The
world tried to keep Jesus at bay.
Obscurity.
Poverty. Illegitimacy. Dislocated. Refugee. Semitic. Subjugated by empire.
Resisted by clerics. Blasphemer. Heretic. Unpatriotic. Treasonous. Arrested.
Tried. Tortured. Executed. Buried.
Odds
were against a comeback.
Then
the church elevated Jesus beyond reach.
Born
of a virgin. Sinless. Messiah. Christ. Son of God. Divinity. Savior. Ultimate
sacrifice. King. Godhead. Heavenly. God’s right-hand-man. Supreme judge.
Way
out of our league, beyond our capabilities, out of this world.
Sophisticates
simply dismiss Jesus.
Myth.
Fairy tale. Unrealistic. Idealistic. Impractical. Parochial. Unnecessary.
Confining.
Yet
Jesus returns.
Jesus
returns again and again to every generation, to every nation, to every culture.
We may fail to see him because of color, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality,
nationality, religion, and every other way Jesus is manifest in “the least of
these” who are ignored by “the powers that be.”
The
“second coming” has multiplied exponentially and yet we still miss out when we
are distracted, literalistic, pessimistic, cynical, selfish, egotistical, xenophobic,
or just plain stupid.
Jesus
is as near to you as yourself. As near to you as another person and creature
and landscape and horizon. As near to you as the deepest need, the greatest
joy, the most passionate love, the most inspired art, the most enduring peace.
Jesus is everywhere, if only we taste, touch, smell, listen, look, feel, think,
contemplate, and breathe.
Jesus
is as natural as we are. And we have as much potential to be his presence and
recognize his presence in others when we make room for him in our schedules,
provide for him in our economies, and allow his values to shape our policies
and politics.
Move
aside, headlines and headliners! Jesus returns.
According
to the Gospel according to Zorba the Greek, Nikos Kazantzakis’ real life friend
and fictionalized protagonist:
Christ is born, my wise Solomon,
my wretched pen-pusher! Don’t go picking things over with a needle! Is He born
or isn’t He? Of course He is born, don’t be daft. If you take a magnifying
glass and look at your drinking water—an engineer told me this, one day—you’ll
see, he said, the water’s full of little worms you couldn’t see with your naked
eye. You’ll see the worms and you won’t drink. You won’t drink and you’ll curl
up with thirst. Smash your glass, boss, and the little worms’ll vanish and you
can drink and be refreshed!
This post appeared December
24, 2014.
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Copyright © 2014 by Chris
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