t be right. You can’t be a Christian and not be religious. You can’t be a Christian and not do church.” There are many, many souls out there who will beg to differ with you, and they may well be correct.
We see it all the time. Fewer and fewer are attending traditional church services in buildings. More and more are calling it quits when it comes to aligning with a denomination. Many have begun small groups of like-minded Christians and meet in someone’s home or other nondescript location. Why? I confess I don’t know the full answer to that. But I suspect that the following may play a part in someone’s decision. What follows is in no particular order of importance; you judge for yourself.
First, denominations and religions tend to be top-heavy with bureaucracy and bloated with money-guzzling offices, buildings, and work. Some believe this is an unnecessary waste of resources.
Second, religion in general is suffering from the pains of humanity. Sexual abuse, theft, extortion, greed, and racism all play significant roles in some religious institutions today. Many people see this as hypocritical.
Third, people are recognizing an inner nudge to make the world a better place in some way. Some religious organizations haven’t a clue (or don’t want to know) how to harness that nudge and provide the help that may be needed.
Fourth, religion is full of officials of some kind or another who discourage innovation, individual initiative, and in general doing things differently than has been done in the past. It’s called obstructionism. The officials might well call it doctrine.
Fifth, the lives of people today are more harried and busy than ever before. We are inundated with data, lists, calendars, and appointments. We long for a simpler, easier time. Sometimes, that is attainable, even if for a short time, by eschewing tradition and ceremony in favor of innovation and informality.
I don’t know if this movement is on target or wildly off tangent. I suspect that, like much of what humanity thinks up, there is good and bad in it. Regardless, it is here and we must not only deal with it, but work with it, interact with it, and learn from it. After all, Christianity itself was a radical idea two thousand years ago.