Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
An acquaintance of mine, Shane Claibourne, has become a little bit famous recently because he's been writing books about following Jesus. He's got his photo on book covers and he's invited all over the country for speaking engagements. Ironically, just this week I've heard some people denounce him, saying that he's not really following Christ - he's too interested in the glamor of fame.
I think that kind of statement is a failure to recognize Shane for who he really is. People are treating Shane similar to what Paul says in today's scriptures (Acts 13:26-33) about people in Jerusalem not recognizing Jesus for who he really was. For back when we were both studying for master's degrees in theology, Shane declared, "This studying is not worth my time. What Jesus says is simple: Give away all you have and follow him." And so my friend left school and moved to Philadelphia and started an intentional Christian community named The Simple Way. This community welcomes all people who come to their doors (it's kind of a Protestant version of Dorothy Day's Catholic Worker houses) and they have quite a ministry going in their neighborhood. Other people wanted to know more about what they did, so my friend started writing books - and now he's become a household name in some Christian circles - but this fame was certainly not because he sought it.
I also wonder if people sometimes denounce Shane because his way of life is threatening to them: they see him following Jesus and they wonder whether they, too, should give away all they have and start a house for the homeless. It's a good question to ask, because maybe it's true. Jesus does ask us to do very costly things, including giving away our possessions. Would people get so defensive if they believed that they, too, are following what Jesus calls them to do?
Today's scriptures are a call to us to follow Jesus. Paul wants us to recognize Jesus for who he is and follow him. It is so easy to be like the people of Jerusalem in Acts and fail to recognize Jesus in our lives. It is even easier to deceive ourselves and believe we're doing the right thing, like the Pharisees did at Jesus' trial, only to discover later that we crucified Jesus.
The amazing thing is that there is grace there, even in our failure to recognize Jesus. As Paul says to the people of Antioch, the fact that the people failed to recognize Jesus meant that, in spite of themselves, the prophecies about Jesus were fulfilled. God acted for the people even when the people were killing God's only begotten Son.
Once we recognize Jesus, how are we to follow him? Should we all be like Shane Claibourne? I think we should, in fact, allow ourselves to be challenged by Jesus' exhortation to give away possessions. But today's gospel (John 14:1-6) also speaks of something else: "In my Father's house there are many rooms. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?" The phrase "many rooms" can be read in a lot of ways; this week, I'm reading it as a reminder that there are many ways to serve Christ and be his disciple. Jesus doesn't ask everyone he meets to give away everything in quite the way Shane does. Some of his followers, like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, live in houses and serve their local communities. Some of his followers become missionaries, or preachers, or teachers. Some of his followers, like Paul himself, make tents for a living, even as they proclaim the gospel.
But one thing Jesus DOES always ask of his followers is for faith in him, and faithfulness. When we have a failure to recognize the presence of Jesus in our world, in each other, in the Eucharist - those are the moments when we need to accept Jesus' call to have faith.
- Jana M. Bennett