When he was alone with his disciples, he went over
everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.
(Mark 4:34, The Message)
Jesus was a master storyteller. The Gospels made us aware of lessons that come from listening to what Jesus was explaining to those around him, including his disciples. It was the parables and their lessons that made me a Christian.
Jesus spoke to many, but disciples were treated to something extra. We read that “He went over everything, sorting out the tangles and untying the knots,” Mark reports.
Wouldn’t we wish to find out what he was sharing with them in the privacy of their seclusion? What were those secrets he unveiled? What were the issues he raised with them?
Moreover, wouldn’t our own Christian attitude today be different if we knew what and about whom he was talking about? What if among his different explanations, Jesus was teaching them how to embrace and love those who did not look like them and us, who did not believe like us.
Perhaps some of the Twelve asked him about the issues, predicaments, and all that stuff we are experiencing today—in XXI Century version—yet have no easy answers to give. Perhaps He talked to them about the future, as he explained the secrets of our human lot—whether then or now?
Perhaps He talked to them about being responsive to the cries of the voiceless as Jesus enlisted them to join a band of those whose task is to “repair the broken world?”
Then, at other times, he would sit among the “extraordinary sinners,” pagans, even … women. Consider specific examples of two tax collectors—Matthew and Zacchaeus—a Samaritan woman, and a few prostitutes. With him came a new reality and a mega change.
Often, I ask myself about my own faith community as to why we are being so selective in addressing world’s issues, which we seem to have lots to complain about.
During my days when I was living and working in Poland, my church was engaged in combating social pathologies. This did not sit well with some of the clergy. I remember a pastor raising his hand in a Q&A session and asking: “What could I do with 150 drug addicts and parents who came to my church last Friday night seeking help? Our church is not about that,” he said.
Perhaps the church was not prepared to do that, but the church, as a healing community, is about being responsive to the plight of those who are seeking a better way of life.
In this context, perhaps a lesson of listening to Jesus, which I must do, speaks loud and clear in a more modern encounter with what I would describe as “repairing the world.”
There is so much one could list, and we, as Adventists, are able to provide chapter and verse of what is wrong with our world. We do this through a fascinating story of the great controversy between good and evil. The media pregnant world of today craves the excitement brought by a Batman, a Spiderman, or the Man of Steel, one after another.
I would propose that we connect ourselves more with the flesh, blood, and bones of human experience, away from a virtual, digital experience and more with humanity in a one-on-one manner.
Our family would sit at a kitchen table, and, as it happens in many homes, we talked about the current affairs. It was my grandmother Janina who often kept us in wonder. She would recall the days of her youth and concluded with a comment: “Those were the ‘golden years.’ I wish they returned.”
Those were the “golden years!” And people were kind toward each other.
Our parents were more respectful about changes. The war was over, though the post-war reality was slowly settling-in after the years of WWII. Together with my siblings—living in a new reality—we would challenge the grown-ups: Golden years? Really? When? We would ask.
Frankly, I wish today was at least gold plated, even for a moment.
Every generation considers, even for a moment, that theirs is a reality to keep a bit longer. But …
For me, my present reality (now noted as post reality) is inscribed with the words by Coldplay, describing a heartbreak, yet giving a richer relevance. They sing: “Once upon a time, we burned bright, now all we ever seem to do is fight.”
Rajmund Dabrowski is the RMC communication director and editor of Mountain Views. Email him at: rayd@rmcsda.org