Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Are you the one?



From today's reading:  John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, 'Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?' And [Jesus] answered them, 'Go and tell John what you have seen and heard.  Luke 7:18-19,22 

I think this is still a big question today.  Are you the one, or do we look elsewhere?  In Jesus' day, the Jews were looking specifically for the Messiah - the one promised from God.  In today's world, that's a much broader question.  There are a lot of other 'religions' out there: many that have come down through the ages, but also a lot of newer expressions of spirituality that have been designed by people looking for meaning, but maybe sadly missing the most important ingredient.  

Whether you are looking for forgiveness, enlightenment, salvation, relationship, a feeling of oneness with something larger than yourself, meaning in life - God can speak to all of this. 

You notice that Jesus does not give a direct answer to John's question.  He does not say, "Yes, I am the one."  Instead, he says, "Look around you.  What do you see?  How do you interpret what you see?"  He is encouraging them to critical thinking - can these things happen and be insignificant?  Can these things happen and not affect the world - not come from something larger than our existence?

We are being invited to look at the world around us.  Are those significant things that happen around us just coincidence, or is there a design that comes from something larger than chance.  For Christians the answer is obvious.  Jesus was the one to come.  There is a Godly design to the universe - from the vast expanse of interstellar space to the intimate way that God cares for us as demonstrated in the person of Jesus Christ.  

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